Meat clerk vs meat department associate

The differences between meat clerks and meat department associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a meat clerk and a meat department associate. Additionally, a meat clerk has an average salary of $31,494, which is higher than the $26,955 average annual salary of a meat department associate.

The top three skills for a meat clerk include grinders, basic math and math. The most important skills for a meat department associate are food handling, customer service, and grinders.

Meat clerk vs meat department associate overview

	Meat Clerk	Meat Department Associate
Yearly salary	$31,494	$26,955
Hourly rate	$15.14	$12.96
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	73,741	52,410
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a meat clerk do?

A meat clerk's role is to provide conveniently cut and packed meat to consumers in a retail store or similar setting. One of their primary responsibilities is to greet customers, respond to their requests and inquiries, manage the display by removing expired meat products, label goods according to their prices and specifications, manage storage, and follow all health standards and protocols. Furthermore, a meat clerk must maintain the store's sanitation, ensuring to abide by all safety policies.

What does a meat department associate do?

A meat department associate is responsible for addressing customer needs and offering product suggestions based on the customer's preference. Meat department associates ensure the safe storage of the products, carefully loading and unloading the items from the distribution trucks to the appropriate area. They also assist with product packaging, price labeling, inspecting quality, and eliminating products that do not pass quality standards. A meat department associate may also perform administrative and clerical duties as needed, such as taking orders, processing payments, and updating sales reports.

Meat clerk vs meat department associate salary

Meat clerks and meat department associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Meat Clerk	Meat Department Associate
Average salary	$31,494	$26,955
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $13,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Danvers, MA	Leesburg, VA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Conagra Brands	Linklaters
Best paying industry	Retail	Retail

Differences between meat clerk and meat department associate education

There are a few differences between a meat clerk and a meat department associate in terms of educational background:

	Meat Clerk	Meat Department Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Meat clerk vs meat department associate demographics

Here are the differences between meat clerks' and meat department associates' demographics:

	Meat Clerk	Meat Department Associate
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6%	Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between meat clerk and meat department associate duties and responsibilities

Meat clerk example responsibilities.

Placed/Fil orders, maintain inventory, and manage department cleanliness.
Man a cash register, handling customer groceries in a timely and organize fashion while providing quality customer service.
Clean meat slicers and mop floors, as well rotate and stock product in coolers.
Well organize, detail orientate, good with math, love interacting with customers, and strong time management skills.
Use all equipment in meat department such as the refrigerators, freezers, slicers, and ovens according to company guidelines.
Count inventory for ordering and rotation purposes and comparatively set prices of seafood.

Meat department associate example responsibilities.

Placed/Fil orders, maintain inventory, and manage department cleanliness.
Stock meat counter, dairy and frozen foods as well as general groceries.
Maintain, clean and sterilize, tables, deli slicers, and cutting equipment daily.
Clear shopping carts from lot, bag groceries for customers and help customers load groceries into vehicle.
Maintain and clean the meat dept, including saws, grinders, refrigerator, freezer and various other tools and equipment.
Used all equipment in meat department such as the refrigerators, freezers, slicers, and ovens according to company guidelines.

Meat clerk vs meat department associate skills

Common meat clerk skills

Grinders, 15%
Basic Math, 9%
Math, 9%
Pallet Jack, 9%
Expiration Dates, 7%
Product Knowledge, 5%

Common meat department associate skills

Food Handling, 20%
Customer Service, 11%
Grinders, 10%
Fresh Product, 8%
Food Safety, 7%
Fresh Meat, 6%

Meat Clerk vs. similar jobs

Meat Clerk related careers

Meat Clerk related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Production and Manufacturing Industry
Meat Clerk
Meat Clerk vs Meat Department Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs