Retail bags

Buy crystal clear polypropylene display bags to make any product or retail display sparkle.

Try this extensive range of carrier bags for the best selection of the popular retail bag used by shoppers everywhere.

Retail bags are…

• Any bags used within the retail sector, including...
• Shopping bags, carrier bags, display bags, produce bags, packing bags and mailing bags
• Available in a range of styles, shapes, sizes and thicknesses to suit the job in hand
• Used to support every aspect of a retail business, from displaying products (display bags) to packing food or other items (packing bags) and allowing customers to collect produce (produce bags) to helping them carry their shopping home (carrier bags)
• Usually made from polythene, although some retail bags are made from other materials
• Often available in a biodegradable alternative to polythene (e.g. biodegradable carrier bags), thus helping to show your customers that you care about the environment
• Also made from paper (e.g. brown or white paper bags, take away carriers, high end flexiloop shopping bags)

The term ‘retail bags’ is used to describe a wide variety of bags used within the retail sector to cover a range of tasks from storing to carrying products and making life easier for both the retailer and the consumer alike.

Retail bags actually included a number of other ranges of bags that have their own specific name - including but not limited to carrier bags, produce bags, packing bags, mailing bags and others - and are a standalone type of bag in their own right. They are grouped together under the broad term ‘retail bags’ as they are all used within the retail environment.

Common uses for mailing bags

Security Mail Bags - Polybags

Security mail bags only work properly when they are designed for rough, repeated handling rather than gentle storage. In managed accommodation and assisted living, mail is pulled in and out all day, so a light polythene suppliers bag with the proper micron gauge must stay flexible without tearing at the folds or splitting at the seams. Good weld quality matters because weak seals tend to fail when a pouch is overfilled and dragged amid assortment. A stable opening, secure fixing points and a body that resists scuffing assist retain letters off the floor and reduce the nuisance of lost correspondence. That kind of reliability saves time for staff and cuts down on avoidable handling damage.

Plastic mailing bags suit lightweight mixed consignments because they retain the package small without paying for empty space inside a carton. Soft products like clothing, cables, and similar stock do not need rigid corners, so a well-chosen bag can grasp the load neatly and leave less air for carriers to transport around. That makes dispatch easier, reduces postage waste, and lowers the chance of a fat pack being tossed about in transit. The film also wraps strange shapes with less fuss than board, so the finished consignment stays tidy and easier to sort.

Recycled mail bags only make sense when the material is matched to a simple, robust design. Old mail sack stock is already tough and often heavily worked, so it behaves better in straightforward satchels than in bags with trims, like folds, or delicate finishing details that can split below strain. That can in reality assist production, because less parts mean less weak points, less cutting waste, and less time spent chasing awkward seals or stitching faults on the line. A plain format also suits shop-floor handling, where speed and consistency matter above appearance. If the bag can transport out its job without fuss, the recycled content becomes a practical advantage rather than a label claim.

Red mail bags are chosen mainly for visibility, because the red stands out against mixed mail, cages and fast-moving conveyour lines in a busy dispatch area. The colour assists staff select the proper consignment fast and cuts the chance of a sack being left in the gross stack, nevertheless the proper performance comes from the film below the tint. If the polythene suppliers gauge is poor, the bag can scuff, stretch or split even though it sees sound at first glance. A bright bag that fails below handling soon creates spillages and slows the all sort.

polythene suppliers mailing bags work well for flat products because they grasp the item neatly, retain grime off the surface, and save time at the packing bench. A carton can be overkill when the product does not need rigid assist, and that additional board only adds storage, handling, and disposal problems. The lighter format also assists when orders need to transport fast through dispatch, since less materials have to be picked and stacked. Choosing the proper gauge matters, though, because a bag that is also thin may split in transit and leave the product exposed. Good basic packing normally beats heavy secondary packaging for this sort of job.

Large Postal Bags

Large mailing bags need to balance strength against dead weight, because a bag that is also thin splits on carton corners while an overbuilt one wastes film, space and money in daily despatch. The better films are manufactured with proper extrusion control so the gauge stays even across the bag, which gives proper puncture resistance without turning the sack stiff at the packing bench. That matters when soft products and mixed parcels are being loaded fast, since awkward handling is where weak seams or thin spots display up first. A sensible specification retains tare weight down and still protects the consignment. That normally means utilising the lightest building that can survive the proper handling route, not the tidy test sample.

Strong mail bags need the proper balance of film strength, size and sealing if they are going to survive normal package handling. A grey mailing polythene suppliers bag can be a sensible selection because it conceals the contents and tolerates rubbing better than lightweight presentation packaging, nevertheless sees are not the proper test. If the gauge is also light, scuffing and splits display up fast; if the bag is also tight, the seam acquires stressed and the all pack is more likely to fail below load. Matching the bag to the products and the packing line retains rework down and makes dispatch more proper.

