Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Wednesday said it will not be removing free plastic bags from two of its locations in the region until at least January.
Signs in Walmart stores in Folsom and Citrus Heights had announced that shoppers would soon have to either bring their own bags or buy reusable ones – for 15 cents.
The two stores, along with a third in Ukiah, make up a small test program. Going plastic bag-free is one of a variety of strategies being tried at stores around the world as Walmart evaluates ways to meet its goal of cutting plastic bag waste 33 percent by 2013.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Amelia Neufeld said the company decided that launching the reusable bag-only program just before the holiday shopping season would skew the test results.
"The goal of this test is to gauge customer reaction. We think we'll get a more accurate reaction by offering these bags after the holidays," she said.
Neufeld would not comment on whether recent customer reactions had driven the decision to postpone the test.
At the Folsom store earlier this week, customers interviewed by The Bee were roughly split on the plan.
Matthew Oliver, a Folsom resident who complained in writing at his local store after learning of the plan, said a Wal-Mart representative called him Wednesday to say the Sunday launch of the test program had been called off.
Oliver said he resented the reusable bag program because he felt it was a cost-cutting measure with a green veneer that deprived him of the right to choose how he'd like to carry his purchases.
"I just want to buy my milk from you," he said. "I don't want you to tell me what my political views ought to be."
Wal-Mart is also evaluating other strategies for reducing plastic waste that don't involve removing free plastic bags from stores altogether. It is retraining some checkers to put more items in each sack, for instance, and is considering switching to thinner bags that contain less plastic.
The company's 15-cent reusable bags will continue to be offered at the checkout counters in Folsom and Citrus Heights, Neufeld said. They are royal blue and made of a lightweight, recyclable polypropylene fabric.
Call The Bee's Jim Downing, (916) 321-1065.
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