MANCHESTER, N.H. – It’s official! The best grocery bagger in the state of New Hampshire has been chosen for 2019.
After preliminary competitions at over 50 stores across multiple grocery chains across the state, 10 finalists emerged for the title at the New Hampshire Grocers Association State Best Bagger Competition, but Alex Gamache of the Hannaford location in Goffstown emerged victorious at the New Hampshire Food Bank on Tuesday.
A four-year veteran of Hannaford, Gamache had competed in store-level competitions in the past, regional and state competitions within Hannaford, but this marked his first appearance at the state finals.
In the contest, competitors are judged by speed, bag-building technique, weight distribution between bags and poise during the process.
Gamache first advanced past Ann Cavanaugh of Keene’s Monadnock Food Co-Op and John Benzaia of Market Basket’s Hooksett location. In the final round, he defeated Shaw’s baggers Taylor Foote and Bianca Murphy, representing the Shaw’s of Stratham and Plaistow, respectively.
Although he earned the crown, he had nothing but praise for every member of the competition.
“I felt like (New Hampshire) is represented very well, we had a lot of great people,” he said. “Just watching their bagging, I knew that they were doing a great job.”
Gamache received a $250 prize for his efforts, and now has a chance to win $10,000 at the National Grocery Association Best Bagger Championship this February in San Diego against champions from 29 other states.
New Hampshire Grocery Association President John Dumais has overseen 35 years of these state championships, and he believes competitions like these are excellent tools to help train grocery store employees in the art of bagging
He also noted that these events provide an opportunity for people to recognize the skill required to fill a grocery bag with the speed and precision expected by customers, a fact that may occasionally be overlooked as self-checkout systems become more ubiquitous.
“The younger generation probably likes the idea of doing it themselves, but when you get a little older and you have a family and you’re in a hurry, you might like the idea of someone professionally bagging your groceries, having someone to talk to and help with payment,” said Dumais. “There will always be a place for that personal touch.”
Prior to the competition, four celebrity competitors tried their hand in a bagging competition of their own and the New Hampshire Food Bank received a check for $2,000 from St. Mary’s Bank.
Each year, the event takes place during Hunger Action Month in an attempt to spread awareness about the 1-in-9 New Hampshire residents in food-insecure environments, a population approximately the same size of the city of Manchester.
New Hampshire Food Bank Executive Director Eileen Groll-Liponis noted that events like these are important to help spread the word about hunger in New Hampshire, but that baggers are also significant in fighting hunger by talking to customers about initiatives like the Food Bank’s Nothing Campaign.
“The baggers are the last point at the checkout,” she said. They’re a vital part of our efforts to fight hunger in New Hampshire.”
In addition to the New Hampshire Grocery Association and St. Mary’s Bank, the event was also sponsored by Central Paper, Shaw’s Supermarkets, Jake’s Market, AG Supermarkets, Market Basket, Price Chopper, McKinnon’s Market and Stonyfield Yogurt.
