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Check-out Champion

ShopRite of Stroudsburg Cashier 4th in
National Supermarket Sacker Competition

Feb. 16, 2007 – ShopRite of Stroudsburg’s Karianne Sullivan placed fourth in the National Best Bagger Contest at the National Grocers Association’s recent convention in Las Vegas.

Sullivan, a resident of East Stroudsburg, won $500 and a “brown bag” trophy for her fourth-place finish. She previously advanced to nationals in 1998 – in only her second year of competitive bagging.

Her road to Las Vegas began last year, with an in-store competition, followed by two elimination rounds against employees of other supermarkets. At the convention, Sullivan vied with 22 others from around the nation to earn one of five slots in the January 30th finals.

In the timed competition, each bagger packed identical grocery orders twice, first into two paper bags, and then into three plastic. Judging criteria included time, professional appearance and – of course – the appearance and weight distribution of the bags, which Sullivan said “shows how well you’ve packed them.”

“You’ve got to make sure there are no jars touching each other. You build walls on the sides with cans, for stability and so they aren’t on top of each other,” she said.. “And you have to put the lighter stuff on the top.”

All in a day’s work for a supermarket pro with nearly 15 years at ShopRite. But on this day Karianne had a few more pressures to contend with when you factor in an audience of hundreds, the astute eyes of judges with stopwatches, and TV camera crews leaning in for close-ups.

"My heart was beating so fast. I was so nervous," Sullivan said. "I’d much rather have a customer rushing me. There are just so many people staring at you when you’re doing it at the competition."

Walter Broscius of Village Supermarkets, which owns the ShopRite of Stroudsburg, said Sullivan’s performance represents a victory for the entire company. “We are all so very proud of Kari’s accomplishment. She worked very hard preparing for each round of the competition, and her hard work paid off,” he said.

"Many people think that the bagging competition is all about speed, but time only accounts for one-third of the score. Kari’s item arrangement and weight distribution are always first-rate – whether in-store or competing,” Broscuis said. “The big question with Las Vegas is always whether winning depends on luck or skill. When you’re as skilled as Kari, you don’t need luck.”