Stores take a cut from "groups" bagging groceries.

eXcentris · 09-26-07, 04:35 PM

Saw a piece on this on tv last night. I assume this is common in the US too but here, whether it's in grocery stores or other types of stores like Canadian Tire, you often see kids who are not actual store employees, bagging groceries because they are trying to raise money for some sort of activity. So it can be boy scouts, a boy's hockey team, a girls' soccer team, etc... What I didn't know is that the overwhelming majority of the stores take a cut on what these kids make. It's normally around 10% but, in the case of Maxi (grocery store chain) it can go all the way up to 25% based on the amount of money collected. Now in Maxi's case the cut they take goes directly into a charity for children they sponsor.

You could argue that, since the store provides an environment for those kids to make money, that taking a cut is ok, or that since it goes to charity anyway, it's not such a bad thing after all. But why do this secretly? Put a sign or something that says "10% of money given to these kids goes to charity X". As it stands, they are forcing me to give money to a charity without my consent.

DVD Josh · 09-26-07, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXcentris

Saw a piece on this on tv last night. I assume this is common in the US too but here, whether it's in grocery stores or other types of stores like Canadian Tire, you often see kids who are not actual store employees, bagging groceries because they are trying to raise money for some sort of activity. So it can be boy scouts, a boy's hockey team, a girls' soccer team, etc... What I didn't know is that the overwhelming majority of the stores take a cut on what these kids make. It's normally around 10% but, in the case of Maxi (grocery store chain) it can go all the way up to 25% based on the amount of money collected. Now in Maxi's case the cut they take goes directly into a charity for children they sponsor.

You could argue that, since the store provides an environment for those kids to make money, that taking a cut is ok, or that since it goes to charity anyway, it's not such a bad thing after all. But why do this secretly? Put a sign or something that says "10% of money given to these kids goes to charity X". As it stands, they are forcing me to give money to a charity without my consent.

How is it without your consent? Are you paying the baggers directly?

Mopower · 09-26-07, 04:39 PM

Never seen that before in my entire life.

HN · 09-26-07, 04:41 PM

How are the stores taking a cut? Customers pay the baggers?

And when did X get a charity?

Numanoid · 09-26-07, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXcentris

I assume this is common in the US too

Your assumption is incorrect (AFAIK).

eXcentris · 09-26-07, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXcentris

I assume this is common in the US too

I guess my assumption was incorrect.

It isn't necessarily groceries, this happens in other big chain stores too like Canadian Tire. You mostly see this on weekends, i.e. it isn't store employees bagging your groceries/items, it's kids raising money for a school activity, some hockey or soccer tournament, etc... So they are all wearing their boy scout uniform, or hockey/soccer shirt, and THEY are the ones bagging your groceries/items. Next to them is usually some sort of container where you can deposit a buck or two if you want, before you leave with your stuff. So, at the end of the day, if the kids managed to collect $1,000 from customer donations, the store takes a cut, which varies from 10 to 25% in some cases, depending of the amount raised.

Trevor · 09-26-07, 04:57 PM

Must be a regional thing. I also have never seen anything like this (charity seeking baggers).

MadMark · 09-26-07, 04:59 PM

Do grocery stores in Canada operate like they do over in Europe, where customers bag their own groceries (and pay for each bag)? Or like here in the US, where paid employees bag your groceries?

al_bundy · 09-26-07, 05:00 PM

pretty much every store in the US except for warehouse clubs like Costco bag your groceries for you. and they give you free bags as well. and this applies to every retail business i can think of selling pretty much everything with the exceptio of cars, big screen TV's and other things that don't fit into a retail bag. a lot of stores even double bag items for security reasons

Seantn · 09-26-07, 05:02 PM

There's a place near here where you bag your own stuff and they charge a bit less on all the groceries, since they don't have to pay any bag boys.

eXcentris · 09-26-07, 05:04 PM

Like in the US. Except that on week-ends (I don't think I've ever seen this during the week, makes sense since these kids would have school) some stores let non-employees do the bagging for the reasons I stated above.

al_bundy · 09-26-07, 05:04 PM

few years back costco put an extra person on each register to put your stuff in that huge cart they have when you check out. the reason is that they can check out more people and make a lot more money.

unless this store has very little customers or pretty much no waiting, they are idiots for being penny wise and pound foolish

adamblast · 09-26-07, 05:12 PM

If I'm remembering right (NPR feature, months ago) in Mexico the major grocery stores have "unofficial" employees as baggers--basically unpaid volunteer street kids--and they expect to be tipped.

I hope we don't end up having to tip baggers in the US. Damn, I get tired of everybody reaching into my pockets.

devilshalo · 09-26-07, 05:19 PM

If the store was responsible, either they have the charity or organization provide waivers and proof of insurance for the baggers, or they take the cut to pay for some type of coverage in case something ever happens to the bagger.

resinrats · 09-26-07, 05:24 PM

We did this once in Cub Scouts. We bagged at the BX (military store) and we had a can there that people could put $$ into. Don't know if the BX took any of it. Probably not.

dork · 09-26-07, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXcentris

It's normally around 10% but, in the case of Maxi (grocery store chain) it can go all the way up to 25% based on the amount of money collected.

