Every Sunday hubby and I peruse the aisles of the commissary. We cross items off our list, but inevitably end up in the checkout lane with way more than we had planned on buying. Somehow the 3 teenagers who call our house home never fail in depleting our pantry.
We toss our canvas bags up onto the conveyor belt and try to put like items up to be bagged together: first the refrigerated stuff, then the boxes and cans, followed by produce, and then all of the fragile items like bread and eggs.
In an off-base grocery store, one of us would be quick to take up a fighting position down at the bagging area, carefully arranging our groceries to facilitate the quickest dispersal into our cabinets and refrigerator.
At the commissary bagging our groceries has never been an option…until now.
The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) began a test run of checkout lanes with no baggers in January after receiving customer feedback requesting it. At 121 commissaries shoppers have the option to choose a lane where they bag their own groceries. Differing from the self-checkout lanes, which have long since been available, these lanes will still have a dedicated cashier to ring your groceries up for you.
I haven’t seen this option at our commissary, but even so, I’m a little torn about the idea.
While my husband and I like bagging our own groceries at off-base grocery stores, tipping a bagger at the commissary is a military community tradition.
Baggers have been a part of the commissary “experience” for as long as I can remember. Even growing up overseas as an Air Force brat, I remember the nice ladies and teenagers who walked with us out to the car and helped to load the bulk of our weekly foraging.
What I didn’t know as a kid is that all commissary baggers, most of whom are retirees, military spouses and military dependents, are independent contractors.
As such, they do not add to the cost of running the commissary in any way, but that doesn’t mean, of course, that they offer their services for free.
Admittedly, there was a time, back when we were a younger military family, that even a few extra dollars each week had an impact. I can’t tell you how many times I had to to scrounge for quarters or crumpled up dollar bills to tip the nice kid who loaded up the back of my car while I tried to wrangle my kids into their car seats. I am sure there was more than one occasion when I was angry and frustrated at having to offer some kind of payment, even though, technically, it’s not required. And it would have been a commissary etiquette faux pas to ask them not to bag my haul.
But now, thanks to many years of hard work and progression in our chosen careers, hubby and I can certainly afford to pass a five-spot to the retiree or high school student trying to make a few extra bucks during the weekend shopping rush.
When you consider that the average check out experience probably runs about 10 to 12 minutes, I’d wager baggers are making about $10 to 15 per hour, a reasonable wage considering most of their work is done over just a couple of days a week.
I like the idea of being able to pack my groceries the way I want them packed.
Even just the few minutes it saves after we arrive home is welcomed. But the thought of not having the baggers available, of potentially ending that tradition, makes me a little sad.
I am all for progress, but the idea of potentially eliminating a job opportunity for folks within our military community to continue to serve in our community just feels wrong.
Keep the baggers.
Keep the Baggers,
I agree, Keep the Baggers!
Keep the baggers!!
Brenda Burrell says Keep the baggers Please!!
KEEP THE BAGGERS
Keep the baggers
KEEP THE BAGGERS!!! If a Commissary customer is so rushed when they get home they have to worry about time spent sorting their groceries, perhaps they need to have another look at their priorities. Those people working as baggers need the money, and I am glad to pay them for their service (I never ask them to unload the groceries at my car).
I have asked a bagger or two to come home with me to unload my groceries but so far I have had no takers.
KEEP THE BAGGERS!
For Ms. Veronica, with much respect to your article, letter, post……Your wager that baggers make about $10-$15 an hour is absolutely wrong.
A bagger can work for 4 hours on a payday, walk out 30 carts and come home with $20. Some customers don’t even say Thank YOU.
If you want to pack your groceries, that is a great option. I do that from time to time.
However, these students are out there doing something positive are not on the streets selling drugs. Those retirees and older dependents may have a little more hustle in them than the younger baggers, but sometimes people need to do something to supplement retirement pay.
They are more than just Baggers earning cash, they are hard working individuals who serve our military community.
