Leader of the pack
Coventry’s )alkowski competes for title of nation’s fastest grocery bagger
C29(1TR Samantha )alkowski was calm and collected Saturday as she practiced sorting and bagging groceries as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“I’m just going to run through some groceries, get my mind in it, )alkowski said over the “beep, beep, beep of items being scanned. “It’s really exciting.
With her coworkers at Dave’s Market rooting her on, the 22-year-old Coventry native and current holder of the state’s “best bagger title will compete tonight against her counterparts from across the country in the 1ational rocers Association’s 1ational Best Bagger contest.
It’s an event years in the making for )alkowski, a graduate of Coventry High School and senior in the 8niversity of Rhode Island’s nursing program.
“I’ve been here every week for six years of my life, said )alkowski, who was hired in 2014 as a cashier at the Dave’s Market in Coventry Shoppers 3ark.
)alkowski credits her success as a bagger to those years of experience. Through countless hours of practice, she’s picked up a handful of tricks of the trade grabbing more than one item at once saves time, for example. 3acking like items together also helps her get customers out quickly.
)alkowski is a favorite among shoppers familiar with her swift skills behind the register.
“3eople love my bagging, she said with a gentle laugh.
)alkowski earned Rhode Island’s “best bagger title last March following a series of competitions that pitted her against other grocery baggers from around the state.
)irst was the competition between )alkowski and her coworkers. The top two went on to compete against the winning baggers from other Dave’s Market locations, and the top four from that contest headed to the Rhode Island )ood Dealers Association’s best bagger competition.
And against around 30 speedy baggers from grocery stores all over the Ocean State, Falkowski came out on top.
Falkowski arrived yesterday in California, where she’ll compete tonight at the San Diego Convention Center against the best baggers
from 21 other states.
The winner will take home the championship title and a 10,000 prize.
On Saturday, as she took a brief break from her final practice session before leaving for the big event, Falkowski was feeling a mix of emotions.
“It’s exciting, but I’m nervous,” she said, adding that she’s eager to represent her home state in the nation
al event.
Though confident in her skill, Falkowski does dread the possibility that one item, in particular, will be thrown at her tonight.
Canned soda, Falkowski said, can be tricky to bag.
“It’s a heavy item that takes up a lot of weight for one bag, so you can’t put much in there,” she said, adding that customers also have varying preferences re
garding how their soda gets bagged.
When she graduates in December from her nursing program, Falkowski plans to pursue a career as an emergency room nurse.
But even as she sets out onto her chosen career path, Falkowski said she hopes to continue working part-time as a cashier and bagger at her hometown Dave’s Market.
“I like it here,” she said, adding that she appreciates the close-knit Dave’s community and how well the company treats its employees.
“ very time I walk in here, people know me and I know everyone’s name,” she continued, signs printed with “good luck Samantha” hanging on the wall behind her. “It’s like a big family.”