I have never worked in a grocery store, but I have shopped in them for over 30 years and I know what bagging issues cause problems by the time a shopper gets home. I know sometimes it’s busy and there is a long line at the check out and the mentality is “just get them bagged up and outta here asap.” That will usually make for problems. I have bagged my own groceries before when no one else was available and I know it doesn’t really take a lot of extra time to bag thoughtfully. So if I could teach Grocery Bagging 101, here would be some of my key points:
1. Do not put raw meat in the same bag with things that will not be cooked, like produce and lunch meat and cheese. Personally I prefer raw meat be put in its own bag all alone. I don’t know why, with all the warnings about raw meat right there on the label, it’s packaged in a way that blood leaks out. We don’t stand for leakage with any other product, why raw meat? Some companies are changing their packages, and I hope that trend spreads. But meanwhile, we don’t want to cross-contaminate bloody meat with fresh foods.
2. Don’t put soft things (like bananas and bread) in the same bag with hard things (cans). The soft things will get squished or bruised.
3. Not too many items are packaged in glass any more, but don’t put glass bottles in the same bag together. They clink together when the bags are picked up and can break. We had a glass bottle of apple juice break in the back of our car once. Not fun.
4. Don’t put a lot of heavy things (i.e., cans) into one bag, even if you double bag them. What a healthy 19-year-old guy can easily move from the check-out to the cart and the cart to my car takes more effort for me to move from my car through two rooms and up seven steps to the kitchen.
5. On the other hand, I’ve had multitudes of bags with just one or two items in them, and that’s a waste of resources.
6. Don’t put anything cold in the bag with anything that might be damaged by condensation (i.e., cardboard boxes). Condensation does occur even on a short drive home.
7. It helps to have frozen foods packaged together — they keep each other cold.
8. The same is true with refrigerated items.
9. I don’t necessarily want to trade life stories or become best friends over the canned green beans and paper towels, but I don’t want to be totally ignored, either. A friendly greeting or some kind of acknowledgment does wonders. (Incidentally, I feel the same holds true on the other side of the counter. I hate to see customers chatting on cell phones all through their checkout.)
10. On the job in front of customers is not the best time to gripe about your job, boss, coworkers, customers, etc. It’s not the best time to flirt with the cute cashier, either.
11. If you can’t talk and work at the same time — work. 🙂
12. If you are sent to retrieve something (say, a package of something was broken open and you are sent for a replacement), if you don’t know where the item is, ask someone right away rather than roaming around looking while the customer and checkout line is being held up waiting for you.
13. Smile! 🙂 Act like you enjoy your job, even if it is “just” a grocery store job, and it will do wonders for your customers, your coworkers, and yourself. And your boss will notice.
I hope this doesn’t sound like just the rantings of an grouchy customer. You may see hundreds of customers a day (and many of them can be less than fun, I know — I have worked in retail sales), but they only interact with a handful of workers. If they have a negative experience with any one of them it reflects on the individual and the business. Plus industriousness, attention to detail, and some amount of people skills will serve you well in any job.
You can join in Thursday Thirteening here at the T13 Hub.
Stray Thoughts 
Amen! Such easy, basic words of wisdom, that fall on deaf baggers ears. From your blog to their eyes!
geez, I don’t remember the last time I went to a food store where I didn’t bag my own food. But your list sounds like professional bagging advice so I will keep it handy next time I go shopping.
My T13 #80 is up. I share 13 Memorial Day Memories. Stop by if you get a chance.
Barbara,
You have hit on every one of my pet peeves about grocery bagging! This should be required reading by every grocery store worker! I have been known to (kindly) draw some of these items to the attention of the offending grocery store worker.
And if the response is less than satisfactory, I have (kindly) shared my concerns with the store manager. I’m not sure if my comments have improved the situation, but it makes me feel better. (It’s VERY important to make the comments in the right way, and even when I do, the reaction isn’t always what I’d like.)
These were really good points! Especially the last one! I can’t stand “mean looking” customer service people!
I find that checkers are having a difficult time bagging in my my reusable grocery bags – I end up doing it myself so I appreciate your list for my own benefit.
I guess I’ve had really good luck with baggers. They do a much better job than I do. I tend to stuff as much as possible in one bag. Good reminders.
LOL… this list makes me laugh because I complain all the time about the kids that bag for me.
I have worked in a grocery store and you know something these things are trained to all cashiers and baggers yet they seem to forget everything when actualy faced with the task of bagging. I usually bag myself now, just so I can prevent problems.
Happy TT, Hope you’ll visit my 34th T13…Weird Word Verifications” at The Cafe.
Very practical stuff…thanks for sharing!
I’ve come home with meat juice, like from steaks, all over my other groceries. I hate that. Great post. Happy TT!
There are a couple other things I could add:
Don’t put “chemical” items with food–I hate having laundry/dish detergent in with food (especially cold food).
I like my medicine/health and beauty aid items separate.
My dad was in the grocery business since before I was born. At 16 my first job was in his store. We had meetings/lessons on bagging groceries–he was very particular about how his customers were treated.
I laughed at your numbers 9, 10 & 11. That was great. When I started in the grocery business I was very shy. But my dad insisted that we be friendly and welcoming to customers. In time I learned to put a smile on and be polite. It really does wonders! But I’ve had checkers do the best buddy thing–or comment on my every purchase. Hello!! I want to go home. There is a balance.
This made me smile all the way through. Great post!
my dd and i still talk about the “best check-out guy ever”… he was from the ukraine (i think!) and he had been adopted by an american family. and he meticulously packed everything while still being efficient. not exactly sure why he made such a huge impression on us, lol… we do have *lives*;)
anyway, good post- i found myself nodding with each one of your points!
Oh, Julie, that’s a great point. Dryer sheets are one of those things that can make everything else in the bag smell like dryer sheets, and other cleaning items can have the same effect.
Ditto to several of these comments, Barbara H. I wish that a major grocery chain or three would hire you for bagging consultation and required certification. I’ve been working on training my boys to bag my groceries for me. Not only does it help Mom, but one day they’ll be valuable hires.
Gee… and I thought all of this was just pure & simple common sense! But… I have noticed that since I started loading the groceries in the order that I want them bagged (and like items together) that I have FAR fewer problems than I used to! My meats and frozen items go up first, followed by my cans and bottles. Then boxes, pouches and bags, followed by produce, eggs, and bread. That way the soft stuff ends up on TOP of the cart and hardly ever gets smooshed! I NEVER let ANYone help me put my groceries IN the car. I do that myself – and if I mess up I have only ME to blame! *nods* It really IS a great system!
Hey thanks for this i start at a grocery store today working for the first time and I like to know what the customers work. And when my boss hired me he was like you have the personality to work with customers, I sure hope so! we will see. thanks for the advice!!! 🙂
Hey thanks for this i start at a grocery store today working for the first time and I like to know what the customers want. And when my boss hired me he was like you have the personality to work with customers, I sure hope so! we will see. thanks for the advice!!! 🙂
Hi, Mel, and thanks for dropping by and commenting! I think with a willing-to-learn attitude such as you have you’ll go far!