The rogue Woolies checkout rule that caught me by surprise

 I had no idea this was a thing...Did you?

As a long time Woolies shopper and rewards card holder, I was shocked this week when I encountered a new grocery packing policy that left me surprised.

On my most recent visit to my local Woolworths I loaded my groceries onto the belt and greeted the checkout operator with a smile before becoming aware that something different was happening.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

Image: Supplied.

RELATED: Entitled act in shopping mall carpark leaves driver stunned

"We're always happy to pack your bags"

With only a medium sized shop and a large queue forming behind me, the woman speedily processed my groceries through the scanner, before piling them up in front of me.

In my coffee-deprived state and wondering momentarily if I was actually in the UK (where it is standard to always pack your own bags) or at ALDI, I began quickly chucking my items haphazardly into my shopping bags while fumbling for my credit card and trying not to appear flustered.

As the checkout operator realised what I was doing she politely said,“we are always happy to pack your bags so you can prioritise making payment, but it is our policy to scan 16 items before putting them in your bags.”

I apologised as she waited for me to pack the remainder of my items (badly) before sheepishly stating that I had no idea this was a thing until that very moment because it had not happened to me before.

She simply reinstated that it was “policy” before handing me the receipt and wishing me a good day.

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

RELATED: Mum mocked for innocent question about ALDI bread

I felt like I had been reprimanded

I felt silly for not waiting a little longer for her to complete the scanning of those very precise 16 items, and also like I had been reprimanded for doing it all wrong and stuffing up her speedy and efficient packing process.

As I hurriedly shoved my receipt into my trolley and scarpered out of there, I casually hid behind a pillar to watch as she served the next shopper who CLEARLY knew what to do and calmly waited while the checkout woman scanned and then packed the items neatly in her bags.

So ,how am I so late to this policy? Do some staff do it and others not? Is there a ergonomic or efficiency reason for the change?

I took to the internet to do some digging and find out what is going on.

RELATED: Mum shares genius solution to common supermarket problem

"They 'double handle' your items"

In a news article dating back to 2022, a customer went on a rant online about this policy change that he referred to as ‘double handling’ his groceries that slowed the checkout process down.

“Today I found out you have a new policy where checkout operators now ‘double handle’ your items,” he wrote on a Facebook post that was reported on by Yahoo News. 

“First they scan the item but instead of putting the item straight in the bag after scanning it is placed back on the counter until enough items have been scanned to fill the shopping bag therefore having to handle the items twice, once to scan then to pack into the bags,” he explained.

“This doubles the time taken to go through the checkout, even though I had some staff try to tell me it's quicker and that it's better on their bodies?”

As part of the same article, a former cashier said that this bulk scan and then pack system was more efficient.

“As a former cashier, I can tell you that it is faster to scan and then put things in bags after putting a lot of items on the counter.”

While I might be two years late to the news on this packing policy change, I am not alone in only recently working out that this was a thing. 

RELATED: Warning over viral cucumber salad trend

"I've literally never heard of this"

"I have literally never heard of this," said one friend.

Whereas another pal had noticed the 'scan then pack' process was happening more often, leading to some confusion. 

She wrote: “Quite often there’s a random assortment of big things left out that they used to put in bags so I’m there awkwardly waiting at the end to see what they're going to pack vs what they’re going to leave.”

So while it is reassuring to know I am not the only one confused about the scanning and packing change, it might be worth Woolies staff giving shoppers the heads up on what the current packing policy is.

We might not have had our coffee yet.

Originally published as The rogue Woolies checkout rule that caught me by surprise