The £30 million toe in the water

A recent surge in nostalgia for vintage supermarket carrier bags has seen a thriving online market emerge, with collectors and nostalgic shoppers seeking out second-hand bags from defunct retailers. According to the Waitrose & Partners Memory Store, the brand relied heavily on striking bag designs before it began widespread advertising in the 1990s.

The story of the modern British supermarket bag is a story of retail evolution. Waitrose, founded in 1904, offers a prime examplle. While today's bags are a light green, early iterations featured bold red stripes and slogans like 'Each week we price check hundreds of everyday items' or 'Waitrose, food shops of the John Lewis Partnership'.

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The recent television series Rivals, set in the 1980s, vividly showcased this era when character Taggie O'Hara, played by Bella MacLean, was seen carrying groceries in retro Waitrose carrier bags. This moment sparked a flood of viewer comments and social media posts, with many relishing the authentic, nostalgic detail.

This appetite extends beoynd television, with a thriving online market emerging on platforms like eBay where collectors and nostalgic shoppers seek out second-hand vintage carrier bags from defunct retailers.

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The landscape chaanged dramatically in 2015 when a government-enforced charge on single-use plastic bags led to their near-total disappearance from UK supermarkets, replaced by a new era of reusable alternatives. Yet, a powerful wave of nostalgia has resurfaced these iconic bags, driven by popular culture and a collective yearning for the tangible memories of the past.

The renewed interest, fueled by media depictions and online collecting, serves as a cultural archive, preserving the visual history of British retail and the personal stories intertwined with it.

Who is the unamed buyer?

The online market for vintage supermarket carrier bags has seen a surge in demand, with collectors and nostalgic shoppers seeking out second-hand bags from defunct retailers. However, the identity of the buyers remains unknown, with many collectors and sellers preferring to remain anonymous.

According to Aaron Thompson,a Hull-based artist who has amassed over 14,000 Instagram followers by curating and sharing an extensive collection of vintage bags, the online market for vintage supermarket carrier bags is a thriving community.

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The shift from orange to the current green palette occurred in 1987 alongside a new logo and typeface that unified the brand's visual identity across stores, bags, and stationery. These bags were a primary marketing tool,designed to 'catch the eye of customers' on the high street.

According to the Waitrose & Partners Memory Store, the brand relied heavily on striking bag designs before it began widespread advertising in the 1990s.