Keep the baggers!!!!!!. They are not paid by DECA, And for some of them it hepls them with school expences, and or a megger earning. I myself, being disabled, and in my seventies. am really tnakful that they provide this service to me.
send the baggers packing – they are obsolete in today’s world. I’m capable of bagging myself. at my commissary most baggers have been there forever and must feel entitled because they are seldom polite. also, I can work much faster and the walk to my car will be quicker
apparently you haven’t reached the age of 83. yet. there are some of us who need assistance with groceries. civilian grocery stores have baggers, do you want to get rid of them too?
there are lanes for those who want to bag their own groceries but, please don’t take away my choice from me of my being able to use a bagger.
Why should we keep the baggers? What is the benefit?
The question at hand is why keep the baggers?
The answers are:
1. the majority of these baggers are military family members and/or collage kids trying to earn a little money to make ends meet.
2. Lots of people who shop at the commissary are old and/or handicapped military retired veterans who have problems or just out right can’t bag and/or load their groceries into their vehicle.
My wife and I are very old and have physical medical problems and have shopped at the commissary for many years now and always are proud to toss a few bucks in to the box for these baggers who never fail to work their tails off to help us out. SO KEEP THE BAGGERS!
I’say Please keep the baggers. As mentioned, they are a tradition in our commissaries. I certainly don’t mind tipping my bagger $5 or $10, I don’t want to bag my groceries after shopping a couple of hours and waiting in line almost as little long.
Typo….meant to say: almost as long.
If the baggers were eliminated from the Commissary I would have to shop at a local grocery store that had baggers . I am so thankful for them being there. I go every week to the commissary so I know the ones who bag my groceries and they take care of me very well. I cannot do without them.
They need to keep the baggers. I’m always glad for the extra help with my groceries when I do my commissary shopping. The job also, offers teens, retirees and charitable groups like the Boy/Girl Scouts a chance to earn extra money for themselves and or their organizations’. They are well worth the few extra dollars that I pay them when I shop at the Commissary.
This country is giving up enough traditions; keep the baggers.
I love the no baggers line. They just need to be clear about when who can use it. Apparently, it is AD in uniform only between 1100 & 1300, but they don’t tell you that until you’ve let all the AD go in front of you and have finally made it to the front of the line. All my produce is bruised by the time I get home and despite the fact that I bring sturdy bags only 3 or 4 things go in each bag because, you know, we tip per bag (which also leads to a huge waste of plastic when you don’t bring your bags). However, since my tips are my baggers sole source of income, I feel morally obligated to spend what I saved using the Commissary (or in many cases more) in tips. I use self checkout whenever possible.
Keep the baggers. We have one line set up at our commissary for bagging your own groceries. I usually have too much to even want to bag my own. I will gladly give a bagger $5, $6,$7 for as much as I usually buy.
I so prefer to bag my own groceries as I can put items in similar bags and not have everything mixed up together, which I then have to rebag at the car or at home. I buy some things for my daughters that live nearby so many things I keep in separate bags to take to them!!! Also often chips or other fragile items are crushed by heavier items being put on top or closely beside those items. This is avoided if you pack your own bags!!!
If the baggers were high school age, I would use a bagger. Too many of the baggers nowadays are older. I used to get frustrated with baggers when only a few items were placed in each bag to make it look like I had a huge purchase. Not only was this wasteful, at times it became an issue – like my tip wasn’t sufficient to cover their effort. I normally would tip 2% of my bill.
The commissary has increase the prices on many items therefore customers, especially the young families should have the benefit of a “no tip” lane. I also believe both options should be available for those who want to follow the “tradition”.
KEEP THE BAGGERS!!! I also tip 2% of my bill. This way as the price of groceries goes up, so does the amount my bagger receives as a tip. Cost of living hits them too. My only exception was when my youngest son was my bagger, I always gave him $10 no matter how little I bought.
Did your son think being a bagger a positive experience? What were the challenges?
Choice is good but keep the baggers. I bagged groceries after school when my father was stationed at Naval Air Station in Norfolk VA and it was a great experience. It was my first job. We use to have to put our ID cards in a bag and they would choose a number of school kids each time. Sometimes you got picked sometimes you didn’t. I would love to see a similar setup for school kids on a given day each week so they can get the experience and make a little money.
