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(1) Nathan Hutzell competes in the state bagging competition. (2) Judges inspect the bags for structure and weight distribution. (3) Jacob Richardson tells his sister that he’s now state bagging champion and will head to Las Vegas for the nationals.

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Richardson wins state bagging competion

By Caitlin Sullivan Washington County News

Jacob Richardson, 18, woke up at 7 a.m. and practiced for four hours.

“You know they switched the cookies and changed the size of the chips,” he said looking down at the neatly labeled items on the checkout counter.

Richardson won the state bagging competition last year and is trying to be the first ever, two-time state winner in Food City history.

He fluffs two paper bags to make sure there’s no glue sticking to the sides.Then he precedes to fold-over the rim of each bag.

“I’m too nervous to eat,” he said and sips his frozen mocha.

The state bagging competition was held at the Food City off Exit 7 last weekend. Each with the hopes of becoming state champion, Richardson drove from Richlands and Nathan Hutzell drove from Petersburg, Va. where he works at Ukrop’s. The winner receives a free four-day trip to Las Vegas in February to compete in the U.S.A. Best Bagger Championships hosted by the National Grocers Association.

“(The competition) brings the level of bagger up,” said Kenneth Tweedy, general manager of the Petersburg Ukrop’s. “If you’re known as the best bagger in the company you’re hot stuff. So right now he’s hot stuff.”

Hutzell’s been a bagger at Ukrop’s for 1 ½ years. “It’s a good job, being up front and being able to go outside instead of being stuck in the store,” he said.

The baggers are judged on speed, proper bag building technique, distribution of weight between bags and the style, attitude and appearance of the bagger.

Speed is Richardson’s forte.

“I can pack 32 items in 30 seconds, on a good day,” he said.

Richardson said his technique is to box the sides of the bag and put the heavy items on the bottom.

Between the paper bag competition and the plastic bag competition, Hutzell stepped back and stood with his dad and two Ukrop’s representatives while they waited for the judges to inspect the bags.

“I’m not used to the layout,” Hutzell said. “At Ukrop’s we have a big open space.” He also said at Ukrop’s baggers put the packed grocery bag into the cart to the right of the station. At Food City, and for this competition, the grocery cart sits to the left.

Halfway through the plastic bag competition Richardson’s bag broke and soda spilled all over the floor. The competition was stopped and store managers sopped up the mess with paper towels.

“That’s never happened to me, I’ve never had a bag break,” Richardson said wiping soda from his black shoes. “It’s embarrassing.”

The plastic bag competition was reset and Hutzell and Richardson lined back up against their checkout counter.

And in about 30 seconds it was over.

After the competition, in a storage room in the back of the store, Richardson and Hutzell and the group of family and friends sat in a semi-circle of chairs around a table with balloons, cake, soda and chips. They waited for the judge’s results.

“(Hutzell) was real good,” Richardson said standing with his grandmother, parents, aunt and friends on one side of the room. “It was impressive how he picked both bags up at the same time.”

After about a half hour, it’s announced that Richardson won.

He talks to his sister on a cell phone, sucks up the last of his mocha and asks if he can call in tomorrow.

“We’re going to Vegas!” he said pointing to his best friend.

On the other side of the semi-circle with his small group, Hutzell smiles and bites his lip. They’ll be heading back to Petersburg in a few hours.

Richardson’s dad leans into his son and says, “Go shake his hand.”

“What do I say?”

Richardson then bashfully walks across the half-moon of seats to where Hutzell’s sitting and shakes his hand.

To contact Caitlin Sullivan e-mail or call (276) 628-7101.