I wrote this blog post initially for the Fuzion website but my younger colleagues pushed back at me and we got into a discussion about the environment. I admire them pushing back at me and I enjoyed the discussion and their perspective. For that reason I have reserved this blog post for my own platform – of course I am right!! (I might even have a chat with them about disposable fashion!!)
We were heading to London for the weekend to meet up with a few pals, so when I found myself with a few minutes to spare in town I decided to pop into Brown Thomas to see if I could buy myself something new to wear while I was there.
After some browsing and trying on various things, I settled on a smart pair of army green Hugo Boss shorts – they will work well with a black t-shirt I reckon.
I admit that I am a little bit of a brand snob and while I don’t shop very often, I don’t mind paying a premium for something that I like – €105 for a pair of shorts was a bit OTT but the sun was shining, my form was good and why not?!
The very helpful sales assistant who had found the shorts in the right size for me carefully placed them in nice paper and then asked if I wanted a bag.
“Sorry” I head myself say – I was surprised to hear the question as I assumed after many years of shopping in Brown Thomas the item would be automatically placed in one of their stylish bags (this was not a plastic shopping bag!)
“Oh, they are 60 cents” she said.
I didn’t say a word.
She noticed I was already carrying a bag (a red paper bag from Golden Discs, which I wasn’t charged for) so she handed me the unbagged shorts and said “ah, you have a bag already”.
I stuffed my new fancy shorts into the little bag and completed my purchase including updating the points on my loyalty card via the app.
That felt weird and not very Brown Thomas.
When I went home I took the cheap Gorillaz t-shirt and the now wrinkled Hugo Boss shorts from the Golden Discs bag and put both aside for my suitcase.
I have no idea how many lovely paper bags that Brown Thomas uses in a year and even less of an idea about how much they cost.
Even though I am an accountant (yes, I can’t get away from it!), I think I would shoot the person in Brown Thomas who suggested that it was a good idea to start charging customers for bags – why would you allow the risk of shoppers walking out of your store with a diminished experience and effectively stop shoppers from promoting your store as they wander around town?
Is this a concern for the environment (as my colleagues have suggested – I am way too cynical to believe that) or a way to make a few bob extra?
To be fair to them they do have a section of their website dedicated to Sustainability at Brown Thomas – to quote them “Our iconic Brown Thomas carrier bags are made from sustainable paper certified to Forest Stewardship Council and can be reused and fully recycled“
How about saying to the customer “If you don’t want a shopping bag we will donate 60 cents to an environmental charity“?
The nice stylish shopping bag is part of the well established Brown Thomas brand and however they decide to cover the cost (it is well covered by margins), diminishing the brand by charging the customer will ultimately cost them much more.
In my opinion!!
Greg
Greg is the Managing Partner of Fuzion, a Brand Communications agency in Ireland
Greg Canty Fuzion Blog 