NEXT has become the latest retailer to charge for clothes hangers – sparking a backlash from customers.
The store is trialling the 15p fee in four different stores at the moment – and will potentially be rolled out further if successful.
But customers aren’t happy, with one fuming: “So we spent a fair amount on clothes and was abruptly told we couldn’t have the hangers unless we paid for them! Shocking.”
A second added: “What a joke to charge 15p for a hanger!! when others give it for free!! I won’t be shopping with you again!”
A third added: “Um when did Next start charging for hangers. Went to Next MK today – 15p charge for a hanger.”
Others said Next had refused to give them a hanger, even after spending £200 on a suit.
The trial is currently being run in branches in Bristol, Preston, Watford and Bishop Auckland.
Next said: “We are trying to reduce the amount of plastic being used to help protect the environment, therefore we retain the hangers and reuse them across the business.
“The small charge goes towards the production of more hangers.”
The move is likely to be more widely adopted in the fashion industry as other businesses are also applying the charge.
Earlier this year Tesco began trialling a 10p fee per hanger for its F&F range, sparking similar protests from customers.
And last year Matalan also began charging 10p for the items.
Green charities have spoken up in favour of the initiative.
Angela Terry, boss of climate action charity One Home said: “I support what Next are doing, and we really need to bring an end to the era of cheap, or free, plastic.
“Plastic is made from fossil fuels and does not biodegrade. It hangs around for hundreds of years clogging up landfill or is incinerated, posing an increasing risk to human health, so we must cut down on the amount we use.
“This is a similar initiative to when a charge for plastic carrier bags was introduced in shops.
“There was some opposition at the time, but now it’s the norm to bring reusable shopping bags when you get your groceries.”
In 2015, the Government introduced the carrier bag charge, meaning customers had to pay for a plastic bag.
Retailers are now legally required to charge a minimum of 10p, no matter the size of the bag.
The Government hoped the scheme would encourage shoppers to buy bags for life and reuse them, reducing waste.
The rule has been effective – plastic bag usage dropped by 95% in 2021 (although this may have been impacted by Covid lockdowns).
Purchasing a Bag for Life means you’re not contributing to plastic waste when you’re shopping.
It’s also cheaper as you don’t have to keep buying new bags.
Some shops now charge as much as 30p per bag.
Anglea added that the fashion industry creates up to 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions and so “brands as well as consumers have their part to play”,
“Reusing clothes hangers and only replacing them when absolutely necessary, as well as thinking if we really need something before we buy it, are both great, green habits to get into.
Meanwhile retailers are starting to charge customers for returning items bought online.
Bargain retailer PrettyLittleThing recently said it would implement a charge of £1.99 per item sent back.
The fast fashion retailer also said it would ban some customer accounts if they made too many returns.
