Anyone else hate when the cashier packs for you?

[Anonymous]

I almost always purposefully choose a line with someone in front of me so I have time to unpack my cart and organize before my stuff is ready to be scanned specifically so I can pack my own stuff (using self checkout at Wegmans at least is for those with small amount of items). Anyway today I got ushered into a newly open line and of course that meant that the person was scanning as soon as I got stuff on the belt and packing for me. Didn’t matter how I grouped things on the belt, she decided they needed to be all mixed up. I like packing like with like, with cold stuff in the cold bags — 1 cold bag for raw meat and the other for all other cold. I like all my produce in one bag. I organized as such on the belt but now I’m left with a mishmash of stuff. Call me particular but this super frustrates me.

Am I alone in this? Sure I could’ve asked her to stop but I didn’t want to hold up the growing line behind me.

[Anonymous]

I use self checkout

[Anonymous]

Give manager feedback. Clerks are trained to pack bags properly.

[Anonymous]

That's one thing about Trader Joe's; they are meticulous with their packing. With that said, I don't really care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I almost always purposefully choose a line with someone in front of me so I have time to unpack my cart and organize before my stuff is ready to be scanned specifically so I can pack my own stuff (using self checkout at Wegmans at least is for those with small amount of items). Anyway today I got ushered into a newly open line and of course that meant that the person was scanning as soon as I got stuff on the belt and packing for me. Didn’t matter how I grouped things on the belt, she decided they needed to be all mixed up. I like packing like with like, with cold stuff in the cold bags — 1 cold bag for raw meat and the other for all other cold. I like all my produce in one bag. I organized as such on the belt but now I’m left with a mishmash of stuff. Call me particular but this super frustrates me.

Am I alone in this? Sure I could’ve asked her to stop but I didn’t want to hold up the growing line behind me.

You’re a pill.

[Anonymous]

Nah I’m lazy and love it when they pack for
Me.

[Anonymous]

I prefer things packed in an organized manner and I organize the belt so that like is with like. But honestly if I’m not at a self checkout, I’m not going to waste energy thinking about the disorganized packing. I mean, My organization system is probably nothing like yours or anyone else’s so you can’t expect a cashier to know what you want done.

[Anonymous]

You might have OCD. Learn to let go what you can't control.

[Anonymous]

I agree. I like to pack things by where they go in my kitchen. I’ve increasingly been using the self checkout for this reason. The machines, at Safeway at least, seem to have improved so it’s not glitching on every other item.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give manager feedback. Clerks are trained to pack bags properly.

No, they are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I almost always purposefully choose a line with someone in front of me so I have time to unpack my cart and organize before my stuff is ready to be scanned specifically so I can pack my own stuff (using self checkout at Wegmans at least is for those with small amount of items). Anyway today I got ushered into a newly open line and of course that meant that the person was scanning as soon as I got stuff on the belt and packing for me. Didn’t matter how I grouped things on the belt, she decided they needed to be all mixed up. I like packing like with like, with cold stuff in the cold bags — 1 cold bag for raw meat and the other for all other cold. I like all my produce in one bag. I organized as such on the belt but now I’m left with a mishmash of stuff. Call me particular but this super frustrates me.

Am I alone in this? Sure I could’ve asked her to stop but I didn’t want to hold up the growing line behind me.

You are not alone. I specifically unload my items so that
(1) the cold items get packed into the insulated bags
(2) they are organized for quick and easy unloading and putting away when I get home and
(3) they don't pack bags too heavily (ie, putting all the cans and jars in the same bag) because I have neck and shoulder and wrist issues.

I even layout the insulated bags followed by the cold items, then the non-insulated bags followed by the rest of the items. And I specifically separate the canned/jarred items into smaller groups with lighter items/boxed items/breads in between so they can go on top of some cans and jars in each bag instead of all the cans and jars going into the same bag. Despite this, cashiers bag items according to how they see fit - usually by putting all of the canned and glass jarred items - and maybe even cartons of milk - in the same bag; filling each bag as much as possible regardless of with what while also being perfectly happy to put one bag of chips in its own bag; and just sticking random items wherever they might fit.

I guess the other commenters on this thread will find me even more impossible a person than OP because I also find it very annoying that cashiers can't figure out the simplest of bagging logic of how to fill a bag of just boxed items like pasta and cereal. Or not to put grapes or strawberries on the bottom underneath heavier items.

I self-check out at Aldi; but Safeway and Giant, not unless I have to. There isn't enough space and there is always an issue, and as I already noted, I have neck and shoulder and wrist issues. Aldi affords more space for multiple bags and maneuvering everything - I don't know, it just does for me so please don't start criticizing me. Sometimes if the cashier hasn't started bagging stuff and I'm done with the unloading and payment machine, I will start bagging or grab bags before they're too heavy. I also ask for certain things as they scan, like "please don't make the bags too heavy" or "could you please put the ____ in the _____ bag" or even "I'll take that" or "that can go in here."

Groceries USED to train their employees how to efficiently bag. When everyone resorted to stupid plastic bags, that stopped and cashiers started putting one already-bagged bread product in a flimsy plastic bag by itself. Now they don't know how to pack a proper bag of groceries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree. I like to pack things by where they go in my kitchen. I’ve increasingly been using the self checkout for this reason. The machines, at Safeway at least, seem to have improved so it’s not glitching on every other item.

+1
In the decades of my doing this, ONE cashier actually noted that I had intentionally organized my groceries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You might have OCD. Learn to let go what you can't control.

Being annoyed by something does not make someone OCD.

[Anonymous]

I like to pack my own bags, but this is why I use self checkout

[Anonymous]

I’m with you OP. I do the same thing. I want to know when I’m standing at the freezer, it all goes in. Not randomly finding a tub of ice cream under a bag of chips and pasta heading for the pantry. I sort by weight/fragility and temp and load them onto the belt that way. Most typically it is men who bag for me willy nilly. I assume it is because they have done less family grocery shopping. I’ve learned to speak up when I see it happening from the start. “I’m loading things onto the belt the category/order I’d like them packed” and in my case “I find the cans pack easier on their side vs standing up” in as neutral a tone as I can. If they check my eggs, I always say thank you loudly and clearly for them doing so.