After a long wait in line those who complain about the baggers will have open arms and accompanying smile to the baggers whom always do a GREAT JOB.
I always use the no bagger lines, as I like to bag my own things. However, I think they are needed for perhaps people with children, elderly people, shoppers with full baskets, etc.
I am a 77 yo lady w/limited mobility. It’s a challenge just to walk around the entire store to choose my items. I need all the help I can get which definitely includes baggers to
load my car as well. I still have to unload car when I get home- not to mention putting groceries away. By then, I’m exhausted. Please keep the baggers!!! Certainly both seniors & handicapped need them……
I am also disabled keep the baggers!
I second that! I am 74, disabled and my husband has had heart surgery. Neither of us is energized at the end of a long trip through the com store. Neither of us can carry heavy bags into the house. We ask our baggers to pack bags lightly so we can get them into the house – which is another big chore. By the time we’ve unpacked the bags and put away the cold/frozen foods, the cans and boxed items usually have to wait an hour or several to be put away. We tip generously and appreciate the work the baggers do for us! Keep at least one lane – perhaps one IDed for Handicap customers in each store!
They are not getting rid of the baggers, they are just adding lines where there are no baggers.
Great points. Thank you for sharing your opinion.
I prefer to bag my own groceries, but I know others who would rather have someone else bag them. I live over 2 hours from the closest commissary, so it doesn’t affect me.
Keep the baggers. Without them I would go where they are bagged for me.
I respect the baggers and it’s nice that they are available, however, the opportunity to self-bag should be offered for people who would simply prefer to do-it-themselves or can’t afford to pay for something they can do themselves. Commissary patrons shouldn’t be “shamed” into paying for a service they do not want.
Keep the baggers. I like how they bag & carry out my groceries. I don’t mind tipping at all.
Please keep the baggers. We are retired and shop once a month at our commissary. Our spending runs between $300 and $400. We appreciate the baggers and always tip generously.
Why are we even considering this?!! Baggers work for tips only and of no obligation to the shopper or especially the Commissary. Why is this a discussion to take away a job?!!
By the way…..who’s the idiot who thought of this anyway??? Must be someone fresh out of business school with all the answers
DeCA said customers requested this option.
Keep them for those that want them, but make ample lanes that for those that don’t. The new Freedom’s Choice line came in more expensive than the lines it’s replaced (bc there’s no coupons & fewer product choices so forced to buy name brand). I continue bag my own to prevent our savings from the Commissary being spent on the bagger. I also dislike the way they bag, I end up with smooshed bread, broken eggs, & hot mixed with cold items. It turns into a seek and find at home trying to get all the same type items together. At least when I bag myself, it’s my fault if something is ruined rather than someone else’s fault and still my expense. Maybe once per month I’ll buy enough (or be in a big rush) to use a bagger, the rest I stick to 40 items & under or use the no bagger lane. I appreciate being able to do both at our Commissary.
Another pro is self checkout because it lets me avoid the cashiers. Over the last 20 years, I’ve been treated poorly by enough cashiers for catching price errors and/or using coupons that I prefer to avoid the vast majority of those working for the Commissary. The savings is the only thing that keeps me going to the store.
No more baggers!!!! Some are nice, but others have an attitude and want more tips! I feel pressured to give tips, and it makes my shopping experience unpleasant.I would rather bag my own!!!
I don’t know where all this came from but over the approx. 40 years of shopping at a
lot of commissaries we have never had any problems with the baggers.
If you have any special requests on how you want your groceries bagged just nicely
tell your baggers your needs and they will be more then happy to do it for you.
So I think we are going to just stay with our nice reliable baggers.
I was a bagger at Ft. lee Commissary, I can tell you that the retired elderly really appreciated our help, I never told anyone they had to tip, though most did. It was a good opportunity for me and other military family members to make some extra cash. It was hard work we pushed groceries in the rain, sleet and snow. So please keep baggers they help more than you know.
Keep the baggers. I am the 77 year old widow of a 100% disabled veteran officer and walk with a cane or walker. I would not be able to bag my own groceries when I make my bi-weekly visits. I have no problem tipping the baggers and asking them to help me place the groceries in the vehicle. The baggers have always been courteous .
