- MaKenzie Wood, from Layton, gained national recognition for her bagging skills.
- She won $5,000 and second place in the National Grocers Association's competition.
- Wood balances work at Fresh Market with studying criminal justice at Weber State.
LAYTON — For MaKenzie Wood, of Layton, exhibiting great customer service is always in the bag.
For the past four years, she's worked as a bagger, among other roles, at Fresh Market in Layton.
Wood, 20, said her favorite thing about the job is interacting with the customers.
"This has really been my only job, so I take a lot of pride in my work, and I love to work hard and show people that I do a good job," she said.
Wood recently showed off her work and bagging expertise on both a local and national level — which resulted in some extra cash.
She placed second and won $5,000, along with some bragging rights and a trophy, in the National Grocers Association's best bagger competition held in Las Vegas earlier this month.
The intense, timed event pits grocery store baggers from across the country against one another, where they're judged based on their speed, proper bag packing technique, how evenly weighted their bags are, as well as each competitor's attitude, style and appearance.
"I had a lot of fun representing Fresh Market and Utah in the competition," Wood said in a statement. "It's a fun environment, and I'm always impressed with the other competitors."
She qualified to compete in the national contest after winning the title of "Utah's Best Bagger" during the Utah Food Industry Association's annual competition last summer.
"She dedicated countless hours to perfecting her technique, and it truly paid off with a $5,000 prize. MaKenzie represented Layton Fresh Market and Associated Food Stores with excellence, and we're grateful to have her on our team," said Candice Fischer, director of customer relationship management for associated retail operations, in a statement.
Wood also competed in the national competition last year and walked away with tickets to Super Bowl LX.
Such local and national gestures serve as examples of how dozens of grocery store employees are being spotlighted. Many independently owned and national chains will honor their workers this Sunday, Feb. 22, for Supermarket Employee Appreciation Day.
The observance started in 2021 to commend workers in the food and grocery industry for their role in keeping supermarkets open amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Associated Food Stores.
"We recognize that the team members at retail, baggers, cashiers, they're often the last contact that our guests have with the store. And it's really their positive energy, their service, that make our grocery stores a place where guests want to come and then create that community hub," said Elizabeth Barnett, senior marketing specialist for Associated Food Stores.
Supermarket Employee Appreciation Day helps celebrate employees like Wood, who are passionate about serving their communities.
"I feel like it's such a great feeling to have people in the community that know you and love and support you, even if you just pack their groceries or check them out," she said.
Though the honor of Utah's Best Bagger with national recognition has a nice ring to it, Wood's success is a culmination of her love for what she does at Layton's Fresh Market. In addition to bagging, she also works as a cashier and supervisor for the store's front end.
"I think that's such a blessing to be able to recognize more people in my community than I usually would if I worked somewhere else," Wood told KSL.
But she's also making time for education. Wood attends Weber State University, where she is studying criminal justice with a concentration in crime scene investigation.
Wood said she intends to put some of her recent winnings toward school.
