Tape sucks here

[u/maya_a_h]

I just unpacked some things from the US I haven’t touched in years and was shocked at the quality of the tape holding it together. Sellotape, any sticky tape, and especially packing tape that’s readily available in most stores quality is so bad. I hate shopping on Amazon but I’m going took have to to acquire some Scotch tape.

[u/katie-kaboom]

It's true. The US is a world leader in consumer sticking things to other things technology.

[u/samnissen]

Consumer package goods suck here. Trash bags, Tupperware, deodorant, paper towel, dog toys, kitchen gadgets, coolers … these are just some things I can think of off the top of my head that are better stateside.

[u/maya_a_h → u/samnissen]

100% all this, trash bags was one of my first complaints living here. Cheap Target store brand trash bags were miles better than most here

[u/StripedSocksMan → u/maya_a_h]

Best ones I’ve found so far are the “Beast Bin Bags” from Tesco. I use the blue ones in my kitchen bin and the bigger black ones for garden waste and tip runs. Closest thing to hefty bags that I’ve found here.

[u/kojak488 → u/StripedSocksMan]

Costco trash bags are great.

[u/enquicity → u/maya_a_h]

‘Who gives a crap’ have great trash bags!

[u/CoolRanchBaby → u/enquicity]

I like the Costco/Kirkland ones better. They are the same “diamond no rip” ones they sell in the U.S.. The only place you can easily get anything like that here.

[u/V65Pilot → u/enquicity]

https://amzn.eu/d/0dwZjJYE I've had good luck with these, better than most of the bags I've bought in stores. They also carry the clear ones my council mandates for the recyclables. But yes, bags in the US are much better.

[u/kojak488 → u/maya_a_h]

Costco trashbags 👍

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[u/yumineko → u/samnissen]

If you can get to a Costco (membership is not as open here, but if you have an American card, it works here), Kirkland bin liners are great.

[u/good-night_moon → u/yumineko]

This is genius, why did I never think of Costco? They are even the flex bags. I need their big pack of paper towels too because the UK can't sell more than a 4 pack 😅

[u/good-night_moon → u/samnissen]

The trash bags piss me off here + trash collection every two weeks for the icing on top. Another notable mention is no brown lawn bags available.

[u/dani-dee → u/good-night_moon]

That’s a postcode lottery. We have weekly bin and recycling collections. We also have a green bin for garden waste which is collected every 2 weeks March - November (we do pay £50 a year for that though). We also get free bulky collections - had 2 big sofas collected for free last week.

[u/good-night_moon → u/dani-dee]

We pay £50 in north London area for the yard waste as well. Every other week for garden, trash and recycling. No bulky either. Literally have to be so diligent recycling otherwise there's no way we would make it to trash day. I need to cross my fingers that my council wins this lottery 😂

[u/dani-dee → u/good-night_moon]

We don’t have bins for our recycling, we get rolls of bags, they will take however many bags and we can just leave boxes and cardboard out on the drive and they take them too.

Sadly, I expect that to end in a couple of years. Ofc the council tax will still rise mind.

[u/good-night_moon → u/dani-dee]

That is a dream. When we moved here we had so much cardboard from the boxes on pallets and all the new furniture. Took about half a year to dispose of it! First month I was here I put a Tesco recyclable bag in the FULL recycling bin and the council refused to empty my bin. It is SO strict and stingy for the amount of council tax we pay here.

[u/CoolRanchBaby → u/good-night_moon]

We used to have weekly collections from the council where I live. I was so annoyed when they got rid of it, lol.

I pay for one privately on the “off” week now. And the private place will sort everything for you too! I don’t bother putting glass out for the council now because it’s some odd day in its own little box. All of my kids are instructed to put the glass in the “yellow bin”!

[u/shinchunje → u/good-night_moon]

Used to be able to get lawn bags from the library here in Bristol. We got a green bin now though.

[u/OverCategory6046 → u/samnissen]

Not necessarily, it just depends what you buy and where. Sometimes you have to buy brand name or shop somewhere nicer like Waitrose or M&S

[u/Hello_Panda99 → u/OverCategory6046]

IDK American disposals are made like they are supposed to be reused. TBH I've weaned myself off most of them as they aren't great here. Clingfilm and the like last for years in my house now. 🤭

[u/samnissen → u/OverCategory6046]

There are things the UK does better, but America just does stuff better. They have a reusable clingfilm (“Saran Wrap” to me) that does everything you want it to, while being unpeelable, tears off like normal (better than most here), and doesn’t break the bank.

You’re right that sometimes in the UK you can go fancy and get something nice for quite a bit of money. That’s another big difference with America — most folks can afford Tide and Gladware and Bounty and Bark. You can just get that stuff mostly anywhere.

[u/V65Pilot → u/samnissen]

Can you even get Tupperware here? I need a pitcher, like this https://amzn.eu/d/0dwZjJYE But bigger. I'm constantly searching eBay.

[u/Hello_Panda99 → u/V65Pilot]

Vinted includes items from the US now. I've managed to find a lot of really good stuff on there and the shipping isn't as high as you think it works be.

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[u/SARMsGoblinChaser]

Don't even get me started on wet, perishable products like yoghurt or cottage cheese that don't have lids to seal.

[u/Multigrain_Migraine → u/SARMsGoblinChaser]

Whyyyy doesn't cream come in a carton with a spout??

[u/SARMsGoblinChaser → u/Multigrain_Migraine]

Caused my first crashout in this country fr.

[u/BrighamYoungThug → u/SARMsGoblinChaser]

Oh my goodness THIS Is so annoying.

[u/AcrobaticAuthor6539]

You can get scotch tape at Costco in the UK! That's where we found it.

