Last fall, we told you about the Best Bagger Championships. The contest shifted from plastic bags to reusable grocery bags at its 2010 event.
The 2011 Best Bagger Championships were held last week, and Krystal Smith, a bagger at the Hannaford supermarket in Burlington, Vt., was crowned the best grocery bagger in America. She completed her challenge in 38 seconds!
The contest is a year-long, nationwide program in which the best-of-the-best grocery baggers in the country compete for great prizes and the title of America’s Best Bagger. Contestants are judged on speed, bag-building technique, weight distribution between bags, and style, attitude and appearance.
As the winner, Smith takes home “bagging rights” as well as a $10,000 grand prize, the coveted Golden Grocery Bag trophy and the Pan-Oston “Best Bagger Golden Lane” for the organization. The second-place winner received a prize of $5,000 and third through fifth places received prizes of $1,000 each. This year’s Best Bagger Championship drew from 21 states across the country and marked the competition’s 25th year anniversary.
Here’s a list of this year’s winners:
Champion: Krystal Smith, Hannaford Supermarket, Vermont
First Runner-Up: Jessica Lewis, Yoke’s Fresh Market, Washington
Second Runner-Up: Andrew Hadlock, Macey’s, Utah
Third Runner-Up: Matt Medley, Lund’s Food Holding Inc., Minnesota
Fourth Runner-Up: Roland Mattox, Quality Foods of Commerce Inc., Georgia