If you are young, have a spouse, or children to help you bag then you can go to the no bagger line. However, for me, and many others like me, the baggers are a blessing.
I say keep the baggers.After spending hours in there shopping.I appreciate all the help by packing and delivering them into my trunk..It’s just a small fee to pay.Use them or not that’s your choice..
Keep the baggers!!! What is going on in the world. These individuals are making an honest living they are actually doing something rather than nothing…
Keep the baggers, but it would be nice if they were taught how to bag properly. And the reason we buy cold bags it to keep our food cold. Not for the baggers to shove as much as they can in the bag to the point that you can’t even zip it closed. That infuriates me. I have used the bag it yourself line and self check out for these reasons.
I have to give credit to those baggers that do take in to consideration whay they are bagging. And I appreciate them!
I like to pack my own,,,yet, there are so many folks out there that would like to earn a little extra money,,,I think that if one likes to pack their own, then hit the check out counter where they can do it. If you want your items packed, then leave them in where you have someone ringing up your items. MEANINGl ;leave it like it is! We all ready have that choice, so why change it?
Keep the baggers!
I say keep the baggers! . On the trip that I might make that I have only a few items, then I can bag my own. Other than that, I am retired with my husband who has had a stroke and it is very helpful for someone to help us and help us put the groceries in the car. if you have a blend of all of it, then the people who want to bag their own they can. You already have self check out so what does it hurt to have a lane or two for the ones who want to bag their own. I say, please them all ! There sure is enough registers !!
Wright Patterson Airforce base just stated the bagger free line and I absolutely love bagging my own groceries. I love the idea of baggers for those who want to use them. But for me, I’ll be using the bagger free line. Because plain and simple, I believe we should have the choice to choose.
Keep the baggers!!! The bagger free lane may slow that lane down for those who want to bag their groceries.
Keep the Baggers!!!
I’ve been shopping military commissaries for over 30 years, I like having my groceries bagged by baggers. They are fast and efficient. They employ retirees, students and spouses. I have no problem tipping $4-$10 depending on the size of my order. I refuse to use self check out and bag your own lanes, that’s taking jobs away from people. Keep the baggers!
I am a 94 year old retiree who depends on the local commissary. If the bagger go, I go. If the baggers go, can you see the check-out slowing? Can you see the lines growing? Can you see more patrons at Publix (or whoever to closer). There is more than just releasing baggers that meets the eye. Fine if you want to have one or two lanes for self bagging, but DO NOT ELIMINATE THE BAGGERS. Thank you!
For those times when money is tight I use the self-service lane. That way I am 100% in charge of what gets bagged, which bags they are placed in, and how much goes into each bag.
Unless I had someone with me to monitor the checkout I would need a bagger. As I see it, is more important to watch the prices than the bagger, so I will continue to use the bagger lane.
I always cringed when someone would watch a bagger load their groceries then declare they would carry out themselves rather than offer a tip for full service.
Keep the baggers please. I am so happy to see the same faces every week, I love our baggers. This is a tradition we must keep.
I am in favor of providing an option. If someone wants to bag their own for convenience or cost, then they should have that option available. As for my family, I will use the bag your own option. I currently tip the bagger and explain that I will be loading the groceries into the car myself. This is due to the dent placed in my new car by a bagger and the commissary’s refusal to take responsibility. Because the bagger was an independent contractor, the commissary is not responsible for their actions. The manager actually suggested that I ask the bagger, a teenager, to pay for the damage, or else sue him. I was astonished at this suggestion. He was just a kid, in my eyes, who made a mistake. Thankfully, paint-less dent repair saved the day.
Please keep the baggers. Enough with all the self service!
I always use the Non Bagger Self Check Out. I pack my groceries how I like them packed. The baggers at my local commissary don’t seem to have a clue even when I communicate that to them. They don’t understand English and they pack canned items with vegetables, don’t put the cold items into the insulated bags and it was always a mess by the time I got home. I stopped using the regular check out lanes years ago.
