I know the obvious ones, like keeping uncooked stuff separate from cooked things and softer items on top, but what are some of the key rules when it comes to bagging? Like what combinations (though they may seem safe) should I avoid?
i notice even some reusuable bag customers want their meats in plastic first.
we're supposed to keep every kind of meat separate from every other but that flies in the face of the 5 items per bag rule.
keep crushable things together, a loaf a bread or bag of chips can go on top of the eggs and most customers want those separated.
i was told by an old bagger pet food and people food can't go together so if i have cans of dog/cat food it can't go with cans of people food. i have no idea. i'm not a 'certified bagger'
Bread or chips on top of eggs is ok. You can set 2 cartons on the bottom of a bag side by side.
Some food and non-food items actually can be mixed, if you are selective. Bars of soap and shampoo and such can be mixed with cans and 2-liters and such.
Honestly, if you are simply making sure to keep hazardous chemicals together, cold together, dry together, and hot together, and doing it consistently, you are leaps and bounds ahead of many, many, baggers. Good job.
Do not put pet food in with cleaning chemicals or any other kind of poison ever. Most people today view their pets as part of the family, and if you do that appears that you are trying to kill people's furkids.
Another thing is watch out for heavy bags, especially with elderly customers. And with plastic, make sure to double bag anything that looks like it might fall apart the moment the customer'll pick it up (sharp edges at the bottom, heavy stuff, etc).
^^ However, remember that it is better to put, for example (15 total cans), 5 cans each in 3 bags, than to put 7 cans in one and 8 in another, and have to double bag each.
Cold with cold always, some customers will phone in complaints if this one is not done.
With raw meats, group by animal. Chicken with cow is a no-go. That said, few customers care, and plenty have asked to have the raw meat all in one bag. Just keep leaky or potentially leaky meat separate.
Not-food never goes with food.
Watch out for stuff non-baggers bag, as well as idiot baggers, when it could be blamed on you. Had a manager set cans on top of bread once. My cashiers try to put six cartons of eggs in a single bag, and four two-liters to a bag. You ever see the face a 90 year old woman makes when she sees that in her cart? And the bread, while I admit that four loaves can fit inside a single bag, it is not responsible to do so.
A lot of the reusable bag people just want everything crammed into the bags as heavy as possible to save the Earth. I ask them if they want stuff sorted any special way, or if they want them heavy. Most want heavy, a few want five cans per bag, making their bags fully asinine.
Paper. Glass on top of cans, always. While I myself have never broken glass in any bag, some of these fellows seem just prone to breaking their pasta sauce. Filling the bottom with cans, two rows high, is generally a good place to stop adding heavy things. Had a new bagger fill a whole bag with cans, do not be this man.
Basically if the customer asks for a special bag type, ask them how they want it. They are often particular, and just assume you have telepathic powers to know their "right" way to do it. For instance they will rarely ask for meat to be plastic sacked, but 90% here wish for this. Some want their half gallon milk in the paper, some do not. After sacking the meat, some do or do not want the meat in paper. Pretend you are at Burger King and make it their way.
Those sort of things are good general rule. As for the "strive for five" nonsense, it comes after correct sorting of groceries. Had a front end supervisor give me trouble about trying to "maximize" bags once and I just had to explain that our items per bag were down not because of my company demanded "wasteful" bagging, but because we had been getting whole boxes of defective bags. If you have a defective bag problem like here, it is not your responsibility to bag like a moron to get those numbers up. It is not your supervisor's job to tell you to bag like a moron. It is not the front end manager's job to tell that person to hassle you over defective bags. It is the job of management to deal with constantly getting box-loads of bags that cannot hold product, wasting their money.
Other general suggestions
Use both bag racks. It will reduce wear and tear on any single arm, increases your sorting ability and bagging speed.
If they ask for paper and have a fair amount of groceries, just grab out like five paper bags and set them on the counter. Bending back down for more paper wastes time and is unnecessary work for your back.
Reusable are supposed to be loaded up in the plastic bag rack, I find it better to load them on the paper bag pull out table. Basic rule is that you want the bag close enough you can reach the bottom, but low enough that you do not have to bend your arms significantly to put things in. Just another ergonomics issue. If it can be avoided, do not load paper bags on the main counter, it is hard on shoulders.
-- Edited by Stranger on Friday 8th of February 2013 01:55:29 PM
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Cold with cold always, some customers will phone in complaints if this one is not done.
With raw meats, group by animal. Chicken with cow is a no-go. That said, few customers care, and plenty have asked to have the raw meat all in one bag. Just keep leaky or potentially leaky meat separate.
Not-food never goes with food.
Watch out for stuff non-baggers bag, as well as idiot baggers, when it could be blamed on you. Had a manager set cans on top of bread once. My cashiers try to put six cartons of eggs in a single bag, and four two-liters to a bag. You ever see the face a 90 year old woman makes when she sees that in her cart? And the bread, while I admit that four loaves can fit inside a single bag, it is not responsible to do so.
