Carrier bags

Buy best value carrier bags, from crinkly vest carriers to thick printed carriers, for all your retail needs.

Carrier bags are the essential shopping accessory, used by people all over the world to transport goods away from stores and shops to their homes. Made from lightweight yet strong polythene, carrier bags provide a comfortable method of carrying shopping, with a range of bag and handle styles - such as vest, patch handle, flexiloop and premium - tailored to fit into the human hand for an ergonomic carrying experience. Made from varying thicknesses of polythene and in a range of sizes from mini carriers to jumbo carriers, whatever you are shopping for, there is a carrier bag for you!

Carrier bags are...

• Polythene bags used to carry items, usually shopping
• Also known as carriers, shopping bags or plastic bags
• Provided (or sold) by retailers everywhere, from charity shops to high-end departments stores and corner shops to supermarkets
• Carried by billions of customers across the planet
• An ergonomic solution to carrying shopping
• Designed to be easy to carry, with convenient carry handles, allowing the shopper to carry more than one bag with each hand
• Available in a wide range of sizes to cater for small or large products
• Available in a range of thicknesses, from lightweight supermarket shopping bags to deluxe glossy luxury carriers
• Available in a range of coloured polythene, either plain or printed
• A great way for a retailer to increase publicity - add your logo to the side of a carrier bag for ready-made mobile advertising!
• An integral part of any retailer’s branding and advertising strategy
• An invaluable aid in carrying shopping from store to home
• Suitable to use and reuse for numerous shopping trips, time after time
• Multi-purpose bags - can be used for many and varied purposes, aside from shopping

What people in the street might say about carrier bags

Strong carrier bags matter on food bank assortment days because weak handles and thin film can split long before the products reach storage. Bags used for donations need enough gauge and sensible seal quality to cope with jars, tins, and mixed dry foods, not only light groceries. Clean condition matters as well, since torn, greasy, or dirty bags can create handling problems and make sorting slower at the receiving stop. A superb carrier bag retains the consignment together, protects the contents amid loading, and reduces waste from failed packs.

A biodegradable carrier bag only works well when the material and the handling match the job, and that is where plenty changes proceed gross. A supermarket bag has to transport sharp corners, chilled products and mixed pack weights without splitting at the handles or scuffing through in transit. Once an additive is blended into polythene suppliers, the film still requirements the proper gauge, seal quality and stretch balance, or it can feel weak on the till and awkward in the store room. A bag that sees greener on paper nevertheless fails in use creates waste rather than reducing it, so material selection has to be judged by performance as much as by appearance.

Large carrier bags make fast work of a grab-and-dash theft because they can be opened wide, filled fast, and carried away without drawing much attention at the point of use. Their proper advantage in that situation is volume: jewellery display cases can be tipped in with small sorting, and the bag shape lets the load sit more or less flat enough to transport at speed. From a packaging angle, that is a reminder that a bag is not only a convenience item nevertheless a handling container with a transparent performance role. Where security is concerned, easy access and high capacity are a poor combination, so stock control and store layout need to take such easy-grab formats seriously.

Raising the charge on cost-effective carrier bags pushes retailers and shoppers away from casual, throwaway use and into better pack selections. A 5p bag is already thin enough to split if it is overloaded, and a 10p charge makes that disadvantage easier to notice at the till, where the proper issue is handling damage rather than the price on the receipt. Stores will feel the effect in less bag demand, steadier dispensers, and less bags stretching below heavy loads. For warehouse and shop-floor staff, that means packing routines matter more, because a poor handover still leaves split handles and complaints at the exit.

Promotional carrier bags work optimal when the material suits the load and the use, not only the emblem. A lightweight bag can be fine for samples or low-value purchases, nevertheless it requirements the proper gauge and seal quality if it is going to survive a busy till point without splitting. Reusable styles make more sense for heavier items and longer client journeys, while biodegradable grades can fit a business trying to reduce apparant plastic use. The practical selection is to match bag strength, handle style and stop to the product, because a bag that fails in the hand does more hurt than the print can repair.

