SINGAPORE, March 11 — Although large supermarket operators will start charging customers for plastic bags from July, a number of smaller marts and provision shops have told TODAY that they do not plan to do this.

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Most of these smaller operators said that they have a close relationship with their regular customers and see providing plastic bags as part of their customer service.

Others are set to wait until the plastic bag charge takes effect in July before deciding what approach they will take.

On whether they are worried that customers of large supermarkets will flock to their stores for free plastic bags, most store owners said that this was not a concern for them since they already charge for extra ones.

From July 3 this year, customers will have to pay at least five cents for each plastic bag that they take from large supermarket operators.

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, said in Parliament last week that the bag charge will apply to supermarket operators with an annual turnover of more than S$100 million.

About 400 — or two-thirds — of all supermarkets in Singapore will impose the charge, including NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage and Sheng Siong.

The charge applies to disposable carrier bags of all materials but does not apply to non-carrier bags such as flat-top plastic bags for fresh produce, meat or seafood.

Speaking to TODAY yesterday (March 10), P. Kannan, who runs Haveen Minimart in Jurong East, said that he is not imposing a charge on plastic bags because he sees it as part of the service he provides.

Customers, many of whom are regulars, may be unhappy if they have to start paying more for a bag.

“Anyway, plastic bags are not expensive,” he added.

Alex Wu, who runs several minimarts including Best Supermart at Serangoon, also said that it is unlikely that he will charge customers for plastic bags because he feels that it may affect his business.

This is an important consideration given that he runs a small business that relies heavily on regular customers and charging extra might cause them to switch to other stores, he added.

Wu, who runs minimarts in other locations such as Bedok and Woodlands, also said: “The majority of my customers are old people, so they need plastic bags to carry their groceries. They usually don’t bring their own bags.”

Some minimart owners told TODAY that they usually charge for extra plastic bags, over and above those needed by customers for their purchases.

For that reason, they are not worried that customers may visit their store in an attempt to secure free bags.

The owner of Heng’s Family Minimart at Hougang, who gave his name as just Ah Pao, said that he charges 10 cents a bag for people who ask for it without buying anything from his store.

For Wu of Best Supermart, he said that he would turn away customers with such requests.

In response to TODAY’s queries, Singapore Minimart Association’s chairman Alan Tay said that its 82 members intend to wait until July when supermarkets start charging for plastic bags before deciding whether to follow suit.

“The supermarket chains are bigger and their businesses won’t be affected as much compared to smaller minimarts like us,” he said in Mandarin.

However, if they do decide to start charging, Mr Tay said that they would likely match the supermarket prices and charge around five cents to 10 cents for each bag.

‘More education needed’

As part of efforts to become more environmentally conscious, the minimart owners interviewed by TODAY said that they would usually ask customers if they need a bag before packing their items.

Connie Lim, who runs Umart Hock Ghee Seng Mart in Jurong East, said that most of her customers have adopted the habit of taking along their own bags when shopping.

“When I ask them if they need a plastic bag, most of them say no.”

However, other store owners said that the majority of customers still rely heavily on plastic bags.

Ah Pao said that he has noticed more customers bringing their own recyclable bags to his shop this year. Those who have their own bags make up just half of his total customers.

“By using recyclable bags, we can help save the environment. If we use them more often, we won’t need to keep purchasing plastic bags,” he added.

Kannan of Haveen Minimart said that almost all of his customers leave his shop with a plastic bag.

Tay of the Singapore Minimart Association said that this is an area requiring more public education.

He recalled a time when he had given away recyclable bags in the hopes that his customers would use them the next time they make a grocery run.

“But in the end, most of the bags are left at home and unused,” he said in Mandarin.

In response to TODAY’s queries, packaging supplier Unipack said that its clients have not cut down on orders in the coming months, given the impending plastic bag charges.

However, the company has noticed more customers asking about biodegradable or compostable options in an effort to be more environmentally conscious.

Agreeing, Pacific Packaging, a supplier and wholesaler of food packaging, said that there has been “no sign” of customers cutting down on orders yet.

Instead, the orders for plastic bags are increasing, it added. ― TODAY