Qualitative study on perception of hyper-and supermarket consumers in Bangkok area towards store-provided plastic bag.

Abstract

This research aims to identify possible obstructions to the reduction of store-provided plastic bags usage through exploring Thai consumers’ perception towards the idea. The theory of Planned Behavior, Affective Cognitive Consistency, and several other potential factors were extracted from existing literatures and adopted as the assumptions for primary research. The data were collected qualitatively, using open-ended interview questions. Twenty-five interviewees were randomly intercepted during regular grocery shopping routine in hyper- and supermarkets in Bangkok area and were semi-screened to include 13 shoppers who travel to the store by personal vehicle and another 12 by public transportation. The findings reaffirmed most of the assumptions fabricated from the research’s frameworks, as well as introduced several new factors. Consequently, it yielded the recommendation of potentially effective methods in inducing such behavior among Thai consumers in Bangkok area. The limitations and contributions were also discussed in the paper. KEY WORDS: Consumer Behavior / Attitude / Plastic bag / Environmental concern / Grocery shopping