The following shoppers are vowing to boycott the store over a new 15p checkout charge

The latter has come under fire from shoppers after the retail giant introduced a new 15p point-of-purchase charge. The surcharge is currently being trialled in four stores, in Bristol, Bishop Auckland, Preston and Watford, and customers will have to pay if they want to take home hangers with certain clothes.

The move is an attempt by the retailer to reduce its use of plastic and could be rolled out across the country if successful.

Despite Next’s environmental rationale for the new charge, customers have not held back their exasperation. One disgruntled customer told X: “So we’ve spent quite a bit on clothes and suddenly we’re told we can’t have hangers unless we pay for them! Shocking”.

Another customer expressed his frustration at the new policy saying: “What a joke to charge 15p for a hanger! ! when others offer it for free! ! I will not shop with you again!” In addition, another customer shared their disappointment with the service, saying: “I have just bought a suit for my husband which costs £149, I have asked to be told the hangers in store are not allowed to give them away nor did they have suit bearers. Very poor customer service expected better. .”

In response, a spokesperson for Next said: “We try to reduce the amount of plastic used to help protect the environment, so we keep the hangers and reuse them throughout the business. The small fee goes towards the production of more hangers. .”

Tesco previously launched a similar initiative through its F&F clothing brand, imposing a 10p charge as a trial in a select number of stores.

Senior campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency, Lauren Weir, welcomed the scheme to restrict plastic consumption, describing it as a step “in the right direction”. She called for more collective efforts from supermarkets to target non-essential single-use plastics such as packaging, saying: “We would also like to see a more concerted effort to reduce non-essential single-use plastics , such as packaging, in supermarket retail. section.”