Do you sort your items as you place them on the conveyor belt at the grocery store?

[Garga]

I do. I put the cans together, the boxes together, the frozen stuff together. I do it for a few reasons:

 

I want my cold stuff together, so it all keeps each other cold longer.

I don't want my soft items squished (ie: I keep the grapes away from the cans.)

I think it might be easier for the clerk (do they still call them clerks??) to bag the groceries.

 

There's one clerk (Nancy)who will NOT bag things the way I put them on the conveyor belt. She will hold things aside so she can bag them incorrectly together. She'll bag frozen stuff with boxes (so the frozen stuff thaws next to the box and makes it wet.) I think to myself, "Why would she specifically HOLD something back, just to bag it with something WRONG, when I had already sorted it out for her?!?!"

 

I avoid Nancy's line, even if it's the shortest.

 

But, am I the only compulsive conveyor belt arranger? Or does everyone else do this? I've tried to spy on the other shoppers and see what they do, but I haven't been able to tell.

[ChristusG]

I put all my cold stuff together. But the rest is just kinda thrown on there. My 4 year old helps, so sometimes it's literally thrown on there.

[elinnea]

Yes, I do and for mostly the same reasons. Also sorting it like that makes it easier to put away when we get home.

[emubird]

I do this too -- and the checkout clerks all re-sort it. Drives me crazy.

[phathui5]

I do arrange things as I put them on the belt. Like you, I put the cold things together to help them stay cold.

 

When I'm shopping with cash, things also go on the belt in order of importance in case I went over budget.

[Luckymama]

I only use u-scan checkouts so I can pack everything just right :D

[Mabelen]

I am a sorter too for the same reasons you mention. I don't specifically avoid anybody in particular but I have noticed that middle aged ladies tend to know why it is sorted like that and respect it better than younger workers.

[Mrs Mungo]

Yes, I arrange mine. I have my own bags. I have insulated bags for cold stuff. I give the baggers (we have baggers that are separate from the checker) the insulated bags first and put the cold/frozen stuff on the belt first. Then, all the heavy stuff such as cans, sodas, bottles of juice, that way those things can go in the bottom of the bagger's cart as they load the groceries onto it. Next is all the bulky stuff like paper products. And so forth.

[Snickerdoodle]

I only use u-scan checkouts so I can pack everything just right :D

 

Control freaks unite! :D

[H.S. Burrow]

I do. I put the cans together, the boxes together, the frozen stuff together. I do it for a few reasons:

 

I want my cold stuff together, so it all keeps each other cold longer.

I don't want my soft items squished (ie: I keep the grapes away from the cans.)

I think it might be easier for the clerk (do they still call them clerks??) to bag the groceries.

 

There's one clerk (Nancy)who will NOT bag things the way I put them on the conveyor belt. She will hold things aside so she can bag them incorrectly together. She'll bag frozen stuff with boxes (so the frozen stuff thaws next to the box and makes it wet.) I think to myself, "Why would she specifically HOLD something back, just to bag it with something WRONG, when I had already sorted it out for her?!?!"

 

I avoid Nancy's line, even if it's the shortest.

 

But, am I the only compulsive conveyor belt arranger? Or does everyone else do this? I've tried to spy on the other shoppers and see what they do, but I haven't been able to tell.

 

 

You mean there are people who don't sort? :001_huh: I sort. I put all the produce together with the potatoes in front so they'll be in the bottom of the bag. I put all the meat together. The rest of the cold stuff is just grouped in a big pile. All cans, then boxes.

 

Oh, and non-food items next to last. Bread & eggs are last.

 

[Harriet Vane]

Yep, I sort. If a cashier bags them incorrectly, I re-bag and might say in a friendly way, "I try to keep my cold things together so they stay colder longer."

[Princess Peach]

Nope, I just plop it on there. :D

[jenL]

I not only sort it on the conveyor belt, but I keep it organized in my cart a certain way as well. I'm a bit of an anal grocery shopper! :D

[ScoutTN]

yes because they will bag it as it comes.

not at Aldi, b/c I bag my own.

[Dobela]

I sort mine too. I send all the heavy stuff first. I hold all the fruits,bread, eggs, and veggies til last or they end up crushed. How well it is packed still depends on the person bagging. I actually prefer that I bag myself but our stores don't want customers to do that. Supposedly we use more bags than they do LOL. Well of course I don't put as much in the bags. I don't want them to tear open. I also have my own bags but usually forget to take them.