A lot of the reusable bag people just want everything crammed into the bags as heavy as possible to save the Earth. I ask them if they want stuff sorted any special way, or if they want them heavy. Most want heavy, a few want five cans per bag, making their bags fully asinine.
Paper. Glass on top of cans, always. While I myself have never broken glass in any bag, some of these fellows seem just prone to breaking their pasta sauce. Filling the bottom with cans, two rows high, is generally a good place to stop adding heavy things. Had a new bagger fill a whole bag with cans, do not be this man.
Basically if the customer asks for a special bag type, ask them how they want it. They are often particular, and just assume you have telepathic powers to know their "right" way to do it. For instance they will rarely ask for meat to be plastic sacked, but 90% here wish for this. Some want their half gallon milk in the paper, some do not. After sacking the meat, some do or do not want the meat in paper. Pretend you are at Burger King and make it their way.
Those sort of things are good general rule. As for the "strive for five" nonsense, it comes after correct sorting of groceries. Had a front end supervisor give me trouble about trying to "maximize" bags once and I just had to explain that our items per bag were down not because of my company demanded "wasteful" bagging, but because we had been getting whole boxes of defective bags. If you have a defective bag problem like here, it is not your responsibility to bag like a moron to get those numbers up. It is not your supervisor's job to tell you to bag like a moron. It is not the front end manager's job to tell that person to hassle you over defective bags. It is the job of management to deal with constantly getting box-loads of bags that cannot hold product, wasting their money.
Other general suggestions
Use both bag racks. It will reduce wear and tear on any single arm, increases your sorting ability and bagging speed.
If they ask for paper and have a fair amount of groceries, just grab out like five paper bags and set them on the counter. Bending back down for more paper wastes time and is unnecessary work for your back.
Reusable are supposed to be loaded up in the plastic bag rack, I find it better to load them on the paper bag pull out table. Basic rule is that you want the bag close enough you can reach the bottom, but low enough that you do not have to bend your arms significantly to put things in. Just another ergonomics issue. If it can be avoided, do not load paper bags on the main counter, it is hard on shoulders.
-- Edited by Stranger on Friday 8th of February 2013 01:55:29 PM
I'm the guy that started this topic. I've been bagging for a few months now and I've noticed that everyone does it differently. The vast majority of the baggers who trained me were new as well. One thing I'll say is I never usually use the second rack because I put things in with my right hand and it's not really a natural motion for me. The only time I use the second rack is if I'm waiting for a cold item for the first one and I'll start using the second rack for dry items until the next cold one comes. Thanks for your tips on bagging and I'll try to implement them and see how it goes. The only reason I had a complaint against me was because I mixed something (like produce and deli) and the customer didn't like it.
please use the loose bags if you're there early or late and it's slow. don't just take them to the recycle bin. we have uscan people who do this and it wastes bags. we have baggers who won't use them and just stuff them in places.
i like that list because i never learned "the rules" but listen to any advice "lifer" baggers give me.
right now we have a FEM who wants us to use the little bags for even gallons of milk, stuff a normal bag until it's overflowing and will argue if you tell them you already asked the customer if they even want bags for milk/water items. he'll pop over and scold you with a NO, take it out of the bag and then ask the customer himself and roll his eyes when he has to put it back in the bag and walk away but that's just how he is.
real customers don't trust these lousy plastic bags. they'll just tell you to double bag and some will break down the contents of a bag into even more bags. it's self defeating. sometimes you can't cram 5 things in a bag because it violates other rules.
i've found women are more particular with special bagging requests. men are more apt to ask for them to be heavy and fewer in number or skip bagging entirely.
please use the loose bags if you're there early or late and it's slow. don't just take them to the recycle bin. we have uscan people who do this and it wastes bags. we have baggers who won't use them and just stuff them in places.
i like that list because i never learned "the rules" but listen to any advice "lifer" baggers give me.
right now we have a FEM who wants us to use the little bags for even gallons of milk, stuff a normal bag until it's overflowing and will argue if you tell them you already asked the customer if they even want bags for milk/water items. he'll pop over and scold you with a NO, take it out of the bag and then ask the customer himself and roll his eyes when he has to put it back in the bag and walk away but that's just how he is.
real customers don't trust these lousy plastic bags. they'll just tell you to double bag and some will break down the contents of a bag into even more bags. it's self defeating. sometimes you can't cram 5 things in a bag because it violates other rules.
i've found women are more particular with special bagging requests. men are more apt to ask for them to be heavy and fewer in number or skip bagging entirely.
I'm glad they toss them away at the u-scan. If I was a customer, I wouldn't want to fuss with a loose bag at the u-scan.
