New World shoppers asked to leave reusable bags in the car during lockdown

Monday, 6 April 2020

Shoppers at New World supermarkets across the North Island will have to pack their groceries in the carpark while the country remains in coronavirus lockdown.

Customers are being asked not to take reusable shopping bags into the supermarkets in a bid to speed up shopping trips.

Foodstuffs spokeswoman Antoinette Laird said New World is temporarily asking customers to load their groceries back into the trolley at the checkout and pack their bags at the car.

'The main reason for this is to help customers move through the checkout process quicker, hence reducing the amount of time spent in-store,' she said.

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'This in turn speeds up the process for everyone and allows us to significantly reduce customer queues outside stores.'

Foodstuffs, which owns New World, is made up of two companies and, in this case, Foodstuffs South Island had not yet seen a need to make the change across all its stores.

However, some had independently decided to temporarily ban reusable bags.

Late last month, Countdown began asking its customers to pack their own bags at the checkout as part of its measures to reduce queues and limit handling of items during the lockdown.

Supermarkets are taking a range of steps to protect shoppers and staff, including putting up perspex screens at checkouts and asking customers to use contactless payment.

Laird said it was important to follow the physical distancing instructions from the Government to keep people safe.

'The less time we spend with our fellow Kiwis right now the better.

'We appreciate this is challenging but it is important to follow this guidance so we can limit the spread of Covid-19.'

The Covid-19 coronavirus is most often spread from person to person via respiratory droplets – when an infected person coughs or sneezes, for example.

However, some early research shows that it can also last on surfaces for up to a few days.

One study found the virus survives better on plastic and stainless steel than on copper and cardboard.