Keep baggers, but as an option on all lines. There usually aren’t enough lines open at some stores to set off one for no baggers only. It also doesn’t give a fair accounting of how many would use it. Picture a long line @ no baggers, short line @ baggers. Would you continue to wait longer just for no baggers or is time more important? If there were more no bagger lanes, would you get the same data? I suggest some kind of a corral/on deck area for baggers to be used by whatever line next requests a bagger! You have a light to direct customers where to go, have a separate light to direct bagger to lane needed! Cashiers greet customers and scan ID cards now, how much harder would it be to ask if bagger is needed and flip a switch? Baggers rotate when taking groceries to car, which is an option.
Our commissary has the self checkout section and I for one am grateful for the option. I bag my groceries everywhere else I shop, so why not at the commissary? It’s kind of like in the old days when an attendant at the gas station would pump our gas for us. Now everywhere we pump our own gas.
Keep the baggers. There has to be kept some traditions . The Commissary and BX have already changed enough
I appreciated having bagging as an option for wmplowhen I was a teenager overseas and at our small military base in California. I like the idea of having an option but I do not wish to see these hard working individuals removed.
That is supposed to read employment when I was a teenager, lol.
Our commissary serves a large retired (and aging) population. Having baggers is a big help to this group of customers – me included. Having an option of a lane without baggers is good but don’t eliminate them completely.
My son is a bagger at MacDill AFB, and it is rare that he makes $10 an hour (and never makes $15). There are either too many baggers working, not enough cashiers or not enough customers that he winds up waiting 20-30 minutes until it’s his turn to bag. And trust me, not everyone are gracious tippers!
keep the baggers. Not only is it a military tradition but it can be very needed. Income. Many years ago when I was stationed overseas and lower ranking with kids it was the only job my spouse could find at the time. The income helped us survive. You never know how the money is helping someone. Any job opportunities for military spouses, dependents, or retirees I will support.
Keep the baggers. A “no bagger line” will be one less line available for the majority of shoppers. There are not enough lines open as is, specially early morning. Let’s face it, it takes some time for a bagger to become proficient. You can anticipate lots of frustration when using the “bag your own” line when you are behind a very slow customer who takes forever to bag his/her groceries.
Keep the baggers, but have 1 lane for small purchases.
Please keep the baggers.
I like the options that r available at my Commissary,
If I only have a 20 or less items, it’s the express lane.
Big basket means, “help” and I appreciate the baggers getting things to my vechile.
Self checkout is also an option and is always busy however, I have not used it..yet.
Keep the baggers. Most retirees, like myself, need all the help they can get. The help you get is well worth the four or five dollars you give them.
I like having the option of bagging my own groceries. I do it at about 50% of the other places I shop…no big deal. There is only one checkout dedicated to it and it never has a line. I always have too many items for the self check option. Definitely should keep the baggers since the majority of people use them. Something for everyone.
I say keep the baggers. Most of the time it is a military spouse, child, or retiree and that is their way of making a few extra bucks. For a large family such as ours I have no problem tipping them for bagging and bringing our groceries to our car.
Love the baggers!
With babies, toddlers, retirees with movement issues, broken legs and arms – so many different things that keep us from packing and/or carrying our groceries out to the vehicle – we need them and they do become friends who know how we prefer our groceries week after week.
If I buy a few items I use the self checkout.
The only time I don’t use baggers at the commisary is if I have a small order and the self check outs are available with little wait time. I know that they work for only the tips they receive, and I enjoy helping them out, especially the college kids. They are always quite pleasant and pack my groceries the way I request. There are a few little glitches from time to time, but the benefit of helping others out ways the minor inconveniences that occur from time to time. Further I have a friend who is retired and it helps him stay busy and provides him with a little extra pocket money for him and his wife.
Growing up, I was an Air Force brat and worked at the Commissary bagging groceries. It gave me some of the independence I desired, at that time in my life. In today’s times, bagging groceries may very well be the means for some folks to meet their financial obligations. To even consider the elimination of baggers at the Commissary is the disrespectful and insensitive thoughts of a complete moron.
