tipping for carryout at the grocery store

[carmie3377]

I saw a thread about tipping and it made me think about this. Most grocery stores do not offer carryout and if they do, you have to request it. However, one store I shop at occasionally usually asks if I want carry out. Most times, I'll say no, but once I did take them up on it because my son was very cranky and I thought I could use the help. Since I can count on one hand the number of times I've had grocery store carryout since I've been doing grocery shopping (12 years), I didn't know if I should tip the guy or not. My mom never tipped the guy when I was growing up, but then, everyone got grocery store carryout. So, what would y'all have done?

 

[loveabargin]

I usually do tip. It's not expected where I shop, as they have always carried out your bags for you (in fact, they insist on it)....but I do try to tip every time. I usually tip $1. Of course, I live in a small community and I know everyone who works there pretty much. Oh, my mom hardly ever tips, but she does bake cakes and brings them up there all the time, so that counts as a tip, right

 

[M 'n C]

Back home the one store that offers this service will not allow their baggers to be tipped. I can't remember the reasoning behind it though.

 

[dodukes]

Publix around here is big on the carryout, almost everyone does it, i refure i like to put things in myself the way i want them. there policy is strict. NO tipping, if the employees get caught taking tips they get fired, of course people still tip them but there are signs all over the place saying this is store policy for us to carryout for customers and no tipping is allowed. If i ever have to use it i would likely not tip.

 

[uratoon]

All of the grocery stores here carry out, but the sackers are not supposed to accept tips.
(I worked in the office of one of the stores and it was our policy. You politely tell the customer we do not accept tips. but we did encourage them to put the money in one of the humane society donation cans in the store if they insisted on tipping. The sackers would get in trouble if they accepted a tip at our store, so be sure that the policy of that store allows tips for carry out.)

 

[powellrj]

my DH was a supermarket manager for years and while his baggers could accept tips, very few ever got any. I have tipped before, but not all the time. If the bagger goes out of their way, I will tip a dollar, but most times they just push it to the car and I end up loading the car up.

 

[Todd&Copper]

Stores near me do not allow tipping for bag boys. I wasn't aware of any big chain gorcery stores in the U.S. that do allow their baggers/carriers to accept tips.
I was just reading about Wal-Mart in Mexico (????? - I think - ????) which has bag boys/carriers that are not on the payroll but they do it b/c it is very common and expected that they should be tipped for their work.

 

[cinamin27]

Back home the one store that offers this service will not allow their baggers to be tipped. I can't remember the reasoning behind it though.

My theory would be that if tipping became the norm, then baggers would be "fighting" each other to bag for the person with a cart full of groceries hoping the more bags they took out would = bigger tips or fighting for the customer they recognize as the big tipper from the last time they came in. Also, they could possibly be dilly-dallying around outside to schmooze the customer outside to in hopes for a bigger tip & the longer they stay outside schmoozing, the less people inside bagging.

I do know though that the Navy commisary here in Jacksonville do not give you the option of whether you need help out with your groceries, they just do it for every customer & YES tips are EXPECTED. I was quite surprised at this when I went shopping with someone at the commissary that this was expected.

 

[LuvENDisney]

I do know though that the Navy commisary here in Jacksonville do not give you the option of whether you need help out with your groceries, they just do it for every customer & YES tips are EXPECTED. I was quite surprised at this when I went shopping with someone at the commissary that this was expected.

Yes, I am in the military and was a military brat. At all military Commissaries that I have been to, tipping IS expected. Most of the baggers are retirees, parents of AD military, or teenagers. Some places even have signs that baggers are paid by tips only.

Because I grew up knowing to tip, I do, but only at the Commissary. At our local Shoppers Food Warehouse, I know they have a sign to not tip baggers.

I usually tip depending on how much groceries I have and who is bagging. I am generally more generous with teenagers. So on average, I tip $4.

I do hate when I am in the 20 items or less line and feel like I have to tip the bagger for putting my milk and eggs in a bag.

 

[mickeylove2]

When I lived on an AF base, the grocery store had baggers who bagged and carried out your bags and they worked FOR their tips! I thought it was crazy but they would get very upset with you if you did not tip them becasue they don't get a paycheck from the store, I never carry cash on me and if I paid using my ATM card I would have to get cash back just to tip the person $2-3!! Where I live now they hardly bag you stuff and if they do they certainly don't carry it out for you!

 

[englishteacha]

I do most of my grocery shopping at Save-a-Lot where you bag/box your own groceries, so I didn't realize that any stores still did carryout on a regular basis. I've seen them offer the service to elderly folks at Hannaford, and I remember my mom being asked if she'd like help when I was growing up. I had never even thought about tipping.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

My son is one of the kids in the grocery store bagging.

He actually makes a little over minimum wage, it is not considered a tipped position. He gets a few tips here and there - but not many.

 

[PudgetteD]

Yes, I am in the military and was a military brat. At all military Commissaries that I have been to, tipping IS expected. Most of the baggers are retirees, parents of AD military, or teenagers. Some places even have signs that baggers are paid by tips only.

When I was a teenager (in the 80's, yes 80's) I worked for tips only at the commissary @ Ft. Campbell. I can no longer shop at the commissary and on the rare occasion that someone does take my groceries to my truck (usually @ Food-Lion), I usually tip $1 per bag. (It has never been an option at Super Wal-Mart, at least I've never been asked) I don't tip if he/she only bags them.

 

[WendyisDarling]

When I lived on an AF base, the grocery store had baggers who bagged and carried out your bags and they worked FOR their tips! I thought it was crazy but they would get very upset with you if you did not tip them becasue they don't get a paycheck from the store, I never carry cash on me and if I paid using my ATM card I would have to get cash back just to tip the person $2-3!! Where I live now they hardly bag you stuff and if they do they certainly don't carry it out for you!

You beat me to adding this. At EVERY military installation I have been the baggers only get paid by tips. In fact, there is usually a large sign that says "Baggers work for tips only". Most have a pretty good system down for rotating the baggers.

In my civilian world, only one store offers carry-out and it isn't even an option. They carry out for everyone. They do a very careful packing job, also and are very friendly. DH tried to tip one guy (being used to tipping from the commissary) and the guy said "no thank you". I later learned they are not supposed to take tips.

More in reference to the OP, I probably would not tip unless it was a really extraordinary situation.

 

[carmie3377]

Thanks for all the responses! I guess it can go either way.

When I was a teenager (in the 80's, yes 80's) I worked for tips only at the commissary @ Ft. Campbell. I can no longer shop at the commissary and on the rare occasion that someone does take my groceries to my truck (usually @ Food-Lion), I usually tip $1 per bag. (It has never been an option at Super Wal-Mart, at least I've never been asked) I don't tip if he/she only bags them.

Wow, $1 a bag! Sometimes I'd be out $10-$15 (or more!) if I tipped a $1 a bag. BTW, I think you can ask for carryout at Walmart, as I've heard them say "carryout on lane ..." on the speakers before but they don't just offer it.

 

[paladin]

At our local grocery store, baggers cannot accept tips - they can be fired if they do.