Tucsonan Francisco Palacios is now officially the fastest grocery bagger in the country — but he won't brag about it.
The posters that hang in front of the cash registers at the Fry's Supermarket at 7050 E. 22nd St., however, tell customers that Palacios can transform any line into an express aisle.
And he'll do it without crushing the eggs.
Palacios, 18, won the National Bag-off Competition in Las Vegas on Thursday, beating out 23 baggers from around the nation.
The posters feature a photograph of Palacios giving a thumbs up with the words "Bag-off Champion" written below.
The competition, sponsored by the National Grocers Association, netted Palacios $2,250.
The Pima Community College student won a total of $4,000, including prizes from the local and state competitions.
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Palacios talked with the Star about his preparation, techniques and life as a bagger.
Q: Why did you decide to enter the contest?
A: I had nothing to lose. Basically, you could try out and, if you didn't make it, nothing bad would happen.
They said one of the grand prizes was thousands of dollars, but I did it for the company. I'm not self-centered.
Q: What did they grade you on?
A: Basically, your speed, the way you pack the bag, weight distribution, style, attitude and appearance.
They have a certain amount of items. Everybody has (30) items — eggs, sodas, a couple of cans and crushable things — light bulbs and noodles.
Q: Do you have many customers who ask for paper bags?
A: It's a half split between plastic and paper or reusable.
Q: Does that slow you down?
A: Occasionally it does. When I see reusable bags, I'm like, 'Ah, man,' but I do it, and I do it well.
Q: Which bag is easier to pack?
A: Plastic, because they come on a rack already, and you just open the bag and it's just sitting there.
Q: What's the best thing about bagging groceries?
A: I've been here for a while, and people remember me. They're happy to see me. It's cool that I can engage with them and have a conversation.
It's reassuring to me that they say I'm doing a great job. Employees can say you're doing a good job, but they're not going home and unpacking their stuff.
Q: What's the worst thing about bagging groceries?
A: There's a lot of bad courtesy clerks at other stores, so (customers) expect you to be bad.
They'll say, 'Get out of the way' or tell you what to put in the bag.
When they're rude and treat you like you don't know what you're doing, maybe it's because of bad past experiences.
Q: What are your goals?
A: I'm hoping to go into the medical field. I've been teeter-tottering between certain things. I either want to go into nursing or being a pharmacist.
Q: So you don't want to pursue a lucrative career in bagging groceries?
A: (Laughing) No.
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