KEEP THE BAGGERS!!!!
Keep the baggers. If they don’t want them to bag, let them do it themselves…What l think they should stop is people taking buggies out of the comm. People do not know what a buggy parking place is, And even tho some people have baggers, that does not mean they are going to get a tip. l have seem plenty of people not tip with a 200. grocery bill. I tip even in the express lane but that is just me.
KEEP THE BAGGERS
Tradition aside, I just don’t want to bag my own groceries, I’m no good at it and in general, they are, besides, they do more than just bag, like taking them out to your car and packing them in, the few bucks ($5-$10) they’re paid is money well spent to me.
Please, keep the baggers.
It seems nowadays that everybody (waiters, baristas, cashiers, baggers, etc.) want tips. The practice of “tipping” needs to end here in the States. If the commissary wants to provide baggers, let them hire and pay them accordingly. Publix baggers are paid by the company…no additional money out of your pocket.
please keep the baggers!!!!. But also teach them how to bag. I was a bagger for over 12 years and you do not put all the canned goods in one bag !!!
I buy 200.00 plus at my local commissary and the thought of bagging that amount is frightening. I can see your lines getting longer and longer. If you need to have a no bagger lane for the people with small amounts in their carts.
We had a local store in town once that you bagged your own and it was a mess, People having to wait while those that no nothing about bagging used way too many bags or tied up the line by trying to sort everything out. I feel you are making a big mistake by taking these jobs away from our military families some of these people depend on that income.
Baggers should remain as an option, I haven’t used them in years I scrimp and save I don’t want to have to pay someone a portion of my shopping savings to do something I can do for myself and I prefer to scan my own groceries as well. Obviously, this is not the same for everyone and just like I like having the option to self-checkout, the option to have someone bag for you should remain.
I say give us the choice!
The baggers provide a great service especially to the elderly, disable and moms with a load of kids. Whoever thought of this idea must have never gone grocery shopping.
Personally I have been on both sides of this issue. When I was a young Airman stationed in Korea. I would work at the commissary on payday weekends to earn a little extra cash. When I got married and had children we got an assignment to Japan where my wife was able to work a flexible schedule all while still being able to take care of the kids while I was at work, TDY or deployed. Lastly, I am retired now and my daughter just turned 16 and she is currently bagging groceries on the weekends to help pay for her car insurance and have a little spending cash that she could say she earned on her own. All in all I think commissary bagging is a wonderful tradition and experience for the military family. Although not all bagging experiences will be perfect at least we know that the couple dollars we are tipping is going right back into our military community. As for me I think of it as paying forward. Thank-you for allowing me to comment
Keep the baggers, I usually shop after work, I’m already tired and still have to take them out of the vehicle into the house , unpack them and put them away. They are a blessing.
please KEEP THE BAGGERS . wHO IS COMPLAINING? please KEEP THE BAGGERS.
Jeanne Poff Pt. Hueneme
Send them “packing” I’m sick and tired of telling them to not put my dog food/treats in with my groceries i.e. bread, cookies etc. There should be more lines for those who wish to scan and bag their own groceries but need to have some for those who can’t or are unable to do it themselves. It’s a big problem in our commissary in Pensacola, FL. to get a decent bagger. They are either to young and don’t care how they pack them or they are too old and can’t pack them right (after being there for 30 years) or lift the water, bags of dog food etc. Time for something else. Maybe pay minimum wage and no tipping at all?
Keep the baggers. My husband are 85 and 84. Without the baggers my husband and I would not be able to shop the commisary.
Keep the baggers, I try to presort before I put my items on the checkout belt to make easier when I get home. I truly believe not only the tips are key I think the companionship is a big part of it also.
Keep the baggers
Keep the Baggers!!
Love the baggers!! To me it is a benefit not found in the civilian world!!please keep them!!!
I have always appreciated the baggers – when my children were young, the delivery service when we lived in Berlin, and now that I am older, the help is appreciated. Most do a decent job – there are those who want to bag for me – they know they are appreciated! Fort Bliss does a decent job!
