Fact check: False claim Walmart stores nationwide are going bagless - USA TODAY

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The claim: Walmart stores nationwide going bagless on Jan. 18

A Jan. 10 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claimed a major change is coming to one of the country’s largest grocery store chains.

“I just left Walmart in Sapulpa and the lady working self checkout just told me come January 18th they’re doing away with plastic bags nationwide at all Walmarts – we will have to bring our own bags or buy them like Aldi’s,” reads the post.

Another version of the claim was shared more than 150 times in two days. 

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Our rating: False

A spokesperson for Walmart said the claim is false. Stores in New York and Connecticut will no longer offer single-use bags as of Jan. 18. Several other states have enacted similar bans in recent years, but a majority of the retailer's locations still offer plastic and paper bags. 

Stores in several states have gotten rid of single-use bags since 2021

Aman Singh, Walmart’s director of global responsibility communications, told USA TODAY the nationwide claim is wrong.

“We have not eliminated single-use bags nationwide,” she said.

Only locations in New York and Connecticut are switching from single-use bags to more sustainable options on Jan. 18. 

A fraction of the company’s more than 4,700 stores in the United States have done the same in recent years. Walmart stores in Vermont and Maine ditched single-use bags in 2021, and New Jersey stores followed suit in 2022.

Colorado stores got rid of single-use bags for checkout and pickup on Jan. 1. The change came in response to a state law that will charge customers 10 cents per single-use bag at most stores in 2023 and ban them starting in 2024, as reported by The Daily Sentinel and The Colorado Sun. 

Fact check: Walmart has no plans for immediate return to 24-hour operations

Walmart joined the “Beyond the Bag” initiative in 2020 alongside other major retailers, including Target and CVS. The campaign sought to find sustainable and convenient alternatives to single-use bags. 

USA TODAY previously debunked claims that Walmart stores nationwide were going bagless after Maine’s ban in 2021. 

USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the recent claim for comment.

Our fact-check sources: 

• Walmart, accessed Jan. 13, Single-Use Bag Policy
• Aman Singh, Jan. 12, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• The Colorado Sun, Dec. 22, 2022, How will Colorado’s new bag fee impact your life? Just look to the cities that already have bag charges.
• The Daily Sentinel, Dec. 13, 2022, Walmart’s New Year’s resolution: no more plastic bags
• Walmart, Oct. 29, 2021, Walmart Continues To Progress Beyond the Plastic Bag 

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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. 

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