NGA’s Best Bagger Championship Puts the ‘Pro’ in Produce

Ready? Set? Bag! Canned soups and cereal boxes flew at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas for the 2016 NGA Best Bagger Championship  (opens in a new tab), an annual event hosted by the National Grocers Association  (opens in a new tab). Grocery store employees from 30 states flexed their bagging muscles for an audience of peers, coworkers, and bagging enthusiasts, turning every aisle into the express counter.

While each contestant fought hard for first place, it was Washington’s Candice Lastimado of Metropolitan Markets who took home the $10,000 prize and the title of 2016’s Best Bagger.

First held in 1987, in Dallas, the best-bagger competition has drawn significant media attention and A-list celebrities, such as Terry Bradshaw and David Letterman.

Enthusiastic about the yearly event, NGA uses the competition to not only promote the association but also show appreciation for hardworking employees across the country.

“The National Grocers Association Best Bagger Championship features retailers with infectious company pride and an enthusiastic commitment to customer service,” the association explained.

Interview of the Day

New diversity chiefs share their biggest challenges https://t.co/5LLxUOxNA6  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/7bjTu2n4Zp  (opens in a new tab)

— Fast Company (@FastCompany) March 11, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

To help in the fight for equal opportunity in the workplace, big names in software and tech have created the position of “diversity chief.” Fast Company‘s Lydia Dishman sits down with Airbnb’s and Autodesk’s newly appointed diversity chiefs to explain the biggest issues facing the position  (opens in a new tab).

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