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Issue:
I am the spouse of a NATO member, and I would appreciate some guidance in regards to tipping the baggers at the commissary. In Europe, we do not have baggers, so I have asked many people what is the proper etiquette but no one can tell me. Is there a standard rate? Or do you tip based on the amount of groceries? Or by how many bags you have? I also know that the holidays are coming and many expect a holiday bonus tip. Please give me some guidance on what is most appropriate.
Response:
The baggers at military commissaries work only for tips from customers, but there really is no standard rate to go by when deciding what to tip. I’ve asked a few baggers what they consider an average tip. For a large load of groceries, baggers receive an average of $3 to $5. One bagger said he once received a $10 tip for a fairly large amount of groceries, but said that is very uncommon. You could choose to tip based on how much time the bagger spends on your groceries, or on an approximate amount per bag – say 25 or 50 cents. They can handle between five and 10 customers per hour depending on how many baggers are working and how busy the commissary is; so five $5 to $10 tips in an hour is $25 to $50 – that’s a pretty good amount of money. As the holidays near, customers tend to purchase more groceries, so tips tend to increase slightly in turn. My advice is to pick one method and then just stick with it – in the end, the amount you tip is completely up to you. I hope this helps!
