Reminds me of when my late son went to get a gallon of milk. When the bagger asked if he wanted the milk in a bag, Brian said, No, he would leave it in the plastic jug. LOL Dottie

Moni, I do the same thing as you. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. In a perfect world, they'd bag my groceries right. LOL! Dottie--your son must be a lot of fun--that was priceless!

WalMart is notorious for putting 20 items in 15 separate bags. I get so irritated.

I usually shop at a market where you bag your own groceries....prices are really good there and I can pack my sacks like I like them.

Some of the baggers need to take classes I think. lol The dumbest set a 12 pack of beautifully decorated cupcakes on it's side in the bag. Seriously! We went back and got a different package. I'm sure the checker yelled at him after we left.

They don't teach sackers how to sack anymore. I worked in a grocery store for three different summers. The first year I worked they taught us how to sack. After that, they quit teaching the new hires. I think that is around the time they went to plastic bags because they were less expensive.

My store used brown paper sacks and we were taught to square out the bottom and then fill it up the sides with stuff coming out the top. Meat from the meat department was sacked together. Frozen stuff was put with frozen stuff and bread and eggs were sacked together. Non-food chemical items like Windex or detergent or batteries was sacked away from food items.

I always put the stuff on the conveyor belt the way I hope it will get sacked. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

You read my mind! Last week as I unloaded the bags into my car I noticed they put the cut daffodils in a bag on the bottom of the cart with a bag of canned good on top of them. Grrr. I sometimes ask them to put the refrigerated items together (I always put them on the conveyor together) and they take that to mean "cram all the refrigerated items into one bag"....or they just look at my like I'm strange.

Had "3" 5lb bags of flour AND a 2 liter bottle of soda put in the same cloth bag.....because it fit!!!!!!

Let's put two 2 liter bottles of soda in one plastic bag. Grrrr...How many times do I have to chase those down the driveway???

The only thing I've ever done is put the fragile stuff down last. Never considered that things would be bagged in the order I put them down. Everything gets mixed up at the bottom anyways. Sometimes I rearrange a couple of things just because of the weight. If I can get home without breaking any eggs or turning the lemon meringue pie upside down I'm happy.

I have a cooler bag, so my cold stuff goes into that. I am thinking about getting another one, as that one is always crammed full and still doesn't get it all in.

I don't live super close to the grocery store.

I must be the least picky person I know. I don't really care how they bag it as long as the bag doesn't break. I don't like crawling under cars to retrieve rolled cans. That said, no one has ever made a bone-head move like the cuppycakes on their sides! I think they train them around here.

Once I get out to the car, I put all my cold stuff in the insulated padded bag I keep in the back. The rest goes into the cargo net. I can't stand to listen to anything roll around for 25 miles on curves and hills. And when I open the back up, I don't want anything falling out on my foot!

BREAD! Why do they always put it upright in the bag? Lay it down! I usually buy 2 loaves and they always put it upright.If I don't bag it myself I get home with crushed bread.Another thing about bread.I think they need to close it tighter at the bakery.Put the twist tie closer to the loaf and take out as much air as possible.That way it won't crush as easily.

I sometimes have to ask them to not make the paper bags too heavy. I have to carry them up 6 steps to my back door.

I worked for Publix in the 70's and was taught to bag like adellabedella. I always sort my stuff with the cold stuff first. Bread and eggs go last.
I don't want any cleaners bagged with food. Ever!

When I first moved to California from Oregon and not used to having to pay attention to the bagger, I was shocked at the amount of plastic bags used here...(before I started using canvas). I've also had cupcakes thrown into the bag...ugh, tomatoes and bread crushed and the worst of the worst? One plastic bag used for a single pack of gum! Geez.
But hey, I come from the era of cloth baby diapers :) You know, I see young obviously financially struggling parents buying disposable diapers and think to myself...well, I won't get started on that one :)

It's extremely rare for a store to have separate baggers in my area. Usually the checkers do it themselves, and I have to say, more often than not, they do a fairly good job of it.

As to eggs? I think this is one of those areas where different people have different criteria. I use reusable bags, BUT I do want my eggs in a plastic bag, just in case. Don't want that kind of mess all over my other groceries and my shopping bag. Note, I do run mine through the wash every couple of weeks or so. It's just gross to use them over and over, without cleaning them--I've known checkers to say how much they hate to touch some of those, when they turn up filthy from never being washed.

Now, if you want to know my pet peeve with grocery checkers? I HATE the ones who lick their fingers to count money or open plastic bags. I hang back, before getting into any line, to watch the checker. I won't get into a line if I see one licking her fingers. if someone slips past me, I've been known to either get out of line or leave my purchases on the belt, walking out empty handed. I always tell them the reason, of course. I just can't stand the idea of someone's spit being all over my food and bags.

I always put my stuff up the way I want it bagged. Does it work out? Not so much. LOL Irritates me. And I don't like it when they don't bag my milk, laundry detergents and potatoes.

My pet peeve is a bagger at our local grocery, and to be fair, he is the only one who does this--when I put my green, reusable, oh-so-environmentally-conscious bags in front of him he puts my groceries in plastic bags and stuffs them in my reusable bags! The checker just rolls her eyes.

