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In our stores we've decided it's better to reward customers who bring their own bag rather charge those who don't. A number of them have commented on how misplaced the M&S initiative is, less because of this contradiction, but more on account of the reams of food packaging that M&S use.

Nevertheless I don't think Tesco can be held up as a role model in the plastic bag wars. My elderly mother can't make it to the shops so her daughter in law regularly does a Tesco online order for her. Something she hasn't been able to specify is that she doesn't want shopping to arrive with just one or two items in a bag. Each delivery leaves her with around 30 plastic carrier bags which the driver does not offer to take away and she is too reticent to ask. I've never understood why we're so in love with the plastic carrier. In the States it's standard to be asked 'paper or plastic?' at the checkout. If you're in a car, the strong brown paper bag is perfect.

Seems to me that the ultimate choice rests with the consumer. If you genuinely do not like the policy - don't shop there. I accept, though, that perhaps most consumers do not really understand the issues, or simply do not care. This is why Tesco's approach makes much more sense to me; as it is based on incentives. Equally, the more energy that the retailer puts behind educating the customer, especially on excessive amounts of packaging the better.

Robin, I agree about paper bags, which we use at Fat Face and convey a quality image. Paper does have its limitations though in the British climate...