I bag my own stuff because I take my own bags, Trader Joe’s, Target, Giant, wherever……. I also grew up in England where you are supposed to bag your own stuff. Was kind of mind blowing when I moved here and had to wait for my stuff to be bagged. Felt rude at first.

I always bag and they always thank me for bagging. Our TJ workers are so friendly and kind, I can’t imagine they feel strongly either way.

Yes, bag with your own bags please. We'll happily bag with our store ones though.

- TJs employee

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They bag as they scan for me

This right here is the dream checkout experience, for me.

One reason I shop at Giant is because I can get a scanner gun and scan as I shop and bag myself and then just breeze through the self checkout by scanning the code on the scanner gun.

Anonymous wrote:Bagging groceries is not difficult.

And yet I had a cashier at Trader Joe’s but all the bottles into one bag (a canvas bag I provided) and jostle/shake the bag to make things settle so he could put more in. Not only did it make the bag very heavy, one of the glass bottles had a crack in it as a result.

So if the cashier is ignorant of how to bag groceries - don’t put all glass items in the same bag, don’t put glass with cans, don’t put all the heavy items into one bag, then I do it.

Anonymous wrote:They bag as they scan for me

This right here is the dream checkout experience, for me.

It's easy for me because my TJ's still won't allow the workers to bag if you bring your own bags. Even though none of the workers have to or are wearing masks.

If I don't feel like bagging, I don't take my bags in. Boom, done.

Bagging groceries is not difficult.

I always say "I will help you bag" and then I do. And every time they say "thank you for your help!"

Why would I stand there waiting while they do extra work and the line behind us gets longer?

Anonymous wrote:You again, from Off Topic?
As a cashier it's their job to ring you up and bag your groceries.

But if you want to bag yourself then do it.

OP here. Uh no, that wasn't me. Thought this was more of a question for the Food forum so it didn't occur to me to cross reference in Off Topic for a similar question.

This was really a TJs specific question- any other store it is very clear to me who is responsible for bagging but TJs always seems all over the place. Sometimes cashers bag as they go other times put it in a big pile and I guess that is when I feel awkward just standing there. But I do wonder if the policy has changed because I feel like there was always a lot of shoppers bagging themselves, especially during the pandemic, and the last couple times felt different, like I wasn't supposed to be.

Oh well- I'm clearly overthinking it and will go hands-off next time!

They bag very efficiently and I don’t get in their way.

Anonymous wrote:I bag because I don't want to wait, and I also have my own way of bagging to make it easier to unload. A few times, the cashier said "thanks for bagging".

What’s your way of bagging?

Anonymous wrote:If it’s a store where I have to bag my own groceries, I won’t go there. I have helped bag groceries when cashiers are extremely busy or baggers are tied up. I wouldn’t go to a store where I’m expected to. No.

Why?

I bag them myself unless the cashier is bagging as they ring them up, or another employee comes over to bag. Pretty often I get thanked for helping with the bagging.

They bag as they scan for me