The National Grocers Association (NGA) hosted its fourth annual National Best Bagger Congressional Showdown, held in conjunction with the American Frozen Food Institute’s Frozen Filibuster, on Wednesday at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
NGA’s 2015 Best Bagger National Champion David Tochinskiy of Rosauers Supermarkets in Spokane, Washington, competed against Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Washington-05). Tochinskiy defended his title with a bagging completion time of 38 seconds. McMorris Rodgers finished at a respectable 40 seconds.
“Baggers are often the first and last impression on a customer, playing a key role in the success of a store, and many top executives at our member stores began their careers in the supermarket industry as a bagger,” said Peter J. Larkin, president and CEO of NGA. “We are grateful to Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers for joining us to showcase the importance of baggers and pleased to name her an NGA Honorary Best Bagger.”
The best bagger competition is a nationwide promotion for supermarket employees, which is intended to highlight notable customer service skills in a friendly competition. Contestants are judged by speed of bagging, proper bag-building technique, weight distribution in the bag as well as style, attitude and appearance. Finalists for the NGA Best Bagger Championship are chosen through bagging competitions held at the state level.
Sponsored by PepsiCo, the 29th best bagger competition was held in February during the annual NGA trade show in Las Vegas. Contestants representing large regional food retailers as well as small local operators from across the country vied for the title of 2015 NGA Best Bagger Champion. 2016 will mark the 30th anniversary of the NGA Best Bagger Championship.
