Groton — Customers walked out of the Stop & Shop supermarket here on Sunday clutching paper bags or reusable bags or even walked by carrying their groceries in their arms as the new plastic bag tax took effect.

With a new 10-cent tax on plastic bags having gone into effect Thursday with a ban on all plastic bags taking effect in 2021, some area stores, such as Stop & Shop and Big Y, have decided to phase out all plastic bags immediately.

"I don't like paying the ten cents," Andrea Pearson, a Gales Ferry resident and Stop & Shop customer, said Sunday. "At least paper bags I can recycle and they can break down. It's a good first step."

Pearson's son, Kyle Pearson, added that he was glad the plastic bags are gone.

"I was so sick and tired of watching plastic bags get blown around," he said. "I got sick of the litter."

While Kyle clutched a paper bag, Andrea said they plan to get reusable bags in the future. However, she noted that Stop & Shop is not charging for paper bags during August and said she plans to take advantage of the offer while she can.

Stop & Shop was also advertising a program outside the Groton location that allowed people to trade in plastic bags for a free reusable bag. Both Stop & Shop and Big Y are offering customers discounts on reusable bags through August.

Some locals were even pleased by the tax.

Gales Ferry resident Emma Biederstadt was pleased not only by the tax but also by the embrace of paper and reusable bags.

"Its just better for the environment," Biederstadt said. "You gotta save the turtles! People don't throw things out and litter. Paper bags and reusable bags are just much better for the environment."

The new state budget estimates $55 million in revenue from the new tax, but many shoppers have started bringing their own bags. The Connecticut Food Association, whose two largest members are Stop & Shop and Big Y, estimates that its members use 450 million plastic bags a year.

Shoppers seemed mostly unaffected by the change. Many had seen it on the news or were made aware by their local grocer. Some walked in with carts full of empty reusable bags as a way of avoiding the tax. Plenty of others were content using the paper bags or simply carrying their purchases in their arms.