Do you bag your own groceries?

[Uncle Bob]

I do not bag my own groceries. They provide that service for me, and 99% of the time I am satisfied with the job they do. That's one reason they get my business and not the guy down the street!

 

[MexicoKaren]

Here in Mexico, the people who bag your groceries are either elderly people or teens. They work for tips ONLY, so I always let them bag our groceries and then tip them generously.

 

[redkitty]

Here in Mexico, the people who bag your groceries are either elderly people or teens. They work for tips ONLY, so I always let them bag our groceries and then tip them generously.

I'm so happy to hear that Karen!!

 

[MexicoKaren]

Muchas gracias, redkitty!

 

[Maverick2272]

If that is true then shame on you!!!!

I guess I need to hang my head in shame then

 

[Maverick2272]

Positively NOT! I guess this thread is because something I mentioned in another thread....so...

I love shopping for food. I spend all day cooking and shopping, so it's even more enjoyable when the actual purchases are for me (as opposed to work). I prefer to shop in small markekts that specialize, like produce, fish or the butcher, but I will do a fair amount of shopping in the local supermarket, as well. I usually spend between $125 and $175 every week there. After spending that kind of money, I refuse to have to pack it up, as well.

Unfortunately, in my area, shop managers have since eliminated the 'bag-boy' service. In the past 15 years or so, managers actually expect the customer to pack their own purchases. They eliminated a service, give you nothing in return (ahem, they save by not having to pay the salary...) and put the bags at the outside of the line to encourage you to pack it, yourself. What a racket. Cashiers will actually wait till all my groceries are shoved down at the end of the belt before 'getting it' that I'm not going to do their job. I've even had a few hand me empty bags so I'd get to work. One even said 'you're not going to bag?" When I replied I was not, she rolled her eyes at me, and said "well, it would be helpful". The fact that she added the helpful comment forced me to ask her what time she was planning to show up in my kitchen at work the next day to help me with my job.

I bring my own cloth bags to the supermarket and any other place I shop. I'm not interested in the 2 cents (most cashiers conviently forget that part, anyway), but I am interested in the environment. I don't even put produce in plactic bags. I buy paper lunch bags for that.

When I put my items on the belt, I always hand the cloth bags to the cashier, asking her to pack the items in the bags. Some get it, right away, and others push them to the back with the my items.

Either way, I won't pack. It's not my job. If I don't like they way they do pack, I'll tell them to change it. It's not that I'm trying to be difficult, because demanding or expecting good customer service shouldn't make one 'diffficult'.

For me it boils down to simple economics:
If I go to Jewel and buy everything on my list for a weeks worth of groceries I drop $300 and they bag it for me.

If I go to Food4Less or ALDI and buy everything on my list for a weeks worth of groceries I drop $175 and I bag it.

The bagging services is not worth $125 for less than 10 minutes worth of work, money is too short around here for that.

If I was giving my choice without it costing me $125 for the privilege, I would prefer to have them bag it, and yes I will also correct them if I don't like the way they bag it. I pay too much money to have my bread squashed and produce bruised or crushed.
It should be a matter of good customer service, unfortunately around here it is not.

 

[Maverick2272]

I forgot to add one thing. The Jewel around here often employees handicapped, elderly, and students to do bagging as well as car loading. However, you are not allowed to tip them and they can get fired if they accept tips.
Bummer in my opinion.

 

[krichardson]

I always use self checkout so I always bag myself. If I do go through the line if there is a bagger I let them bag, if not I bag. Either way no big deal, I guess I'm just not that uptight.

 

[mikki]

I self check out and bag myself. At local grocery store DD usually starts bagging before the cashier has a chance, she's usually bared and ready to go home. LOL

 

[Andy M.]

I avoid self-checkout. The setups our stores have are prone to too many problems and you end up waiting for a live person to come and fix the problem so you can continue. I find this more frustrating than standing in line.

 

[Maverick2272]

I avoid the self checkout if I have produce, reduced items, or coupons. The thing never does work right for that stuff. But if I only have a few items right off the shelf then I will use it.
Of course most of the time the stores I go to don't have self checkouts yet. One of the biggest drawbacks to the ALDI out here is the long long long long long wait in line for the single cashier on duty...

 

[DrThunder88]

I almost always do self checkout unless there's a good-sized queue of people, some of whom I prejudge (I'm a horrible person, I admit) to be less than fully tech savvy. Most of the holdups, in my experience, can be explained with PEBKACart errors. Then again it could just be that the systems at Meijer stores are just very good. One problem I have noticed is 2 liter bottles of pop have to be placed on the conveyor belt lengthwise so they don't roll themselves into a standstill!

