Arrival

I'm here

About Frank Sinatra

The song might have been a little premature in this instance. I am actually going to NYC today, so if anybodies on the 1 40 train, see ya there. I will be blogging in NYC just as soon as I can get my hands on a wireless card. While in New York I will be observing baggers/ comparing and contrasting their behavior to the local verity. With a bit of luck, I won't have to bag anything.
This last bit will be a plug for Bagger Boy and Sushiskater Bumper Stickers (BBSSBS), buy in bulk!
Bagger Boy

Pictures and Poll results

First, I'd like to say that the only thing worse then a Supermart patron with a chip on their shoulder is a blog reader with a deeply twisted sense of humor. It was a joke right? A really messed up joke. In the poll several of you may have noticed on the blog for the past few weeks, the clear winner has been option d, i.e whatever will give the bagger stomach ulcers. This I put their as a joke answer, you weren't supposed to choose the joke answer. Secondly, there is a picture next to this entry, check it out, download it, set it as your background, etc.
BB

New York New York

Start spreading the news
I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York
These vagabond shoes
Are longing to stray
And make a brand new start of it
New York, New York
I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York.

I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York.
-Frank Sinatra

Last shift

Today is the end of my career at Supermart. I will finish this final shift and cash a paycheck, then run. I ask myself what was the purpose of it all, and I got to say, it was the people watching. I have seen and heard things that otherwise would have never crossed my mind.
This brings me to a crossroad, because the core substance of this blog is my job, and I'm leaving the job, so does the blog continue? Why not. I like writing to the hundred of loyal readers, so from hence forth, all ye shall hear and tell of the great bagger boy and his epic adventure to the Big Apple. :-)

Popcorn Chicken, 2.99

After a five hour shift that, chance would have it, I didn't eat before, I've found that wonderful snack is the little cups of fried chicken made at Supermart. Six ounces of cornmeal and an a bit of actual chicken, served hot and dry, is really, really good. It brings me back to my days in the mountians of Arkansas, near the chicken factory, but I digress.
New topic; if every customer gave a quarter to the bagger as they walked by, I'd make the equavilant of an extra two hours of labor. I think that baggers should be tipped, so I can glare at the jerks in the world, and redeem them in my heart once I get a tip from them. Just a thought.
I still don't understand the people who buy a dozen single gatorades.
I've also come to understand that its only a matter of time before baggers and cashiers are replaced by machines. they already started on cashiers with the automated checkouts, so baggers are next. I gives me joyto know that I am harder to replace with a robot then a cashier. This proves my job is harder. Haha, losers.

One more shift
Bagger Boy

The first tip

It was 25 cents, handed to me by an elderly man with a thick irish sweater. Remember that, if every customer tipped that amount, it would by equal to another hour of labor. Also see link about tip only baggers in NYC. Speaking of NYC, bagger boy is going there Tuesday next, so this will be his last week at Supermart until the fall. I'm taking August people, thank you very much for your readership, remember to vote in the poll.

Bagger Boy

American graffiti

The Supermart restrooms are nasty. They reek of a mixture of decomposing matter and cleaning products. The floor is often wet with some sort of liquid, and the paper towel rack is always empty.
But they're also the most entertaining bathrooms in the world. Inside each stall is a huge collection of graffiti. The verity of mediums that vandals use is pretty narrow. The only graffiti that survives is the stuff that can't be washed off, so scratching is popular. Most of the stuff etched into the stall is what you would expect. A collection of various profanities, phallic symbols, and swastikas. But, once past that first layer of idiotic scratching, their is a layer of illegible poems written by angsty goth kids. Under this are just a bunch of personal notes from people, generally using nicknames, with dates. All of this is dwarfed by the block letter message on the inside door, staring at the the minute you sit down. "Look up".

Wikipedia search

What does Will Smith, A list of lesbian gay and transgender people, Michael Connely, ten pin bowling, and Nightwish have in common? They all comes up when you search for "bagger boy journal" on wikipedia. Why?