Keep them
Keep the baggers. They provide a valuable service for efficiently moving people through the check out lines, use my reusable and insulated bags, and add income to their own households. God bless ’em. I tip with the money I save in coupons.
Keep the Baggers!
KEEP THE BAGGERS!! It would be even better if they would come home, unload, and put everything away.
As Active Duty and/or Retirees we have more to worry about than whether to keep the baggers. Upper management at the commissary, has changed the way they charge us; we went from a Cost plus 5% to a variable pricing, just like the Base Exchange and we all know how overpriced a lot of their items are. Now, not all their items are overpriced, just the majority. If you look, you can still find a few deals. (Have you ever notice the sign at the Base Exchange where they brag about how much money the are giving back to the base? They are not giving back profit….they give back the money they overcharged you.)
Is the Commissaries losing money? Yes, but it is not because we are buying less….it is because there are less of us retirees and Active Duty. When you have better technology…you need less people. Charging us more is not the answer! On a limited budget I only have so much money to spend.
When I have complained to the Commissary; all I hear is that they are still less than what the local stores are charging. Yes & no is my response. I went from buying 100% of my groceries at the Commissary to buying 30-35%, the rest of it is spent at the local grocery stores. Why? The local stores have better turn over rates which equals fresher fruits & vegetables. As a retiree on a limited income, I now have to look at the weekly ads to see who has the best deal instead of just going to my commissary.
The commissary management will tell you that all the local grocery stores price this way….but the commissaries are not a “For Profit” store. The “commissary” is a benefit that we all earned! I spent 22 years earning the right to walk through those doors.
Commissaries have to change from within and be better managed. If you don’t like something at your commissary store….complain to the manager. That is what he or she is there for! There is a “Head Bagger” so if you don’t like the way that your purchase has been bagged…complain! That is the only way that things will change. Did you know that once a shoplifter leaves the store, they will not pursue? They won’t go out & write down their licence plate number and call security police. They worry more that the thief might do something” There again this is why we have security police. This is also one of many reasons we have a fence around the base. Personally I don’t care if the thief is a retiree, active duty or a dependent. We had an “honor” code when I was on active duty and it still applies to retirees. If the thief is a dependent, well they have a sponsor.
As customers we have the right to demand better from the commissary, their management and their management,
If we don’t speak up now…the commissaries that we once knew with low prices will be gone forever. They will either merge with the Base Exchange or disappear.
Here’s a pretty great idea (IMHO), it would be great to take half of the lanes that are set up to have register workers and make them self checkout over 40 items lanes (they rarely have all lanes open anyway, accept for holiday rushes and super bowl).
With less bagger lanes doesn’t mean we would have less baggers… in fact, if this idea was tried out and proved to be as successful as I imagineit would, we may have an increase in baggers.
Now here me out before pro-baggers get enraged with me, lol. Ok, so as I love to bag my own and don’t really want to small talk with a cashier, everyone is different, and after reading the numerous varying comments to this article I think that we need to supply to the different demands of our diverse military family.
So, now on to the rest of the idea… Baggers would rotate with doing bagging and others who should do more of a type of personal shopper type work, walking around the store with a retiree who needs the assistance, and often times the companionship/conversation as well. I can’t tell you how many times I have had an elderly retiree come up to me, me just shopping by myself or with my son, and ask for help and then they talk, talk and talk to me and I find it so SWEET! I really do, but then my frozen food is defrosting in the cart as I stand there and politely converse with the sweet elderly lady or man. I think that doing it to where baggers would be able to walk around the store with the retiree (for those retirees whom would want to utilize this service) would be a wonderful opportunity for our youth/high school students to engage in conversation other than a quick chat on the way to the car (and we all know that youth today needs to learn how to communicate other than through a smartphone, lol – am I right). So, this would be a great idea… But wait, there’s more to this idea.
Now, when I said rotate baggers, it doesn’t mean that the bagger assisting throughout the entire store visit would just hand over the bagging to another bagger in a bagging lane doing the bagging for those who choose to do their shopping by themselves but yet prefer to not bag their own groceries (the current system).
