Commissary Baggers

[Kitty Meow]

How much do you guys tip those baggers at the commissary?

[Asshat]

How much do you guys tip those baggers at the commissary?

Two US dollars.

[Nomad]

I usually tip five dollars. Sometimes, if I only have four or five bags, I'll tip three.
I probably overtip, but they always seem happy to see me!

[OkinawaStud]

2 Bucks usually. Sometimes if they are really nice i will give them 5.

[Trail]

I'm generous. I tip $2 to the baggers and $3 to who ever comes out to the car.

[P_chan]

Normally I give them three. But if I go shopping for our snack fund at work and I buy a lot of stuff, I give them more. One time I gave them ten bucks! Of course, we had a ton of shit, and the money wasn't my money.

[Trail]

.... the money wasn't my money.

That always helps! :w00t:

[DougP]

I gave the dude a 20 a couple of weeks ago. He looked pretty shocked.:) I was in a good mood and I usually only hit the commissary once every 3 years.

[nana24]

i tip them $2 or $3
shoot they'd be making hell lotta money just about them tips all day!

[Bajanguy]

I usually tip them $2-$5 when i go there or what change i have in my car which usually comes out to be around $2-$3.

[innovaznn]

about 50 cents...or so. If it falls on a pay day and they do a real great job, I'll tip about a dollar..

[shawncot]

If they carry my stuff out to the car, I tip $2 to $3 dollars. If I am only buying a few items and they try to get me to carry it to the car, I usually tip them $1. I expect them to carry the stuff to the car.

When we first got here, we were staying in Hershy TLF, and the kids that bagged our Groceries walked them all the way to the room. We tipped him $20.

[Black Orchid]

depends.. 2-5 bucks
if i dont have any money then i cant because i used my debit card sometimes
sometimes they dont pack very well they put the meat with the yogurt one time i wasnt happy with that

[Sex Wax]

I usually give them $2 and a shot of Tequila i keep in the car for emergencies.

[christina0580]

I usually tip $5 when i do my big payday shopping

[quiltpig]

I usually tip $4. I only give $2 if I only have a couple of bags and carry them myself. I only shop at the Courtney commisary, and there one person tends to both bag and take the stuff to the car. Sometimes two will do it, but I guess I'm cheap since I still only tip $4.:D

[swindland]

I usually tip 2-5 bucks. It also depends if I got lots of groceries.

[Dark_Ronin]

1 dollar for bagger.

[smhersweetie]

Alright...I usually tip like 2 bux to the person who walks out with me. Now are we suppose to tip them seperately?? Like the one's that bag them and the one that walks out the cart? Cause I usually tip the person that goes outside with me only..didn't know I was suppose to tip the baggers too. Am I missing something here?

[billhilly]

Last trip, left a 5 in the tip box inside. No one else was there. Two people packed my few bags. Oji carted them out to my car. Nice day. No rain or TC condition. I thought the 5 would cover it. NOPE! Old man say.."What? No tip?" I said I left a 5 in the box. "No, no, no. You tip"
My answer...I got a tip for ya'....
I was cursed at in hogen. Yeah! Again.
My solution. Hold the tip cash in your hand. Who ever wants it....carry my stuff to my car. I'll give it to you when you are done crushing my bread and makeing omlettes out of my egg carton. Shampoo with cheese. Chips with laundry detergent.:cursing:

[DOCROB]

I have never had a problem with the Baggers, I give them $2-$3 and I'm gone.

[shawncot]

Gotta agree hold on to the cash until they are done!

[proudtobnotpc]

I usually give them $2 and a shot of Tequila i keep in the car for emergencies.

Can I be your personal bagger?

[socalheart]

I used to tip $1 inside for the bagger and $2-3 dollars for the carrier regardless of how much I purchased. Then my husband reminded me that they work purely for tips and then split it with the other baggers/carriers on that register. So, I tip them a little better now depending on how much stuff I have to bag and carry.

If I only have a few bags worth, I use the self checkout. If I have about half a cart of larger items, I tip the bagger $2 and the carrier $3. If we do the full cart and sodas bit, we tip $3 inside and $5 outside. (I say "we" at the end there, because I'm not carrying all that stuff up to the apartment by myself. heh.)

[Sex Wax]

Dang socal...i'll meet you at the store and carry your bags for that much...lol

[okisteve]

OK, so I have never seen this system of baggers who work for tips on the bases, but I have seen people scrabbling for tips in some African countries, so to me it all sounds pretty sad. I guess they can make more than scrounging recyclables that way, but it seems like a throwback to colonial times.

