Is It Normal for Woolworths to No Longer Pack Your Groceries?

FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 09:48

It's been some time since I've used a regular checkout at Woolworths or Coles as I tend to only buy a few things from there and use self checkout while doing my bigger weekly shop at ALDI. But since I get the everyday rewards 10% off a shop once a month I decided to do a large shop yesterday to try take advantage of (or get taken advantage of) the 10% off.

I never feel right taking a full trolley through self check out so I took the old fashioned route. I had my own bags ready to give to the cashier but they didn't take them and started scanning everything as fast as possible like they were on trial to work at ALDI. I manically tried to keep up and pack the bags but I was not mentally ready for the challenge like I am when I shop at ALDI so it just felt like I was in a complete state of anxiety while the person behind me was clearly preparing themselves to experience the same pain.

Anyway, is this normal practice now or did I probably just get someone at the end of their shift trying to clock off?

Poll Options expired

  • 2
    Yes
  • 107
    No
Food & Grocery

Related Stores

Woolworths
Woolworths

Comments

  • try2bhelpful on 18/11/2023 - 09:52
    +2

    If you go to the right Coles they have the long self service counters. You can scan and pack at your leisure. So much easier than the small self service counters.

    • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 09:58

      Sadly not an option at my local, would be nice though.

      • try2bhelpful on 18/11/2023 - 10:25
        +3

        Hopefully they will make it to you. Fortunately being in Fitzroy we tend to be the Petri dish for these sort of innovations at Super markets. We prefer to “do for ourselves”, particularly if we are shopping for points. That way we can nip out for something else if we are under. :)

        Maybe next time just put everything on the conveyor belt and then put things back in the cart after they’ve been checked. Then you can go to one side to pack at your leisure.

        I feel sorry for the checkout people. They have to deal with so many hyped up morons each day. I saw some idiot hit a Coles employee and then walk out without paying. They took pictures to show the cops but didn’t try to stop him. Presumably they were trying to avoid an escalation. Imagine having a job where you don’t know if the next person you are serving is going to physically or verbally harass you?

        • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 10:32

          Yeah that's a good point. She may have been having a bad day. Unfortunately being in South West Sydney we tend to be the last to get any innovation so upgrades probably won't happen any time soon.

          • try2bhelpful on 18/11/2023 - 10:38

            @FrankAbagnaleJr: I can also imagine that some people might complain if they don’t like how bags have been packed.

            The checkout people at Costco are amazing. They won’t pack for you either but they can push a lot of products through in a short time.

    • dtxau on 18/11/2023 - 11:27
      +9

      I never see anyone use those at my store. So I decided to use it with my 1 item of milk. Placed it at the start of the belt and waited for it to get to the end. Partner was not impressed LOL.

      • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 11:28

        HAHAHA

      • try2bhelpful on 18/11/2023 - 11:30
        +5

        Did you hum “Girl from Ipanema” whilst you were waiting?

    • 2esc on 19/11/2023 - 10:19
      +1

      Yeah i dont mind them i can pack the groceries correctly then. Supermarkets no longer teach checkout staff how to pack bags. I load up the belt with the items in logical order to make it easier. Such as eggs and bread last to go in a bag on its own. In the past they have put bread in the bottom of bags and eggs jammed inbthe sude on its end.

  • Nugs on 18/11/2023 - 09:53
    +4

    I place individual bags on top of the stuff on conveyer in the hope (& mostly it works) that they place said items that are in the 'groups' of stuff on conveyer in the bag that was atop said groups. have never packed own on regular checkout at colesworth
    .

    • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 09:57
      +1

      Oh that's smart. I'll give this a go next month and hope for a better outcome.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 18/11/2023 - 09:56
    +11

    If I wanted to pack my own groceries I would have saved money and went to Aldi smh.

  • Baysew on 18/11/2023 - 09:57
    +1

    Is it normal for you to no longer communicate at Woolworths?

    • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 09:57
      +9

      I'm socially inept. There's a reason I prefer self check out so yeah it's normal for me.