[Tutor]

I arrange items by where they get put away in my house. Frozen together, cans and snacks together, veggies and fruits together, bathroom items together, cleaning products together, etc. I like to be able to take bags to the rooms or areas where the items belong, unpack them there, then collect the bags and store them for next time (or store them for packing material if they are plastic bags).

[Princess Peach]

Am I the only slob?? C'mon, ladies, there must be some others on here!

[Garga]

I am a sorter too for the same reasons you mention. I don't specifically avoid anybody in particular but I have noticed that middle aged ladies tend to know why it is sorted like that and respect it better than younger workers.

 

That's the weird thing! Nancy is probably in her late 40's! And I get a weird sense that she doesn't approve of the way I've sorted things, and that's why she re-sorts them.

 

Plus she's very slow.

 

I don't think that Nancy and I are kindred spirits.

[Rebecca VA]

Yes, I always sort my food. The cashiers and baggers at Whole Foods are appreciative of that and bag it accordingly. Many of them have worked there for years and years -- they know what they're doing!

[rdolphingirl]

I do! :thumbup1: ...

I also put them into the shopping cart like this, cold all stacked together, cans together, etc ... and unless I have a child in the seat the "squish me NOT" stuff (think bananas and such) go there to protect them, and they ALWAYS go up on the conveyor last ... lol

 

My boys get to help me offload the buggy some, but they have learned to keep stuff together on the conveyor too :D

[IrresistibleGrace]

Control freaks unite! :D

 

 

I am so there!! :lol:

 

Yes, I sort everything that goes on the belt. For mostly the same reasons as the op. When my dc are with me they will ask, "Mommy, can I help put things on there?" to which I reply, "No, just stand back and watch."! We have to train them well! :D

 

I am totally scheduled, and thankfully, so is 'Rita' - my #1 pick for checkout line clerk. If she is missing one week I have a bit of a panic attack. :willy_nilly: Lol!

 

Garga - Thanks for the pick-me-up this afternoon!

[MamaSheep]

I am a sorter too for the same reasons you mention. I don't specifically avoid anybody in particular but I have noticed that middle aged ladies tend to know why it is sorted like that and respect it better than younger workers.

 

This is me too. Most of the time they bag it as it comes down the line, and at least they wind up close to what I wanted. I try not to get bent out of shape over it. But I have seen some of them sorting my groceries for me in weird ways and looking at me like I didn't know what I was doing. Ok, so I put that salad dressing bottle with the cans because I am going to be storing it in my pantry, as it doesn't need to take up space in the fridge until it's opened. There is no need to re-sort it to go in with my cheese. I already have an opened bottle of dressing in my fridge, this is the back-up for when that one is empty. Just trust me, ok? I've been buying my own groceries for YEARS now, and I know how I want them sorted. Honest. There was one checker for a while there that seemed to think pretty much everything needed its very own bag. I haven't seen her for a while.

[NanceXToo]

Yes, I sort/arrange EVERYTHING- and I like everything packed so that similar things are together and nothing heavy is in with something light and so on- I would prefer to pack my own bags but there's always someone there doing it and I feel rude telling them I don't want them to, so I sort of hover and cringe inside when they reach for something that shouldn't go with something else and occasionally do a bit of subtle redistributing as I put the bags into the cart...

 

lol

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I sort my food, too. I have even been known to tell the bagger how to put things in the bags, such as, "I like to keep all the frozen things together, please." I would avoid Nancy at all costs! :D

[Lostinabook]

I do. I also keep fresh meat far away from produce.

[Gooblink]

Yes, I sort everything! Generally, the baggers are good about keeping like items together.

 

What drives me crazy is when I clearly have an insulated shopping bag and they still put the frozen stuff in a regular one. :glare:

[Lovedtodeath]

I do. I put the cans together, the boxes together, the frozen stuff together. I do it for a few reasons:

 

I want my cold stuff together, so it all keeps each other cold longer.

I don't want my soft items squished (ie: I keep the grapes away from the cans.)

I think it might be easier for the clerk (do they still call them clerks??) to bag the groceries.

 

There's one clerk (Nancy)who will NOT bag things the way I put them on the conveyor belt. She will hold things aside so she can bag them incorrectly together. She'll bag frozen stuff with boxes (so the frozen stuff thaws next to the box and makes it wet.) I think to myself, "Why would she specifically HOLD something back, just to bag it with something WRONG, when I had already sorted it out for her?!?!"

 

I avoid Nancy's line, even if it's the shortest.

 

But, am I the only compulsive conveyor belt arranger? Or does everyone else do this? I've tried to spy on the other shoppers and see what they do, but I haven't been able to tell.

