I'm not saying that the baggers weren't at fault. I know several of my coworkers that call out "sick" or hide somewhere in the store.
However, if you're a veteran cashier, baggers are told to help the newer cashiers because the customers are cranky because the new cashiers are slower. Also, baggers get called for every spill in the store, and with all the crazy people during the holidays, there are a ton of spills. Half the time this season, we don't get a break until the last hour of our shifts and most of us are running 6+ hours shifts so we go on bathroom breaks for a minute.
The buggies are probably in use. At my store, we're lucky enough to have some of the ancient buggies as well as the newer models so we pull the Ancients out during holiday season, but we still can't keep up. Plus in the mornings, only one person is outside on lot. If you're at a Marketplace like me, we need 2 people usually. Holidays, they really should schedule 4 people because we can tell when there's a rush while we're on lot. We'll have just emptied most of the corrals, and then they'll be full. That doesn't count the buggies that we have to go grab from the other parts of lot that aren't our's but are at the other end of the shopping strip.
Please be patient with your baggers during the holiday season. The good ones are probably doing the work of 3 while listening to the managers and whoever they bring to the front to assist with bagging fuss at how slow they are.
DO NOT start the next person's order if the bagger hasn't cleared the belt. I don't know how many times I've had my hand crushed because the cashier keeps turning the belt back on and I'm trying to keep two people's orders separate. It does take a little time to separate, colds from dry and such. Plus if they have breakable like dishware or decorations, sh!t that's another couple of seconds there getting that wrapped and in the buggy securely.
And help bag ginormous orders. It goes by faster and keeps lines moving if TWO people help bag once the order is rung up. I use to be a cc so I know what they go through.
a lot of our baggers are great.. but some are so so bad. half the time (im a cashier) i bag 70% of the stuff after i ring it because they take so long..maybe they do that cause they know im gonna bag stuff
When I was a courtesy, I was bagging for this one guy. He's a nice guy, don't get me wrong but he NEVER helps bag. EVER when he had a bagger. The ONLY time he bags is when he has no bagger. One time, I was bagging this order large enough to feed the entire navy and military 3x over, the customer asked him "how about helping bag before starting another order?"
Naturally he helped because it was just me and the customer bagging.
It was all I could do not to laugh at this checker.
I was a CC before becoming a cashier and I understand where you're coming from. I always help out (if the bagger needs it), but sometimes there's only a few items down there, the line is 4 deep, and we just need to start. I'm sure some cashiers are real jerks about it, but from my end there needs to be a bit more speed sometimes.
I always help out my CCs. It wasn't a long time ago that I was still a CC so I have worked with unpleasant cashiers whom would start a new order right away without helping bag the previous order.
Heck sometimes now, even though my position is techinically cashier with the company, I still get scheduled as a CC.
It is amazing how even most of your co-workers will not help with a task because they are lazy or just don't want to.
And try expect you to help them. If you don't... Heaven help you.
It should be a 2 way thing. It's SUPPOSED to be a team. There is no I or U in team. And it should NOT be "we are a team, now YOU do the work.
That's why I ALWAYS clean up after myself if I can, and if I see spills in my area, I always clean it rather than let it sit until a courtesy comes in for his/her shift
And try expect you to help them. If you don't... Heaven help you. It should be a 2 way thing. It's SUPPOSED to be a team. There is no I or U in team. And it should NOT be "we are a team, now YOU do the work.
One of the most important skills you need to learn while working at Kroger is how to ignore supervisors and managers harassing you to work faster/better. You get paid the same regardless of how productive you are. Don't do anything to completely screw over others around you, but don't get too invested. If they want people to care about their job, they should pay them more and treat them better.
