Woolies customer confused after being asked to pack own bags

A shopper has said they were left confused and frustrated after being asked this question when taking their $130 worth of groceries to the checkout.

A Woolworths customer has been left scratching their head after being asked to pack their own bags at the checkout.

The shopper took to Reddit to share their outrage at the interaction at the Woolworths checkout.

“The cashier told me to bag groceries myself. I had about $130 bucks worth,” the social media user posted.

“When questioned whether this was their job or (a) Covid measure, cashier responded by stating it ‘made the process faster’.

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Woolworths customer stunned by checkout question. Picture: Marie Nirme

“I obliged but was left curious whether this is accepted, tolerated and normal nowadays? I should also highlight this is not the self checkout area.”

Other social media users were equally perplexed with the interaction, with a staff member jumping on to give their input.

“I go faster when I pack myself (I’m a cashier). Why they thought you packing is faster is beyond me,” the person said.

“I work at Woolies and the worker shouldn’t have asked unless you have dirty bags or something like that.

“We have a sign on our register to answer the question of packing bags saying the process is faster if we do it.”

A Woolworths spokesperson told news.com.au checkout operators were expected to bag groceries for customers.

News.com.au understands if a customer’s bag is dirty, staff can offer a replacement.

Others agreed it was a weird ask. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

Meanwhile, others shared their own experience, with one social media user commenting: “I’ve been asked to (pack my own bags) when they were overrun with customers. I think it’s more of a ‘cut down this line’ thing than a Covid thing.”

Another said: “As someone who moved here from abroad used to packing my own items, it’s definitely slower when the cashier does it.”

Another added: “I’ve never been asked to bag my own items but if I can see there’s a person/s behind me waiting then I’ll help bag items. My choice.”

“Our teams work hard to serve thousands of customers to the highest standard every day, however, we don’t always get it right,” a Woolworths spokesperson told news.com.au.

“Our checkout operators are expected to bag groceries at our manned checkouts if that’s the customer’s wish, as per our bagging policy.

“We encourage this customer to reach out to our friendly customer service (team) who will be able to further assist them.”