The Grocery Bagger Experience

For the second time since I've been in Olds I had the grocery store bagger at Sobey's escort me out to my vehicle. It is not because I choose to have them follow me to my car with my groceries, it is exactly the opposite. When asked I refuse and stubbornly carry my handfuls of bags, smushing my bread as I go but I prefer it this way. I would rather carry my own groceries to my car and avoid the awkward silence of having a bagger try and make small talk with me as they trot along behind me with their cart and my bags. The trip isn't that far, no matter how many bags I have I'm sure I can strategically juggle them and make it to the car with dropping any bags or breaking any eggs. But on occasion they don't ask me if I want help out they just assume and start to pack up their cart. Sometimes I will politely, or as politely as I can be, say "I don't need help out thank you" but twice now I have given in and just not felt it appropriate to refuse. So in silence we walk to the car and I'll admit full well that I am the reason for the silence, I am just not a small talker with strangers from the grocery store, but this awkward silence is avoidable if baggers didn't exist. The concept of baggers is really a small town way of life and it may sound the opposite of ordinary to say I would prefer the cold shoulder of the big city grocery staff but it's true. There are a lot of things about small towns I can live with and have actually come to enjoy but the grocery store bagger is not one of those things.