And the balloon popped

I am a cashier, but until I leave the man, I will continue the blog for my sanity. :)

Moving up, moving on

People, its been a swell run. 3 weeks, 23 entries, 4 links, half a dozen comments, and a lost paycheck later, bagger boy has come to an end. Yesterday, I took a 4 hour computerized training course that trained me to be a super mart cashier. After scoring a 98 out of 100 on the final exam, I am now certified to ring people out. I have learned the mysteries of the cashiers keyboard, making change, and weighing produce. This is the start of a new chapter in my career, and will hopefully be the first of many promotions. I'd like to thank all of my loyal readers who have supported me through this section of my life. I promise, I will not forget you all.

Sincerely,
Bagger Boy

My Dad

Picture the scene; I have half an hour left in my shift. The store is slowing down for the night. Both my cashier and myself have given up trying to clean the belt, and are just staring into space. Suddenly a deep voice right next to my ear barks "stand up straight".
A little aside, this is one of the worst parts of being a bagger. Their is a blind spot behind you were all manner of people can approach without being seen. The main result of this is myself wondering if its strange for the voices in my head to be asking were the bathroom was. But this is different, this is a command. I have a little flashback to a Sopranos episode were Tony tells a kid to take off his hat in a nice resturant. I turn around expecting to see the don of New Jersey and, whats there. My Dad, ladies and gentlemen, my dad. Scared my out of my mind.
He goes on to do his shopping and I finish my shift. I meet up with him at the deli counter, just as he finishes up,and we go to pay (remember, no employee discount). Good ol' Dad pulls up to the one lane without a bagger and gestures. I, in a totally not whining way, express my disbelief with a heartfelt "Are you ****ing kidding me!?". Obviously, he wasn't.
As I start to bag, I here a series of clicks, and look up to see a a laughing father with a cell phone camera. I'm telling you people, last time I ever go shopping with the fam.

Extra! Extra! Bagger loses first paycheck

Yeah, I did it. I work at a solidly built corporation and earned a paycheck. This paycheck, I promptly cashed it, put it in my wallet, and lost the wallet at the beach. Not a good day. I guess with these things one must be detached and simply accept that, life is a mean cruel ugly thing.
An interesting result of this problem, is every difficult customer seems to have my wallet tucked in their purse. The first couple times this happened, I was ready to confront the customer and take what was mine. But it would always turn out to be a different wallet and I would just bag the groceries. Losing a paycheck messes with your head. On the positive side, I learned the true value of 15 hours of honest work; zilch.

Been a while

Lots of things happened at work in the past few days, so many that it took me till now to write them down. Out of the last four days, I've worked three, for the mathematically challenged that's 14 hours. Not much in the grand scheme but plenty for inspiration on a amateur blog. So, let's get started.

Promises of good things yet to come

Tomorrow is Friday. The big easy day as they call it in Salt Lake City. Two important things happen on Friday. I labor for the man, and cool people go shopping. Put'em together and what do I get? Me with cool people. My mother would by so proud, if she were here, right Ma?
Joking aside, I've got stuff coming after this shift, so check Saturday morning.
How 'bout that Harry Potter movie? Leave a comment about it on this post.
Cheers!
Bagger Boy

12 cents a minute !?!?!

I would like to point out that is the time it took me to write this blog entry, I went to the kitchen, found a quarter in the bottom of a drawer, and made double what I do at Supermart.

Delayed Paychecks

Since I started this blog, I haven't received a single paycheck. Tomorrow will be my first. Any of you who have worked with a large corporation know that, for accounting purposes, every employee is payed on the a day, the week after each week they worked. I find this upsetting and unsatisfying. Am I whining? Maybe, but until know my pay has come in cash immediately after the job was completed. That's cool. :).
When working for an hourly wage, you begin to question your worth as a person. sure, $7.50 an hour isn't that bad, but what about $0.12 a minute. Personally, I think a minute of my time is worth more then 12 cents. Every second I spend at Supermart earns me a whopping .2 Cents.
This is why minimum wage is impossible to live off. I personally don't have problems because I have no overhead, but co-workers with bills, taxes, and expenses (all scary words) need at least one other job to make enough not to go much into debt. Workers of the world unite. Demand a bigger minimum wage.

