Major Australian supermarket chain Coles has quietly increased the price of its shopping bags in a move that shoppers have dubbed as “un-Australian”.
The retailer has increased paper bags from 5c to 30c per bag while larger branded reusable bags have gone from $4 to $4.20.
Online click and collect bag fees remain unchanged at $2 per order.
In a statement, a Coles spokesperson said price changes reflect an increase in material costs.
“We know value remains important to our customers, and we’ve worked to keep these increases as low as possible,” the spokesperson said.
“Unfortunately, from time to time, prices of individual products may need to increase due to changes in costs such as materials and transport.
“Customers can continue to bring their own reusable bags when shopping at Coles, and we encourage them to reuse bags wherever possible.”
The increases come after Coles Group recorded a $1.09 billion profit for the 2025-2026 financial year.
Frustrated shoppers have taken to social media in outrage over the change, one person calling it “an Un Australian act”.
“Guess I gotta use my paper bags more sparingly,” said one commenter.
“And ya walkout of the store and the freaking handles rip and ya shopping now on the carpark,” said another.
Another commenter suggested Coles should “refuse entry unless you’ve got your shopping bags, help us out to remember to bring our own bags”.
Prior to single-use plastic reforms in 2018, major supermarkets used to give away plastic bags for free.
Competitors Woolworths and Aldi have kept their paper bags priced at 25c since they introduced the items in 2020 and 2023 respectively.