Supermarket divides shoppers with this ‘offensive’ reusable tote bag

Some people were offended by the bag, while others said they needed one. Would you carry it?

Reusable shopping bags are a must for a modern day grocery shop, but how often do we tend to leave them in the car boot? 

Well, this is one shopping bag that might be harder to forget, after being recently launched by a supermarket in the UK and causing a bit of a stir.

Discussed on UK TV show This Morning, the hosts could not agree on whether or not the bag had caused an “uproar”, or if it was just a bit of harmless fun.

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The 'offensive' bag. Image: Instagram @thismorning

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"It says 'tart' on it"

“This is a bag from Waitrose that says ‘tart’ on it,” presenter Ashley James says while showing the viewers the bag that also features an illustration of a strawberry.

“There's also other ones which have a picture of an apple and crumble so clearly within the context of the range of bags but they knew what they were doing. 

“Some people find it funny. Other people are saying it normalises misogyny.”

At this point the male guest panellist Nick Ferrari is seen rolling his eyes in the background while Ashley discusses problematic cultures that can feed into our societal views of women.

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"A great PR story"

“All these kinds of things that normalise sexism are always brushed off as banter. So I personally would claim owning a tart bag, but in the context of society,  I just think it's kind of unnecessary.”

“But am I offended by said bag? No: I think it's a great PR story!”

Male journalist and panellist Nick Ferrari was also not offended by the bag, but believes whether or not people want to purchase it, comes down to individual choice.

“If the only shopping bag the store was giving out was that one with the word ‘tart’ on it, I would have a real problem. But you're offered a choice of bag and if a bloke or a woman wants to take one of those, let them do it.

“I think there are far greater things just to worry about in this country.”

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"I love the bag!"

The hundreds of comments across social media channels suggest that many people had strong opinions on whether or not this cheeky shopping carry-all was ‘offensive’.

“Love the bag,” wrote one follower.  “I’m gonna go get one and use it all summer, I’m not offended by it, it's hilarious.”

“I expect Waitrose knew exactly what they were doing when they put ‘tart’ on that bag,” said another. “Look at all the publicity they are receiving!” 

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"If you don't like it, don't buy it"

A third added: “If you don't like it don't buy it, it's as simple as that! Oh and if you feel offended by looking at it when others have it, turn your head in a different direction...problem solved!”

While one woman wasn’t offended she didn’t fancy owning the fruity tote. 

“I certainly would not walk around carrying a bag emblazoned with the word TART. It's just asking for trouble,” she concluded.

Originally published as Supermarket divides shoppers with this ‘offensive’ reusable tote bag