For a while you would bag your own at most of the bigger stores around here but then one medium sized store started doing some bagging at certain times. Then one of the bigger ones had high school kids bagging as a fundraiser. Then another started doing the bagging during certain hours. I usually tell them I want to bag it since I have to separate it. They think I'm buying for more than one person, but I want it separated, refrigerated, frozen, non-food and the like. I use reuseable bags at the store that gives credit and double bag everywhere else. I always use a liner for things that will sweat or possibly break, like eggs.

Large loaves of sliced bread are tough to deal with. Laying down is a big risk something will crush it. Put on the top of a bag partially filled with other things seldom let's it be flat. I'll set the bread on end if I have lightweight items like chips, crackers or something to support it. I always try to separate things when I have more than a couple items but it's a coin toss whether it'll help for others bagging my stuff. Another reason I like the self-checkouts!

To the ones who have them, are the cooler bags really worthwhile? I used to put a cooler in if I was traveling a long distance but then thought that when it would be some benefit it was probably so warm in the cooler that it'd defeat the purpose. The insulated bags wouldn't be so bad that way but I'm just wondering if they really do that much.

I do recall in the past that Walmart was quite generous with the plastic bags. Which was OK with me since I reuse them.

More than once they started bagging my stuff before they realized I brought bags with me. Usually they'll just put the plastic bag into my reuseable bags, but a couple times they actually took everything out of the plastic bag and repacked it into mine!

I don't really care too much how they pack them, the groceries always seem to be fine when I get home.

I usually set my cloth bags on the belt first. That way, they see I have them. :)

Moni

My grocery store bagger retired. I miss him, because he was wonderful at bagging the groceries. His wife made him retire when he turned 98! She wanted him to devote more time to fixing-up the house and planting a garden.

A lifetime ago, I worked one summer as a bag and carry-out boy at a grocery store. It didn't matter in which order the check-out clerk processed the order, we always put the heavy stuff on bottom followed by lighter items on top. It was a disaster if we put a loaf of bread in first and them piled in bunch of canned goods. My boss instructed: breads and bakery goes on top. If it is impractical to do this, start another bag. Of course, we tried to pack efficiently minimizing the number of bags used, but too much weight in a bag was trouble too. The bags cut into the store's profit - those were not free, but no extra charge was levied for the bags.

Grocery carts did not leave the store. it was my job to carry the bags to the customer's car. Saturdays were one of the busiest days and my feet hurt before the day was done. No stools were provided for the carryout boys. They were expected to stay on their feet for four hours straight. We got a lunch break about midday and then another four hours on our feet. During break, we would disappear looking for a place to rest out feet and knee joints.

Many years ago when I worked in a grocery store, we were actually taught how to bag. Now, everywhere you go NO ONE cares anymore. I always try to pick my cashier so I can get better service.

Wanda - too funny! Bless his heart!

Another one here that doesn't care how they are bagged, as long as my bread doesn't get crushed. And Jamie, our bagger, is good about that.

My pet peeve is this: I live close enough to my local grocery to walk there. Sometimes I'll buy just one, two or three small items. Some of the baggers try to put one item per bag. I have to tell them "Put everrything together."

Cynic, try putting a plastic bag of ice in your cooler about an hour before you go to the store. Leave the ice in the cooler, and then put everything that requires refrigeration in when you load your vehicle. We live five miles from our grocery, and in Texas, five miles can do some serious damage to cold foods in August. I use the ice bag and it works fine for us. Haven't bought an insulated bag--the grocery store gets enough of my money as it is!

My pet peeve about Walmart is when they can't open the bags, they have to lick their finger to get it opened. That just furiates me. I called and complained to Walmart about that, letting them know I don't want their germs on my bag. They were quick to respond to my complaint. They called me and said they had meetings about this and everyone is suppose to have either a wet sponge at their register or that pink thing to wet their finger.
Every now and then I do find one that will lick their finger. My husband cringes when he sees my face when I see this happening, but I'm going to have to do another complaint with them.

I do most of my shopping at two chain groceries. Both employ mentally challenged adults as baggers. (Is that PC enough?) Most are pretty good at the job, but I hesitate to 'correct' any of them. I've seen baggers break into tears when corrected by a cashier or customer.

I do think it's great that there is employment for these folks. BTW both stores are unionized; I believe everyone gets fair pay.

Exactly. I have watched cashiers reach down the belt to grab something in a box - or worse, dish washing detergent - to put with my cold stuff, which I put on the belt first. I have tried the opposite approach - so they reach for a cold item to put with something packaged. Drives me nuts. And I have so many bags - cooler bags, regular bags - and ice packs in the car to put with the cold stuff - that I no longer have room in my trunk. Most of the cashiers where I shop know that I intend to pack my own groceries - or will ask them to keep the cold stuff, produce etc. together. I am hardly unique - people behind me in the line behind me get very frustrated as they are doing the same as I am - and some people just move to a different cashier. And if anyone has ever had a bottle of dish soap open when placed with food you will understand the horror of it all. Just the other day I asked a young cashier about to bag my dishwashing soap with produce to go home and tell her mother she was going to put regular dishwashing liquid in the dishwasher and clothes washer and wait for her mom's reaction. I always tie a plastic bag around things with tops such as are on dishwashing liquid.