‘Really for a bag?’: Customer orders from a Baltimore McDonald’s and finds an extra bag fee on the receipt

A customer in Baltimore, Maryland, was surprised to see an extra charge for a bag while ordering at a McDonald’s kiosk. The customer, who posted about the experience on Reddit under the username Pansexual-Agent-1, shared a photo showing the kiosk screen with the heading “Would you like a bag?” and two options: “Bag $0.05” and “No Bag,” each shown with an image of a McDonald’s bag, one marked with a red X.

The customer said the order was large enough to need two bags, which meant paying twice for packaging. In the post, the customer asked, “really for a bag?” and said they wanted to know when McDonald’s started charging for bags. 

The post was shared on the subreddit r/McDonalds and drew hundreds of comments from people describing similar bag charges at McDonald’s locations in other cities and countries.

Bag fees come from local laws, not a McDonald’s company policy

Several commenters explained that bag charges at McDonald’s are usually the result of local city or state rules, not a decision made by the company itself. One commenter wrote that they pay 25 cents for a bag in their city. Another commenter wrote, “The bag fee is nothing to do with McDonald’s. It is your city charging the bag.”

This matches the information found on the website of Baltimore Office of Sustainability. It says: “As of October 1, 2021, the Comprehensive Bag Reduction Act (Baltimore City Code Article 28 § 32-1, Article 7 §62-1) banned single-use plastic check out bags at the point of sale, pickup, or delivery. Baltimore businesses must charge a minimum of $0.05 for each alternative bag distributed at check out, of which $0.01 must be remitted to the city.”

Chef Mike Haracz, who says he is a former corporate chef for McDonald’s, addressed the bag fee topic in a TikTok video. He said the charges come from local laws or taxes, not from McDonald’s trying to make extra money. He pointed to Chicago as an example of a city where some McDonald’s locations add a charge for bags. 

Haracz said the charge is meant to support sustainability efforts and reduce waste. He added that customers can still get a bag if they want one, but the fee is meant to make people think twice about using one they may not need. Such fees can appear in unexpected places, like when a restaurant receipt showed a cooking fee, a seating fee, and a bartender fee. 

Comments on the Reddit thread showed that bag fees at McDonald’s vary widely by location. A commenter wrote that in Edmonton, Canada, customers pay 25 cents for a bag due to a city bylaw aimed at cutting down on waste. The commenter said that if a customer does not pay for a bag at the drive-thru, the food is handed over in a bin instead, which some customers said felt unsanitary.

Another commenter wrote, “They hand you your items in a plastic bin. The bin is not cleaned or sanitized in between each customer. I refuse to pay for something that should be free.” Some commenters said the bin policy led them to order less often or avoid it altogether.

Other users shared different amounts charged for bags depending on their country. A commenter named wrote that the fee is 0,15€ in Italy, while another wrote that the charge is 1 HK$ in Hong Kong. 

Some commenters also brought up the topic of leftover food trays being taken home by customers. One commenter wrote about being handed a tray of food despite requesting a to-go order, joking about how the trays sometimes end up leaving the restaurant anyway. McDonald’s customers have faced other disappointments, such as when a fan was let down by what was actually inside a World Cup meal bag.