Links

I really recommend all the links shown on this site, they aren't adds, simply information that relates to the topic of this blog.

Why plastic bags are better

Next time your go shopping consider that each plastic use take is costs Supermart 1.6 cents, and will cost more every year. Paper is supposedly more eco-friendly so, why doesn't Supermart only use paper? It costs another 1.4 cents a bag. Still think of the size of a paper bag and a plastic bag. It's possible to fit at least 2x as much in a paper bag. Because paper bags are a slightly less then twice as expensive as plastic bags, and can hold more then twice as much, Supermart will save money, help reduce carbon emissions, and look better if it just use paper. Way don't they? Human laziness. The typical bagger doesn't fill a paper bag to its fullest potential. Speed is also a factor. Paper take seconds longer to pack. So, why plastic? Pennies and seconds.

Social Circles

As the a new guy at Supermart, its hard to break in to the group. Yoou might think that, if your with a cashier all day, conversation might come up, right? Not really, no. Conversation at Supermart is generally limited to a fifteen minute break, commonly know as a "cigarette break". I may have mentioned this before, but I'll say it again; if you don't smoke, then conversation will be limited, a lot.

Public Service Announcement 1

In most parking lots in America, there are handicap spaces. Handicap spaces are a good thing. They allow the disabled to park closer then other people, to make life easier for them. When people park in a Handicapped space, they often have trouble walking, for this is a common handicap that demands a handicap sticker. They might even be in a wheel chair, and need more room then is available in the space between parking spots to exit their vehicle. Again, society has come to a solution for this problem. In between two handicap spaces, there is a yellow painted space which provides room for the crippled to exit their cars. When this spot is confused with a carriage collecter spot, as it often is, it defeats the purpose. So please, if you plan on being a lazy American and not bringing your cart to its correct spot, just leave it in the parking lot, far away from the handicap spots. You wouldn't park in a handicapped spot, so don't park your used carriage there either. This is a public service announcement from bagger boy journal. It will be the first of many.

Week 2

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have officially started week two of labor at Supermart. Last week, I participated in such activities as, bag the groceries (in plastic, paper, double plastic, double paper, plastic in paper, paper in plastic, and my favorite, double paper in plastic). I've also been a cart cowboy, rounding up sometimes as many as ten at a time. I've returned returned items to their spots on the shelf, and collected tiny red baskets in the checkout lanes. I've bagged for the '12 items or less" i've bagged the regular. I've bagged for people who buy lots of Gatorade, I've bagged for people who buy Vitamin Water, and I've bagged for people with Gatorade and Vitamin Water. I've done a lot in the 20 hours I've spent there, yessiree. But enough about me.

Explanation

Why is there a link to a page of wombat pictures on this blog? Good question, I'll get back to you on that.
Sincerely, Bagger Boy

wombat - Google Image Search

wombat - Google Image Search

Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn

Earlier this week, I commented on some of the customers environmental short-comings. I may have left the impression that I didn't care, took the backseat, and said "we're going to hell in a hand basket".
Not so good sir. I believe that people can make a change in the atmosphere. I would like to make a quick plug for Supermart reusable bags, only 99C, and your saving the planet. With these bags, YOU can change the world. For all the big shoppers out there who want more then just one bag, I have a solution! Buy more then one. This may seem like a no-brainer, but customers have said that they would use reusables, if only they could buy more then one. I find these otherwise good people to be dumb. Really dumb.
I'd like to commend the Scientific community from Woods Hole as being the most frequent reusable users. It just goes to show that smart people use reusable bags. If you want to look smart and somewhat European, use clothe bags.
This brings me to another topic on reusable bags. Many customers feel that only Supermart brand reusable bags are accepted by the bagger. Not so good sir! I will bag anything you give me, just remember to shop for your bag size. It looks really lame when you leave the store with two clothe bags an 10 plastic ones.
If you haven't read anything I've just written, consider this, which is more environmentally sound, paper or plastic? Personally, as long as you don't do both, I don't give a damn,