Coloured carrier bags do above grasp a purchase, because the colour itself can tidy up presentation, guide the client's eye, and give a shop a stronger identity without changing the pack structure. From a trade point of view, the job still comes down to practical matters: film gauge, handle strength, print registration and how well the bag survives a full load without splitting at the seal. A thin bag may see clever on the counter, nevertheless if it creases badly, tears in the car park or suffers handle stretch in transit, the branding has failed. The proper specification gives a cleaner handover and less complaints at the till.

Big carrier bags make sense when a shop requirements to transport several loose items in one hand, because they spread the load better than a thin handle on a small bag. In a beach setting, they also assist retain soft products, treats, and additional bits together while people walk back above uneven ground without needing to juggle all separately. The proper issue is handling, not glamour: a bag with enough depth and a handle that does not cut in is less likely to split or drop its contents. A sensible bag selection saves trouble on the method back to the van.

Quality carrier bags manufactured from white or brown kraft paper do above grasp a purchase, because the material selection affects both presentation and stop-of-life handling. Kraft board gives a clean, honest see, while the die-cut handle requirements enough strength in the paper fibre to stop tearing when the bag is lifted with brochures, gifts or light stock. That makes the gauge and converting quality matter only as much as the print. For trade shows and shopping counters, the bag becomes part of the handover, and its recyclability assists avoid awkward waste on the client side. A bag that sees tidy, carries well and goes into the paper stream without fuss earns its retain properly.

A plastic carrier bag manufactured from LDPE can be tougher than plenty people expect, which is why it often survives above one shopping trip if the gauge and seal quality are proper. That additional strength matters in store handling, because a bag that grasps together through loading and transport is less likely to split at the till or in transit and create wasted product. Once such bags are binned with household waste, they are commonly sent for incineration, where the material can contribute to energy recovery rather than simply sitting unused. In practical terms, a bag that does its job cleanly and then feeds into power generation has a life beyond one short transport.

Size 3 Laminated Paper promotional Carrier Bag

A kraft paper promotional carrier bag only works properly when the board and handle style suit the load, because a bag that sees tidy on a counter can fail once it is filled and lifted. Twisted paper tape handles give a clean shopping stop and normally print well, nevertheless the paper grade still has to transport the weight without tearing at the handle points or scuffing through in transit. For promotions, that balance matters because the bag is part of the product experience as well as the pack itself. A sensible specification retains the bag presentable, workable, and less likely to come back damaged from the shop floor.

Carrier bags - take your pick

Carrier bags come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with a bag available to suit any retailer. Here are some of the most popular styles of carrier bags used today:

Vest - The best known carrier bag in the UK and beyond, traditionally used by supermarkets, smaller food stores, general stores and market traders. Made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and available in a variety of colours, plain or printed, these bags are lightweight but strong. Handles are attached to each side of the bag make it look like a vest from the front, hence the name. Provided they are not over-filled, these bags are capable of handling regular shopping with ease.

Patch handle - A more glossy and sturdy carrier bag, commonly used by high street stores to impress their customers. Made from thicker polythene than vest carriers to provide extra strength, these rectangular bags have a handle punched out of the top, reinforced by an extra patch of polythene, which gives the bags its name. Available in clear or coloured polythene and the perfect bag on which to print a design or logo to advertise the retailer, hence the popularity with high street retailers.

Varigauge - Similar in appearance to its patch handle cousin, the varigauge carrier bag is rectangular in shape with a handle punched out. However, the clever use of a varied gauge - or thickness - of polythene, which is twice as thick at the top of the bag than it is at the bottom, means that the need to reinforce the handle with a patch is avoided. Available in a variety of colours, these strong bags with extra room thanks to a bottom gusset, are very popular with retailers keen to make a good impression with customers.

Clip close - These strong rectangular bags have an integral white clip attached right across the top of the bag that clip closes shut, giving the bag its name. Made from thick clear polythene with a side gusset, these bags allow retailers to display their products, whilst not compromising on bag strength or quality. The sturdy clip also allows you to hang up the bag - and contents - to really show it off.

Flexiloop - These luxury carriers take their name from the flexiloop handle that is attached - by heat-welding - to the inside of the bag on both sides. Popular with supermarkets who sell them as ‘Bags for life’ - encouraging customers to reuse the bag - flexiloop carriers are made from thicker polythene than regular carriers, which makes them more expensive to produce. Paper versions of the flexiloop carrier bag are popular with boutique shops or fancy high street retailers.

