Forget baggers. What happened to 'toters'?

[trof]

The bagger used to carry your groceries out to your car.
When I was a bagger, we got tips (usually) to haul the stuff out into the parking lot.

And you better believe we soon learned who the good tippers were and who the cheapskates were and fought to bag and carry the good tippers' groceries.

Times change.
:eyes:

[Odin2005]

1. At my store you can drive up and they will put your groceries in your car.

very convenient if you have a lot of groceries and you are parked at the far end of the parking lot and the wind chill is -20!

[carlyhippy]

3. when it's -20, I try and get ALL my bags from the car to the house in 1 trip

I develop some mighty forearm muscles, 3 heavy bags or 5 light bags on each forearm is my record.

[AwakeAtLast]

2. I'm in IN and shop at Marsh

They ask if we need help with our bags. I don't ever take them up on the offer, but they take lots of groceries out for people who are unable.

They also staff enough people at the checkout that I usually never wait more than five minutes to get to the front of the line. They are great!

[tigereye]

4. no, they just sometimes fill up the recycled bags so full that they weigh a ton!

[madinmaryland]

5. I was a bagger/toter in high school for a couple of years back in the 70's.

I rarely ever got tipped. Occasionally 50 cents or a dollar. PITA work.

[gmoney]

7. Me too... I kind of enjoyed it.

If I could make what I do now doing that, I'd switch in a minute. I also got to run the register sometimes, which wasn't bad. This was shortly before scanners, so I would punch in the prices of each item. A modicum more skill than just waving things in front of a red light.

As a bagger, I was sort of a "tetris master" of getting a stable base layer in the paper bag, then filling it up nicely so it didn't weigh a ton, but the customer had as few bags as possible. Maybe I made them feel ripped off. "I bought six bags worth of stuff, but this guy packed them in four!"

I remember just about the time I was quitting to go to college is when they brought in the first plastic grocery bags. I hated those! Probably a good time to leave... those were an invasive species of the grocery store realm.

[madinmaryland]

8. I always hated bagging and the carry out was the worst. 12" of snow

on the ground and dragging the cart through the slush. Ugh! I was pretty good at bagging and even thirty years later when I have to bag my own, the cashiers are amazed at my speed. (Hiding from the "you're taking a job from someone" nazi's!)

I preferred the deli or stocking the shelves. Though the hugh cardboard compactor was pretty cool!

[trof]

9. Yeah, and we doubled sacked the heavy stuff.

Especially the good tippers.
"Double sack it and pack it light."
;-)

[TheMightyFavog]

6. They got them at the Piggly Wiggly in the town where I grew up.

Lots of old folks drive 20 miles out of thier way to go to that store for the carry-out service.

I worked as one for a while, ans while company policy said we were not allowed to accept tips, we accepted 'em anyways.

[trof]

10. I'm glad that wasn't the policy at my store.

Of course we worked for minimum wage.
Of course.
Especially around Christmas you could double your regular pay in tips.
Most tips were a dime.
The 'good' tippers slapped a quarter in your hand.
Hey, this was back circa 1955.
;-)

[tonekat]

11. I've only seen a toter once, ever

And that was on my one and only visit to a Kroger in Charlottesville, VA several years ago.

I thought it was a nice touch, although it did seem a bit anachronistic. And yes, I tipped him.