Photo: Noel Hendrickson
Checking out of the local supermarket yesterday, my wife was thanked for bagging her own groceries. She stopped, then realized that in the U.S. supermarkets have baggers, while the local supermarkets that we shopped at in Germany did not. Over there, we paid for the groceries and then raced to bag them ourselves beyond the cashier’s table while the next customer’s purchases were scanned. Why the difference? One possibility is cost-based — the low-wage labor of baggers is relatively cheaper here. Another is demand-based — the average customer is in more of a rush here, perhaps because his/her value of time is higher. Any other reasons?
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Yes, we bag our own, and our local grocery store has baggers. But I think a lot of them don’t get good training, and they just stuff things into bags without consideration for cross-contamination (frozen or meat right next to cleaning products), bag weight or crushed food items.
In most of the European countries that I visited one pays *dearly* for the privilege of using plastic bags supplied by the supermarket. I believe this is due to the EU trying to promote a ‘greener’ lifestyle or some similar idea. Regardless of the reasons, most shoppers bring their own bags to the supermarket which would no doubt make it rather difficult for a hired bagger to do his/her work. Also, a dedicated bagger using the store’s own bags is likely to be seen as a means for the supermarket to artificially increase their customer’s bill.
Why would bringing your own bags make it “rather difficult” for a bagger to do his job? I bring my own bags and the baggers never seem to have a problem.
Actually, it isn’t costs or any other economical reason in first place. During their German holidays Walmart tried to bring the US concept to Germany, but found no acceptance within consumers. Mainly because of behavioral reasons. Customers were convinced that nobody can pack their bags better than themselves.
Getting the stuff into the shopping bag is some kind of engineering over here.
In Japan, we bag our own groceries which surprises me because Japan is such a service based society. We also have bring our own bags or pay ¥5 for a bag. If you are paying for a bag, even an insignificant price, you are more aware of how many bags you are using.
I agree with the preceding comments that two key reasons would be the ridiculous extent of hand-holding involved in all services in the USA, and the pragmatic German understanding that baggers on the payroll lead to more expensive groceries.
Here in Ireland, most supermarkets do not have baggers as a matter of course; staff are occasionally assigned to this duty in peak periods. It is also a popular fundraiser for schools, scouts and the like.
Personally I intensely dislike having others bagging my groceries, as they never do it to my exacting OCD standards (they put eggs and fruit on the bottom ,etc).
I bag my own groceries here in the US because most baggers do a terrible job of it. I use reusable bags which are strong and have square corners. The usual technique of throwing a few things in a disposable plastic grocery bag does not transfer well to the reusable ones.
The stores here in the U.S that have union labor are more likley to bag for you. So it’s probaly not due to cheap labor.
I question that assertion. I live in the South. Unions are unheard of and baggers at grocery stores are ubiquitous
I agree with Kevin, I live in the South and all of our stores have baggers with the exception of the German-owned Aldi’s. While I often pack my own because I’m fast and like to know where various things are when I get home, when my kids were little I loved the help out to the car and always tipped the guy a dollar or two or three! I shopped for years at a particular store because of their great baggers. Bagger wages a small price to pay for loyalty, I’m thinking.
I like the way Tesco’s Fresh & Easy chain does it. The customer scans his or her own groceries and does self check-out, and a F & E employee bags them. When you are done paying, your groceries are ready to go. On a side note, can anyone tell me the deal with shopping carts in Germany? They seem to be locked in a way that needs a key to take one into the store, I can’t figure out if every German citizen has one of these keys, or do you get it from the service desk? If anyone knows the system, please share with me the secret.
If Germany is like everywhere else in Europe, you place a 1 euro coin (our pound in the UK)in the slot which unlocks the cart and when you return the cart to the coral the coin is returned when you reengage the lock.
You need to insert a pawn, usually 50 Cent or 1€, in order to unlock the shopping carts.