Duffle - A sturdy polythene bag featuring a cord threaded around the top opening and down the sides of the bag. Pull the cord to close the bag tight and loosen to open. Useful for carrying bulky or weighty items and handy to carry, so often used by sportspeople as a kit bag. Also popular with sports shoe retailers.

Drawstring - Less sturdy than the duffle bag, so not suitable for similarly bulky contents, but operate on a similar principle. Drawstring bags feature two strings looped around the opening of the bag, with the ends of the drawstring appearing through separate openings adjacent to each other. When pulled at the same time, the strings tighten together and the bag closes. Typically made from clear polythene, these bags are a popular way of displaying products in a shop.

Grip Seal - A cross between a carrier bag and a grip seal bag, these bags contain an integral grip seal that runs across the width of the bag just below the cut-out handle. Simply squeeze the grip seal between forefinger and thumb to seal the bag shut, providing protection from rain or other external contaminants, then gently pull apart to open and repeat as many times as you wish. With a clear polythene front, a handle for hanging and a glossy finish, these bags are a great way to display your products.

Show off your business with printed carriers

Printed carrier bags are an ideal way for businesses to advertise directly into their local community. Take a plain patch handle carrier and turn it from the smart, sturdy carrier bag it normally is into a walking advert for your business.

Businesses have to provide carrier bags to their customers anyway, so why not pay a little more for them and get something back from the carrier bags once they have left your shop.

By adding your company logo or design to one or both sides of your carrier bags, you not only make your business look more professional and more eye-catching, but you let your customers act as mobile advertisers, when they leave your store and walk around others in the area with your company branding there for all to see.

You can even add a slogan or advertising message to tell your potential customers exactly what they need to know about your store. All this, carried straight out into the heart of your target market and the hundreds or thousands of other potential customers out there.

Not only do printed carriers help attract new customers, but they also reinforce the message to existing customers that you are a professional, reliable and smart retailer. So next time they go to their cupboard or car boot and see your carrier bag, they see your bag, that initial good impression is reinforced and they move that step closer to being a return customer.

So why bother with plain carrier bags? Go one step further and design your own printed carriers, complete with your company branding, to take your business to the next level.

Where to buy carrier bags

Carrier bag manufacturers and suppliers include:

Carrier Bags
Discount Carrier Bags provides customers with an instant quote on a range of printed carrier bags. Get your very own design or logo printed on one or both sides of a quality thick carrier for as little as 4p a bag. Get a quote in 60 seconds, any time of day, 24/7!
www.discountcarrierbags.co.uk

Personalised Carrier Bags
With instant real-time quotes on personalised printed carrier bags, Discount Printed Carrier Bags is the place to go for bespoke carrier bags at terrific discount prices. Get your design printed on strong, smooth, high quality polythene bags in a range of sizes, from just 4p a bag and with free delivery in the UK.
www.discountprintedcarrierbags.co.uk

Printed Carrier Bags
The home of printed carrier bags online - offering high quality 55-micron thick carrier bags printed with your very own design. With a free instant quote, the lowest prices online - starting at just 4p a bag - and free UK delivery, this website is the place to go for printed carriers - the best way to advertise your business.
www.printedcarrierbags.com

Carrier Bag
If you need a carrier bag of any style, size or colour, then Carrier Bags is the website for you. They provide customers with a huge range of polythene carrier bags, from varigauge carriers to vest carriers and with a selection of biodegradable alternatives.
www.carrierbags.co

Buy Carrier Bags
A useful resource for anyone looking to buy carrier bags. Featuring lots of information of different types of carriers - including bespoke printed carrier bags - and where you can buy them, this website will definitely help you find the right carrier bag for you.
www.buy-carrier-bags.co.uk

Printed Carriers
Find out more about printed carrier bags and a range of other plastic carriers at this useful website, including details of each type of bag and the best place to buy discount printed carrier bags online.
www.discountprintedcarrierbags.com

