Cashiers/Baggers...A Question

[persephone]

....hey.....I just noticed the Cashier at WallyWorld put my GALLON of milk into a bag..... gu-wha'? KASDGJWLUISDGK>LHDGH IT'S GOT A HANDLE!!!

The only thing I can think of is that it makes it easier to carry if you are trying to carry multiple bags at once. I know when I used to grocery shop with the bus as my only means of transportation, I NEEDED the milk in a bag because that way I could carry the milk AND other bags of groceries. Otherwise, it was one hand just for the milk.

But the baggers where I am tend to ask if I want the milk in a bag or not. Since I take my own bags, I say yes, because it makes it easier to get the groceries into the house in less trips.

[Kogarashi]

Aethian, I think either way is fine. Your system indicates you have a preference without you needing to tell the cashier. Your mom's way gets all the bags to the cashier at once so he/she has them ready. The only time I dislike being handed all the bags at once is when the customer waits until I've bagged half their stuff before saying, "No, no, I want it bagged this way!" If the customer has a bagging preference, I prefer they tell me at the start so I can bag it right from the get-go. Same goes with the plastic bags for people who are taking the bus or walking instead of driving a car home. Just let the cashier know in advance if you have bagging preferences (i.e. "Please bag them lightly; I have to walk"), and that should be enough.

When I go shopping with my reusables, I make sure to group things together on the belt how I would like them bagged, but mostly leave that up to the cashier. I just ask them, "Fit as much as you can in each bag; it's fine if they're heavy." The few times I've put the bags with the parts of my purchases that I wanted bagged together (similar to your method, Aethian), the cashier just ignored it and piled all the bags up at once.

As for milk in the bag at Walmart, I've cashiered there several times and was never told that it needs to go into a bag as proof of payment. Most cashiers don't bother asking and just bag everything, often because that's what they're told to do. I usually asked if the customer wanted their milk in a bag, because invariably if I bagged it, they'd take it out, and if I didn't, they'd ask for a bag. I'd also ask this question for other things like impulse-rack candy and 20-oz. drinks. So for those of you whose milk gets bagged when you don't want/need it, if the cashier doesn't ask when they start to scan the milk, just ask them not to bag it.