 

Yes, I do and for mostly the same reasons. Also sorting it like that makes it easier to put away when we get home.

These posts are me.

[Dawn in OH]

I sort as you do, and for the same reasons. I will even say something to the cashier if she attempts to rearrange things. I sorted the items for a reason.

 

My cart is neatly sorted and organized as well.

 

I always put the heavy items on the conveyor first so that the end up at the bottom of the cart when the bags get loaded, and other items don't get crushed. Produce and eggs always go last so that they will be on the top.

Edited March 22, 2011 by Dawn in OH

[aliya]

Am I the only slob?? C'mon, ladies, there must be some others on here!

 

I don't sort either. Never even thought about it.

[Hannah C.]

I try and sort things on the conveyor belt because I know checkers/baggers in a rush will most likely bag the things as they come.

 

I used to work as a bagger and then as a checker. We were told in our lovely computerized training to put heavy things together, lighter things together, cold things together, warm things together, etc. I always tried to do that - and I always tried to keep meat by itself (and especially never put it with, say, veggies!). I know other checkers/baggers were not always so careful - the emphasis tended to be on speed at times, especially when the store was super busy.

 

I've had checkers put my eggs in somewhat precarious positions... As a checker/bagger I *always* pulled out the eggs and bagged them separately or with bread. I wouldn't bag them with anything else. But again, not all my coworkers were that careful.

[Veritaserum]

Yes, I do. :lol: My younger brother was a bagger at one point and I asked him if I was strange. He said he appreciated people like me because he didn't have to do the sorting if it was already done. :)

[arghmatey]

I put items into my cart in a particular way, so when I get to the line, I just take them out in that order.

 

I also request for all the perishable items to be packed together, which is what I put at the front of the conveyor belt. That helps if I can't get everything out of the car right away when I get home--only the perishable items make it into the house. The rest wait until later.

[Baseball mom]

General sorting, cold stuff together, heavy stuff together, fruits, veggies, eggs and bread last.

 

What drives me more nuts than them jumbling after I sorted is when I lay my reusable bags on up there 1st and they lay them to the side and start packing my stuff in plastic bags. :001_huh: Hello do you think I carry those bags around for the fun of it.

[Tap]

Baggers are often trained to put items together to form a rectangle inside the bag and to distribute weight. This may result in odd things (in the consumers minds) to be put together. ie a block of cheese is used as a wedge between cans, not put with other refrigerated items. A bag of frozen corn, can be tossed into just about any space to hold other items upright (it isn't going to get bruised like the pears are).

 

A few cans will get spread around, so one bad doesn't have all the weight.

 

Boxes are used to build 'walls' on the outside of bags, loose items go into the middle.

 

 

They may seem disorganized from the pantry view, but they are more sturdy in the car (less likely to fall over) and every bag has a similar weight to make it easier to carry into the house (or at least you don't have one bag that will rip out with a bunch of cans together).

[Garga]

Baggers are often trained...

 

 

 

I asked one of the baggers at the store if they received training (since I obviously think about this topic quite a bit). He said they didn't. I was disappointed because I was going to ask him about the training. I was curious about what they were taught. I was so surprised when he said they weren't trained. (This was at a walmart.)

 

At the local grocery store (a Kennie's), they seem to bag only 2 or 3 items per bag. I wonder if they're trained to do it that way, and then, wouldn't it cost them more money in all those bags? Or maybe they think the customers will be happier w/o heavy bags. I dunno.

 

I think about bagging a lot.

[Guest]

I am so anal when it comes to this. I put all my heavy stuff up first and end with eggs and bread. People laugh when they go shopping with me.

[kitten18]

 

I do this too -- and the checkout clerks all re-sort it. Drives me crazy.

:iagree: I get bent out of shape when I take a bag of soap and toothpaste up to the bathroom and find a hunk of cheese in the bag.:glare:

[Giraffe]

I sort. I think DD's almost ready to receive training. Cold items together, ideally frozen separated from 'regular' fridge items. Pantry items, out of kitchen items, eggs, bread, all segregated.

 

I try to put the perishable items on the belt first so that it goes into the bottom of the cart so that when I load the car it ends up on the top. That way if I can't get everything into the house right away, I can grab the perishable bags and not worry about the other items.

 

I thought I was weird. I'm so glad I'm not.

[Scuff]

Exactly as you said. :) And if a cashier bags heavy things with things that can be squished or frozen things with non-frozen, than I'll rebag them as I put them in the cart. My kids do help and don't do it perfectly. But I've been telling them how to do it all along, so they're pretty good at sorting too.

