The Utah’s Best Bagger competition took place on August 8 as part of the Utah Food Industry Association’s annual conference at the Davis Conference Center in Layton.
Representatives from Harmons, Macey’s, Dan’s, Lin’s and Fresh Market were all on hand to compete with representatives from other grocers around the state.
After judge introductions and a review of rules, baggers battled to earn the opportunity to represent Utah at the national level. 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).
Following multiple rounds, the top three baggers were:
- Madison Ireland – Draper Harmons ($500 cash prize)
- Sasha Benitez – Pleasant Grove Macey’s ($300 cash prize)
- Mary Eames – Santa Clara Harmons ($100 cash prize)
“We are so proud of our baggers this year,” said Candice Fischer, CRM director. “They were a great representation of our company and everyone was prepared and competed well.”
“It was amazing to host these competitors at the state bagging contest,” said Dave Davis, UFIA. “Baggers are critical to providing our members’ customers with a complete shopping experience. The state bagging contest is all about recognizing and celebrating their important contributions. We are excited that Madison will be able to represent the state of Utah at the National Best Bagger contest in Las Vegas. We know she will be an outstanding ambassador for our state, and for Harmons.”
The national competition is held by the National Grocer’s Association in February each year.