Printed Bags
Printed Bags Direct offers customers information and details on where to buy a wide range of stock carrier bags and bespoke printed carrier bags, so you can find out everything you need in one handy website.
www.printedbagsdirect.co.uk

Carrier Bag Printing
An excellent resource on printed carrier bags and stock carrier bags, with detailed descriptions on a range of carrier bag categories.
www.printedcarrierbags2u.com

Coloured Carrier Bags
Coloured Bags Direct is a website dedicated to printed carrier bags. A division of industry-leading manufacturer Polybags, they offer customers colour printing on a range of polythene carrier bags.
www.colouredbagsdirect.co.uk

Patch Handle Carrier Bags
Are you looking for printed carrier bags, patch handle carrier bags or any other style from a wide range of plastic carriers? This website is the site you need to help you make that all-important decision and find the right carrier bag for you.
www.printedcarrierbagsdirect.co.uk

Coloured Plastic Bags
Coloured Bags offer colour printing of carrier bags to help you advertise your business. Get a free quotation on your own design printed carrier bags, or choose from a wide range of stock carriers.
www.colouredbags.com

Plastic Carrier Bags
This handy website offers a useful resource on plastic carriers and printed carrier bags, including details of the types of bags available - from clip close carriers to patch handle carriers - and where to buy them.
www.printedcarrierbagsdirect.com

What people are sharing about carrier bags

Strong carrier bags need to be judged as part of the all shopping load, not as an afterthought. When they are used for mixed groceries like UHT milk, bottled drinks, tins, pasta sauce and packets, the bag has to cope with weight spread, sharp edges and movement in transit from till to car or home. A bag with poor gauge or weak handles can split at the bottom seam, and once one item drops the rest can twist and rub, causing handling damage. Good bag performance comes from the proper film or paper grade, sensible sizing and enough grip at the handle. That is what turns a simple transport-out into a proper pack for daily shopping use.

A biodegradable carrier bag only performs properly when the material selection matches the job it has to transport out. Bags manufactured to smash down securely can still fail if the gauge is also light, the film has poor tear resistance, or the seal area is weak after filling. That matters in shops and warehouses, where split sides and burst handles create mess, waste, and handling damage long before any environmental benefit can be realised. A superb specification has to balance strength, shelf life, and disposal route, because a bag that dies also early is only as useless as one that not ever smashs down.

Large carrier bags are often the quickest method to attached an emergency food package because they are roomy, easy to lift, and cost-effective enough to use only once. In a warehouse or packing room, that sort of bag has to cope with mixed products: tins, packets, bread, and other awkward shapes that do not stack neatly. Strength matters here, because a weak handle or thin gauge film can split before the package reaches the receiver. The optimal bags transport weight without cutting into the hand and still leave enough room to tie or close them properly. That makes the contrast between a package that travels securely and one that turns into a mess at dispatch.

Cheap carrier bags often see like a simple purchase, nevertheless the proper issue is whether the bag survives the load without causing complaints at the till or in the car park. A thin pouch or low-gauge bag may retain costs down, yet weak seams, poor handle formation, and inconsistent film quality can lead to splits at the bottom or stretching around the handle area. For shopping use, that means lost products, frustrated staff, and a poor impression of the shop operation. A sensible specification balances material thickness, carrying strength, and print area, so the bag does its job without wasting material. That makes the cheapest option rarely the optimal value in practice.

Promotional carrier bags work because they turn a routine takeaway item into repeated emblem exposure. A bag leaves the till, travels through the street, sits on a bus seat or in a boot, and carries the printed message far beyond the shop floor. That makes handle strength, print clarity and film or board selection matter as much as the artwork itself, because a weak bag that splits early does more hurt than superb. Retailers often miss the point that the bag is part of the client's transport experience as well as a part of promoting. A well-manufactured carrier bag retains the message visible for longer and gives the emblem a cleaner reputation.

Coloured carrier bags are often treated as none above shopping clutter, nevertheless they have enough mechanical value to be reused in handwork and temporary packaging if they are cut and handled properly. When torn into strips, the film behaves like light tape: it can be woven, tied, or bound around a form, which makes it useful for display parts, streamers, or fast protective wrapping around awkward items. The grasp is that low-grade bag film can split along weakened folds, so the material requirements checking for cracks and brittle edges before it is turned into strips. A bag that sees flimsy in the shop can still do a job in the workshop if the gauge and condition suit the task.

