Maybe this will inspire someone else: Ode to a grocery bagger

JoNightshade

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I think so often we concentrate on those people who annoy us-- the guy who cut us off in traffic, the rude salesmen-- we forget to recognize excellence when we find it. This is a letter I wrote this morning, which I'm going to send to the manager of my local Vons.

Dear Vons Manager:

There’s a bagger at your store by the name of Jenny. She’s fairly short, looks Asian, and has straight black hair cut just above her shoulders. This might seem like an odd thing to do, but I’m writing to you because I wanted her employer to know how fantastic she is. I don’t know her from Adam, but I do my grocery shopping at Vons every week, and I always go to the check stand she’s bagging for.

Most of the time I wouldn’t give a second thought to the person bagging my groceries, unless they were really slow and annoyed me. Jenny is always very quick, but the thing that made me notice her was the fact that it takes me half the time it usually does to put away my groceries when I get home. I don’t know how she manages to do this in the minute or two my groceries are in front of her, but she organizes my entire cart by bag. She puts all the freezer items in one bag, all of the produce in another, all of the boxed items in another. All I have to do when I get home is open one bag and stick everything in one spot in my kitchen. With anyone else, I have to pull everything out and sort it myself when I get it home.

Not only that, but she is always very conservative with the plastic bags. With other checkers I often find myself wondering why that bottle of soap needed to be in a plastic bag all by itself, or why only two or three items got in this bag. I usually have a pile of extra plastic bags in my cupboard. Not since Jenny. She puts just the right amount in each bag, and doesn’t waste them. This is great for my clean kitchen and it’s also great for the environment.

Finally, Jenny is always wonderfully polite and cheerful. I’m used to being ignored by checkers and baggers alike, but Jenny always makes a point to say hello and to wish me a good day. It really just brightens up my morning.

You know, most people would treat a job as a grocery bagger as just that—a simple job that doesn’t require much attention or care. Usually it goes to surly teenagers who can’t get jobs anywhere else. It’s rare and refreshing to see someone who takes pleasure in doing even the simplest job well, and doing it right. Jenny is this kind of person, and she deserves recognition. I hope you give her the appreciation she deserves!
 

Siddow

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She sounds wonderful. I always end up with the kid who thinks that raw chicken should be bagged with a box of macaroni. Or apples. Mmmm...I just love my apples when they're covered in chicken blood.
 

JoNightshade

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She sounds wonderful. I always end up with the kid who thinks that raw chicken should be bagged with a box of macaroni. Or apples. Mmmm...I just love my apples when they're covered in chicken blood.

Haha, exactly!!! The first time she did my groceries, I came home and started putting them away. I was like, "OMG! Look at this! Everything's in the right bag! How did she do this in 30 seconds?" My husband thought I was nuts. But then, he's not a housewife. :)
 

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A great letter, Jo, and sure to make her day, too, when she finds out about it! I love those rare baggers that have an organizational syle to their bagging; it really does make the job easier at home. You'd think they'd train them to do it that way.
 

Siddow

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That's why I love these new U-scans. I just do it myself. I've got a drive-under garage, so there's a flight of stairs (17 of them!) to get the groceries from the car to the kitchen. I separate my groceries into "put away immediately" and "it ain't gonna hurt to leave them in the car for an hour or three." :D

The folks at my store must think I'm a control freak. I go in there with a bunch of kids, and when they offer to help bag or load the stuff in the car, I growl and say, "Back off! I got a system here!"
 

Backward Masking

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She sounds wonderful. I always end up with the kid who thinks that raw chicken should be bagged with a box of macaroni. Or apples. Mmmm...I just love my apples when they're covered in chicken blood.

Nothing wrong with a little chicken blood. It adds a little integrity to your food.
 

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I worked ten years in grocery. Letters like yours are rare. I bet it will end up framed and displayed in the employee break room.
Go Jenny!
 

RumpleTumbler

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I love to get in the lanes with the dirty belts and have my daughter help me unload. While she unloads I run continual "belt condition status reports" loud enough for the cashier and three or four other people to hear. "DON'T PUT IT THERE, SOMEBODY THREW UP ON THE BELT" "WATCH OUT FOR THAT BIG WET SPOT" and sometimes pile all the groceries in a space about 1ft in width and length when there is like 7 ft of belt apologizing the entire time that it's taking so long but the belt is filthy so I can't use any more than I'm using.
 
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I hate other people bagging my groceries; they never do it right.

This post has been brought to you by grouchypeaches.
 

RumpleTumbler

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That reminds me SP. There is a bagger from India where I shop and they must think banana's bounce there I'm not sure. She slams the banana's down into the bag like she is trying to punch a hole through to the floor. With her I wait until she reaches for the banana's and then lunge over "I"LL GET THOSE, PLEASE" and grab them bagging them in front of her. She never learns.
 
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Tins all in one bag. I mean, please. It'll tear, and if all the heavy stuff goes in one bag, I'll be lopsided when carrying them home.

And DON'T put toiletries and cleaning materials in with food, okay? I don't want my bread tasting of carpet-freshener.
 

JoNightshade

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Ahem.

The point of this thread was to NOT focus on the annoying things, but to recognize people who do a good job!!!
 

A. Hamilton

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You'd think they'd train them to do it that way.
They do. Or they did way back anyway. Wle used to have bag-off contests, it was a pretty big deal.
 

Susie

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That is a super letter and super bagger. Hey, maybe you can send her out to all our supermarkets once in awhile?:)
 

PeeDee

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She sounds wonderful. There are plenty of wonderful people out in the world. I like the thought of focusing on them more. I go out of my way to be nice to people, because frankly being a cashier, or a food service person is a shitty job. Some of them are rude and stupid and I pay them no attention in the future...but I give everyone a chance.

I would happily talk to someone like Jenny. And I really, really like that you're sending a letter about it. That makes me happy too. :)
 

JoNightshade

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I go out of my way to be nice to people, because frankly being a cashier, or a food service person is a shitty job.

You said it! I was at the grocery store the other day and this little old lady had a hissy fit and got all mad at the employees. She totally made a scene. My checker sighed and said, "This is what it's like EVERY DAY." People in food service take SO much crap.
 

PeeDee

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Some of them aren't very smart. But so what? Some of them are very nice. I know a number of very smart people who are absolute assholes. I'd rather talk to the dimwitted, but nice, cashier... :)
 

JoNightshade

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BTW I have never had anyone "help me to my car" with my groceries, but I've always been curious... if you ask for that, are you supposed to tip?
 

JoNightshade

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Some of them aren't very smart. But so what? Some of them are very nice. I know a number of very smart people who are absolute assholes. I'd rather talk to the dimwitted, but nice, cashier... :)

Yeah, actually I think Jenny has mild down's syndrome. She might not be a rocket scientist, but I bet her daily cheerfulness does just as much good in the world (if not more).
 

JLCwrites

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BTW I have never had anyone "help me to my car" with my groceries, but I've always been curious... if you ask for that, are you supposed to tip?
No. My first job when I was 15 was a bagger. We were told not to accept tips. It was our job to assist customers. And I actually was happy when someone wanted help. It gave me a chance to get out of the store! :)
 

writerterri

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Forwarded by The Grocery Snark:

The reason why soap goes in a bag by its self is because it leaks on occation. Wonder what the letter would have been like if the soap would have leaked all over the groceries.




:tongue


it's just the mood I'm in today.
 

Little Red Barn

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Yeah to Jenny!!!!--Send that letter all the way up to Corporate, Jo!!!!