No more bags

I purchased some items at our local Disney store in MA in August and received the regular bags. Just went the other day for my son's birthday gift and they said bags were gone, so it must have been a September change-over for our location. Will this happen at the parks too?

Also, I am all for recycling and going green. But, I love how Disney conveniently uses this noble act as a huge money making scheme! This is all about profits. Period.
I seriously doubt it will happen in the Parks anytime soon, since the infographic Disney released with their environmental announcement back in July mentioned reducing the number of plastic carrier bags given out in the Parks, Resorts and Cruise, rather than eliminating them, so while they will still be available, my reasoning is that they'll start to sell the reusable bags there and promote them, while still giving people the democracy of choice, which is what I'd rather Disney did in the Stores than go nuclear with the bags, especially since not everyone is going to have a reusable bag handy, particularly when one makes a spontaneous trip to a Disney Store, and more so, it's not always going to be practical and convenient for most people. That would become even more of an issue in the Parks because of the larger scale as well as the fact many spontaneous purchases are made there, not to mention that it's not always going to be practical to bring reusable bags along, especially if your rucksack/handbag/tote/stroller or pocket can't accommodate them, and it'll be even more of a problem when people don't have enough bags and/or bags big enough to accommodate everything, which is going to lead to lost sales in the parks stores when people become weary of the hypothetical bag situation.

Again, I thought the 'going green' thing was absolutely ridiculous because they're doing this at the expense of the guests while virtue-signalling on the whole plastics issue, and I can see it failing somewhere down the line, at least until they reconsider it and come up with a more just solution that'll please both sides like just only dishing out the plastic bags when a guest needs it (and perhaps make them thicker for ordinance purposes), but at the same time offering the freedom of choice. A friend of mine went to NYC back in June, and she was forced to buy one of the reusables in the Times Square store - she had no choice because her rucksack couldn't accommodate everything, and in NYC, you definitely don't want to be carrying your purchase out stark bagless or else you'd risk damaging the products while keeping to the New York Minute, and the same happened in Jersey Gardens. As much as she could have brought the same reusable along with her, she found the reusable bag to be too impractical to carry around, since it didn't fold up enough to not take up too much space in her pocket, and she, too didn't anticipate 'going green', which links into another problem regarding people not being aware or living miles away from a Disney Store and only going there infrequently, or if they come from a country that also has Disney Stores, but follow a different policy, especially since, as far as I know, the European Disney Stores aren't following suit, because they already charge for plastic or paper bags, so they've already effectively 'went green' in their own way.
 
Just leaving after a week stay at Disney World. Got bags all over the place, including a big plastic bag with an order of fries at gasparilla’s grill at Grand Floridian. No one asked if we wanted one, they just put everything in bags.
 
Just leaving after a week stay at Disney World. Got bags all over the place, including a big plastic bag with an order of fries at gasparilla’s grill at Grand Floridian. No one asked if we wanted one, they just put everything in bags.
I thought they've now gone to a 'per request' only basis like they're already doing in Cali, however, it's making me wonder if the status quo will still be the case by the time I go in March or they'll start to reduce them by no longer issuing the bags by default with every purchase, thus requiring the guest to either ask or the CM asks if they need a bag with the purchase.
 
During our stay last week, I was offered or simply given a bag at every store.

And I was given a lid and straw at every quick service restaurant, save AK. There I was given a paper straw without a lid.

I did notice that there were more spills at AK.
 


During our stay last week, I was offered or simply given a bag at every store.

And I was given a lid and straw at every quick service restaurant, save AK. There I was given a paper straw without a lid.

I did notice that there were more spills at AK.
Interesting seeing as I was under the impression that there were fewer spills in AK than the other parks in WDW, since I get the feeling that people would be more careful in AK due to the fact that they never did lids.

However, and despite the fact the July announcement only made mention of reducing, rather than eliminating the bags in the Parks (note that 'reduce' is different from 'eliminate'), I'm still hearing rumours that they're going to do the latter, and that would, in my opinion, be extremely problematic to implement in a theme park environment, particularly since not everyone is going to have the means of lugging around reusable bags, and it's hard for people to predict what sort of purchases they would be making, particularly since the majority (or at least from what I gather) make spontaneous purchases in the Disney Parks all the time, and the last thing people want is to worry about having enough bags on them and/or bags big enough to accommodate all their purchases, and having to purchase additional bags in a worst-case scenario. All that would do is result in lost merchandise revenue, as people become more prudent and weary about, as I mentioned above, the hypothetical scenario with the bags.
 