Wow, it sounds like your Maxis are bleeding you dry.

fujishig · 09-26-07, 05:38 PM

I thought this was going to be like the guys who wash my windows at stoplights and expect compensation.

Here we have gas stations and fast food places allowing kids to use the parking lot for car washes for fund raising... and of course, girl scouts selling Thin Mints (yeah, they sell other cookies too, but who buys those?)

I don't see a problem with the stores taking a cut and putting it into another charity... they are not forcing you to do anything. Now if they were lining their own pockets with it, that'd be a little more fishy, but I'm not sure it'd be illegal.

OldDude · 09-26-07, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXcentris

I guess my assumption was incorrect.

It isn't necessarily groceries, this happens in other big chain stores too like Canadian Tire. You mostly see this on weekends, i.e. it isn't store employees bagging your groceries/items, it's kids raising money for a school activity, some hockey or soccer tournament, etc... So they are all wearing their boy scout uniform, or hockey/soccer shirt, and THEY are the ones bagging your groceries/items. Next to them is usually some sort of container where you can deposit a buck or two if you want, before you leave with your stuff. So, at the end of the day, if the kids managed to collect $1,000 from customer donations, the store takes a cut, which varies from 10 to 25% in some cases, depending of the amount raised.

I've never seen that. What is common here is letting groups set up a table to sell candy, Girl Scout cookies, etc.

Tracer Bullet · 09-26-07, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDude

I've never seen that. What is common here is letting groups set up a table to sell candy, Girl Scout cookies, etc.

Here in New York we have groups of teenagers aggressively hawking M&Ms, etc. at street corners on on the train for their "basketball team".

Spicollidriver1 · 09-26-07, 06:46 PM

I see if this at cub foods/supervalu all the time.

mndtrp · 09-27-07, 03:40 AM

I've never seen this sort of thing before.

AGuyNamedMike · 09-27-07, 06:39 AM

When I was a bagger for Safeway in my teens (early '80s) we actually had to go to a full day "courtesy clerk" class at the regional training center. There are very few right ways and a hell of a lot of wrong ways to bag groceries. I'd rather bag my own than have some kid too young to even get a job as a bagger mangle my purchases. Hell, nowadays the trained (theoretically) store employees do a crappy job of it anyway. Grrrr.

johnglass · 09-27-07, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXcentris

I guess my assumption was incorrect.

It isn't necessarily groceries, this happens in other big chain stores too like Canadian Tire.

American tires don't fit in bags. That's where you went wrong.

12thmonkey · 09-27-07, 07:25 AM

Haven't seen it with grocery stores, but I know our nearby Tweeter Center concert venue does that with the concession stands: local charities work the food booths and get a small percentage of the take.

My wife worked it once when she was with the Jaycees, and the workload seemed to far exceed the minimal amount of money raised.

starman9000 · 09-27-07, 07:42 AM

Haven't seen the baggin, but we always have kids doing carwashes in the parking lots of local grocery stores, I guess I would be a little annoyed if I found out some of the money was going to the store, regardless of what they do with it. On the other hand, I suppose you can just look at it as an expense the kids need to pay to raise their money. (for example, kids selling candy bars to raise money have to actually pay for the candy bars, it's not 100% profit for the charity)

09-26-07, 04:35 PM	#1
eXcentris DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 23,001	Stores take a cut from "groups" bagging groceries. Saw a piece on this on tv last night. I assume this is common in the US too but here, whether it's in grocery stores or other types of stores like Canadian Tire, you often see kids who are not actual store employees, bagging groceries because they are trying to raise money for some sort of activity. So it can be boy scouts, a boy's hockey team, a girls' soccer team, etc... What I didn't know is that the overwhelming majority of the stores take a cut on what these kids make. It's normally around 10% but, in the case of Maxi (grocery store chain) it can go all the way up to 25% based on the amount of money collected. Now in Maxi's case the cut they take goes directly into a charity for children they sponsor. You could argue that, since the store provides an environment for those kids to make money, that taking a cut is ok, or that since it goes to charity anyway, it's not such a bad thing after all. But why do this secretly? Put a sign or something that says "10% of money given to these kids goes to charity X". As it stands, they are forcing me to give money to a charity without my consent.

09-26-07, 04:57 PM	#7
Trevor DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Apr 1999 Location: somewhere shopping Posts: 21,846	Must be a regional thing. I also have never seen anything like this (charity seeking baggers). __________________ forum helps: search - reviews - Challenge Compendium - DVD "upgrades" missing features from original release - DVDTalk Facebook - OCD/Storage/Organization - BD Digibook Thread - Free Daily Android App - All Gift Card Deals Personal: PMs are the anitchrist, just email me. Holiday'12 - Comedy '12 My Countdown Counting down to: The 2nd Annual DVDTalk Action/Adventure/Crime/Mystery Challenge The 2nd Annual DVDTalk Action/Adventure/Crime/Mystery Challenge has started!

