Another shopping bag vent

[mickeymedic]

Let me start by saying this was totally my fault for forgetting to bring my reusable shopping bags to the store with me. I did some grocery shopping last night. I only bought about half of what I normally buy. As the young lady was ringing me up and bagging my groceries, it looked like she was using an aweful lot of plastic bags. After walking away from the register, I decided to consolidate bags before going out into the blustery snow to my car. Here is what I found:

Bag 1 - 5 cups of yogurt
Bag 2 - 3 small deli packages of cold cuts
Bag 3 - 1 tube of cressest rolls
Bag 4 - 2 TV dinners
Bag 5 - 1 pint of ice cream
Bag 6 - 1 package of Pizza rolls
Bag 7 - 1 lb of ground beef
Bag 8 - 1 package of top round beef
Bag 9 - 1/2 gallon of orange juice
Bag 10 - 1 two-liter bottle of Coke
Bag 11 - 1 container holding 2 pieces of cheese cake
Bag 12 - 1 loaf of bread
Bag 13 - 1 bag of pretzels
Bag 14 - 1 makeup compact
Bag 15 - 1 bunch of bananas and 2 pears

So, I consolidated bags 1-3, 4-6, 7&8, 9&10, and 12-14. And I put the extra 8 bags in the plastic bag recycle bin in the front of the store.

Why oh why do cashiers only put 1 or 2 items in a bag? I don't get it.

 

[Mkrop]

And I have heard older shoppers complain that the bags were too heavy, when they was hardly anything in it. I seem to always be behind that person.

 

[Wall-E1]

Did you write a list of every item in every bag while you were in the store?

 

[Talking Hands]

That seems ridiculous to me. I am in my sixties and would have no problem caring what was consolidated. Only time I have a problem is when they place 2 2l bottles in the same bag.

 

[HM]

That's one reason I ask for Paper bags. I really need to start bringing my own.....

 

[Hannathy]

I always ask for paper, can't stand how few items go into the plastic (tho your case IS EXCESSIVELY too few) and how the plastic slide around in the car and everything falls out.

I only use the plastic for leaky things like raw meat.

 

[Angelhalo]

The only thing I can think of is that when I worked as a bagger years and years ago, the store made us bag certain items together and certain items separately etc etc. Hoever I see no reason why some of your cold items couldn't have gone together. perhaps they were trying to follow the bagging rules set by their store and eith got confused or carried away LOL!

 

[texasthumper]

Maybe the cashier knew that the bags they are using these days are extra-flimsy! We use them for our kitchen garbage and have to check carefully for rips before we do. Not fun to have coffee grounds everywhere!

 

[ckay87]

I think Wal-Mart is notorious for this. I always think that I have more trouble carrying my groceries AFTER they bag the items. One time I was there I bought 2 items and ended up with 3 bags (the scented candle needed to be protected from....????)

They will singelhandedly destroy the environment, I swear!

Oh and just TRY to hand them your re-usable bags. They don't know how to work that caroussel thing and large cloth bags.

 

[Becky2005]

Maybe the cashier knew that the bags they are using these days are extra-flimsy!

I HATE the bags we have at work, they are so thin they are practically see through. I have been known to double-bag anything I have the slight ? about if it will hold up.

I've been known to rip the bag as I was taking it off the bag older, it just splits.

So, I'm always trying to be extra careful for weight, etc...

Target's bags used to be really good and still are somewhat better than all the others around here but they too have gotten thinner now.

Although the above list does seem a bit much.

 

[dis-happy]

I'd be happy! We use those bags for dirty diapers and small trash cans in our house and are always close to running out.

 

[undertheradar]

I'm thinking that the person doing the bagging couldn't win no matter how they bag the items. The weather was bad and the bags were light, perhaps the person bagging didn't want to overload the bags. It is a very thankless job and everyone has a different way that the groceries are loaded.

 

[msmayor]

If I see a cashier not placing more than just a few items, I speak up and ask them to please pack the bags 'more full'.

I've never had one refuse my request. Perhaps if you notice it happening again you could just mention it.

 

[mickeymedic]

Did you write a list of every item in every bag while you were in the store?

No. I just have an amazingly good memory for stupid random stuff. Ironically, I have a heck of a time remembering things that are important.

I always ask for paper, can't stand how few items go into the plastic (tho your case IS EXCESSIVELY too few) and how the plastic slide around in the car and everything falls out.

I only use the plastic for leaky things like raw meat.

I already had the raw meat in the plastic bags they supply in the meat section. But they still put each meat item in another bag by itself.