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8 days and we were given bags at every store. Even when I ordered food to go back to the room, they placed them in bags. I have to say they asked us at restaurants if we wanted straws, we were not given straws but we also were not there with children.
 
I just can't see Disney wanting their merchandise placed in another retailer's bag, especially when items are shipped back to their resorts from stores around their "World." Their merchandise is pricey and then to tack on a bag fee (reusable or not) at every store blows my mind. I use multiuse bags for groceries and recycle but to not give me a bag to send my purchases back to my overly priced Disney resort just does not sit well. I will start saving sturdy retailer bags just in case as my trip is months away. Would hate to see my grandkids piggy bank money be spent on bags instead of glow ears.
 


I just can't see Disney wanting their merchandise placed in another retailer's bag, especially when items are shipped back to their resorts from stores around their "World." Their merchandise is pricey and then to tack on a bag fee (reusable or not) at every store blows my mind. I use multiuse bags for groceries and recycle but to not give me a bag to send my purchases back to my overly priced Disney resort just does not sit well. I will start saving sturdy retailer bags just in case as my trip is months away. Would hate to see my grandkids piggy bank money be spent on bags instead of glow ears.
The infographic did say reduce, rather than eliminate, so I don't think they'll phase out the bags in the Parks, but what they'll probably do is instead reduce the number given out by no longer doing so by default (you'd have to ask, or the CM might ask if you need one), while promoting their reusable bags somewhere down the line. It would be a rather stupid move if they did phase them out, since it'll only add to the anxiety of planning and going, and the practicality of doing so is going to be close to impossible.

My trip is 6 months away, and that is my biggest concern since I can't lug my reusables around in my rucksack, and there's no way I'm transporting them several thousands of miles away, and because I exclusively use my reusable bags for food shopping, I don't want to risk spreading diseases such as E.coli, and that's another concern with reusable bags in general.
 
So it's been a while, and recently, I've noticed an increase in complaints on shopDisney's FB over 'going green', which is making me think that the whole thing has been a huge shambles, and what's more, on Black Friday, I noticed a complaint over being forced to spend $4.99 for the jumbo-sized holiday-themed tote, which is even worse than 99c because the largest reusable bag is too small to safely accommodate a typical Black Friday splurge, and these totes are even more unwieldy to lug around before buying anything, so it's definitely unlikely anyone would want to carry that around a busy mall before going to a Disney Store. Surely, by now, the amount of complaints they received should have been enough to make Disney reconsider this ridiculous move?

I think this decision has to be, along with PhotoPass robotisation, the worst Disney has ever made this year, and I seriously think they need to address it before they really start to lose sales in their stores. In fact, I've already noticed it in Disney's recent financial results from the Consumer Products side, and it's made me think that 'going green' had some effect on the disappointing results, seeing as the Stores are a huge part of the division.
 
I forgot all about this and made a stop in the Disney store the other day to grab something...Then immediately got told I needed to buy a tote for .99....Grrr who thinks of bringing a bag into a mall with them....I had to purchase it since I hadn't bought anything else at that point and couldn't just walk around the mall carrying 2 dolls looking like I stole them.....
 
I forgot all about this and made a stop in the Disney store the other day to grab something...Then immediately got told I needed to buy a tote for .99....Grrr who thinks of bringing a bag into a mall with them....I had to purchase it since I hadn't bought anything else at that point and couldn't just walk around the mall carrying 2 dolls looking like I stole them.....
That's exactly the reason why I'm so against it. They thought it was a good idea to implement what Costco and IKEA have been doing for years, yet people are more prepared when they go these stores, but as most Disney Stores are in malls, people won't be, and an unwitting person unaware of the situation when they buy something is definitely going to be caught off guard. If I was back in NYC and went in their Disney Store as many times as I did back in March, I'm always going to forget (my pockets can't accommodate their reusable bags and my rucksack is going to be full of photography gear, so I won't have enough room to accommodate them or any purchases), and the amount I'd have been spending on reusable bags will certainly add up quickly - so quickly that I could have bought another plush for the same amount.
 