Customer Relations

Here is a little snippet written in Screen play form.
Setting: Outside Super Mart Sliding Doors
Cast: Latino man in a grey beater and shorts, carrying a shopping bag with milk, bread, and cigarettes~Customer 1
Elderly women in yellow sundress, sunglasses and beach hat~Customer

(Customer 1 exits store, with Groceries, Customer 2 approaches door)

Customer 1: Oh, they closed, i thinks you missed them
Customer 2: Wha.. wha.. that's impossible they...bu..
Customer 1: Oh, I just kidding, They open Hahaha.
Customer 2: Asshole!
Customer 1: Hey!
Customer 2 (walking into store): f***ing, son of a b****, asshole
Me: Hehehehehehehehehehhehe

I think I need a t-shirt...

When I was a small boy, I wanted to be a cowboy. Today, I came close. My manager came up to me and says "Go round up the carts". So I go pick-up a cart hook and head to the parking lot. It's a nice day with a slight breeze so it's good to be outside.
Basically cart duty goes like this. Step 1, leave shade. Step 2, empty carts from designated area. Step 3, return them to store. Step 4, wait ten minutes. Step 5, repeat.
I go on like this for about an hour, every know and then, A middle-aged woman will walk up with a carriage, lean forward a little, and shout, "DO YOU WANT ME TO LEAVE THE CART WITH YOU KNOW?". After this happens a few times, I start to realize they think I am mentally retarded.
Sure, I'm not really a genius, but i speaka da English pretty good. Besides, it's hard not to look retarded pushing ten carts around. These people just don't get that a guy can work in a Supermart Parking Lot and not be retarded.
I just want a t-shirt i can wear that says "I AM NOT RETARDED, PLEASE DON'T SHOUT".

Paper in Plastic

After bagging for three shifts, I've basically seen all there ever will be. Start with plastic, unless they ask for paper. No duh, right? But then you have combo people, as in, could you give me non-decomposable petroleum based shells, lined with a layer of destroyed rain forest, because I don't think my SUV is pumping enough CO2 into the air today, people. As an environmentalist, I feel entitled to dislike these people. However, the root of my enmity has nothing to do with global warming. They just take more time out of my shift.
These aren't the only people who idealistically clash with me. People who buy lots of Gatorade just seem messed up too.

Anticipation

Tomorrow is my next shift, so I'll have a lot of new material. As of right know, I have one more factoid about work at Super Mart. The piped background music kills your soul. The same Kelly Clarkson CD, which I'm ashamed to even know, is played perpetually, looping around again when all ten poppy, packaged tracks are through. I can hear the voices...."STRIKE!!!"...."give us better tunes".
Anyhoow, more stuff on Saturday, unless there's a customer I really need to vent about.
Still am not crazy about this pink color. All the best, the bagger boy

