Gemmo

Noticing many differences between UK and US service all around, but mostly in diners and such. When I go to the supermarket I have to fight with the staff to bag my own things - very used to doing this from home. Staff often get offended when I bag my own shopping, even if I say I'd prefer to bag my own items. Any way of getting around this without appearing rude?
Bagging by the staff usually results in using 10x more bags than needed.. which gets my goat.

tom169

Acquire some bags for life and give them to the cashier to use. That is the best of both worlds IMO.

Nutmegger

Just say “Would you be kind enough to fit the items into as few bags as possible? Thanks!”

Or as has been mentioned, take reusable bags to the store.

tom169

Another option is self checkout in many large stores.

Gemmo

Thanks everyone, bags for life.. good idea.

BristolUK

Find a supermarket where they do it better than you do.

One chain here is poor to average while another chain is very good. One particular store within the very good chain has a few world class packers. They survey your stuff, look at what reusable bags you have and they must have a computer for a brain because everything is such a good fit with no wasted space and no inappropriate mixing.

Maste

The bagging bugs me - one bag for a heavy vegetable only anyone? We started using self checkout, or my girlfriend will wait for the stuff whilst I go and stand away from the atrocious bagging! lol

robtuck

We brought all our Uk Bags over! Sometimes, usually Walmart, they ignore the request and my wife will un-bag and re-bag.

Publix makes me chuckle - having the cashier and the bagger, who will ask us if we need help getting the two or three bags to the car. It's quaint, until you are in a queue of 4 people and they don't use the second member of staff to open another aisle.

Rete

When I lived in Westchester County, NY, my favorite grocery store was Stop & Shop. They hire people with disabilities to be baggers. Yes, they can be wasteful when it comes to packaging too few items in a plastic bag. However, it gives a job to someone with Down's who might not be able to find employment elsewhere and the plastic bags can be brought back to the shop on the next visit and put in the bin where they will be sent off to be recycled.

Even if you don't have a store that hires those with disabilities as baggers, they should have an area where you can return those pesky plastic bags.

I use reusable bags when I shop. Since they aren't hanging on the rack for the cashier to bag, I get to bag myself.

If I forget the bags, I can keep an eye on the register and check the scanned prices of items which many things are wrong so I can catch these errors.

Nutmegger

The baggers are often instructed not to make the bags too heavy, which is why you should tell them your preference. I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum— after an injury a few years ago I can only lift the lightest of bags out of the cart. Why don’t folks just say what they want, rather than doing a slow burn!

kimilseung

Self checkout solved it for me.

lansbury

If that's all you have got to worry about in life, you are lucky.

Rete

S Folinsky

Here in California, plastic bags are illegal, and paper bags are 10¢ each. So most people use reusable bags.

It is OK to give directions to the baggers. We do that all the time.

Let's not get into self-service gasoline. In Oregon and New Jersey it is illegal. In Monroe County, New York, iself-service gasoline requires the customer to hold the nozzle while pumping.

Anian

If you want your bags packed quickly and well, choose a checkout with a young man. If you want it done slowly where they put refrigerated things with shampoo, then an old woman is your best bet. Every time I put it on the conveyor in order and they mix it up, making it a hassle to unpack.