Wisconsin Dells, WI – Vicheka (Whi-CHECK-ah) Oum of Woodman’s Food Markets took home the title of Wisconsin’s “Best Bagger” at the annual Great Wisconsin Bag-Off, hosted during the Wisconsin Grocers Association (WGA) Innovation Expo, which is the first time the WGA retail store member has won this contest.
Known for her upbeat attitude and smile, Oum has perfected her bagging skills over the past year at Woodman’s.
“I’m so excited to go to the next round,” Oum said, as she now advances to represent Wisconsin at the National Best Bagger Contest in February. Along with the title, she received a $500 prize and an all-expense-paid trip to the national competition.
Contestants competed by bagging a 24-item order into reusable grocery bags. The five categories contestants were judged on speed, number of bags used, placement of groceries in the bags, distribution of weight between the bags, and the style, attitude, and appearance of the contestants.
“She’s always smiling. She’s always friendly,” Tracey Wihelm said of Oum, one of her supervisors, and added, “We definitely have a great training program. It’s not just a day of training. It’s ongoing, all the time…. We’re always trying to help them (our employees) become better,” Wilhelm said. Wilhelm added she appreciates Oum’s continued attention to detail.
20 contestants from across Wisconsin competed for the state title at the WGA Innovation Expo on September 20. Second place was awarded to Becca Bosmans of Pick ‘N Save of Grafton and third was Hope Young of Trig’s. The WGA Great Wisconsin Bag-Off contest encourages development of the skills essential to successful bagging and customer service. It promotes good organization, equitable, and good sportsmanship through friendly competition. Demonstrating spirit, audience members held up signs and dressed in costume to provide extra motivation to perform well.
“The Wisconsin Bag-Off is a tradition in the grocery industry. Many grocers hold competition trials at their stores to get ready for the championship competition at the WGA’s Expo,” said Mike Semmann, WGA President and CEO.
The event was sponsored by Lipari Foods and emceed by Sarah Hagenow, the 78th Alice in Dairyland. Results were tabulated and certified by Baker Tilly.
ABOUT THE WISCONSIN GROCERS ASSOCIATION (WGA)
The Wisconsin Grocers Association (WGA) is a non-profit trade association established in 1900 to represent independent grocers and grocery chains, warehouses and brokers, vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers before all levels of government. The WGA provides educational and networking opportunities, leadership training, public affairs, and compliance information for its membership.
WGA and its membership have significant economic impact in the state of Wisconsin. The WGA represents nearly 350 independent grocers with multiple locations across the state, more than 200 retail grocery chain stores, warehouses and distributors, convenience stores, food brokers and suppliers. Wisconsin grocers employ over 30,000 people with over $1 billion in payroll and generate more than $12 billion in annual sales in Wisconsin resulting in approximately $800 million in state sales tax revenue (data provided by The Food Institute).