[Nomad]

I always hold onto my money until they've loaded the car, and then I tip them. They go inside and stick it in the tip can anyway, so I don't bother trying to split it in separate chunks for bagger and car loader. I hate it when I put the money in the can and they don't see it...I feel like they think I'm a jerk when they finish loading the car and there's no money in my hand.

[Texanoverseas]

Here is what i don't understand. I normally tip both inside and out. However a few weeks ago I noticed that there is a surcharge on every thing. I asked the cashier and they could not tell me what it was for can you? Just look on one of your receipt its on there. The more you buy the more it is. Is this to make up for those people that do not tip? I thnk it is more like a tax myself

[Rossi46]

I normally drop 3 bucks in the bucket at the counter and tip the guy loading em in my truck 2 dollars

[farmgirl]

How often do you guys shop? We usually put $1 for less than $100 of groceries and $2 for more than $100. The baggers have always been very kind and have unloaded my cart onto the conveyor belt for me on occasion. A few of them have commented that they appreciate that we are using the green, reusable bags.

[watzitoou]

On the 1st of each month, I use all my WIC checks for the month and tip them 500 yen or $5.00. Except for the Filipina that is always on her cell talking taking her sweet ass time, the last few times I gave her 2yen! That pissed her off.

During the case lot sale, I tipped the kid $25.00!! I had 6 carts...:ohmy:

[carlw33]

Alright I tip 5 everytime unless of course I carry my own or go through express where they just bag it and you carry then they get 1-2. My wife used to be a bagger at Ft Bliss here is how they do it. The person that carts you bags out and puts them in the car is the one you tip. Once the bagger is done loading your car they go back inside and wait to help bag with another bagger. They won't go out until they have rotated back to a spot where they take your bags out again. So they have a rotation sysytem. They help bag then bag and cart out your bags and come back and get back in the rotation. The express lines they only bag and you tip them in the tip bin. None of the money they get goes to the commissary. That surcharge is to cover cost to run the commissary. The bagger work for tips only and work the hours they want.

[shawncot]

How often do you guys shop?

We end up shopping a few times a week at least!

[Go-Shay]

Pay the baggers, maybe you did not see the sign that says "baggers work for tips only" stop being stingy

[proudtobnotpc]

Pay the baggers, maybe you did not see the sign that says "baggers work for tips only" stop being stingy

dude they made a choice to work there right? why I'm obligated by their choice?

[Lursyobwoc]

I usually tip $5 but it depends on how much I get. If I get one thing and go through the express, I don't normally tip.

[Nomad]

I think they pool their tips here, though. I've stood at the front of the Comm and watched baggers come back in from loading someone's car, and they put the money into the can. That would kind of irritate me if I was working a shift with a lazy person and they got just as much at the end of the day.

I go to the Comm three or four times a week, so I suppose I'm adding about $20 a week to my grocery bill. I always try to err on the side of tipping too much thanks to my years of waiting tables when I was younger...

[okisteve]

Still seems weird to me since tipping is so totally uncommon in Japan. Do servers in the base restaurants expect tips?

[Son Kokujin]

Depends on the bagger's attitude...5 bucks if they were cool and carried it to the cab or car, 3 if not, and zilch if they said something stupid about me in Nihongo...I study the language, so most folks get it.

By the way, shmersweetie...nice pic:eek: kinda reminds me of the Shining...female version! LOL!

[P_chan]

I used to work for tips so I always give them at least 3 bucks. I used to give them 5 all the time, but then the wife started to go with me. She called me baka for giving them so much.

[mikersoft]

I hate it when I put the money in the can and they don't see it...

:) That reminds me of this episode of Seinfeld..

-Mike

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hJ8utTFzjG4&feature=related

[GoochBomber]

i put a 5 in the bucket and wheel the cart out myself...never had a problem

[Burado]

at least 2 bucks. sometimes more if i have a butt load of stuff

[Nomad]

Mike...that clip is AWESOME!!! That is exactly what I'm talking about! When I only have a couple of bags and I'm carrying them to the car myself, I put the tip in the can...but I do it very slooooowly so they see that I'm not a cheapass who made them work and then stiffed them.

[zeldan]

I'm cheap. Only five <3

[okinawa]

Do they split the money? If they don't thats like 2-5 bucks every 5-10 mins. So the least they can get is 10 bucks an hour and the most 250. Thats pretty good money for putting items in a bag. Its not like they have union dues or anything.

And if they have to spread the money out. Then hire less.

Ive also seen some of the baggers who don't hold IDs shop inside the commissary.

[NaNaKo]

I tip 10% of what I have bought. I figure the more I buy, the more they have to bag and load.