09-26-07, 05:02 PM	#10
Seantn DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 5,602	There's a place near here where you bag your own stuff and they charge a bit less on all the groceries, since they don't have to pay any bag boys. __________________ "Why don't you get a blog where you can tell others to get a blog?" - Parcher

09-26-07, 05:12 PM	#13
adamblast DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Lompoc, CA Posts: 11,419	If I'm remembering right (NPR feature, months ago) in Mexico the major grocery stores have "unofficial" employees as baggers--basically unpaid volunteer street kids--and they expect to be tipped. I hope we don't end up having to tip baggers in the US. Damn, I get tired of everybody reaching into my pockets. __________________ "Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down."--Orson Scott Card (Nat'l Organization for Marriage LDS Liaison)

09-26-07, 05:19 PM	#14
devilshalo DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Somewhere between Heaven and Hell Posts: 24,275	If the store was responsible, either they have the charity or organization provide waivers and proof of insurance for the baggers, or they take the cut to pay for some type of coverage in case something ever happens to the bagger. __________________ Oh, don't be the victim. Don't make up excuses because you're a dumbass. - Lynda Thompson

09-26-07, 04:39 PM	#3
Mopower DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The Janitor's closet in Kinnick Stadium Posts: 15,717	Never seen that before in my entire life.

09-26-07, 04:41 PM	#4
HN DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 4,987	How are the stores taking a cut? Customers pay the baggers? And when did X get a charity?

09-26-07, 04:59 PM	#8
MadMark Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: GA Posts: 308	Do grocery stores in Canada operate like they do over in Europe, where customers bag their own groceries (and pay for each bag)? Or like here in the US, where paid employees bag your groceries?

09-26-07, 05:00 PM	#9
al_bundy DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: in da cloud Posts: 26,196	pretty much every store in the US except for warehouse clubs like Costco bag your groceries for you. and they give you free bags as well. and this applies to every retail business i can think of selling pretty much everything with the exceptio of cars, big screen TV's and other things that don't fit into a retail bag. a lot of stores even double bag items for security reasons

09-26-07, 05:04 PM	#11
eXcentris DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 23,001	Like in the US. Except that on week-ends (I don't think I've ever seen this during the week, makes sense since these kids would have school) some stores let non-employees do the bagging for the reasons I stated above.

09-26-07, 05:24 PM	#15
resinrats DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 3,877	We did this once in Cub Scouts. We bagged at the BX (military store) and we had a can there that people could put $$ into. Don't know if the BX took any of it. Probably not.

09-26-07, 05:38 PM	#17
fujishig DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Aug 1999 Posts: 13,857	I thought this was going to be like the guys who wash my windows at stoplights and expect compensation. Here we have gas stations and fast food places allowing kids to use the parking lot for car washes for fund raising... and of course, girl scouts selling Thin Mints (yeah, they sell other cookies too, but who buys those?) I don't see a problem with the stores taking a cut and putting it into another charity... they are not forcing you to do anything. Now if they were lining their own pockets with it, that'd be a little more fishy, but I'm not sure it'd be illegal.

09-26-07, 06:46 PM	#20
Spicollidriver1 DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: MN Posts: 5,949	I see if this at cub foods/supervalu all the time. __________________ "Foley Is GoOd" 360voice

09-27-07, 03:40 AM	#21
mndtrp DVD Talk Legend Join Date: May 2004 Location: a mile high, give or take a few feet Posts: 10,833	I've never seen this sort of thing before.

09-27-07, 06:39 AM	#22
AGuyNamedMike DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska! Posts: 13,609	When I was a bagger for Safeway in my teens (early '80s) we actually had to go to a full day "courtesy clerk" class at the regional training center. There are very few right ways and a hell of a lot of wrong ways to bag groceries. I'd rather bag my own than have some kid too young to even get a job as a bagger mangle my purchases. Hell, nowadays the trained (theoretically) store employees do a crappy job of it anyway. Grrrr. __________________ Groucho - What if, like, we were all living in a mouse neuron man, and what if some mouse neuron in our universe had a universe it. Whoa. Dr Mabuse - You mock, but Sutherland got some fine young stuff off that kind of thing so don't sell it short. Last edited by AGuyNamedMike; 09-27-07 at 07:59 AM.

09-27-07, 07:25 AM	#24
12thmonkey DVD Talk Reviewer Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Frankfort, IL Posts: 6,771	Haven't seen it with grocery stores, but I know our nearby Tweeter Center concert venue does that with the concession stands: local charities work the food booths and get a small percentage of the take. My wife worked it once when she was with the Jaycees, and the workload seemed to far exceed the minimal amount of money raised. __________________ My DVD Collection Eamus Catuli! Zerstörung durch Fortschritte der Technologie

09-27-07, 07:42 AM	#25
starman9000 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: MN Posts: 22,814	Haven't seen the baggin, but we always have kids doing carwashes in the parking lots of local grocery stores, I guess I would be a little annoyed if I found out some of the money was going to the store, regardless of what they do with it. On the other hand, I suppose you can just look at it as an expense the kids need to pay to raise their money. (for example, kids selling candy bars to raise money have to actually pay for the candy bars, it's not 100% profit for the charity)