By Marguerite Cleveland
Absolutely! Baggers work for tips only. As far as I can remember baggers have been a part of the commissary culture. For tons of military kids, this rite of passage has been their first job and for many retirees it is well needed additional income.
It is a great job for kids to help teach them a good work ethic. My son spent a summer working as a commissary bagger. He quickly found when he hustled and didn’t take too many breaks his income increased proportionately and when he took Burger King breaks, his income decreased especially when he factored in the cost of French fries.
For many retirees on a fixed income the bagging job provides additional income, exercise and a sense of camaraderie. I had one older gentleman whose wife had passed away tell me, “I just needed a reason to get up in the morning.”
Why don’t commissary baggers get paid by the commissary? The big reason is too keep expenses low. At civilian grocery stores, the baggers are paid employees. So no you don’t have to tip but you will typically pay more on your overall bill.
Commissaries now offer lanes where you can bag your own groceries or you can use self-checkout if you don’t wish to pay a tip to a bagger.
According to my son, $5 is considered a good tip. When tipping, consider being generous. Many of the baggers are good kids starting to save for college or a car. How nice to help them meet their goals. I usually tip $5 but if I have a super large load or maybe there is a very compelling story I will double that. So should you tip your commissary bagger? I say yes and generously.
Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse. Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com
Yes, they provide a service, and they should be rewarded. Some are retired people or kids from school, or seniors trying to compensate their income.
Back when………. the size of a tip depended on how many bags one had. example: $1 for each bag. I TIP. I would like to now how others figure out how much to tip.
most baggers at my commissary have been there for eons – I know because we retired here ourselves over 10 yrs ago. we tried getting 2 children jobs with no success, being told the were no openings. I no longer use the baggers – either self- check, use the no bagger lane, or ask to do it myself if there is no one behind me waiting. this is unfortunate because id love to help out a teenager but refuse to help the “regulars” as most are not friendly and tend to be slow anyway. they’d rather chat with the cashier than attend to the customer.
I agree, tipping is important and should be planned as part of your budget for groceries when you shop at the commissary.
My father was in the Air Force and would always tip generously – I married a wonderful man, retired from the Navy and We always tip generously too.
I always tip the baggers. I am low income and know the baggers need the tips ,so i give whatever i can . They deserve it aand always hopeful.
Always helpful deserve to be tipped..
WE really appreciate the baggers at the commissaries we visit. But we are retired & on a limited income as well as the baggers may be so we must stick with 10-15%. We’re never far from the exit & 10 bags at the most. The young kids remind me of my day bagging as I grew up in the USN & married a USMC. Thanks to all the baggers!