I Tried Getting a Refund for The Paper Bag I Purchased

Am I just being cheap or am I really the first person to ask if you can get a refund for the paper bags you purchase?

Paper bags aren't the most expensive thing that you can buy at the grocery store but they're not free. Can you return them and get your money back for them? Here's what I found out.

Can You Return Paper Bags in NY?

It's hard to believe but the plastic bag ban has been active in New York for over two years now. The Bag Waste Reduction Law took effect in October of 2020. Most stores now offer paper bags for 5 cents.

How often does this happen to you? You get to the grocery store only to realize that you forgot your reusable bag. It happens to me all of the time. Then I'm stuck with a mountain of paper grocery bags. I can't be the only one who has thought of this but can you return them to the store and ask for your money back? Why not? You purchased them and they're on your receipt? Why shouldn't you be able to return them afterward?

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I called a couple of local grocery stores and I was shocked by their answers.

I called a couple of different local grocery stores here in the Hudson Valley. Once I reached someone in customer service I then asked if I could bring back some paper bags that I had just purchased. They initially told me the bags were nonrefundable but after I told them that it didn't say that anywhere on the bag or the receipt, they did offer to take them back.

I have to imagine that the bags that cost a nickel aren't worth the hassle. One lady even offered to pay me back personally.

If you're tired of buying them maybe you should try returning them when you're done.