All right. Settle something for me.
If you are a bagger at a grocery store (or the cashier bagging the groceries), do you load the groceries in order to:
- balance the load so the person carrying the bags has roughly the same amount of weight in each bag?
- put the heavy with the heavy and the light with the light so the heavy stuff doesn't squish the light stuff?
- put items in bags in order of appearance, without regard to, well, anything?
18 comments:
When I was a cashier, it was a combination of the first two. Balance out the heavy stuff on the bottom with the light, squishy stuff on top of them but the bags were balanced as far as weight.
Though I know that's really not something all baggers do...especially these days.
I'm with PQ. When I was a cashier, we had to take a class on bagging. Heavy stuff on the bottom, light on top. We also put boxier things on the ends and looser stuff in the middle, to give it structure. So complicated.
What they said. I'm not a cashier, but that's what I do when I go through the self checkout line.
I mean, when I don't do my darnedest to stuff every last thing into a single bag, which splits halfway out to the car, spilling quinoa and potato flakes all over the parking lot, which is annoying but makes a nice pattern...
Is it time for another secret shopper run?
I was an extremely OCD bagger when I worked at Giant Food way back when. I had regular customers who would spend extra time waiting in my line specifically because of my bagging skills. I would totally sort everything, even going so far as to pack all of the freezer items separately from the refrigerator items if it was a large order. It was nice to be able to impress my customers that way.
As Kristin mentioned, structure was important as well, especially putting the heavy stuff on the bottom, but it all just seemed like common sense to me. Cashiering was such a robotic, mindless job that I had to do something to keep my mind entertained.
It's much more difficult to be neat and orderly with the plastic bags they use now so I try not to be too critical. But mostly I try to bag the stuff myself so I won't be driven crazy by lame bagging. I don't think bagging excellence is a goal for cashiers the way it used to be.
Balance the load. But the people at my store seem to like only putting a few items in each bag so I walk out with 9 bags for about 12 items
Balance. It's all about balance.
I like to bag with balance but at the same time trying to reduce the amount of bags I have to use- I hate baggers that use a billion bags for my items.
Balance...
but they dont train people how to bag groceries anymore. This is obvious.
Matt's right: there's no training. Why would you put my chicken next to toilet/shower cleaner? Why?
Wow - no time to worry about all that when you are busy spitting on every item.
I place my groceries all OCD on the wee moving belt thingy. Freezer stuff, cleaning stuff, meat, veggies etc. They get scanned and then the "bagger" appears to take great delight in f%&ing it all up! ALWAYS
Why do you ask?-MMK
PQ: Yeah, that would work. I don't see much of that.
Kristin: Some times complicated is good.
AbbotofUnreason: I'm still exhausted from the last one. Ooo, look at the quinoa!
Cyndy: The field needs your leadership. Trust.
LBluca77: Yes, I, too, suffer from plastic bag bloom.
repliderium.com, Dmbosstone: I'm starting to get that.
Matt: So true.
f.B: Oooo, you've hit on a really big peeve of mine. I hate when the chemicals get bagged with the food. Why do I want the Drano with the celery?!
Narm: At least it leaves a nice sheen.
Fiona: I so hear you. A lesson in letting go that a Zen master would be proud of. (And I haven't mastered.)
Anon/MMK: I wondered if there were a "right" way, as opposed to my assumptions or the haphazard way it sometimes appears to be. :)
I think if you have an above 80 IQ, you put light with light and heavy with heavy. Above 100, you balance the bags while separating the fragile lights.
Below 80? Take whatever you can get.
Cold stuff - not cold stuff.
Large, heavy items on the bottom of the bag and lighter stuff on top.
Oh and if you're really smart-You bring cloth bags rather than use plastic.
Most baggers at WF seem at least to have a plan, although the plan differs from person to person. They all tend never to fill the bags up as much as I would like. If they are using paper bags, they waste a lot of bags by doubling them regardless of what's going in. If they are using plastic bags (that would no longer be WF), they waste an awful lot of bags by putting only one or two things in.
If I'm the bagger, as is often the case, I throw everything in as it comes along, trying not to squish fragile foods, but otherwise without a plan.
LiLu: I take whatever I can get. Hey...
Mike: Saves time in the unpacking stage and keeps the cold stuff cold, for sure.
HannahBlue: I'm not really smart.
Barbara: There does seem to be tremendous waste these days, bagwise. Pity. Maybe if we had heavier bags to tote, we wouldn't have to go to the gym to exercise.
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