It's in the bag! Washington's best baggers perform great grocery feats

On your mark. Get set. Bag!

This week, Washington state’s five top grocery baggers faced off in Shoreline for a chance to represent the Evergreen State on the national stage. The check stands here were filled with cereal boxes, canned food, bags of chips, and a range of other common goods. Shopping lists can vary, but nothing could throw these baggers off their game.

“I practiced a lot, but for this one, I’m just going to go for it!" said Emma Beeler, representing Spokane's Super 1 Foods.

All that practice paid off for the fastest bagger east of the Cascades. Beeler said, unlike the rehearsals where items were laid out within reach, she had to jump to grab some of the groceries. She packed them with an efficiency that would make a Tetris champion proud.

After three intense grocery bagging rounds, the Lilac City checker took the 2023 title.

“I was like, 'Don’t think about it too much, don’t think about it too much!'" Beeler said after taking the top prize. "But I really, really wanted to win!”

Beeler will now represent Washington state as she advances to the national championship in Las Vegas slated for March 2024. The grand prize is $10,000.

Washington's Best Bagger Contest

Destiny French with Ocean Shores IGA also did her best bagging at the Shoreline competition. For her, bagging is not just about convenience. It's about community. She argues that, despite the rise of self-checkout stations, checkers and cashiers will never fully go away.

“I have quite a few people that will skip a line just to come to my line so we can have our daily conversation," French said.

Plus, having your groceries ready and bagged is a considerable perk not found at self-checkout stands. But to stay competitive, baggers have to fight the machine. That fight produces the considerable grocery athletes found at the Best Bagger Contest.

Speed is the name of the game. But a panel of judges also consider timing, bag-building techniques, weight distribution, and ultimately the final presentation.

“If I have that down, I can put things down, and I don’t have to scramble," said Jadan White, of Whidbey Island's Goose Grocer, while explaining their bagging tactics and how they mentally lay out grocery items.

The annual contest has been a longstanding event for the Washington Food Industry Association. This year is its big return after a pandemic pause. A bagger from Washington state has taken the national title four times so far — in 1989, 2013, 2015, and 2016.