No… In fact, the retiree would be able to have the choice of the unlimited self checkout and the bagger would continue to assist all the way to loading up the car OR the shopper/retiree could choose the lane with the cashier and the shopping assistant baggers would bag the groceries with one of the other baggers (there always seems to be two per lane, typically anyway), and then the shopping assistant would, of course, walk out the groceries and load up the car. Obviously they are spending more time with one bagging rather than multiple, but this is where the idea of lowering costs of groceries with less cashier’s, and then the cash savings would be routed to the bagger via automatic percent tip via a “shopping assistant gratuity” at maybe 10% (obviously I am just throwing it out there but honestly this would depend on the store savings with less cashier’s on payroll). AND only those who choose to utilize the shopping assistant baggers option would pay the 10% (once again the 10% is just what I am throwing out there).
Now, I am not pushing for less jobs, just a decrease in cashier’s and an increase in baggers, shopping assistant baggers, and roadside pick-up baggers… which leads me to the last part of the idea I have.
Technology is a beautiful thing, and let’s be honest the commissary has been very much behind the curve in comparison to stores like, for example, Safeway. It was several years after so many stores were already using the rewards cards/key chain key fobs that the commissary started a coupon clipping site tied to a member account that links up to the key fob… And, once it had finally came out, it worked for about three months and then, automagically, all kinds of issues started happening with the system. They obviously fixed it by now, but I couldn’t tell you how well it works now – after the long period of issues I gave up and haven’t used it since.
Anyways, sorry about that little rant there, the commissary needs to keep up with the modern world. Safeway offers grocery shopping online with a schedule for pick-up. They also offer delivery but let’s not move too fast here, this is a government ran organization, lol (sorry, sad but so true).
The third piece of my idea is to have baggers who fulfill online orders. They do the shopping, bag the groceries, and then load up the vehicle for the shopper who in turn would tip the bagger. Now, IDK about those other people like me who like to bag my own groceries, but I would utilize the crap out of this option…and I would tip greatly – time is money and every minute I save not having to go to the store is a minute I could spend doing soooooo many other things. The cost would be very worth it!
Now, I am an analyst and have never worked in a grocery store so OBVIOUSLY the idea of rotating baggers in these three positions may be a good idea, but maybe not. Maybe they would be three separate independent contractor positions??? Someone with grocery store management experience who can best decipher the data would be the way to go about planning and implimenting such ideas as these, but if I were in charge of making that decision I would definitely try to pull talent from the private sector because I don’t think the commissary is very well managed as a whole to begin with, lol, sorry but the truth is not always pretty.
Sorry all for the length of my response… I just think that it is about time tradition remains but, at the same time, molds to the demands of the ever-changing and evolving marketplace.
Thanks 😉
Keep the baggers but remove the stupid surcharges. It’s always been said no tax…but if you add the baggers fee and surcharges, it’s 4x higher than what you pay tax outside…ridiculous.
I usually bag my own grocery if I have 40 items or less. I had more than 40 items during my last visit at the commissary and I bring my own grocery bags for perishable and dry goods. When I came home, the bagger(s) used the perishable bags for my dry goods and vise versa!
My suggestion is to add more registers for shoppers for those who like to bag their groceries, Some of the baggers where I shop are elderly and they take long to bag.
“Keep the baggers”.
All of them are mostly retirees and students. If they retired 10, 20 years ago they retirement pay is not enough for today living.
I knew many of them after we retired from the A.F, some are to old now but they are very grateful for the opportunity to help and make a little money, some are students of military parents. They need all the help they can get. they need it, this count with my groceries budget every week. In the early days with 4 children it was tight, but I knew this was for a great cause, helping our kids and the retirees.
If I wanted to bag my groceries, I’d apply for a job as a bagger.
As to tradition – we no longer usually carry swords.
I suggest a set bagger tip based on the amount of purchased products added to the grocery bill, . this tip money to be divided among the baggers,
The tip would be consistent and could be placed on the customers credit card, eliminating the no tipper cheap skates. No bagger tipping allowed and enforced.
As Walmart is the best competitor – always have self bag and checkout lanes so one has a remote chance of saving a bit of money at the commissary.