Deli associate vs deli worker

The differences between deli associates and deli workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a deli worker has an average salary of $28,578, which is higher than the $28,360 average annual salary of a deli associate.

The top three skills for a deli associate include food handling, basic math and customer service. The most important skills for a deli worker are premier customer service, food safety, and customer service.

Deli associate vs deli worker overview

	Deli Associate	Deli Worker
Yearly salary	$28,360	$28,578
Hourly rate	$13.63	$13.74
Growth rate	14%	2%
Number of jobs	117,130	37,658
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	23	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a deli associate do?

A deli associate is personnel who works in grocery and deli stores and assists shoppers by responding to their inquiries and requests. He/She updates his/her product displays to ensure that new items and promotions are showcased and follow all food safety and sanitation. Aside from engaging with customers, deli associates must possess the ability to lift heavy objects and operates equipment such as cash registers and meat slicers. Also, deli associates' minimum educational requirement is a high school diploma, but experience in deli counter work is a plus.

What does a deli worker do?

A deli worker specializes in handling deli products and providing customer service in retail stores. They are primarily responsible for packaging and labeling products according to their weight and type, assigning prices, sorting out quality, and arranging them on display, all while following food safety and health guidelines. They must also respond to inquiries, suggest products, resolve any issues or concerns, handle special orders, and maintain cleanliness and sanitation. Furthermore, it is crucial to implement all policies and regulations, maintaining a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

Deli associate vs deli worker salary

Deli associates and deli workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Deli Associate	Deli Worker
Average salary	$28,360	$28,578
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $39,000	Between $21,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Watertown, NY
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	The Point Casino & Hotel
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between deli associate and deli worker education

There are a few differences between a deli associate and a deli worker in terms of educational background:

	Deli Associate	Deli Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Deli associate vs deli worker demographics

Here are the differences between deli associates' and deli workers' demographics:

	Deli Associate	Deli Worker
Average age	23	37
Gender ratio	Male, 37.2% Female, 62.8%	Male, 33.4% Female, 66.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between deli associate and deli worker duties and responsibilities

Deli associate example responsibilities.

Open and close deli; schedule work hour coverage; manage and monitor deli cleanliness code; customer service.
Serve customers, stock shelves, cook food in fryers, slice deli meat, prepare food trays, close/open department
Bag groceries, and help customers out to their vehicles.
Pick and pack chosen items and ring them up in the POS system.
Train and assist employees in the use of proprietary POS software and hardware.
Season help pack groceries and work in the deli department packaging and prepare food for floor.

Deli worker example responsibilities.

Open and close deli; schedule work hour coverage; manage and monitor deli cleanliness code; customer service.
Scan customers' groceries and accept payment.-Packaged, stock and take inventory of the deli salads.
Greet customers, keep check out area clean, bag groceries, and return buggies when need.
Experience in opening and closing procedures, cleaning fryers, doing dishes by hand and cash register use.
Wait on customers slice meat slice cheese working hard case fry foods put rotisseries in the rotisserie wash dishes clean slicers
Close down deli at night, clean dishes, take apart slicers to clean and sanitize per standards guide lines.

Deli associate vs deli worker skills

Common deli associate skills

Food Handling, 24%
Basic Math, 17%
Customer Service, 17%
Math, 10%
Food Safety, 7%
Slicers, 4%

Common deli worker skills

Premier Customer Service, 26%
Food Safety, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
Deli Meats, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Safety Standards, 6%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Deli Associate
Deli Associate vs Deli Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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