Meet Hawaii’s Best Bagger

Austin Kaalekahi won the first state- wide competition for bagging groceries. Submitted photo.

By Dayanti Karunaratne  Editor

The grocery store checkout can be a chaotic place as shoppers fumble with wallets and make sure they got everything on their list — let alone having to bag. Luckily, there are people like Austin Kaalekahi who feel at ease bagging groceries — so much so, that he’s been recently crowned state champion.

Kaalekahi, who only started working at Friendly Market Center in March, became the state champion of bagging groceries at a June competition on Oahu.

“Oahu was totally different,” Kaalekahi said. “Packing in front of a lot of people, packing right beside someone else — it was crazy.”

The 22-year-old qualified for the state championships by beating his co-workers in a May event at the Kaunakakai store. Staff went head-to-head in a timed match that saw each competitor given four bags and 30 items. After four minutes, the contestants were awarded points for even weight distribution between bags, appearance of the bags, and time. 

When it came to the state finals, hosted by the Hawaii Food Industry Association, Kaalekahi competed against five other finalists from across the state. But there was a surprise: The bags were different than in the Kaunakakai competition.

“They don’t let you see the bags until you’re bagging,” he said. “Nobody knew that the bags were that small.” 

Nevertheless, Kaalekahi quickly packed the products, ensuring that no cans were on top of other cans, and no glass bottles were placed next to each other or touching the sides of the bag, he explained. Soft items, such as spice bags, were used as cushioning between pointed or perishable items. 

He won with a time of 77.44 seconds, earning not only bragging rights but also a prize of $1,000 and a trip to Las Vegas to compete in the national competition on Feb. 1. 

It’s the first time Hawaii has hosted an organized, statewide competition, and the first time the Hawaii Food Industry Association has entered a finalist in the national competition, which is organized by the National Grocers Association (NGA).

“Bagging has been an important step for many supermarket employees who have pursued long and rewarding careers in the grocery industry,” the NGA states on its website. “The National Grocers Association Best Bagger Championship features retailers with infectious company pride and an enthusiastic commitment to customer service.” The first contest was held in 1987.

Held at the MGM Grand Conference Center as part of the annual NGA trade show, the competition awards $10,000 to the winner. Past contests have seen up to 25 baggers from across the country fight for the title. 

Leila Ferreira Sparks, Friendly Market’s Communication Manager, said the hope is that next year more grocery stores will join in on the fun.

In the coming months, Kaalekahi said he will hone his skills packing those small bags — they gave him a few to take home for practice — and continue to pack at Friendly Market. 

Visit www.nationalgrocers.org/programs/best-bagger-competition/ for more information about the competition.