Disagree - the entire country is going bag-less, eventually it will become second nature to carry a reusable bag with you when you go shopping. I highly doubt if sales are down, getting rid of bags is the reason why.
 
Disagree - the entire country is going bag-less, eventually it will become second nature to carry a reusable bag with you when you go shopping. I highly doubt if sales are down, getting rid of bags is the reason why.
Not true. There are some states that have preemptions on bans, and even if everywhere went bagless, it'll only lead to significant problems somewhere down the line. All that'll do is make life more inconvenient and cause even more waste, particularly as reusable bags take up a lot of space when disposed of and won't degrade as easily, not to mention that synthetic cloth and recycled PET bags take 100s of years to properly break down. Also, it won't become second nature to carry a reusable bag everywhere as there will be occasions where that's not possible. For example, if I'm making a quick trip to the supermarket or a convenience store, and needed to pick up a few items, I would need a safe means of carrying them to my car and then to the house, so I'd expect the convenience of a bag to still be available, either for free or for a small charge that's not $1 or more.
Just more nonsense as if eliminating plastic bags is going to "save the planet". China is the real culprit and they get a free pass from the rest of the world for their behaviors. We just won't purchase from any store that makes us buy or furnish our own bag.
Of course it won't. Reusable bags require significantly more energy to produce than plastic bags, and because their global warming potential is so huge, not to mention that they take even longer to properly degrade and especially with synthetic cloth bags made from NWPP, they have a microplastic risk, they'll only cause even more damage when demand for them skyrockets, and what happens when they reach the end of their useful life, or if someone only uses them once then dumps them? Yep, that's right, even more waste that'll take centuries to degrade. Plastic bags, on the other hand, can easily be recycled in the supermarket recycling bins, and are reusable too. I've saved all the bags I've got from the Disney Store over the years, and some actually do get regular reuse around my house, mostly for storage, so it's not as if I'm contributing to the problem, and as a matter of fact, the vast majority never throw them away, so to me, 'going green', along with all other bag phaseouts, bans and other SUP phaseouts/bans, are plain pious virtue-signalling.
 
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It's second nature to me! Anytime I leave the house to go shopping, I take a reusable bag. :)
I'm selective when it comes to bringing reusable bags, since I'm more for practicality than being a hairshirt environmentalist, which I'm not. When I go to the supermarket or Costco, I make sure I take enough, but if I unexpectedly buy more than I planned to, then I'll pay for an extra bag, because we only have charges for plastic bags here in the UK. However, if I'm going to the mall or a big city with a shopping district, I'll at least endeavour to come home with as fewer bags as possible, but as I can't safely predict what I'm going to be buying, it's impractical for me to bring a handful of reusable bags with me all the time, since I don't always have the means of carrying them around without needing to use my hands all the time.
 
I never go to a Disney Store if I'm not already planning to be out shopping. Honestly, I rarely go to a Disney Store period.
So, I'll always have a bag. For reference I live inner-city in Chicago, near lots and lots of shops.

Even if for some reason my bags were filled to the brim and I just needed that one item from the Disney Store, I'd spring for the 99 cent tote. Love my one from Ikea!
 
I bought a box of plastic bags 8-9 years ago at Sam's when I had more dogs to pick up after than I got from buying groceries. I must still have 700+ left. Probably enough for the rest of my life. But our stores still give out free bags - some paper only.
 
Yes, call me a skeptic, but I can't see Disney going 'green' or trying to 'save the planet' unless it is going to greatly affect their bottom line!! They're all about the $$$'s and if it makes them look good in the process, bring it on!! I would not buy anything at Disney if I had to lug it around (even in other stores) and make it look like I had stolen them. How could anyone tell? You could easily lose your receipt! :confused3 Really can't see it happening, but knowing Disney---------------

In this area only the warehouse clubs, Aldi's and Lidl's make you use your bags.
 
I wonder if I should carry a few Target bags with me? They are fairly sturdy and would fit in a pocket pretty easily. I like the idea of carrying Target bags with Disney stuff in them. ;)
 

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