Posted By ThaiGuy on 01-14-2012 12:24 PM

Posted By Frank on 01-14-2012 12:03 PM

If you don't mind tipping them extra for the service of taking the groceries out to your car, it probably would have been better if you said 'yes' when they asked.  I'm guessing the teenage boy with $20 worth of stuff said yes.

Excellent observation.

Baggers can't win for loosing. No matter what they do someone complains. If a bagger assumes someone wants help to their car they are accused of being greedy and just wanting a tip since the customer is perfectly capable of loading up their own groceries. If a bagger asks if someone wants help they are accused not wanting to help since they didn't just assume. If a bagger takes a teens $20 worth of groceries to the car they are accused of being up to something. Seriously?!

As for the teen, I know my teen lets them load up even a small load of groceries. I had no idea some people would take issue with that. Geesh.....

Posted By Groovie on 01-14-2012 12:39 PM
Baggers can't win for loosing. No matter what they do someone complains. If a bagger assumes someone wants help to their car they are accused of being greedy and just wanting a tip since the customer is perfectly capable of loading up their own groceries. If a bagger asks if someone wants help they are accused not wanting to help since they didn't just assume. If a bagger takes a teens $20 worth of groceries to the car they are accused of being up to something. Seriously?!

As for the teen, I know my teen lets them load up even a small load of groceries. I had no idea some people would take issue with that. Geesh.....

I hear ya.  When did our Society decide to start getting angry over the simple things.  Get over it.  The baggers work for the Tip, the commissary doesn't pay them, the Base doesn't pay them, it's the customer that pays them.  Speak with your Tip, Tip well for good service, Tip small for poor service, and call it a day.  

"ZOMBIE TIPPING" = the act of commissary customers taking out the exact same amount of money and placing it in the baggers Tip Box before checking to see if the work was done to satisfaction.

Most of you seem to really care about the people who don't give a (expletive) about you at all, esp. here in Yokosuka. You're being mind f*ck3d by cold stares and standoffish people.

To the OP, I would have been irate with that bagger, screw being the better person in that situation.

If I'm going to tip, I'm going to tip while they're bagging. If they want to take it out to my truck and I don't want them to, I tell them that I got it and that I'll bring the cart back to them. If they don't like it, tough cookies. It seems like this kindler gentler Navy has rubbed off wayyy too much to the point that people feel awkward standing up for themselves.

Yes, the baggers are people and work for tips, but the customer is always right...or has that changed too? I really don't care if they stare me down or talk in their native tongue to another bagger about me. When I'm there, if they don't seem willing to help, then I do my own thing w/o regard for their feelings.

Do yourself a favor and stop acting like they care about you, they don't. They just want your money. (again, speaking from personal experience in Yokosuka).

Do yourself a favor and stop acting like they care about you, they don't. They just want your money. (again, speaking from personal experience in Yokosuka).

Perhaps it may have something to do with your attitude toward them? Granted we have only been here a few months but I've yet to have a bad or even slightly unpleasant experience with the baggers in Yokosuka.

Please don't think that my attitude in my reply on a forum to get some peoples heads out of their colon is the same as it is in person. Most people don't like the truth because they've been receiving sugar coated versions all their life. Time to wake up. Anyway, as for my attitude towards the baggers, I have never had an overly bad experience, it has all been relatively pleasant. On the other hand, I have had a few cold stares and looks of evil when I tell them I can push my own cart, but I don't let it get to me, and keep on my way. I don't take sh!t from whether it's verbal or non-verbal. Their sad faces or mean faces don't make me change my mind.

As everyone else has stated. If they do a good job, then I'll tip them, but if they want to stand in my way to try and squeeze an extra buck out of me...sorry for ya, cuz it isn't happening.

Having said all of that, I do tip a couple bucks every time I shop at the commissary, unless I don't have cash.

While getting provisions, sundries, and the like at the so-called Commissary, The Commodore on more than one occasion has observed the following behavior, to wit: when I decide to stop being a tight-wad and use the regular check-out counters, while the Storekeeper is counting your change, s/he will invariably state, "Do you want some dollars as change?" It is obvious that this is a hint to make sure you let loose some of the hard-earned cash and give some to their bagger buddies.

And now that you've got me started, how 'bout when 2-3 of the self-check out lines are out of commission?

And they're always out of the unsweetened Soy Milk too! You gotta' love it. That is all ...

I have been wanting to reply to this line of comments but unsure what I want to say.....

First of all I want to say that I think the there are two (or more) big differences here at the comissary compared to the states:

One is the fact that a large amount of the population does not have a car. That rarely happens in the states at the places I have been stationed.
So I think that makes it kind of awkward for the customers and baggers because there is a need to communicate the desire of what to do with the groceries instead of the the normal assumption that they bagger just follows you to the car and receive their tip in person.


Second difference, it is against the rules and highly discouraged for the regular shopping carts to leave the store. I now understand the reasoning behind this rule but it is just strange. It seems like they would rather have you take the bagger's cart to the car. Let me tell you (and i am sure many of you know this already) but you cannot touch those carts in the states!!!! You definately would get the evil eye if you pushed it yourself to the car. Those are the baggers carts and hands off. The other hard part is there is hardly any place to put those carts back. There is only one place to place the cart in the parking lot and that is really for the NEX carts. So again an interaction and comminication is needed between the customer and bagger.

Another difference is the fact that there seems to be a large number of new to the navy or young spouses who are just not use to the way things are at the commisary. For us spouses who have been around for over 10 years tipping the baggers has just become part of the Commisary Shopping Experience. Though I have to admit since the commisarry is so convient to where I live here in Japan and I am in the area all the time, I end up using the self-check out most of the time to avoid the whole tipping thing and believe it has probably saved me over $50 in the past four months already.