Types of customers

In that first six hour shift I had four customers over and over and over again. Here's the list, decide who you are and seriously think about restructuring your life.
1) The single young guy. He probably works in some type of construction. Generally buys frozen dinners and two liter bottles of store brand soda. I can't state this enough, this is the easiest customer to bag for, just a bag for the soda, two for the Hungry Mans Jumbo Platters and maybe one more for a steak. I love this man.
2) The teenage tourist. Generally purchase canned soda and tortita chips with a twenty. You might think this guy is easier to bag for then single guy, but the soda can really put a strain on your back ya know?.
3) The old women. This falls into two categories. The old woman with coupons and the old woman without coupons. They both buy the same things, lots of packaged bread and pastries with coffee mate and assorted produce, so in most respects they're equals. I just happen to like the one with coupons better. Why? Because sometimes this can be a difficult customer to bag for and the time the cashier spends with the coupons gives me more time to bag. :)
4) The mom loading up for winter. Unlike the old woman, who will sometimes fill a cart with canned beans, this customer will buy everything from produce to frozen goods (not just those to but stuff from every aisle in between) and then throw them on the belt with no regard for packing order. Then her screaming kids will want a candy, so she won't push her cart all the way down the aisle, and I'll have to cover the bagging station with her groceries. Then the kids start to sing.
In case you hadn't noticed, these potential customers are all gross generalizations but still true. They are also listed in order of preference.

About the Blog

For the record, i picked the pink background by mistake, and can't change it.

First Day

Just to keep the blog up to date, let me tell you about me first day. I started on Monday, with a 1-6 shift, that's 5 hours for the mathematically challenged. i meet my manager, say hi, then she brings back to the offices and gives my my company polo, and name tag. This, plus pants and close toed shoes, will be my uniform.
Swipe in. I'm on the floor, working the room, being the best darn bagger I can be. With no training, in ten minutes I've bagged for two mothers making hundred dollar purchase of produce and cereal, and one elderly woman stocking up on mini coke and tabloids. May cashier, a heavy set woman who'd worked for six hours already, told me that this was the busiest week of the year, thus all the registers were open.
After my cashier left, I was told to go pick up baskets left at the checkout aisles. took about five minutes to walk the length of the store and find two baskets.
Back at work bagging, I'm partnered with a petite German woman who offers several tips in accented English. Bread in its own bag, pack the eggs last, and don't put produce vith the cleaning products. Later, a touristy looking customer asks her "Do detect a braugh?". I swallow my laughter as she replies without even looking up "Actually I'm Hungarian". Funniest thing all that happened all day.
I was sad to see the Hungarian go home after her shift. she'd been good company. I finished the shift with cashier not much older then I was. His shift ended the same time as mine and we were both ready to leave. In this aisle, there were more irritable people. And irritable people always ask for paper. I guess if you have some chip on your shoulder, try to overcompensate in other areas of your life. Like asking for environmentally friendly bags.
Don't get me wrong, i love the environment. Rock on environ and all that, but it is such a pain to bag in paper. Plastic bagging has been perfected to an almost robotic science. Pull a bag partial off the dispenser, insert like items (i.e cans with cans, produce with produce etc.) and place in a cart. three steps, simple. With paper my groove is entirely messed up. First unfold the bag, then places heavy stuff in the bottom, and light stuff on top. This may seem simple, but it requires soooo much planning and thought.
Swipe out.

what am i doing?

Basically, this blog is about my experiences working for a summer at a Super Mart store (not its real name). My mom told me to get a job and, since none of the trendy coffee shops would have me, I applied online. After several botched interviews were i did everything in my power to screw up (forgot my i.d., didn't know social security #), i was hired. I don't think there was ever any doubt in my managers mind that i'd work there. He indicated this at the interview, by beginning with the three questions "legal?, any felonies?, consent to drug screen?". I was scared.
Lets clear something up, i am a white guy from the suburbs, so the whole drug test at any time deal was a little freaky. I'm not saying teenage white suburbans don't do drugs, just a. i don't and b. the whole "at any time" thing reminded my of a book i read once. "1984".
Anyway, at the interview, i was given the promise of a few shifts, a temporary meat cutters union membership, and a time card. the time card has 7#'s on it, the first 3 are the stores area code, and the last for were my personal serial code.
The next hurtle would by to get my "peeps" to accept my job. After a rousing chorus of "YOU'RE THE MANS MACHINE" and "YOU'RE JUST A #". Well you know what guys, #### you.
But i persevered. This job was hard and i hadn't even showed up yet.