Customers who get two to three cart orders and don't help you pack

[Lace Neil Singer]

Where I work, we have a few packers (what we call baggers) but not one at each till. If we need a packer, we have to buzz a supervisor and request one. I always do this if said trolley is piled high or if it's a multiple trolley order; not cuz I'm lazy, but cuz I have a bad back and I can't possibly pack an entire order by myself. Start it off while the customer is unloading; fine. Having to pack it all cuz said customer is bone idle; not fine.

[Imogene]

Okay, I admit to being a little 'stupid' about how to properly bag groceries. I've never done it in my life. I'm not sure what can and can't go together. Which is why I just stand there and stare when the bagging begins.

[greensinestro]

Why is this such a problem? When I do my grocery shopping, I do not expect to have to bag my own groceries being I am not being paid to do that. When I worked for Publix, every day I dealt with someone who had a two or sometimes even three cart order, and I was able to bag it pretty fast. Back then, they did have enough staff up front unlike these days, agreed. However, why would someone complain about having to do their job?

And, to answer the question about how a customer can have two and three carts of groceries, usually it's because they brought along their children or spouse to help push the extra carts. Didn't anyone ever watch "Supermarket Sweep?

[Lace Neil Singer]

Now you're showing your age... *hides* XD

[Imogene]

Ah, Supermarket Sweep, how I miss your bizarre, way too far out there clues about the next item on your shopping list. The whole measuring out a pound of candy for extra money, without being able to see the scale. The giant inflatable advertisements for even more extra money!

Anyway, my Mom used to run an in home daycare (and, according to the Daycare association, she apparently still does, as we still randomly get calls asking for her services. Even after we've moved. We didn't keep that number. She's been out of business eight or nine years now, she worked at a bird seed store before moving here to Texas.) I remember distinctly, days that she would go grocery shopping to stock up for the week, and she would need (NEED) my brother or I to go along as well, to push the second cart once the first was full. Her shopping for daycare usually rang up in the hundreds of dollars, but not usually above three hundred...

[AFpheonix]

Any way you could move the cart to your side, so you don't have to make so many trips over?

At Winco, customers bag and pack themselves. When I shop at Safeway, I'm usually only buying a basketful of stuff, so I only end up with a bag or 2.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Okay, I admit to being a little 'stupid' about how to properly bag groceries. I've never done it in my life. I'm not sure what can and can't go together. Which is why I just stand there and stare when the bagging begins.

Just remember rule number 8.

As for the topic of this post, I don't think the Op is being whiny. Every grocery store I've been to has a small bagging area, and two are three carts of stuff=a lot of bags.

And if the bagger has to take time putting all the bags in the carts so he/she can bag more stuff, well then down goes the cashier's Items Per Minute score.

Sounds like a "can't win, don't try" kind of thing.

[georgiab]

I totally agree if you have no bagger and bags are piling up as you are bagging even more then hell yes the customer should help I mean I do Why because I have manners and I know that cashier isn't getting paid alot. Yes it is your job but it is infact the itiems the customers chooses to buy...We have some stores down here why customers have to bag their own groceries...That way NOBODY can complain how their itiems are bagged or how long it takes. I completely understand how frustrating it can be hell I have had people expect me to take their stuff out the buggie...It's all about entitlement..YOU ARE NOT BEING WHINY....

[Imogene]

Just remember rule number 8.

*blink, blink* Rule # 8? I forgot rule #8? And Poland, but that's beside the point.

[Dips]

My husband has absolutely no patience for people who don't keep the line moving. If the customer in front of him is just standing there while a single employee is trying to bag a huge order, he'll walk around and pitch in to speed things up.

He's very polite too. He always says a nice loud "You're welcome!" to the customer.

[zzapp the witch]

At Fred Meyer, cashier bags, loads in cart if she can reach (I use the cart to block the opening to the register area, so my kids don't poke at their stuff) OR I go around and start loading up if its going to be full, OR my 7 year old does it. Hell, my 7 year old is learning how to bag. I don't think the OP is whiney at all, but this situation involves truly sucky customers only when the customer starts bitching instead of helping.

[Retail Associate]

I don't think the OP was complaining about customers not bagging their own groceries but about customers not putting the already bagged groceries back into their cart. (Although I could be wrong. I should have re-read the post.)

At my store the cashier's DO bag the groceries. That is their job now that all baggers are history. But, it isn't the cashier's job to load the bagged groceries back into the carts UNLESS the customer is elderly or handicapped. That's why they installed the little carousels...so the customer could easily grab each bag as it's filled and load it into their own cart.

Our registers are so close together that trying to get out of the cubby-hole we're crammed into, then around the customers in the line next to you, then around the carousel is not easy. Moving the cart to the front of the checklane isn't an option either as it's still too far away to reach over the carousel to deposit said bags into the customer's cart.

I tried to find a picture online of what our checklanes/carousels look like but couldn't find one. I believe Wal*Mart also uses this same set-up.


Because the cashiers now have to also bag, the lines are slower than they were when we had baggers. When a customer refuses to load their own cart everyone in line behind them has to wait that much longer. And they don't like it. I never had to say a word to the lazy ones. The people waiting in line behind them made it very clear that they didn't appreciate their laziness.

[Brighid45]

Slightly off-topic: to be honest I'd much rather bag my own groceries. It's been my experience that most cashiers in our area do not know how to bag and could care less about learning. After numerous instances of finding bananas in with the ice cream and bread squished by cans, I just do it myself. Most cashiers are really grateful that I pitch in to help, especially when the lines are long and full of tired, fractious kids and wornout parents.

Anyway, back on topic: in my opinion, customers should be putting bags in the cart themselves, unless they're disabled or incapable of lifting. Most of us know there have been staff cutbacks in stores and baggers are a disappearing species So you have to put a few bags in the cart--BIG DEAL. If you don't like having to do it yourself, go to the manager and make some noise (politely of course).

That said, if the cashier is being spectacularly unhelpful and full of attitude, then I might just stand back and let them do all the work. Being sullen and silent is a sure way to get that reaction. Thankfully, I've only met a couple of cashiers like that. Most are friendly or at least responsive, which is good enough for me.

[Kiwi]

I think there is a difference between packing and loading....

packing being putting items into the bag

loading being putting the full bags into the trolley

I dont care about doing either.... depending on where I shop they have different polices anyway.

I dont think your out of order for expecting customers to load their own trolleys !

[Crazyredhead]

Late at night like that, we'll allow people to fill a cart (as long as theres no perishables in it) bring it to the front and put it by an empty register while they go back and fill another one. We'll watch however many carts they need until its time to check out.

There are two WalMarts around here that will let me do this. But the one that I go to all the time won't. So I just hitch all the buggies together, using the seatbelts, and convoy through the aisle. Usually the most buggies I end up getting is two, but I have on occasion had four.

Regardless of how many I have, I always help out with the cart loading. Once I am done unloading onto the belt, I hate just standing there while she scans and bags the items, especially when the bagging area is full. I want her to continue, so I can get out faster, so I just start loading the buggy. I actually feel lazy if I don't help, I don't know why, it is just a feeling I get.

This happens day and night, I have never had a bagger helping, just an occasional manager that happens to be around.