Bagger brought joy to a lot of people

It was always just Archie.

His full name was Lawrence Arthur Archie Sr., but all the customers at Harris Teeter called him Archie. After all, that’s what it said on the name tag.

Archie, who died Monday at 86, had what, for most, would have been a lifetime of work under his belt by the time he was 61. He had toiled for 42 years as a printer at The Bleachery, a long haul by any measure.

But when the South’s textile industry cratered and his job went with it, he still was four years away from Social Security and Medicare, and he wanted to stay busy. So he got another job as a bag boy at the Harris Teeter grocery that used to be located on Cherry Road where Earth Fare is now.

It was 1989. He stayed at it for 18 more years.

Pretty early on in this new gig he must have realized he was good at it. Everybody else certainly knew it.

Archie had that rare and creative ability to connect with people at some fundamental level where they felt immediately comfortable with him. He didn’t come on too strong or pander in any way; he just gabbed and smiled and laughed a lot as he bagged your groceries and walked your cart to the car.

The laugh actually was half cackle. But people liked it, and they liked Archie, everybody’s best friend at Harris Teeter.

Back then, The Herald Buzzies Awards, voted on by readers, had a category for “Bag Boy of the Year.” Archie won in what must have been a landslide.

He was a celebrity, not just at the grocery store, but all over town. Customers would recognize him and say hello wherever he went.

Think about that: man gains fame as bag boy. It might sound incongruous, but it’s really a lesson in living right, knowing what makes you happy.

Archie’s job was bagging groceries, but his calling was to bring a little cheer into the lives of the people he ran into at the store each day. He might not have known them all by name, but he developed knowing relationships with many of the regulars.

And it seems likely he must have received something in return – smiles, gratitude, goodwill. Not to mention the occasional tip.

Who knows what Harris Teeter was paying him. Whatever it was, it wasn’t enough for the best ambassador the store ever had.

Obviously, though, he wasn’t in it for the money. Tips and a bag boy’s pay don’t keep you coming back for 18 years.

It had to be something else, something of higher value. Call it the life-sustaining bargain he made with the customers: I’ll give you joy and you give it back to me.

Those of us who received that joy from him hope we gave enough back to last him the rest of his days. He certainly earned that.

This story was originally published December 11, 2014 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Bagger brought joy to a lot of people."