      • Baysew on 18/11/2023 - 10:06
        +3

        I shop regularly at Woolies, and always place the bags as the first item on the belt. This gives them a non verbal cue that I want them to pack my groceries. I have noticed Coles sometimes will ask if I want them to pack for me. It seems some people insist on packing the groceries themselves, (like the first reply). Sometimes they will put a whole heap of items through and then start packing, so they can pack the soft stuff on top.

        • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 10:13
          +2

          I don't think it was the order of items, out of habit I had arranged them in the logical packing order. But it does appear I made a shopper to cashier faux pas for trying to hand my bags to them instead of placing them on the conveyor.

          • Baysew on 18/11/2023 - 10:21
            +3

            @FrankAbagnaleJr: Well they should have asked you, but if you ask them they can't say no.

    • AustriaBargain on 18/11/2023 - 12:35

      That's what I like best about Woolworths. Everyone keeps to themselves. When the staff at Aldi start getting chatty it makes me wish I just went to Woolies instead.

      • johninmelb on 18/11/2023 - 22:05
        +1

        Since when have Aldi staff had time to chat? Is this a new innovation. Never been the case at my store. I had a favourite checkout person at Woolies who I used to chat with. She seems to have disappeared, or could be on leave maybe.

        The ones I cannot stand are the ones that call you 'Luv" or "Darling". Just not my thing I guess.

        • Yola on 19/11/2023 - 08:24

          I hate luv, darling or dear, and also mate.

        • Nickels n Dimes on 19/11/2023 - 21:29

          most of the staff at my nearest Aldi are completely antisocial — they won't even answer if you ask them about the specials or extra bags for example. just a bunch of automatons.

      • Some Human on 19/11/2023 - 13:15
        +2

        My local woolies staff are chatty. I don't like it. Figured out if you don't want them to talk to you, you just have to answer their questions.

        Cashier: any plans for easter?
        Me: easter bunny is coming to my house
        Cashier: * silence *

        Cashier: you got cats?
        Me: yes, I like it when they go * makes purring sounds *
        Cashier: * silence *

        • Nickels n Dimes on 19/11/2023 - 21:31
          +2

          I got that once, buying some cat fud:

          Cashier: cats love these, what kind of cat do you have
          Me: I have a neighbour's cat that keeps entering my yard to shit, so I need bait for the council trap
          Cashier: * silence *

          😉

  • bobbified on 18/11/2023 - 11:28

    If i remember correctly, they stopped during covid because they didn't want to touch bags that customers brought from home etc.

    • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 11:31

      Probably the last time I actually went through a normal check out was back in covid lockdowns.

      • Protractor on 18/11/2023 - 12:22
        +5

        and covid is going gangbusters again. TBF, if they were NOT packing because of covid risk, they should really either let you know, have signage, or checkout operators wear masks.

  • AustriaBargain on 18/11/2023 - 12:33
    +3

    I went to my local IGA a while back and the owner served me. He refused to pack my bag for me, just handed me the bag. I thought it was a little odd because they weren't exactly charging Aldi prices, they are probably one of the most expensive supermarkets in the city and probably paying among the lowest rent per square meter. I think he is just getting sick of owning an IGA.

    • Crow K on 18/11/2023 - 15:03

      "Only Aldi can make me pack my bags, because of their pricing"

      You should have let him know he wasn't running the store to your expectations, he might have given you the Karen discount.

      • AustriaBargain on 18/11/2023 - 16:51
        +3

        He charges $12 for 250g of cheese, he packs the bags. It's on the social contract.

        • Crow K on 18/11/2023 - 17:16
          -2

          "I've decided to pay the prices you, IGA, have advertised, and my valuation is there's a social contract in place that also requires my bags to be packed by you for free. I have also independently valued the prices Aldi offers, and determined no such requirement in their pricing"

          "Ok Karen"

          • AustriaBargain on 18/11/2023 - 17:42
            +2

            @Crow K: Well I don't shop there anymore. I do all my shopping at Amazon, Aldi, Coles delivery on Uber/DoorDash, and Woolies in store. Woolies in store just out of habit.

            • Crow K on 18/11/2023 - 18:07

              @AustriaBargain: Oh, thanks for keeping me informed.

              If anyone else wants to let me know what five shops they sometimes use, reply to this comment directly, better make sure we gather all the important info in one place.

              • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 18:15
                +2

                @Crow K: Woolies, Aldi, Reject Shop, local Asian grocery and occasionally my local butcher.

              • Antikythera on 18/11/2023 - 18:28
                +3

                @Crow K: there is a 7/11 on my commute that usually had the cheapest LPG around. I often buy milk and a Slurpee as well.

                my normal shop is done at the medium shopping centre that has both Coles and Woollies. I usually shop at woollies however for some reason the Coles have 90% of the trolley return bays in the underground carpark so i grab a Coles trolley before going to woollies. I also use the chemist and bakers delight there.

                Same distance as my usual shop, but in the other direction is a Tasman Butchers and Coles that ill go to if i need bulk meat and will just pop into the Coles to get a few items on the same trip.

                if I'm leaving work after evening shift there is a further away Woolies that used to be 24hr but is now open until Midnight. I'll go there in the last hour its open to grab some basic items.

                and lastly a similar distance to the 2nd and 3rd options is a IGA supermarket and Woolies. When I go there I usually shop at the IGA. There is also a bakery that does great Binh Mai.

                and thats my 5 shopping trips as requested.

    • Protractor on 18/11/2023 - 17:32

      'courtesy' most valuable tool in retail (goes both ways) & first commodity to run dry

  • Dollar General on 18/11/2023 - 21:45

    Did the checkout person leave you a tip?

    • FrankAbagnaleJr on 18/11/2023 - 21:51

      Nah but I paid cash and it rounded down 2 cents so maybe by default.

  • johninmelb on 18/11/2023 - 22:11
    +3

    Coles and Woolies always pack my stuff, but usually only one small bag. Big shop at Aldi, and use their trolley bags to sort it as it goes through. They can go as fast as they like, I am old so I take my time and make them wait. But even then I am still faster than some people at the checkout who are not organised with their money or cc out and ready, or trying to juggle stuff because they didn't bring a bag, etc. However, if it is busy and long queues, I just dump it back in the trolley and pack it on the bench. LIke others here, I sort my stuff on the belt according to how I want it packed. Mostly works, but do get sick of telling 15 yo's not to put the bread in first and dump everything on top of it. Would have thought they'd be taught that when they did their register training.

  • Iwantthebestprice on 19/11/2023 - 00:05
    +2

    It’s the pretty clear based on the poll they should’ve packed your bags. I’ve had checkout people not stack my bags either, I literally leave the items to pile up and leave it till their done and once finished they can stock the bags. Don’t be a little bitch and just leave the items you bought there and let the checkout person take care of it..

  • kyle on 19/11/2023 - 08:24
    +2

    My local woolies doesn't have self checkout and the cashier always asks if I've got a bag before i was trying to fish it out of my basket or trolley.

  • Sydney123 on 19/11/2023 - 09:30

    My local Woolies still pack the bags. They will even ask for my green bags if I forget to give it to them. If they ever make me pack my own bags, which we had to during covid, I am so bad at it I would be holding up the line. That’s also the reason why I don’t do self checkouts. I’m so bad at it I can feel people behind me staring which makes me even more clumsy. 😄

  • MJR on 19/11/2023 - 14:53
    +2

    Not normal at all. I did my big shop at Torquay on Friday and the girl packed everything for me, and this has always been my experience at every Woolworths I regularly shop in.

    • MJR on 19/11/2023 - 14:58
      +2

      Just to add, when I am doing my discount shop I generally have $400 of groceries. I lay everything out sorted ascto how I want things packed with the bags on top. Also grab a couple of boxes from BWS for cans and bottles

      • FrankAbagnaleJr on 19/11/2023 - 15:00

        Seems like laying bags on top of the items is the way to go. I'm going to try this for my big discount shop next month. I'll also try get the same cashier to do a little test.

  • payless69 on 20/11/2023 - 02:13

    Shop to bag with your mobile?

    • FrankAbagnaleJr on 20/11/2023 - 06:48

      This only just launched and isn't on offer at my store.

  • payless69 on 20/11/2023 - 08:48
    +1

    We got Gordonvale south of Cairns. Tried it with 2 items and it took 3 times as long.
    Meanwhile we got a brandnew Woolies at out oldest centre and due to being crime city it has the highest theft and never will be bag and pay!

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