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 department associate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real meat department associate resumes:
- 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.
- Act as role model for part-time employees by coordinating tasks, communicating information, and advocating for concerns to store management.
- Perform basic home cleaning/ landscaping jobs such as: washing windows and cars, cleaning gutters, gardening, and rearranging furniture
- Establish and maintain clean and hygienic environments by performing light-cleaning duties, including dusting, vacuuming, cleaning windows and bathrooms.
- Perform financial data interpretation, analyze the results using analytic software libraries and client databases using SQL, LoanDQ and SFW.
- Develop require SQL extracts used for reconciliations/reports.
- Operate RF shipping system efficiently and accurately.
- Collaborate with management to help maintain inventory levels.
- Perform inventory and quality control using RF technology.
- Maintain cleanliness of equipment floors utensils and sanitation regulations concerning meats.
Meat department associate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Meat Department Associates are proficient in Food Handling, Customer Service, and Grinders. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Physical strength, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Meat Department Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Food Handling, 20%
Maintained and exhibited a solid knowledge and understanding of all food, adhering to standards for safe food handling and storage.
- Customer Service, 11%
Exhibited professionalism; courteously answered telephone queries while providing superior customer service that consistently surpassed expectations and positively affected the business.
- Grinders, 10%
Handle and Clean Meat Saws, Slicer, Grinders, Machines, and Knives.
- Fresh Product, 8%
Maintained fresh product for customers, by rotating and stocking meat as needed.
- Food Safety, 7%
Maintained department within strict USDA food safety and sanitation requirements.
- Fresh Meat, 6%
Wrap, weigh and stock fresh meat cases according to Food Lion standards using thorough knowledge of all cuts of meat.
Most meat department associates use their skills in "food handling," "customer service," and "grinders" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential meat department associate responsibilities here:
Dexterity. The most essential soft skill for a meat department associate to carry out their responsibilities is dexterity. This skill is important for the role because "butchers use sharp knives and meatcutting equipment as part of their duties." Additionally, a meat department associate resume shows how their duties depend on dexterity: "unloaded trucks, forklift driver cash handling and customer service loss prevention and inventory teams"
Physical strength. Another essential skill to perform meat department associate duties is physical strength. Meat department associates responsibilities require that "butchers should be able to lift and carry heavy boxes of meat, which may weigh more than 50 pounds." Meat department associates also use physical strength in their role according to a real resume snippet: "conducted all property due diligence; including lease review, noi analysis, and coordination of physical and environmental inspections. "
Customer-service skills. meat department associates are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to meat department associate responsibilities, because "butchers who work in retail stores should be courteous, be able to answer customers’ questions, and fill orders to customers’ satisfaction." A meat department associate resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "break up boxes, sell frozen meat too the customers and take out the trash. "
The three companies that hire the most meat department associates are:
- Amazon901 meat department associates jobs
- Ingles Markets279 meat department associates jobs
- Sportsman's Warehouse111 meat department associates jobs
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Compare different meat department associates
Meat department associate 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, meat department associate responsibilities require skills like "food handling," "grinders," "fresh product," and "food safety." Meanwhile a typical food clerk has skills in areas such as "wine," "basic math," "taking care," and "store shelves." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Food clerks really shine in the retail industry with an average salary of $33,240. Comparatively, meat department associates tend to make the most money in the retail industry with an average salary of $30,510.food clerks tend to reach similar levels of education than meat department associates. In fact, food clerks are 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.5% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Meat department associate vs. Butcher
A butcher is someone responsible for turning whole or large pieces of meat into ready-to-cook or retail-ready portions that can be purchased by customers or restaurants. Butchers know how to cut meat, poultry, and fish properly, so they deal mostly with sharp instruments like knives, grinders, and other cutting equipment. Butchers are knowledgeable in the science of temperature and aging to ensure they are of great quality at all times and adhere to health regulations. They are commonly seen in wet markets, supermarkets, grocery stores, butcher shops, and slaughterhouses, but some are self-employed or have their own meat shop.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real meat department associate resumes. While meat department associate responsibilities can utilize skills like "food handling," "grinders," "fresh product," and "product quality," butchers use skills like "culinary," "safety standards," "food preparation," and "sanitation standards."
Butchers earn a higher average salary than meat department associates. But butchers earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $37,705. Additionally, meat department associates earn the highest salaries in the retail with average pay of $30,510 annually.butchers earn similar levels of education than meat department associates in general. They're 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Meat department associate vs. Support team member
A support team member is responsible for assisting and connecting with the whole department group in meeting the company's goals and exceeding performance expectations. Support team members' duties generally include performing administrative tasks, familiarizing and adhering to the company's policies and procedures, providing recommendations for improving customer's experience, developing strategies to increase the company's revenue and profitability, and maintaining a positive work ethic. A support team member needs to have a strong organization and time-management skills to support daily operations and do extra tasks as needed.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from meat department associate resumes include skills like "grinders," "fresh product," "fresh meat," and "product quality," whereas a support team member is more likely to list skills in "safety standards," "dexterity," "manual dexterity," and "cleanliness. "
Support team members make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $34,517. On the other hand, meat department associates are paid the highest salary in the retail industry, with average annual pay of $30,510.Most support team members achieve a similar degree level compared to meat department associates. For example, they're 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Meat department associate vs. Journeyman meat cutter
Types of meat department associate
Updated January 8, 2025
