Baggers. You likely interact with them every time you enter a grocery store, but many people aren’t aware that they are also elite athletes, not only bagging your items quickly, but ensuring nothing is crushed and one bag doesn’t weigh sufficiently more than the others.
Once a year, baggers from across the state of Utah compete for the title of Utah’s Best Bagger. On August 6, after ten exhilarating rounds of bagging, the top three were awarded.
Makenzie Wood, a bagger from Fresh Market in Layton, Utah, took first place and won $500. Makenzie will compete at the National Bagging Competition held in Las Vegas in February 2026. She’s been around the bagging block: Makenzie previously competed and won the 2024 Utah bagging competition and brought a veteran level of humble confidence to this year’s event.
“I was really excited to compete again this year and can’t wait to return to Vegas for the nationals,” Makenzie shared “It is really fun to compete with other baggers who are also passionate about this.”
Ayden Brinkley from Macey’s Market Little Cottonwood took second place and won $300. Bethany Bowen from Macey’s Providence secured third place and a prize of $100.
Despite the competitive nature of the event, the baggers from different stores cheered one another on. Makenzie and Bethany trained together, and both expressed how they helped push each other to be better. The top three winners were incredibly close, with only five hundredths (.05) between first and third place.
During the competition, baggers are judged and receive points in four areas: speed (10 points), proper bag building technique (10 points), distribution of weight between bags (5 points), style, attitude and appearance (5 points).
“We’re so proud of our baggers,” said Candice Fischer, CRM director. “They came prepared to compete but also to have fun and celebrate their trade.”
“Watching these baggers from the different companies made me proud of our industry,” said Darin Peirce, executive vice president and president of Associated Retail Operations “Baggers are often the last contact our guests have in our stores and I am incredibly grateful for their positive energy, professionalism and great service they provide.”
Watch a video showing Makenzie and other participants in next week’s Team News.