Yet another tipping question . . .

[Janmac]

This one, tho, is regarding tipping the bagger at the grocery store - or in our case, the military commissary. Places where baggers work for tip money only.

Is there a rule of thumb? We've been tipping baggers for decades - usually DH's responsibility - and lately I've been thinking we are not tipping enough. DH hands over the tip before the bagger begins loading the groceries in our vehicle and they always seem satisfied with the amount, based on body language, etc.

I'd appreciate hearing from others as to what you do?

Jan

[BrerGnat]

I haven't tipped at the commissary for quite awhile, since ours has self checkout.

However, I used to tip around $5, give or take a couple, depending on how full my cart was. Honestly, these people try to guilt you into $1 per bag sometimes, but then they use WAY more bags than are necessary, so I tip based on the quantity of what they have to bag for me. I get that they work only for tips, but if they can do (theoretically) anywhere from 5-10 customers per hour, that ends up being A LOT of money if everyone gives them $5, so that is my benchmark. When they offer to help us out to our car, and we actually partake in that help, we add another $5. I've never tipped more than $10, and that was for a monster, 2 cart order when we first moved in and needed to buy the whole store.

[SBETigg]

Is this just a military commissary thing? I've never tipped baggers at the grocery store. They don't take my stuff to my car and they get paid what everyone else in the store gets paid- my son was a bagger for awhile, and he was paid fairly well, a decent hourly wage, never got a tip.

[BrerGnat]

Is this just a military commissary thing? I've never tipped baggers at the grocery store. They don't take my stuff to my car and they get paid what everyone else in the store gets paid- my son was a bagger for awhile, and he was paid fairly well, a decent hourly wage, never got a tip.

Yes, Sherri. The baggers at Military Commissaries do not make an hourly wage. They work for tips only.

[Janmac]

Thanks, Natalie! That is pretty much what DH figures - how many customers per hour can a bagger do times an average tip. He can't abide the idea of a bagger making several times minimum wage an hour. While we have the usual yearly crop of teen baggers, we have several career people that are part of the commissary family. I can't recall a bagger at our commissary trying to guilt someone but it must happen, people being people.

Our commissary has self check out as well but it's highly under utilized. I'm thinking it's partly because many of the commissary patrons are retired (gray hair, lots of ECVs, etc) and quite a few come from a distance, judging from the array of coolers in the back of their pickup trucks. It's rare to see a person without a FULLY loaded cart, or two.

Unless they're in uniform.

It appears that there are unofficial "days": Thursdays seem to be Senior Citizen days, Saturday or holidays are family days and Fridays and Tuesdays are graduation days, with lots of fresh uniforms being accompanied by deer-in-the-headlights parents and siblings, all dressed up, on a tour of their relative's new world.

Jan

[SBETigg]

Yes, Sherri. The baggers at Military Commissaries do not make an hourly wage. They work for tips only.

Thanks, Natalie. For a minute, I worried that I was the only cheapo who didn't know you were supposed to tip baggers. But apparently, things work differently at the Military Commissaries. So now I know if I'm ever there, which isn't likely.