[slickmetal]

depends.. 2-5 bucks
if i dont have any money then i cant because i used my debit card sometimes
sometimes they dont pack very well they put the meat with the yogurt one time i wasnt happy with that

theres always cash back option! Well the minimum is 5$ in the new system vs you actuallty telling them how much you want to be charged, IE 3$ over etc :( :(


when i there for just a few light things I use self checkout - i bet that dosent make them happy.

But usual is 3-5$ always 5 if its raining at all.

[Courtney]

Depends... If i go and dont get to much, im cheap and I tip $1
When I do my BIG shopping twice a month and spend about $300+, I tip the guy 5-7$

[Oki alumni]

First, you'll have to get stationed at Yokota. WE've got self-service thank God. Wish we'd had something similar all along. At one time, you COULD bag your own groceries, but it was a royal pain in the ass, and you always felt rushed so the next person could do THEIR groceries. Self-service makes it pain-less, tip YOURSELF as much or as little as you like, and get NO nasty looks! Lots of free time for baggers here!!!:smile4:

-Oki Alumni

[Tyru]

First, you'll have to get stationed at Yokota. WE've got self-service thank God. Wish we'd had something similar all along. At one time, you COULD bag your own groceries, but it was a royal pain in the ass, and you always felt rushed so the next person could do THEIR groceries. Self-service makes it pain-less, tip YOURSELF as much or as little as you like, and get NO nasty looks! Lots of free time for baggers here!!!:smile4:

-Oki Alumni

We have self-serve here and I make sure that I don't buy more than 20 items at a time and never have to worry about tipping. I hate tipping. My mom was a waitress for over 20 years and I was a waiter for 4-5.

Before self-serve, we would tip $0.25 a bag. Wife's friend was a bagger in CO and she said that is average.

I don't think people should not over tip. If in doubt use the 10- 20% rules.

[NotSoAverageWife]

I take the cash with me outside, when they are done loading it...I usually give 2$. I make a commissary run every week. So I don't have super big loads.

[Tyru]

I take the cash with me outside, when they are done loading it...I usually give 2$. I make a commissary run every week. So I don't have super big loads.

my load size depends on how often my wife lets me go to the "market"!!!:thumbup:

[Oki alumni]

We have self-serve here and I make sure that I don't buy more than 20 items at a time and never have to worry about tipping. I hate tipping. My mom was a waitress for over 20 years and I was a waiter for 4-5.

Before self-serve, we would tip $0.25 a bag. Wife's friend was a bagger in CO and she said that is average.

I don't think people should not over tip. If in doubt use the 10- 20% rules.

Maybe we're luckier here at Yokota than I thought! We've got 2 stands for 20 or less items and 2 more for 40 or less items! They're not normally extremely busy, but I get to shop while everyone else is working or otherwise occupied. ;)

Like you, I've worked on the receiving end for tips too and "cheap Charlies" were detested by everyone who got tips. Truth be told, there HAVE been times when I didn't have enough left for a commissary tip, and I'd tell the bagger BEFORE he got my stuff ready, that "I don't have enough for a tip THIS time, but I WILL be back.", and followed up on that promise ASAP. LOL, you get GREAT service doing this!

The baggers seem to hold on to their jobs FOREVER, and getting a job as a bagger is practically impossible due to those who are already working, having family members who're looking for a "few extra $$$'s too! Guess who gets "conveniently overlooked" no matter HOW long you've been on THEIR (the baggers) waiting list for a job? NOW, thankfuly, I'm not really looking for that four letter word that starts with a "w":w00t:

-Oki Alumni

[Odie]

I usually put 2 dollars in the bucket and give the person carrying the stuff out anywhere from 2-9 dollars. It depends on the weather and how nice they are. One time it was absolutely pouring out and the lady was so sweet so I gave her 1000 yen. I wouldn't tip anyone with a friggin attitude though, I can just as easily carry the groceries out myself.

[greenflash]

OK, so I have never seen this system of baggers who work for tips on the bases, but I have seen people scrabbling for tips in some African countries, so to me it all sounds pretty sad. I guess they can make more than scrounging recyclables that way, but it seems like a throwback to colonial times.
The baggers working only for tips is a military commissary thing everywhere. Here in the states it's the same as what is described in the thread, up to and including the haranguing and dirty looks when you don't meet their expectation. I detest this system, the commissary is the only store I've been to where the average bagger is at least ten years my senior, I'm 30 BTW.