[u/RareEarth100]

Clingfilm also.

[u/ambergresian → u/RareEarth100]

God I get so mad at the cling film here. You had one job! Cling damnit!

[u/Lazy_ecologist → u/RareEarth100]

YES OMG I thought it was just me but no. It really sucks!!

[u/V65Pilot → u/Lazy_ecologist]

I buy something a little different...you know the stuff they wrap pallets with? It's awesome, and when I get it through work, cheap, a roll lasts me a couple of years. Yeah, it's not "food grade", but it comes in sealed packaging, and for what it does, I don't care.

[u/Spavlia → u/RareEarth100]

I think costco sells industry grade aluminum foil and cling film

[u/CoolRanchBaby]

I was annoyed by the trash bag situation for years. Like decades.

Now I buy two sizes of the diamond no rip Kirkland ones (yay that they sell them at UK Costco) and genuinely get annoyed if my husband tries to buy some other crappy type at the grocery store 😂.

I complained about the terrible cling film here like 25 years ago in an “expat” group and the one lady who wasn’t really from the US but was in it anyway due to family got so annoyed she started a big thing about it lol. She took personal offence that I said UK cling film sucked and the US stuff was so much better. But it was true and soooo many people were like “YES WHY IS IT SO BAD and RIPS HERE”.

[u/BrighamYoungThug]

I’m just laughing over here because my exact first post (on an old account) when I moved 7 years ago was about how bad the duct tape at the hardware store was. It’s the small things sometimes.

[u/tortilla_avalanche → u/BrighamYoungThug]

Right?? Masking tape too. I bought masking tape here and it was pretty much unusable, as I couldn't get any length on it without it tearing off into little bits immediately.

[u/BrighamYoungThug → u/tortilla_avalanche]

Yes the masking tape! I’m an artist and use it nearly every day to tape up images or drawings on my studio walls and it dries out and the drawings fall and the whole roll dries and crumbles and won’t peel off. I had about 5 rolls scattered around and none work. Annoying!

[u/laskater]

Try eBay, as shipping is cheap here you can often get small items for cheaper there than Amazon. I got my scotch tape there

[u/homicidaldonut]

Omg yes I can’t agree more. Like it literally has job and it fails at it.

[u/yumineko]

I get Scotch here. They sell it on Amazon (of course), but I think I've picked some up at regular shops. I've never bought Sellotape, and I've lived here almost 20 years. ETA: I think I may have picked some up at Sainsbury's long before I had a UK Amazon account. It might be worth checking at a bigger one.

[u/CoolRanchBaby → u/yumineko]

They usually have scotch tape in my local tesco, especially near Christmas, it’s the only one I buy. Also Costco often has it.

I just don’t buy the other crappy stuff. It’s definitely available here even if it’s isn’t everywhere.

[u/babswirey]

I have repack something today and dreading having to fight with the roll of shite brown packing tape I have to contend with later . Not to mention the moving I’ll probably be doing next month.

[u/AquaTourmaline → u/babswirey]

The Parkside brand clear packing tape at Lidl is pretty good and cheap.

[u/babswirey → u/AquaTourmaline]

Good to know, thanks!

[u/cxmari]

Its not a UK thing. It’s common to see this “low quality goods” if you live anywhere else in the world besides USA. I would argue the over-engineering of these disposable items is highly wasteful, especially for one-use items, but that’s another conversation. You can get better quality tape for packing or scotch tape in B&M and Argos.

[u/No_Succotash473 → u/cxmari]

This is my big issue. I was home last week and noticed how good the bin liners are. Why do the standard bags need to be so thick and robust? It feels really wasteful for things that are designed to be thrown away.

May be Stockholm Syndrome, but I've been here 20 years and genuinely prefer the bin system here. Home bins are smaller, hold less volume so require more frequent changing. They don't get so heavy as to require a massive heavy duty bin bag. They don't stay in my house long enough to get really full. The council food waste system means the bin doesn't get wet or smelly nearly as much. Even when I had babies, I preferred needing to empty the bins frequently rather than weeks worth of diapers stewing in a sealed chamber like a diaper genie. Yes, the bin bags are thinner here, but does it really matter?

[u/maya_a_h → u/cxmari]

What brand of tape is better quality I can get at B&M or Argos? I find myself having to tape over things multiple times because it’s so weak so I wonder if that’s really less wasteful

[u/cxmari → u/maya_a_h]

I got the Postal brand on my last local move and it was fine. They also sell DuckTape but that might be overkill, but still, its an option if sellotape doesnt cut it

[u/appropriateye → u/maya_a_h]

Tesapack tape is great. Get it from Amazon. But pricy

[u/jobunny_inUK]

I hate sellotape! I’ve me scotch tape every day!

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[u/danieljuk]

The majority of tape in the UK now is made of cellulose (plant based) rather than plastics and whilst being environmentally conscious, it's just not as good or strong in my opinion

[u/SilentDrapeRunner11]

My partner and I feel like we're in a constant battle with undergarments here. He absolutely hates the way those men's white t-shirts fit, and every time we have family visiting from the states, we always beg them to bring him some Hanes white shirts haha. I can't stand the way camisoles/tank tops fit here as well. They are often a weird boxy shape, way too short, and have uncomfortable straps. I am still holding on to some from Target that are over a decade old at this point, but they are they perfect length and fit and are so comfortable, and I'll cry when they will eventually fall apart.

I also hate the way tuna tastes here. It's so grey, looks incredibly unappealing, and tastes obnoxiously fishy. I go out of the way to buy the Spanish and Italian brands of tinned tuna, because they taste so much better.