Even if you don’t work in a grocery store like I do I’m sure there are others out there who feel the same way I do no matter what your job is. Working as a bagger/carry-out for a Texas based grocery company I tend to feel we are the most forgotten employee even though I work for a Plus store. Dear customers please remember what I’m about to tell you (1) sometimes there doesn’t tend to be a lot of us and I can’t stay in one place like a cashier. I have to multitask between bagging, carrying out and getting items that you or another customer forgot and asked to go get. I’ve stood next to customers who seem to somewhat complain that they have to bag their own groceries (God forbid!) and that makes me mad. If no one is there to help you and you’re capable of doing so then bag them (even though our cashiers are trained to bag). (2) if you do have a bagger and we greet you, talk to you, bag your groceries in good time and correctly then please say “thank you” because it’s two words we hardly hear from anybody. Also if you do have the time and were happy with our service then please find a manager and tell them so. If you chose to take our survey then please take the time to find out our name and write it down on your receipt because more often or not we hardly get feedback from our managers about how we do, they’re more focused on the cashier and making sure the front end is running smoothly. If there’s anything I missed then please jump in!

That is true, and then some more, use to do the same job a long time ago, in Houston, TX.

Also did a few other jobs, and in-between.

YOU DO DESERVE THE TIPS, and maybe more.

Whenever I'm in the grocery store, I always say "Thank you" to the bagger.

That’s good to know, thanks ! Keep on doing so and tell your friends too. Just a kind word makes our day when you have to run around all day. Like I said we hardly get any credit for what we do and like I suggested if you truly have the time ask to speak to our manager to let them know or write down our name on your reciept if you choose to take the survey because the only name that appears on it, near the bottom, is the cashiers but we’re the ones who do most of the hard work. Also the store I work at our managers have literally have given the cashiers the “okay” to keep on ringing up your items without looking back to see how they’ll end up even with a bagger present . Do they, the managers, know what they’ve done?! They’ve given the cashiers the “okay” to smash your or any of your crushable items ! When I’m there now I have to constantly tell them I’m not Speedy Gonzales and if an item smashes or falls and breaks on the floor I will not get the replacement for you because it’s your fault not mine ! It only takes a few steps to turn around and put aside those crushable items cashiers and I don’t care what the manger says, turn around and do it because it’s not that hard and it doesn’t take a lot of your so called valuable time!

I always ask bagger to please fill up those bags because I'm getting older and I have stairs to climb. I'd rather have weight than trips up the stairs. Then I always say thank you to checkout person and bagger. Grocery shopping is my least favorite thing to do but I'm never rude about it.

Yeah, I hear that a lot. Our store has something called “curbside” and we do have delivery through “Favour”. Of course these things you have to do online. There’s also another company that does shopping for you called “Shipt” and another one called “Instacart” but I see Shipt more then the other. You can look into those options but of course there will be a fee.

Baggers are very rare in Ireland. Maybe once a year for charity.

But I get my groceries delivered once a week. I always share my gingerbread supply with the delivery guy.

Yeah, in some parts of the US you have to bag your own groceries and some strictly live on tips like those who work at the commissaries or they tip the bagger. The first time someone tried to tip me for doing so I was like “what’s that for?” I wasn’t familiar with that custom needless to say. Now when I carry out for you and you offer a tip I’ll take it but not for bagging. I have to tell them trust me I make enough and I’m full time which you rarely hear about for our position. I also can lift most of your heavy stuff so please don’t offend me when you ask a guy to help you out simply because you have such things. At my store we don’t have a lot of guy baggers at first in the morning but if I feel there might be a heavy item I know I couldn’t lift then I’ll ask for one even if it’s one of my managers or the morning parking lot attendant.