If I am forced into a baggered line, I will unload my cart in the order I want stuff bagged.

 

[auntdot]

If there is a bagger let him/her do it. And truly appreciate the markets that hire those who are mentally challanged to do the job. They take great pride in their work and if they offer to take the stuff to the car I let them do it so I have an excuse to give them a tip.

Prefer however to bag myself. Worked in supermarkets as a kid and know how the job should be done. For example, always put the stuff that needs refrigeration together. If I am in a hurry and have other things to do, like cooking dinner, may not unpack some bags right away. It is not fun to find a not any more frozen pack of peas, or some fish, at room temp among some bottles of soda hours after you got home. Also some baggers think the bags have a steel lining and will take any weight they can stuff into them.

And there are always those kids who will put a cake or pie in a bag so it is on edge, or put soft stuff, like fish or Brie, with cans on top. And think eggs in a carton cannot be broken.

So if I am not bagging am watching the bagger like a hawk. It is easier to do it myself.

The older folks who do it, God bless them. They know what they are doing and always do it right. Feel guilty about letting them take the stuff to the car, but I do it because I can give them a tip for it.

Some are doing it because it is something to keep them busy, but some need the bucks.

Golly, I never thought something like putting a bunch of groceries in a bag could be so complicated.

 

[Claire]

I live in a very small town; I bag myself or let them do it depending on how busy they are! We do have a Wal-Mart now, there I always let them bag it. But at our local grocery it simply depends on how busy they are. I also on occaision walk to the store, in that case I use a back pack and pack it myself.

 

[nesta67]

Here in MN there are no baggers and so there is no choice but to do it by myself. When I lived in NJ there were no baggers, but if you didn't bag yourself, then the cashier would bag it for you. I used to HATE HATE HATE it when there was a big line and the person at the front of the line was too lazy to bag their own things so everyone else in line had to wait until the items were all rung up and THEN while everything was bagged. If the person had only bagged their own things while the cashier was ringing up, everyone else would only have to wait half as long. VERY INCONSIDERATE when there is a long line of people!

 

[Callisto in NC]

I self check when I can but for the stores that don't have self check, I have to let them bag. It's just the way it is around here.

 

[YT2095]

as a professional shoplifter Naturally I bag my own! J/K

we bring our own bags and my wife does the bagging up whilst I do the Hard part and Pay for the stuff.

although we Used to use the plastic carrier bags provided in store at the checkout, we found that we`de end up bag upon bag FULL of these Used-Once carriers and nothing useful to use them for.

so yeah, I`m down and cool with the canvas bag brigade too

 

[VeraBlue]

Here in MN there are no baggers and so there is no choice but to do it by myself. When I lived in NJ there were no baggers, but if you didn't bag yourself, then the cashier would bag it for you. I used to HATE HATE HATE it when there was a big line and the person at the front of the line was too lazy to bag their own things so everyone else in line had to wait until the items were all rung up and THEN while everything was bagged. If the person had only bagged their own things while the cashier was ringing up, everyone else would only have to wait half as long. VERY INCONSIDERATE when there is a long line of people!

Wow....too lazy, huh?? Inconsiderate? Such strong words, not to mention sweepingly general. I don't work for the supermarket. I work at my own job from dawn to late afternoon. Your choice to bag certainly is your choice, as mine, not to, is mine. However, people who choose to have the employees of the market do their jobs doesn't make us lazy or inconsiderate.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Here in MN there are no baggers and so there is no choice but to do it by myself. When I lived in NJ there were no baggers, but if you didn't bag yourself, then the cashier would bag it for you. I used to HATE HATE HATE it when there was a big line and the person at the front of the line was too lazy to bag their own things so everyone else in line had to wait until the items were all rung up and THEN while everything was bagged. If the person had only bagged their own things while the cashier was ringing up, everyone else would only have to wait half as long. VERY INCONSIDERATE when there is a long line of people!

In my opinion the store should have a better system. Walmart doesn't have baggers, the checkers all bag as they ring but it doesn't effect the lines. They have a system that allows them to put items in the bags as they ring. Sounds like the problem is the stores' system, not the customer who wants the employee to do their job.

 

[ChefRuby]

I bring my own nylon bags and bag my own groceries most of the time.