Metallic Blue Mail Bags

Blue mail bags work optimal when their building is judged by handling, not by appearance. A metallic stop may see distinctive, nevertheless the practical question is whether the film can survive sorting, loading and normal abrasion without splits or weak seals at the flap. That is where gauge control and melt consistency matter, because a bag that is also light can fail below stress while one that is also heavy adds dead weight and wastes cube across a consignment. Good specification also has to balance slip and grip, so bundles transport cleanly on the pack bench nevertheless do not slide about on the select face. When static is kept below control and the seal line is sound, the bag earns its place in daily dispatch work.

White mail bags suit small products because they give light protection without adding much dead weight to the consignment. The bubble liner takes the sting out of knocks and rub labels, while the outside film stands up to sorting belts, sack handling and the normal rough treatment that happens once parcels leave the packing bench. A compact 115 x 195 mm format also retains contents tight, so there is less rattling and less chance of edge damage inside the bag. That makes stock easier to send in volume without pushing postage higher than necessary.

Courier mail bags have to be tough enough for rough handling without becoming needlessly heavy or awkward to process. A bag that feels fine on a bench can still fail once it beginnings moving through conveyour drops, cage loading and tight depot turns, so the proper test is how the film and seal behave below repeated stress. Good converters control gauge, melt consistency and slip so the bag retains its shape, resists rubbing and closes cleanly, rather than tearing at the seams or snagging in the line. If the pack survives transit nevertheless slows down sortation, the all operation pays for it in time and waste.

Retail bags and polythene

The vast majority of retail bags are made from polyethylene, more widely known as polythene, in a range of thicknesses to suit the task in hand. The thickness of the polythene - also known as the gauge or density - varies from very thin, as with thin counter bags - at just 9 microns thick - to thick, as with premium quality carrier bags such as clip-close carrier bags - at 75 microns (300 gauge) thick.

Not all retail bags are made from polyethylene, or polythene, however. Some retail bags, like takeaway bags for example, are made from paper, while others, like gift bags, are made from cardboard.

But as this website is all about retail bags and the most common form as retail bags are polythene bags, this website will be focussing on polythene bags in these pages.

Carrier bags - the number one retail bag

By far and away the most popular form of retail bag, carrier bags are employed by retailers in every corner of the globe, making them the big daddy of the retail trade as far as polythene bags are concerned.

Carrier bags are designed to allow the customer to carry purchased products from the shop to their homes or businesses in an ergonomic manner. The bags come with different types of handle styles to allow the customer to carry the bag. Many types of handle give the bag its name, with some of the popular styles including: vest carriers, patch handle carriers and patch handle carriers.

Other popular types of carrier bag, not named after their handle, include varigauge carriers - so named because the thickness, or gauge, of the polythene is twice as thick at the top of the bag as at the top - and premium carriers, popular in the top-end fashion outlets or department stores.

Whatever type of business you own, there is a carrier bag out there for you. Whether you need cheap and cheerful or reassuringly expensive, you can always find the carrier bag to get the job done, but you can also use them to send a message to your customers about your business too.

Other popular types of retail bag

Whilst carrier bags are comfortably the most commonly used bag by the retail sector, there are many other forms of bag that perform an important role for retail businesses everywhere. These include:

Produce bags - Used by food retailers from mega-size supermarkets to small local butchers, thin light produce bags are an essential item for any food retailer. Available either on the roll or served loose from a packet, food bags can be used both from behind the counter - e.g. a butcher bagging up a pound of mince - or at front of house, as with the tear-off bags used in supermarkets to collect loose fruit.

Display bags - Employed by retailers who want to display their products in the best possible light, crystal clear display bags make products sparkle. Manufactured from high clarity polypropylene - similar to cellophane but clearer, thicker, stronger and cheaper - these bags are used for presenting a range of products, including greetings cards, magazines and sweets. Also available in sleeve form, as used with flowers and CDs to make them shine.

Mailing or postage bags - These polythene mailers, complete with integral sealing strip, are the perfect way to deliver products to your customers. Lightweight and waterproof, poly mailers are a great alternative to traditional envelopes. They are available in a range of styles and in plain or coloured polythene. You can also get your mailing bags printed with your very own company logo, branding or slogan, so that they really stand out from the crowd and make your business the most memorable one in any batch of mail.

Gift bags - The most popular retail bag that isn’t made of polythene, gift bags are a great way to present a gift to friends, loved ones or colleagues without having to even wrap it! No need to wrapping paper, scissors, cellotape or minutes of your life wasted trying to make a gift look nice. Just place your present in you shiny gift bag - complete with a smart cord handle and your gift will look just fantastic. Available in standard shape for regular everyday presents like books, CDs or jewellery, or in bottle gift bags - the perfect way to present any bottled gift from champagne to a fine Scotch whiskey.