I hate the dirty looks for not tipping when I'm just picking up a deli sandwich and a coke and didn't want a bag in the first place. Additionally, I'm a strapping young Marine and feel weird when an elderly woman wants to help me to the car with my bags when I do buy groceries. I don't want to go all Mr. Pink on you all, but I had a job as a young man that paid very little ($3.25 per hour) that society didn't deem tip worthy. I didn't like it, so I studied hard and got a better job.

I say abolish the tips only crap, pay them a flat minimum wage and see what happens. I bet the job hook up system will crash and the positions will become undesirable. I don't know this for a fact but they can't possibly split those tips equally. No one would stay in that job as long as those folks do unless their share increased with seniority. I've talked to commissary managers who have alluded to this system, but no one has outright confirmed it to be true. Notice that the exchange workers operate more like a "normal" store, why are they different?

I generally avoid the commissary here in the states because I'm single, I don't buy that much stuff, and it's not worth the headache and Springsteenesque lines to pick up my groceries for the week. The net savings is only a couple of dollars, if that where there is a Costco, but I realize that this will most likely change when I get to the island.
Sorry for the long post. I'm a bit pent up.

[hankypanky]

my load size depends on how often my wife lets me go to the "market"!!!:thumbup:

my load depends on how much curry i ate the night before:D

[uriel]

I give them 4 dollars if I've got a mostly full cart. I don't have anyone come out to the car and unload for me as if I'm some sort of invalid. Jeez. I'm 27, not 87. That, and I feel kinda bad if it's a hot day for some older gentlemen or lady to have to unload my stuff.

[okisteve]

Nice post Greenflash. Seems a shame that the military is perpetuating a system that is a lot like serfdom.

[Oki alumni]

Baggers ARE an overall un-needed thing at DeCA. I'll agree that this SHOULD be eliminated. How many grocery stores anywhere else in the world have a system like this? I'd think that bagging could be carried out with "entry level" civil service store positions. Maybe a "lead in" position and/or classified the same as cashiers. Operate it (DeCA) just like a U.S. grocery store. These folks are, in reality, authorized leeches, and the only control the Store Manager has over them is being able to bar them from the Commissary. They AREN'T part of the service. I wonder how much in taxes these workers pay?

-Oki Alumni:old:

[greenflash]

You know if you made it a regular crappy wage job just like every other store it would cut down on the cronyism. It may even cause the jobs to be filled by the punk ass teenagers you see running around base housing. Every duty station would have a job for them and if their parents are anything like mine were, they'd be filling the jobs within a week of their arrival. Damn kids.:old:

[Oki alumni]

hmmmmmmmm...makes me wonder how long it'll be before they start showing up at the self-service lines, and putting your goodies in the bags? "THANKS...BUT NO THANKS...I'll do that MYSELF!" (Don't wanna go putting ideas into folks' heads now do I?)

-Oki Alumni

[okisteve]

Ummmm, you know how in regular grocery stores the cashiers do the bagging??? Is that out of the question for civil servants?

[Oki alumni]

Great idea! And I'm not being snide of cynical either. Having done some cashier work at the Commissary in years past, THEY ain't paid a really "fair wage" either. An additional duty might be reason to raise the pay a bit, and it would DEFINITELY be doing us customers a big favour.

-Oki Alumni

[Trail]

State-side, most large grocery stores (Walmart, Meijers, Krogers) the cashier would bag as she/he scanned on a turn-style like bagging system. You would have to lift and put the bag into the cart after the were full. It is a good system IMO. The self-checkouts are the same there as they are here. No one would walk the groceries out to your car unless you asked for the service.

[okisteve]

Walking a few yards with grocery bags??? What would that be for - a MCCS fitness program???

[xxzjxx]

I use self checkout...

[zeldan]

$5. I gave $10 today because I was parked all the way out in butt **** egypt and felt badly.

[InDuhUSA]

How much do you guys tip those baggers at the commissary?

Huh? You mean I was supposed to tip those guys when I was over there? Hhhhhhmmmmmmmm.
:scratchchin:

[SGT_OKINAWA]

IF I was there, or when I was there, 2-3 , but once a guy split open the milk container as he dropped it INSIDE the trunk, I did not tip, he wanted to get paper towels, but I said I would use my shop vacuum and then he wanted to go get me a new carton of milk, and I thought you know how long it will take for him to get the milk, stand in line, pay, run it out to us?

That milk soaking into the trunk would have been cottage cheese by then. :smile4:

So I always remember that, and have not tipped over 3 bucks no matter how much, now my Okinawan wife, that is a whole another story.

We’re at a Lone Star and the waiter spilled a full glass of water on my wives’ shirt and lap, so bad we had to move to another booth.