 

Funny story, I went shopping this past week with the baby. She was *done* shopping and cranky. So I was holding her while pulling the cart out of the store. A bag fell out of my cart and an older (60s?) gentleman picked it up for me. He then started pushing my cart and told me to just take care of the baby, he'd take care of the cart. He really was a sweetheart. -But- when he started unloading the groceries into the car he put the bread and chips in first, then the oranges, then the meat and cans.... When he put the bread and chips in I grabbed them and tossed them onto the back seat. And then took a deep breath, let go of my inner-control freak and decided to let him bless me and pray that the oranges would be ok. :)

[amey311]

I try to sort.

 

I think the more important question, though, is what do you call the thing you push around the store?

 

Buggy? Trolley? Cart? Something else?

[Mommy22alyns]

DH does it more than I do. I tend to just toss stuff up there.

 

I was a cashier & bagger for a while when I was in high school.

[m0mmaBuck]

Yes, I arrange mine. I have my own bags. I have insulated bags for cold stuff. I give the baggers (we have baggers that are separate from the checker) the insulated bags first and put the cold/frozen stuff on the belt first. Then, all the heavy stuff such as cans, sodas, bottles of juice, that way those things can go in the bottom of the bagger's cart as they load the groceries onto it. Next is all the bulky stuff like paper products. And so forth.

 

:iagree:

[ayden]

I do!

[Giraffe]

I try to sort.

 

I think the more important question, though, is what do you call the thing you push around the store?

 

Buggy? Trolley? Cart? Something else?

 

 

Shopping Cart!

[RoughCollie]

I arrange items by where they get put away in my house. Frozen together, cans and snacks together, veggies and fruits together, bathroom items together, cleaning products together, etc. I like to be able to take bags to the rooms or areas where the items belong, unpack them there, then collect the bags and store them for next time (or store them for packing material if they are plastic bags).

 

This is exactly what I do. It drives me nuts when DH goes grocery shopping with me because he unloads the cart every which way. He doesn't load the cart in categories like I do, either. No one in my family can understand why this Matters, except for DD.

[KristinaBreece]

I was a cashier at Walmart, and everyone I know who was ever hired there was trained to bag fill out the bag-- first 2 things in the bag like bookends for support, and the divide the rest between the bags to balance the weight equally. Also, they are told to keep cooked meats together, raw meats together, and frozen things together, and to bag eggs & bread separately.

[gardening momma]

I do. I put the cans together, the boxes together, the frozen stuff together. I do it for a few reasons:

 

I want my cold stuff together, so it all keeps each other cold longer.

I don't want my soft items squished (ie: I keep the grapes away from the cans.)

I think it might be easier for the clerk (do they still call them clerks??) to bag the groceries.

Yes, I do too.

[Sue G in PA]

Seems my dh should have married Mrs. Mungo. :lol:

[RoundAbout]

Yup, I sort. Mainly because I want to be able to carry perishable things in first and put them in the fridge right away. I hate it when they put one container of sour cream in a bag of cans and I have to go looking for it. Also, my frozen stuff usually goes straight into the chest freezer in the garage. So much easier if its in their own bags.

[happi duck]

I do. I put the cans together, the boxes together, the frozen stuff together. I do it for a few reasons: Best reason: Because it is THE right way to do it...I know it is the right way because it is what I do and what my Mama taught me...nuf said! ;)

 

I want my cold stuff together, so it all keeps each other cold longer.

I don't want my soft items squished (ie: I keep the grapes away from the cans.)

I think it might be easier for the clerk (do they still call them clerks??) to bag the groceries.

 

There's one clerk (Nancy)who will NOT bag things the way I put them on the conveyor belt. She will hold things aside so she can bag them incorrectly together. She'll bag frozen stuff with boxes (so the frozen stuff thaws next to the box and makes it wet.) I think to myself, "Why would she specifically HOLD something back, just to bag it with something WRONG, when I had already sorted it out for her?!?!"

 

I avoid Nancy's line, even if it's the shortest. Yes, stay away from Nancy AT ALL COSTS!!

 

But, am I the only compulsive conveyor belt arranger?...nope!! Or does everyone else do this? I've tried to spy on the other shoppers and see what they do, but I haven't been able to tell.

 

Another specific pet peeve...the time my lettuce was ruined because it was packed with frozen items.

 

I often shop in the middle of the night and a big reason is Kenny the checker...always kind and packs everything perfectly!

 

BTW: I push a cart but a friend pushes a buggy!