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Don't know how the other HTs are in the area, but the few that I normally frequent (Carrboro, Chapel Hill, SW Durham) perpetually make me feel like I'm asking for an arm and a leg when I request paper bags at the check-out stand - even when I do remember to bring in a few of my own shopping bags and just need one or two more. I'm convinced that the paper bags cost them a lot more per unit, so if it's such a big deal for them, why not get rid of the paper bags altogether?
I got annoyed when people asked for paper simply because they are a lot harder to deal with and take longer to put the groceries in. When you get in the monotonous task of bagging groceries for hours at a time, it doesn't take much to throw you off. That is all.
We use their "Express Lane" service--where they do your shopping for you, and then they bring it to your car during your time slot. Love this service! Our groceries are always packed in paper bags. We either bring the bags back to the store or recycle them at home. We also bought inexpensive reusable bags from LL Bean that we keep in the cars. We use them for groceries, Home Depot, etc... We launder them every week so they don't get grubby.
Yeah, I was a cashier about a hundred years ago, and hated paper bags. They were a lot more difficult to set up, especially because you had to put them on the shelf that had the plastic bag holder/hanger. It was awkward, and slowed me down quite a bit.
Nowadays I go through the self-serve most of the time - so I can avoid my pet peeve of way too many plastic bags. I swear sometimes I go out of there with 1 bag per item! I do try to remember to bring my own, but do either recycle the plastic ones, or use them for backyard clean up.
Anyhow, yeah paper bags are annoying - it'd be better if they didn't act annoyed (I'm sure I did it sometimes as well), but it's a low paying job dealing with often difficult customers. You'd be surprised at how bent out of shape people get about groceries! I worked at the mananger's desk for a year - the stories I could tell!
Well, I'm glad to know it's an issue of being more difficult for employees rather than some directive from management forcing employees to push the cheaper plastic bags (I honestly didn't know - worked fast food when I was younger).
I also try to remember my own shopping bags and I normally use the self-checkout, but when I have a lot of fruits and other items that are difficult to ring up or I'm running short on paper bags (use them to collect stuff for our apartment complex's recycling bins), I tend to go through the regular aisles.
For the price of HT groceries, they should be tying your bags with gold dusted ribbons! I shop at Kroger where the prices are much lower and they are very pleasant about paper bags, but my advice would be to speak with the manager at HT. I get that the cashiers/baggers may "not like" packing in paper, but hello... that's their job! If they aren't going to provide quality customer service, they should be working elsewhere. Maybe a bit harsh, but that's my 2 cents .
Last edited by sowk09; 10-04-2009 at 10:18 AM..
Reason: Cat stepped on keyboard and entered before I was done!
I always ask for paper. I'm usually fishing for my HT card or my Visa so I never really noticed if the bag boy was happy with that request or not! I'm the customer, I ask nicely and I get what I want!
I have never had any issues with the HT in Holly Springs. In fact they always ask me if I would like plastic or paper. I usually bring in my own bags. The place I have issues with is WalMart. They do not like it if you use your own bags. They are really put out and I think it is because their bagging layout is not set up for anything but the plastic they have on their rounder. The last few times the check out person has told me if I wanted to use my own bags I would have to bag my stuff myself!
I wouldn't blame it solely on Harris-Teeter; I have had surly baggers at every grocery chain there is. Like adlnc07, I try to use the self-checkout, so I can do my own bagging. Unfortunately, when you bring your own cloth bags to those, they recognize the weight and the machines get confused, so you need the self-check cashier to fix it for you (and we all know how rare it is to find one of them).
The worst is when a I'm getting one item, the cashier puts it in a bag and I say "Oh no, I don't need a bag" so they remove it--and then throw the bag away just because, presumably, they were too lazy to have to deal with it once it was off the rack. Hello? It would have been better to give it to me, where I'd have at least recycled it! It wasn't something messy, just a box. They should at least be instructed on basic ecological principles.
And yes, I have bussed tables, waited tables, worked retail for 7 years and been a bank teller back in the day; I'm aware of people's often unexplainable quirks.
I wouldn't blame it solely on Harris-Teeter; I have had surly baggers at every grocery chain there is. Like adlnc07, I try to use the self-checkout, so I can do my own bagging. Unfortunately, when you bring your own cloth bags to those, they recognize the weight and the machines get confused, so you need the self-check cashier to fix it for you (and we all know how rare it is to find one of them).
Yep, I always have to check to see if there is someone manning the little self-check desk before either using my own bags, or buying alcohol! For some reason in the mornings the self-check stations seem to be always down for maintenance at the Stone Creek HT. I then get stuck waiting in the one open regular lane, and it never fails that I'm behind the person who is doing their full week's shopping at 8:15AM.. now that is annoying! Although I suppose that's my punishment for not having a healthy breakfast at home, and instead going for the "2 donuts and soda" commuter breakfast!
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