All we got from the manager was a free $5 appetizer and still my wife tipped the guy five bucks, I was mad at that, but goes to show you why in Japan they don’t tip.

P.S. I tipped (Bought lunch) for the Okinawan’s that packed our house hold goods when we left Okinawa the last time, little did it do, they stole 12K worth of stuff out of our containers, proof you say? It was raining that day they loaded the boxes, so I followed them to the warehouse to put the “Seal / stickers” on the boxes, as we pulled in to their warehouse other employees had someone else’s HHG box open from the TOP and were going through it. As soon as those guys saw our “Y” plate car, they started tossing the HHG back into the top. You know those baby swings from Graco and how the legs are a pain to collapse once you open them, well one of them panicked and just bent the legs and shoved it in the top while the others started to nail the top back on and upright the box.

I told the guy that had our stuff on the truck, “That is why I wanted to make sure you put the seals on my box and ban it all the way around. We spent 2 hours in his warehouse doing that. But because we did, I bet he told the employees, “Rape this guy good!”

Crime is every ware, even in Okinawa.


Peace!:army:

[InDuhUSA]

One of them baggers started eating some of my grapes right there in front of me to my shock. The cashier (who was also an Okinawan guy) yelled at him in Japanese and fear was all over the baggers face.

I never said anything personally and still tipped him. Figure if the man was that hungry he must have needed them more than I did (just wish he had washed his hands first ;))

[okisteve]

Gee, that's terrible (the 2 previous posts). Do you suppose the 'respect' and diligence those people showed had something to do with being put in a position like a performing animal so they would get a reward?

[Muku]

P.S. I tipped (Bought lunch) for the Okinawan’s that packed our house hold goods when we left Okinawa the last time, little did it do, they stole 12K worth of stuff out of our containers, proof you say? It was raining that day they loaded the boxes, so I followed them to the warehouse to put the “Seal / stickers” on the boxes, as we pulled in to their warehouse other employees had someone else’s HHG box open from the TOP and were going through it. As soon as those guys saw our “Y” plate car, they started tossing the HHG back into the top. You know those baby swings from Graco and how the legs are a pain to collapse once you open them, well one of them panicked and just bent the legs and shoved it in the top while the others started to nail the top back on and upright the box.

I told the guy that had our stuff on the truck, “That is why I wanted to make sure you put the seals on my box and ban it all the way around. We spent 2 hours in his warehouse doing that. But because we did, I bet he told the employees, “Rape this guy good!”

Crime is every ware, even in Okinawa.

First off wtf has this got to do with commissary baggers?:thumbdown:

Next if you did nothing, as in not reported to the proper authorities it's just a bunch of hearsay bs. If you know that a crime has been committed and you do nothing, nothing as in not report said crime, because what you are alledging here is a crime, then you are guilty as well.

Go report yourself:rolleyes:

[Daniela]

First off wtf has this got to do with commissary baggers?:thumbdown:

Next if you did nothing, as in not reported to the proper authorities it's just a bunch of hearsay bs. If you know that a crime has been committed and you do nothing, nothing as in not report said crime, because what you are alledging here is a crime, then you are guilty as well.

Go report yourself:rolleyes:

I agree, the story is a little over the top for me too.:thumbdown:

[Old Timer]

I used to tip $1 inside for the bagger and $2-3 dollars for the carrier regardless of how much I purchased. Then my husband reminded me that they work purely for tips and then split it with the other baggers/carriers on that register. So, I tip them a little better now depending on how much stuff I have to bag and carry.

If I only have a few bags worth, I use the self checkout. If I have about half a cart of larger items, I tip the bagger $2 and the carrier $3. If we do the full cart and sodas bit, we tip $3 inside and $5 outside. (I say "we" at the end there, because I'm not carrying all that stuff up to the apartment by myself. heh.)

If they want more money, they need a better job. Most are dependents, money not taxed.

[ks4985]

It all depends on how much food you have. I usually tip between 2-5 dollars but i get reallly irrated everytime. I actually really hate having them bag my food. I shouldn't feel like i have to tip them b/c I have no choice...it's not like they are giving me the option to bag it myself. I also get annoyed that they always seem to smoosh any type of bread that i get and they tie the bags which makes them harder to carry...especially when you house isn't on the ground floor...but i can't do anything about it...so tip

[P_chan]

I gave the bagger about 80 cents yesterday and she looked pissed. But I only had two bags and I wasn't about to break a 20 just to give her a dollar.

[okisteve]

I've already said this a couple of times here - the bagging/tipping system is a rotten leftover turd of colonialism. I don't use it myself since I don't use the BX, but if I did I would be protesting it every way I could.