Yesterday I swung by the local grocery store (small family-owned place) and was somewhat embarrassed when the girl bagging my groceries started to take my cart and push it out of the store!!! I mean yeah, I have a lot of gray in the ol' beard and my hair is looking pretty unkempt but I didn't think I looked feeble!!! Anyway, I was like "Oh hey, no! I got this, thanks!"

Maybe she just wanted to get away from the cashier or take a break outside.

But it got me thinking...young kid, probably not a lot of hours, maybe she was looking for a tip? Do they tip baggers when they do that? I have the vaguest memory of my dad tipping kids back in the 70s.

Allen, it’s 2024. Everyone gets a tip.

Seriously, they usually get a buck. I’ve only let them push my cart for a couple trips after I had hernia surgery.

Back in the 1970s, as a teenager, I worked for a chickenshit grocery store (Minimax) as a “sacker” just north of Houston. They had a policy prohibiting employees from taking tips. They also, I came to find out, had a policy against employees getting a quick drink of water from the water fountain if they weren’t on break. I decided I had a policy against working for assholes.

Even back in ye olden days very few people offered a tip, and we routinely carried groceries out to people’s cars.

These days I will tip any young person who shows a willingness to work. I have a good looking young gal at the liquor store who always helps carry my purchases to my truck. I always seem to need more than I can carry and I can be an impulse purchaser in the liquor store. I will always tip her a couple bucks. Tipping helps encourage the work attitude. Same thing whenever we go anywhere and we get service always tip.

Our Fareway grocery stores follow the people out too their cars for many reasons.

The primary reason is to get the carts back in the store and not at the bus stop ,two blocks away.

I tip generously around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If she wheeled your cart out there and placed your groceries in your car, I'd say $3. That would buy her a tall coffee at Starbuck's. If she just wheeled them out there, perhaps only $2. JMHO. I've ALWAYS been a generous tipper.

When I was growing up, I remember the baggers wheeling groceries out to cars all the time (for other people), or would at least ask if you wanted them to. Because mother was a penny-pinching DEMON and didn't want to tip, I don't ever remember her ever accepting to have the groceries wheeled out...pfff...she had me and my brother. And the kids were probably getting a quarter or MAYBE $0.50 at most in the 60's and 70's.

In high school, I worked at a local family owned grocery store in small town America, as a "sacker". It was expected that we would take their cart to the car, and help them load it. Also, yes, we frequently got tips. Two or three dollars was common, on rare occasions I'd be tipped five bucks.

Publix here in Florida has baggers at the check out. They will ask if you want help getting your groceries to your car.
They are not aloud to take tips and at one point they even had a button on their shirt saying no "tipping" or something like that.

This allows then to not only get out of the store for a few minutes, but also allows them to get the shopping carts in the parking lot back into the store.

Maybe she was just trying to be nice.

Slim chance, but it can still happen. I honestly don't recall the last time I saw a bag person.

quote:

Originally posted by 71 TRUCK:
Publix here in Florida has baggers at the check out. They will ask if you want help getting your groceries to your car.
They are not aloud to take tips and at one point they even had a button on their shirt saying no "tipping" or something like that.

This allows then to not only get out of the store for a few minutes, but also allows them to get the shopping carts in the parking lot back into the store.

That is true I shop mostly at Publix and generally I push my own cart unless it's a super nice day and I'll ask if they would like to get of the store for a bit, usually get a nice laugh and yes, so I'll agree. I've offered tips and they say no they can't, same for the Kroger Grocery delivery person, they are not allowed to take tips either.

In the Ingles store there are signs explicitly saying no tipping. They generally ask if you want help going out. I decline, even when I was recovering from an injury and wearing a walking boot.

The Publix store policy is no tipping, but that doesn't affect me, as I prefer to handle my own groceries. There's usually an employee or two roaming the parking lot, rounding up carts to take back to the store, but if not, I take mine back.

Agreeing about publix and their prominently posted no tipping policy and those kids generally seem to be on the nice and polite and “going somewhere in life” end of the teen spectrum.

Granted I still am not super comfortable constantly being called sir but I understand it’s a cultural thing. I am glad my son picked it up very quickly and calls everyone sir or ma’am even if they are just a few years old than him.

Depending on product needed I also shop Winn Dixie as well as the budget grocery place or Walmart. Never have I been asked for help out to my car with any of those places.

Wal Mart fires people for accepting tips,
According to the employees I spoke with in the parking lot.

When I was a bagboy at Publix, I wanted to choose whether to accept tips,
but our despised assistant-assistant manager (code named "Roach") insisted that baggers can't be choosers.

I think that is a nice thing. Especially for the elderly and women. Happens here. No one expects tips. So I do not think it is a thing. Just doing their job. That may be bit old fashioned but I do not care. I tip generously if we get good service on an occasional out to eat situations. Other than that. no.

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:
When I was a bagboy at Publix, I wanted to choose whether to accept tips,
but our despised assistant-assistant manager (code named "Roach") insisted that baggers can't be choosers.

I hadn't realized that I haven't heard a store employee offer to help someone to their vehicle in many years... though I have seen Trader Joe's employees help some elderly people out.

I remember as a child that it was a regular offer when my siblings and I would go with my mom to the grocery store... but I can see how that is more likely scenario where help would be appreciated.

Thankfully I apparently still appear able-bodied enough to not elicit the offers from the checkers and baggers. I'll take that as a win.

Of course buying online and having it brought out to your car has eliminated most of the contact between checkout people and the customer. I watched the process one day while sitting in Wal Mart parking lot while the wife was inside getting a prescription. Lady with a couple kids in the back pulls into the designated spot remotely opens the tailgate on the suv while Wal Mart worker comes out with her cart. Puts all the groceries in suv and walks away while the tailgate closes. Not a word spoken between the customer and worker.

My daily day to day grocery store here, Crest Foods, always has a person sacking up/bagging up the groceries and putting in the cart/buggy.

They always ask everyone if they need help getting the groceries to the car. I almost always say no, but when I sprained a muscle, I'd go with it. They are always so polite and helpful (great training).

I struggled with if I should tip or not, and how much, but realizing some had to take that job to make ends meet, I usually give a $5 bill. It's only a few dollars and it's worth it. They bust their ass taking care of people.
That is a real eye opener to once again see good customer service, especially compared to what is normal/typical nowadays. Walmart is across the street and Crest just beats the pants off of walmart in the customer service, and prices are very good. Win Win.
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