Maine supermarket employee crowned nation’s best bagger

Courtesy / Maine Grocers & Food Producers Association Nicole Cote, of Hannaford Supermarkets in Bar Harbor, won the National Grocers Association’s 2020 Best Bagger Championship and a grand prize of $10,000.

Write a Comment

By Staff

An employee of Hannaford Supermarkets in Bar Harbor won the National Grocers Association’s 2020 Best Bagger Championship on Monday and received a grand prize of $10,000.

Nicole Cote, who works for the store at 86 Cottage St., defeated 21 other contestants from across the country in the competition, held in San Diego.

“We watched with excitement as Nicole masterfully bagged the groceries, remained calm and ensured proper weight distribution, doing it all with a smile,” Christine Cummings, executive director of the Maine Grocers & Food Producers Association, said in a news release.

Video of Cote's coronation is available here.

Cote and the other competitors faced off by filling grocery bags with staples including bread, eggs, pickles, mustard, Rice a Roni, juice, oats and canned vegetables. Each contestant was judged on the national “best bagging” criteria, including speed, proper bag building technique, distribution of weight between bags, style, attitude and appearance.

The National Best Bagger Championship was held at the annual National Grocers Association Show, sponsored by PepsiCo and emceed by Akbar Gbajabiamila, co-host of NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.” The Best Bagger Championship has been held annually since 1987 and is designed to demonstrate the important customer service skill of bagging.

In 2010, the competition stopped using paper and plastic bags and switched to reusable ones.

Cote won the Maine Grocers & Food Producers Association’s bagging championship last September, competing against seven other Maine baggers. Her victory qualified her for the chance to compete in the national event.

About the Maine Grocers & Food Producers Association

The Maine Grocers & Food Producers Association is a business trade association representing main street businesses: independently owned and operated grocery stores, supermarkets, food and beverage producers and processors, wholesalers and distributors and allied service companies.

About the National Grocers Association

The National Grocers Association is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for close to 1% of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating $131 billion in sales, 944,000 jobs, $30 billion in wages, and $27 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers, state grocers associations, as well as manufacturers and service suppliers.