Where to buy retail bags

Retail bag manufacturers and suppliers include:

Paper Bags
The website that caters for all of your paper bag needs, Paper Bags is the ideal online destination for anyone buying paper take away carriers, shopping bags or other paper bags. Also a very useful resource on biodegradable packaging.
www.paperbags.co

Display Bags
If you want to buy or find out more information on high clarity polypropylene display bags, then this is the website for you. A firm favourite with retailers who wants to make their products sparkle!
www.displaybags.org.uk

Plastic Food Bags
A fantastic website for anyone looking to buy plastic food bags or produce bags at discount prices. Contains tonnes of information and details of where to buy polythene food bags - the best way to keep your food fresh and help customers handle fresh food from the shelf.
www.discountfoodbags.co.uk

Polythene Bags
A website dedicated to polythene bags used in the retail sector, including food bags, display bags, carrier bags, printed carrier bags and mailing bags. If you work in the UK's retail sector and need polythene bags, this is the website for you!
www.ukpolythenebags.co.uk

Gift Bags
A useful source of information on gift bags and retail display bags - used to enhance product displays for everything from greetings cards to flowers and clothes to sweets. Featuring a handy display bag size guide, news on display bags and eco-friendly alternatives.
www.giftbagsdirect.co.uk

Retail Bags
The home of retail bags and shopping bags online. If you're looking for bags to your shop or retail outlet, from plain or printed carrier bags to display bags, then take a look at this very handy website.
www.retailbags.co.uk

Kraft Bags
Kraft Bags is a website specialising in kraft bags and other paper bags - a fantastic environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional polythene shopping bags.
www.kraftbags.org

Carrier Bags
Work in the retail sector? Looking for carrier bags or other retail bags for your shop? This website has it covered, with tonnes of information and details of where to buy a range of carrier bags and other retail bags, including food bags and glossy display bags.
www.retailbags.org

Popular views on mailing bags

Big mailing bags need careful material selection because loose, lofty craft stock can snag, shed fibre and build static long before the load is sealed. A bag that is simply thicker is not necessarily better; what matters is a stable gauge, superb film consistency and a polymer blend that resists puncture without becoming heavy and wasteful. Clean welds assist the contents slide in without catching, while a well-finished inner surface reduces clinging and retains labels in position. The result is a mailing sack that packs more neatly, handles strange shapes better and avoids the awkward bulge that makes despatch awkward. A sound spec saves trouble at the packing bench and protects the load all the method through transit.

Security Mail Bags, Security Mail Bags Suppliers and ...

Security mail bags need to be built for evidence, not only containment, and that changes the all specification. A thin nevertheless well-controlled co-extruded polythene suppliers film can retain weight down while still giving enough puncture resistance and opacity to conceal contents and survive rough sortation. If the gauge is also low, seams creep and contents telegraph through the film; if it is also high, carton occupy becomes wasteful and pallets lose efficiency. The optimal buildings balance film tension, seal quality and pack density so the bag can transport through stock control and dispatch without turning into a fragile special case. That balance is what makes the contrast between a workable consumable and a complaint waiting to happen.

Plastic mailing bags can be a sensible dispatch format, nevertheless only when the item inside can cope with very small protection. Their strength is light tare weight and compact volume, so they work well for non-fragile items moving through a package network where space and speed matter. The trouble beginnings when the contents have brittle corners, close tolerances, or finished surfaces that can label against each other. A thin mailer will retain out dirt and splash, yet it will not stop crushing, scuffing, or rattle damage in sortation. That is why the bag must match the failure mode of the product, not only the convenience of the carrier. Good specification retains returns down and avoids cost-effective packing creating an expensive problem later.

Recycled mail bags work well for daily despatch because they give a light outer wrap without adding unnecessary bulk to the order. Their recycled content assists reduce reliance on virgin plastic, nevertheless the bigger practical earn comes from utilising a format that already suits low-risk products and simple consignments. In a packing area, that means faster handling, less bench clutter, and better use of space than a carton would enable for flat or flexible items. The bag itself is not doing heavy structural work, so the selection suits products that need basic protection rather than rigid crush resistance, and that retains material use sensible.

