What does a deli assistant do?
A deli assistant performs support tasks to maintain the smooth flow of operations at deli shops. Among their responsibilities include packing products, weighing and labeling, arranging products at shelves, and keeping items fresh in adherence to the health and safety standards. They also assist customers by answering inquiries, offering suggestions, and processing orders and payments. Moreover, a deli assistant also performs clerical tasks such as answering calls, preparing and processing documents, and running errands as needed.
Deli assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real deli assistant resumes:
- Open and close deli; schedule work hour coverage; manage and monitor deli cleanliness code; customer service.
- Cut and chop food items and cook in fryers.
- Handle multiple transactions for groceries via debit card, credit card, and cash.
- Execute POS displays in store to generate impulse shopping purchases along with points of interruption.
- Prepare food; serve customers; cleaning duties; bag groceries; stock; assist customers.
- Maintain a clean environment by ensuring meat slicers are cleaned after each use and washing area at end of shift.
- Monitor and control monetary distribution through POS transactions
- Exemplify a model of excellent customer service in keeping with Publix's orientation towards ensuring customer satisfaction.
- Control freshness by rotating and coding all products legibly according to Walmart policies and procedures.
Deli assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 31% of Deli Assistants are proficient in Party Trays, Cleanliness, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Listening skills, Physical strength, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Deli Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Party Trays, 31%
Prepared, packaged and labeled meals, entrees, salads, party trays, rotisserie chicken, ribs, sushi.
- Cleanliness, 21%
Maintain cleanliness of cooking utensils, cookware and deli counter.
- Customer Service, 8%
Maximize sales by providing extraordinary customer service and minimizing shrink through proper utilization of Standard Practices.
- Inventory Control, 7%
Greeted customers and assisted in providing deli orders, general operation of the deli department including inventory control.
- Customer Orders, 6%
Managed customer orders ensuring accuracy in both product and timing.
- Slicers, 4%
Maintained a clean environment by ensuring meat slicers were cleaned after each use and washing area at end of shift.
Common skills that a deli assistant uses to do their job include "party trays," "cleanliness," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important deli assistant responsibilities below.
The three companies that hire the most deli assistants are:
- Kroger16 deli assistants jobs
- Safeway11 deli assistants jobs
- Giant Eagle2 deli assistants jobs
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Deli assistant vs. Food clerk
Food clerks are skilled employees who work either in grocery stores or supermarkets to assist customers with their food needs. In grocery stores, food clerks are required to scan food items for their customers and process their purchases as well as ensure that they have found everything they needed. They must assist in the store's inventory management by organizing and storing food merchandise in the backroom. Food clerks must also use their product knowledge to assist customers with questions and maintain customer satisfaction.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between deli assistants and food clerk. For instance, deli assistant responsibilities require skills such as "party trays," "cleanliness," "making sandwiches," and "deli food." Whereas a food clerk is skilled in "wine," "basic math," "taking care," and "store shelves." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Food clerks tend to make the most money working in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $33,240. In contrast, deli assistants make the biggest average salary, $31,095, in the retail industry.On average, food clerks reach similar levels of education than deli assistants. Food clerks are 0.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Deli assistant vs. Bakery clerk
A bakery clerk is an employee who is responsible for running the bakery department of supermarkets, boutique bakeries, or baking facilities. Bakery clerks are usually tasked to manage the bakery's cash register, bagging baked goods and then taking customers' payments. They ensure that the display cases inside the bakery are fully stocked with fresh bread and other baked goods. They also assist bakers with baking tasks such as measuring ingredients, mixing dough, or pouring batter.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that deli assistant responsibilities requires skills like "party trays," "inventory control," "customer orders," and "making sandwiches." But a bakery clerk might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "basic math," "math," "food safety," and "help support."
On average, bakery clerks earn a lower salary than deli assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, bakery clerks earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $30,395. Whereas deli assistants have higher pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $31,095.bakery clerks earn similar levels of education than deli assistants in general. They're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Deli assistant vs. Food service worker
Foodservice workers are employees at restaurants, food trucks, or any outlet that provides food to customers. They may be assigned to welcome customers, take food orders, prepare food orders in the kitchen, serve food, handle customer payments, clean up the tables once the guests leave, or maintain the whole store's cleanliness. They may also be assigned to manage inventories, handle stocks and deliveries, and other activities related to the restaurant's successful operations. Foodservice workers must always be hygienic and maintain the sanitation of the area to ensure food safety.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from deli assistant resumes include skills like "party trays," "deli food," "display cases," and "bakery products," whereas a food service worker is more likely to list skills in "food handling," "patients," "pet," and "cash control. "
Food service workers earn the best pay in the retail industry, where they command an average salary of $30,177. Deli assistants earn the highest pay from the retail industry, with an average salary of $31,095.When it comes to education, food service workers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to deli assistants. In fact, they're 0.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Deli assistant vs. Food prep/dishwasher
A food prep/dishwasher's role is to perform food preparation and cleaning duties in a kitchen, under the supervision and directives of a chef or manager. One of their primary responsibilities is washing dishes, sanitizing utensils, and preparing ingredients by washing, peeling, and cutting them according to size. They may also participate in organizing, sorting, and putting them in proper storage. There are also instances when they have to perform basic cooking tasks ranging from boiling and frying to baking. Furthermore, a food prep/dishwasher may have the duty of maintaining the kitchen's cleanliness and other areas.
Types of deli assistant
Updated January 8, 2025