So to end this commentary I guess I just have to say, probably the best way to handle the whole bagger situation is to perhaps be nice and friendly and upfront about your plan for getting those bags to their destination. If you plan to take a cart from the store to your house or car then bring in one of the blue NEX ones. Also, I think if you enter the liine with attitude you are going to get attitude back. If you interact with the baggers with friendliness and appreciation then you will get better customer service.

Since I use a Navy Federal debit card, I can not get cash back (it has to be run as credit). Therefore, I rarely have cash when I go to the commissary.

I don't understand why more people don't speak up about things and come here to complain instead. I am straight with the baggers. When I don't have cash, I tell them, "I don't have ANY cash. I'm so sorry." and they are more often than not happy to let me push the cart myself out to my car. I've never been challenged or argued with. One lady gave me a dirty stare once, but I have more things to do with my life than fume over a dirty stare.

At all commissaries across the US, the baggers are very insistent about helping you out to your car. Subbase Bangor in Washington State hands down took the cake for the most pushy baggers. The least pushy would be in Cornado, where I took my groceries out to the car every time I shopped there and no one ever asked if I needed help.

I believe the baggers are required to offer to bring your stuff to your vehicle. So even if you have very little, they offer because they are supposed to.

Also, when I was a young single soldier, I had them bring my stuff to the car quite a bit because I could afford to tip. I mean, I guess we can afford to tip now but we have a stricter budget, so I normally just tip for bagging and bring my own stuff to the car.

I think it'd be rude for them to not ask to help you to the car. And if you worked for tips only, you'd probably offer every person help. The more you offer, the more chance of getting paid...which is why most people tend to work...I wouldn't work for free...

I just look at it that I am fortunate to have a really good job that allows me to help my fellow humans by giving them $2 to $3 a week when they carry my groceries. Its not really a big deal, although yeah some of the people are not very nice. I dont let it affect me and dont let those people give me a bad impression of all of them because some are actually really nice.

Posted By Blacklabel on 01-17-2012 5:03 PM
I just look at it that I am fortunate to have a really good job that allows me to help my fellow humans by giving them $2 to $3 a week when they carry my groceries. Its not really a big deal, although yeah some of the people are not very nice. I dont let it affect me and dont let those people give me a bad impression of all of them because some are actually really nice.

"Like" 

...part of the baggers responsibility is to also bring the cart back into the store...

The self check out's are great, if you don't want to tip then those are a good option that you don't have to feel guilty about using...

Mrs. Leonard I apologize that you had such a bad experience with your bagger in Pensacola and I hope your situation has been dealt with professionally and correctly. Also, I am sorry that your thread has been upstaged by what appears to be Yokosuka.

For those of you in Yokosuka, I apologize for my lack of any response as I was not aware of this thread until today. Many of you have the jest of the baggers no matter their location. All baggers that work on military bases at commissaries work for tips only and are not employees of the commissary itself. In the Yokosuka Commissary there are only two collection boxes at Register 1 (Express) and Register 2. Any collection points you see at other registers are strictly there for your convienence. Baggers ask if you need help to your car no matter how many groceries you purchase at the request of management. Several years ago we had complaints from customers about how the baggers did not bring their groceries to the car so the request was added. Even if you use the service of the baggers you are not required to tip, but it is appreciated to tip if you use their service. If the service is in anyway rude, disrepectful or down right wrong, please bring it tothe attention of management so it can be addressed. Many times complaints are handled behind the scenes so as not to humilate any individual but all complaints are taken seriously.

I have also noticed questions about the cart policy. To the best of my knowledge here is the Yokosuka Policy on carts. I will explain afterwards.

1. We ask that customers do not bring the regular shopping carts out of the commissary.
2. Bagger carts are allowed to be used by customers.
3. NEX carts are allowed in the commissary for the strict purpose of them being taken out by the customer.

The Yokosuka Commissary has a limited amount of shopping carts like all commissaries world wide. I honestly cannot speak for all commissaries but for the ones I have personnally worked for Yokosuka has been one of the most convienent in terms of being close to housing. You walk across any street then you are in housing. For example Atsugi you will have almost a 20 minute walk to get to the first house. Fort Wainwright in Alaska you need to take a car to get there, I believe Pensacola is the same way. My parents live in Pensacola and they have a 30 minute drive when they go. Anyways back on point, due to this perk of living on Yokosuka it is very easy to take a shopping cart home with you with the intent of brining it back later. However what is normally the case is that your shopping trip is once a week and there are way more people on this base then we have shopping carts. I am not saying all of our customers are doing this but as is normally the case the small bad spoil it for everyone else. So our baggers and staff do mention that carts cannot be taken out of the store and it does sound like a broken record. However, to my knowledge we havenever actually stopped anyone from removing a cart from the store. We will just ask that you bring it back once your groceries are out of it. This is not to help us out, but the fellow customers that also need a shopping cart. I know someone one mentioned that we should hire someone to collect the carts, we have tried that in the past and it worked to an extent. They were only able to pick up from the parking lot on both sides of the building. You can see the further issue with this.

I believe I have rambled on enough for this time. And once again apologize that something directly from the commissary has not been said before now.

I really hope nobody 'feels sorry for' the baggers.. Has anyone else ever thought about how much money they actually DO make in tips? Some people have said they tip $5, well, they've served you for about 5 minutes. Compare that to a minimum wage job, and its insane.
I give a little in the tip basket at the counter then a little to the one carrying out my bags (never had them do that for me before I had kids, haha now its very appreciated).