Meat department associate vs meat cutter apprentice

The differences between meat department associates and meat cutter apprentices 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 department associate and a meat cutter apprentice. Additionally, a meat cutter apprentice has an average salary of $30,581, which is higher than the $26,955 average annual salary of a meat department associate.

The top three skills for a meat department associate include food handling, customer service and grinders. The most important skills for a meat cutter apprentice are quality standards, food safety, and customer orders.

Meat department associate vs meat cutter apprentice overview

	Meat Department Associate	Meat Cutter Apprentice
Yearly salary	$26,955	$30,581
Hourly rate	$12.96	$14.70
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	52,410	14,403
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

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.

What does a meat cutter apprentice do?

Meat cutter apprentices perform their duties under the supervision of more advanced meat cutters. Besides ensuring meat quality, meat cutter apprentices also rotate, prepare, keep, and receive meat products. Other duties performed by these professionals include displaying meat items correctly, serving customers, and maintaining sales, preparation, and storage areas as per the approved sanitation program. Also, they pack, price, and display meat products attractively. They cut orders as per specific demands, prepare and market meat products.

Meat department associate vs meat cutter apprentice salary

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

	Meat Department Associate	Meat Cutter Apprentice
Average salary	$26,955	$30,581
Salary range	Between $13,000 And $55,000	Between $22,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Leesburg, VA	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	Linklaters	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between meat department associate and meat cutter apprentice education

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

	Meat Department Associate	Meat Cutter Apprentice
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Meat department associate vs meat cutter apprentice demographics

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

	Meat Department Associate	Meat Cutter Apprentice
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7%	Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 6.9% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between meat department associate and meat cutter apprentice duties and responsibilities

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 cutter apprentice example responsibilities.

Assemble, sanitize maintained and used various equipment, including industrial grinders, sharpeners, band saws and wrapping machines.
Stock shelves, bag groceries, assist customers, supervise other employees.
Operate equipment such as grinders, band see, cuber, patty maker and automatic bone scraper.
Maintain cleanliness and organization of work station and surrounding areas.
Collaborate with management to help maintain inventory levels.

Meat department associate vs meat cutter apprentice skills

Common meat department associate skills

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

Common meat cutter apprentice skills

Quality Standards, 19%
Food Safety, 17%
Customer Orders, 7%
Product Knowledge, 7%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Display Cases, 5%

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Meat Department Associate
Meat Department Associate vs Meat Cutter Apprentice

Updated January 8, 2025

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