Big carrier bags are often the simplest method to acquire a clean-up moving, because they let a group collect loose waste fast without fussing above separate bins or awkward containers. In beach work, that matters because litter is light, mixed and scattered, so the bag has to cope with wet sand, sharp fragments and awkward shapes while still carrying a fair load. A decent bag also assists the team retain recyclables and normal waste apart, which makes later sorting easier and retains the job from becoming a bigger mess. When the bag is robust enough for the task, the clean-up stays organised and the waste is less likely to blow back onto the shore.

Quality carrier bags need far above a clever print and a tidy handle. The proper issue is whether the bag carries weight properly, protects the contents, and survives the trip from counter to home without split seams or stretched boards. That relies on the material selection, the gauge of film or paper, the strength of the handle fixing, and the method the bag is converted on the machine. A bag that sees superb nevertheless fails below load wastes stock and damages the client's view of the pack. Good specification and tight production control stop those problems before they reach dispatch.

plastic carrier bag (19621)

A plastic carrier bag has to do above transport products from till to home, because its film gauge, handle shape and seal strength all affect how it performs in use and in storage. Thin film can save material, nevertheless if the gauge is also light the bag may split below awkward loads or sharp corners, which leads to complaints and wasted product. Good converting also matters, since weak seals or inconsistent cutting can cause bags to stick together, tear on dispensing, or take up also much space in secondary packing. The proper specification retains handling smooth for shop staff and gives the client a bag that survives the journey without avoidable failure.

A promotional carrier bag works optimal when it is treated as part of the packing job, not only a printed add-on. The proper film gauge, handle style and print stop all affect how a bag carries weight, folds in the hand and survives a trip home without splitting or looking tatty. A flimsy bag may still transport a purchase, nevertheless it can also drag down the feel of the all transaction, while a well-manufactured bag assists the emblem long after the point of sale. Material selection and print quality should match the item inside and the method it will be carried. A bag that performs well on the shop floor does a better job of promotion in daily use.

Research & Resources

For more information on carrier bags, the wide range of polythene and biodegradable carriers available, their many uses and how to recycle them, please visit:

Goldstork: A free online 'best-of-the-web' directory listing specially selected information on a wide range of plain and printed carrier bags.

PackagingKnowledge: The UK's premier polythene packaging knowledge website, containing loads of useful information and in-depth articles on carrier bags, as read by those in the industry.

PlasticBags.uk.com: List products for free as a manufacturer or, if you're shopper, simply browse a massive selection of carrier bags websites on this unrivalled polythene packaging directory.

Single-use carriers? No such thing!

The carrier bag is often portrayed in the media as the single biggest cause of pollution and litter on the planet.

Most commonly, the high density polythene (HDPE) carrier bag used by supermarkets is singled out as the biggest culprit. These bags, which are subject to a government levy in many countries - meaning customer have to pay a few pence or cents for each bag they use - are often referred to as “single-use carriers”, which is a term that is not only misleading but also irresponsible.

Carrier bags should be reused as often as possible and by calling them “single-use carriers” - including in newspaper articles widely criticising the use of such bags - the implication is there that the bags should be thrown away.

This is giving entirely the wrong message to customers and does not represent the facts. 82% of UK households reuse over half of all carrier bags they use, with 59% reusing all of them (Waste Resources Action Programme report, 2005).

There are so many things you can do with a carrier bag once you’ve used it to carry your shopping home. The most obvious is to take it back to the shop and use it again for its original purpose - to carry shopping! But you can also use carrier bags for wrapping your packed lunch, or as a portable laundry bag when you go on holiday, or wrapping shoes in a suitcase to keep your clothes clean. There are loads of things you can use it for if you put your mind to it, so use your carriers again and again.

Even when your carrier has seen better days and you’re ready to throw it out, you can give it one final hurrah and use it as a rubbish bag before throwing it in the bin. There’s no such thing as a single use carrier bag - at least there shouldn’t be!