On September 30, 2026, Taiwanese media ETtoday reported that modern people's consumer behavior of agreeing to large expenditures but immediately refusing small charges for shopping bags is drawing empathy online. The article introduced that a certain netizen pointed out on social media that an interesting double standard exists in how modern people spend money. According to the article, the poster pointed out a behavioral pattern: they joyfully spend large sums, justifying 50,000 New Taiwan Dollars (hereafter NTD, approximately 248,000 yen) for an iPhone with "can be used for many years," 50,000 NTD for a 5-day trip to Japan with "memories are priceless," and 50,000 NTD for cosmetic medical treatment with "an investment in myself." However, when asked by a clerk at a convenience store checkout, "Do you need a bag for 2 NTD (approximately 10 yen)?", they immediately reply, "No, I don't need one." This post received over 14,000 "likes," and netizens expressed empathy with comments like: "It's too real," "It's the same as forcing yourself to buy in bulk just to get free shipping," and "I specifically look for an ATM from an affiliated bank just to save the 5 NTD (approximately 25 yen) transaction fee." Additionally, many positive opinions were introduced, such as "It's not about the size of the amount, but simply judging whether it has value to oneself, and not wanting to pay unnecessary money for things that don't feel valuable," "It's precisely because of accumulating small savings that large expenditures one truly wants to make become possible," and "Buying a 2 NTD bag doesn't bring happiness, but an iPhone or a trip to Japan brings joy." On the other hand, the article also conveyed that there were counterarguments regarding the act of refusing shopping bags, stating that it's not merely because they are cheap, with comments like: "It's not about begrudging 2 NTD, but rather an expression of the desire to reduce plastic bags as much as possible for environmental protection," and "It's simply because there are few items, so there's no need to buy a bag." (Editor and Translator/Kawashiri)