Red mail bags speed up sorting because their bright colour is easy to select out in a busy warehouse, particularly when sacks are stacked on a select face, loaded into cages, or waiting on a dispatch pallet. That fast visual check assists staff separate mixed consignments without stopping to read labels on all item, which matters when several similar bags are moving through the same area. The proper earn comes from reducing mis-selects and cutting rework at the checking stage, where small mistakes waste time and create confusion. When the colour stays consistent from batch to batch, confidence in the system stays high and the route to dispatch runs more smoothly.

polythene suppliers mailing bags suit lightweight despatch because they keep safe products without wasting space or adding awkward weight. A bag around the 14x16 size adequately takes folded clothing, small soft products or slim shopping orders, and the film retains out rain, scuffing and normal grime amid sorting and transit. Packing speed is a big part of the appeal, since items can be inserted, sealed and moved on with far less labour than a carton or enclosed bundle. That said, the job only works properly when film gauge and seal quality are matched to the load, because thin material can tear if the consignment is handled roughly. A sound spec retains the packing line moving and assists avoid avoidable claims.

Large mailing bags need to do above grasp volume; they have to retain shape and stay manageable from packing bench to delivery dash. When a bag is sized for fat consignments, the proper issue is how well the material copes with stretch, sharp corners and repeated lifting without splitting at the seams or around the closure. A bag that is also light can billow, tear or slip in transit, while one with better gauge and decent seal quality retains contents together and reduces handling damage. That makes load control easier in the warehouse and gives dispatch staff less surprises.

Strong mail bags have to cope with rough handling, not only see tough on a pack bench. A bag can seem sound until it is half-filled, dragged above concrete, or set below a heavier package stack, when weak stitching or poor seam building fast gives method. The material weight, stitch density, and the method the corners are formed all matter because mailing loads shift about and press on the same points again and again. A bag that carries the proper amount cleanly will stand up better in sorting, transit, and repeated lifting, which retains damaged contents and returns to a minimum.

Blue mail bags are often treated as simple transport sacks, nevertheless a bag packed to the point of strain can conceal far above a tidy consignment. When oversise loads are forced into a flexible bag, the seams and closures take the stress, which makes tears, scuffing, and spillages more likely amid handling and transit. A bag that sees merely full can also be difficult to stack, count, and secure in a vehicle, which creates problems for dispatch control as well as security checks. Careful filling and a transparent weight limit retain the load manageable and reduce the chance of damaged or missing contents.

White mail bags suit consignments that need light protection and a tidy dispatch appearance, not heavy cushioning. The clean white outer assists a package see more controlled when it leaves the packing bench, nevertheless the proper test is whether the bag survives the rougher parts of the journey, from sorting belts to tote bins and repeated lifting. For flat items like CDs, DVDs and printed matter, a padded format can cut scuffing and corner knock without adding much bulk, which assists retain storage tight and packing lines moving. If the gauge is also light or the seal also weak, the tidy stop becomes pointless, so the proper build reduces damage before it beginnings.

Research & Resources

For plenty more information on the broad range of retail bags available, including how they are manufactured and how they benefit the retail sector, please visit:

PlasticBags.uk.com: Popular polythene packaging directory listing a large selection of specialist retail bags websites and allowing retailers to product listings for free.

Goldstork: This 'best-of-the-web' free directory features a range of specialist websites on display bags and other retail bags, plus hand-picked information and carefully selected features.

PackagingKnowledge: The UK's premier plastic packaging knowledge website features loads of in-depth articles and detailed information on a huge range of retail bags, including carrier bags, mailing bags and display bags.

Printed carrier bags - the ultimate retail bag

If carrier bags are the number one retail bag, then printed carrier bags take them one step further and make them kings of the retail bag world.

The choice of carrier bags you choose for your retail outlet can say a lot about your business, even when you’re using off-the-shelf plain carriers. But if you take that carrier and the print your very own personalised message or design on the side of the bag, then you’ve got the ultimate way to send a message about your business.

Create your very own custom-made design, complete with company logo, advertising slogan or bespoke design - including seasonal designs like those employed during sales or at Christmas - and you can get just the message you want out there not just to your own customers picking up the bags, but to every other potential customer that sees them walking around with your professional, personalised, printed carrier bag.

Turn your customers into walking adverts for your retail outlet with your very own printed carrier bag. The difference between having a forgettable bag and an instantly memorable one could be the difference between your shop or store making it in the cut-throat world of retail.

Biodegradable retail bags

A number retail bags manufactured from traditional polythene - as listed elsewhere on this page - are also available made from biodegradable materials so that, when they need to be disposed of, they don’t contribute to landfill. The biodegradable material from which these bags are made will degrade 100% on prolonged contact with compost or soil, meaning that you make less of an impact on the environment.

What’s more, courtesy of a small green logo placed on all of the bags, your customers will know that you care about the environment too.

The following retail bags are available in biodegradable alternatives: biodegradable carrier bags, biodegradable mailing bags, biodegradable clear bags (for presenting your products) and eco-friendly bin liners (for keeping your shop clean).