Have come to notice, no matter which local supermarket, the baggers are all the same. They try to stuff every single item into one bag (in a way to suggest the supermarket was suffering some kind of shortage) with, most cases, resulting in fragile items being packed with heavier purchases.

It happens all the time and the baggers seem to have no clue what the issue is – as is apparent with the surprise and blank looks when asked to have certain items separated.

Many times have gone ahead and just bagged groceries without their assistance – more accustomed to doing it that way from growing up overseas and would prefer it; but, as in most occasions, they always assert themselves to do the job and ending in the same overstuffed bags, where potato chips are crammed in with something that will smash them to smithereens.

However, this desire to bag one’s own groceries is definitely a rare thought, considering one time, with no bagger in sight, began the task of bagging. The customer in the next aisle, who was waiting for a bagger as the line forming behind her continued to grow, glanced over and mumbled loudly, “There are baggers” – “mumbled” back, “I have hands.”

Is it nationwide policy for local supermarkets to have every item packed into one bag? Is it a matter of saving money, so the supermarket doesn’t have to pay that little bit extra to purchase more bags?

If it’s a matter of pushing customers to bring their own reusable bags – as a way of avoiding the hassle of a bag of groceries bursting at the seams – then, they should not be charging for those reusable bags. Over the years, have collected many of those bags from grocery stores overseas because they gave them away for free as a way of encouraging customers to “go green.”

Otherwise, is it just a matter of these baggers being inconsiderate people? Should be interesting to see the positions switched, would be surprised if they were OK with their bread or an individually-wrapped ice cream treat were packed in between canned goods or beer.

Unless locals prefer to eat potato chips in powered form and enjoying a whole chip is a western thing?

For years, was always told Filipino hospitality is top rate.

Since moving to the Philippines, have found it has either gone in severe decline or is only reserved for tourists – there are several instances where customer treatment was visibly different depending on one’s assumed nationality. Have experienced some excellent customer service at some places, the personnel at the local gym are always friendly; coffee shop staff are usually accommodating; one of the team members at a local Korean cosmetics store was especially pleasant, even remembering the purchase made on the prior visit.

Yet, with supermarkets, essentially, a commodity, often times, cashiers, who have nothing else better to do but chat with each other, will shoo customers away if they are not using either a cart or basket, depending on the line they are manning; despite rules mandating cashiers prioritize senior citizens in the lane designated for seniors, they overlook the matter; and then there are the aforementioned baggers who, want to leave customers with one giant bag, regardless if what they purchased will be obliterated by the time they get home.

Linda Lewis Griffith penned a piece for The Tribune, a local newspaper based in San Luis Obispo County, California, where she explained, “Chronically inconsiderate people are those folks who habitually wreak havoc on others’ schedules with their thoughtless behavior.”

“Chronically inconsiderate people are often blithely unaware of the impact they have on others,” Griffith wrote. “These self-centered people think nothing of imposing upon others to accommodate their own needs.”

Maybe it’s the same mindset of many drivers in the city.

They change lanes and swerve in-and-out of traffic with no regard for others on the road. Is it just blind inconsideration?

Have always said many people in Bacolod City seem to live within these bubbles, where they appear completely unaware of the existence of other people on the planet, is this just another side effect of such narcissistic thinking? In the same way people jaywalk without a second thought about the car barreling down the road, they also couldn’t care less about the food products buried underneath heavy bottles of beer.

In other countries, the standards to work in a supermarket are not “as high” as in the Philippines, many times high school students are the ones behind the cash register and bagging – yet they seem more than aware things like eggs do not belong in the same bag with canned goods. That fact makes it even harder to understand why these “educated” people seem all too oblivious of basic concepts. Unless they are willing to own up to such ignorance, the only conclusion is they are just impolite and thoughtless people./PLL, WDJ