I Was a Grocery Bagger For My First Job — How It Helped Me Manage My Money

Often you recall your first job experiences with a mix of nostalgia and lessons learned. Before being part of the full-time workforce and day-to-day grind, there is something to be said for the whimsy of your first job. For me, that inaugural step into the land of employment was as a grocery bagger at my local supermarket — called Felpausch at the time — in Coldwater, Michigan. 

Little did I know then, that this seemingly humble position would teach me valuable lessons about money management (both making and saving) and the importance of hard work.

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Being a grocery bagger is a great first job for a teenager looking for part-time work to save up for school. This was my experience and here are a few reasons why and key takeaways: 

• The current average national pay for grocery baggers is around $17 per hour. 
• Though duties will vary typically your responsibilities will include greeting customers, carefully packing grocery items into bags and reloading the customer’s shopping cart. 
• Some stores also have you take all the purchased items and the customer’s load of groceries to their car and help them unload it into their car. 
• You work closely with the cashier and could eventually take on some of those duties if you move up in your position. 
• It’s essential to be careful with how you put items in the bags and make sure to put heavier items on the bottom and more fragile items on the top or bag separately.

Perhaps one of the most significant impacts of my first job was the boost in confidence and independence it provided. Earning my own money not only gave me a sense of autonomy and empowerment but also helped me pad my savings account to help cover the costs of upcoming college expenses.

It taught me that I could rely on myself to achieve my financial goals and navigate the responsibilities of adulthood. Here are five ways it helped me do so and also get a jumpstart on responsible money management skills.

As a young bagger, my primary task was to assist customers by bagging their groceries swiftly and efficiently. The pay wasn’t substantial, but it was a steady income I earned through my efforts and I learned quickly to set aside into a high-yield savings account. Every paycheck was a tangible result of the hours I put in and seeing that helped me apply value to every dollar.

Earning money goes hand in hand with the importance of saving money. Being surrounded by products and seeing their prices daily made me more conscious of my spending habits. I learned to differentiate between wants and needs and also got a staff discount on food items which went a long way toward budgeting my monthly expenses.

Through my job, I learned basic budgeting skills and how to allocate my income to cover personal expenses like transportation, meals and savings. This early exposure to financial responsibility laid a solid foundation for managing larger expenses later in life, such as rent, student loans, utilities and eventually investments.

Beyond finances, my job as a bagger honed my customer service skills. I interacted with a diverse range of people daily, learning to communicate effectively, problem-solve and handle challenging situations with tact and professionalism.

Working alongside store employees from different departments gave me a newfound respect for the workforce. I witnessed firsthand the dedication and hard work that goes into running a successful business. This experience instilled in me a strong work ethic and taught me the value of collaboration and teamwork which has carried through to every field I’ve worked in since.

Reflecting on my time as a grocery bagger, I realize the profound impact it had on shaping my financial mindset and work ethic. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I have nothing but fond memories of my time as a teenager I spent grocery bagging. It’s a position to consider for anyone looking to make some extra cash to save for specific financial goals.