The only thing I can think of is that when I worked as a bagger years and years ago, the store made us bag certain items together and certain items separately etc etc. Hoever I see no reason why some of your cold items couldn't have gone together. perhaps they were trying to follow the bagging rules set by their store and eith got confused or carried away LOL!

I shop at this store all the time and this is the first time I have ever had someone put so few items in each bag. I usually load the belt with like items together to make it easier for the bagger.

I'd be happy! We use those bags for dirty diapers and small trash cans in our house and are always close to running out.

We reuse them as trash can liners. But I still have MOUNDS of plastic grocery bags at home. I seem to always forget to put them in the car to return them to the store. And even if I remembered to put them in the car, I'd probably forget to take them in with me...just like I can't seem to remember to get my reusable bags out of the trunk before going into the store. Yet another example of something kind of important that I can't seem to remember for the life of me. But I can clearly remember what was in each bag.

 

[WDSearcher]

Some of it is standard "grocery packing" commonalities. Frozen items separate from produce, meat packaged separately, make-up and non-food items in different bags than food items, etc.

Some of it will depend on how you put things on the belt to be checked. If you put all of the frozen stuff together, then it should have all gone in one bag. But if you had the ice cream and then a bunch of other stuff, then the pizza rolls, then some other things, then the TV dinners, then they're likely to go in separate bags.

Checkers "bag as they go" most of the time, which means if the internal store rule is "frozen gets it's own bag", then when the first frozen item hits the checker, they put it in a bag. If the bread and make-up are next, then each of them get their own bag. Then another frozen item gets its own bag, etc. No one is usually looking down the belt to see if there are other items for the same bag.

A good way to help the checker need fewer bags is to group your stuff on the belt: all frozen stuff together, all produce, all non-food, etc. That way, at least, you can tell the checker, "Can you put all the frozen stuff in the same bag?" and it will seem logical.

 

[mickeymedic]

I'm thinking that the person doing the bagging couldn't win no matter how they bag the items. The weather was bad and the bags were light, perhaps the person bagging didn't want to overload the bags. It is a very thankless job and everyone has a different way that the groceries are loaded.

That's why I didn't say anything and just consolidated everything once I made my way out to the entrance.

If I see a cashier not placing more than just a few items, I speak up and ask them to please pack the bags 'more full'.

I've never had one refuse my request. Perhaps if you notice it happening again you could just mention it.

I considered saying something...but I'm kind of glad I didn't. As other posters have said, some people want to have lighter bags with fewer items. I just need to remember to take my reusable bags in...I don't mind telling the baggers to load those to the top.

 

[Adipoo]

I leave my reusable bags at home once in a while and hope for lots of plastic bags for the scooping of the kitty litter.

I really do dislike them though. I have packing the boot of my Mini down to a science and plastic bags mess up that routine.

 

[mickeymedic]

Some of it is standard "grocery packing" commonalities. Frozen items separate from produce, meat packaged separately, make-up and non-food items in different bags than food items, etc.

Some of it will depend on how you put things on the belt to be checked. If you put all of the frozen stuff together, then it should have all gone in one bag. But if you had the ice cream and then a bunch of other stuff, then the pizza rolls, then some other things, then the TV dinners, then they're likely to go in separate bags.

Checkers "bag as they go" most of the time, which means if the internal store rule is "frozen gets it's own bag", then when the first frozen item hits the checker, they put it in a bag. If the bread and make-up are next, then each of them get their own bag. Then another frozen item gets its own bag, etc. No one is usually looking down the belt to see if there are other items for the same bag.

A good way to help the checker need fewer bags is to group your stuff on the belt: all frozen stuff together, all produce, all non-food, etc. That way, at least, you can tell the checker, "Can you put all the frozen stuff in the same bag?" and it will seem logical.

I agree...that's why I loaded the belt with all the frozen stuff together, all the refrigerated stuff together. The bread and pretzels together. It usually works. I have shopped at this same store for years and have never had anyone put just one or two small/light items in a bag (except makeup or another small non-food item...that I can understand.)

 

[JLTraveling]

Was it an actual bagger or the cashier? I've worked both jobs, and at my store the cashiers didn't get much bagging training (beyond the standard separate cold food etc). There really is an art to proper bagging. Maybe you just got someone inexperienced.

 

[MIGrandma]

I have done the consolidation thing too, and I do think it's wasteful to use a bag for one single small item. I love the checkers who look ahead at what's on the belt and will grab all similar items to put into a bag together, rather than just mindlessly grabbing whatever happens to be next.