How to hire a meat wrapper

How to hire a meat wrapper, step by step

Here's a step-by-step meat wrapper hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a meat wrapper job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new meat wrapper
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a meat wrapper do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the meat wrapper you need to hire. Certain meat wrapper roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A meat wrapper's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, meat wrappers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of meat wrappers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Meat Wrapper	Description	Hourly rate
   Meat Wrapper	Butchers cut, trim, and package meat for retail sale.	$11-19
   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... Show more	$12-19
   Meat Cutter Apprentice	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... Show more	$10-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Handling
   • Basic Math
   • Math
   • Display Cases
   • Product Rotation
   • Cleanliness
   • Sales Floor
   • Product Quality
   • Food Safety
   • Customer Service
   • Meat Cases
   • Slicers
   • Pallets
   • Wrapping Machines

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Clean and sanitize meat area in accordance with USDA standards
   • Unload truck and break down pallets; place and rotate boxes to specific location.
   • Store, take inventory, weigh, package, label and place on pallets for shipment.
   • Maintain department organization and cleanliness according to sanitation standards.
   • Collaborate with management to help maintain inventory levels.

   More meat wrapper duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your meat wrapper job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A meat wrapper salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a meat wrapper in Georgia may be lower than in New Hampshire, and an entry-level meat wrapper usually earns less than a senior-level meat wrapper. Additionally, a meat wrapper with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average meat wrapper salary

   $14.89hourly

   $30,975 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level meat wrapper salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average meat wrapper salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$37,386	$18
   2	Washington	$36,170	$17
   3	California	$35,946	$17
   4	Oregon	$31,735	$15
   5	Colorado	$31,690	$15
   6	Nevada	$29,805	$14
   7	Utah	$29,258	$14
   8	New Jersey	$29,139	$14
   9	New York	$27,666	$13
   10	Montana	$27,467	$13
   11	Idaho	$26,748	$13
   12	Indiana	$25,649	$12
   13	Texas	$23,476	$11

   Average meat wrapper salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Costco Wholesale	$36,654	$17.62	415
   2	PCC Community Markets	$33,456	$16.08
   3	Market Basket	$33,434	$16.07
   4	Kroger	$33,308	$16.01	489
   5	Price Chopper Supermarkets-Market 32	$32,805	$15.77
   6	Food City	$32,639	$15.69	34
   7	Town & Country Markets	$32,481	$15.62	10
   8	P&S Surgical Hospital	$32,442	$15.60	26
   9	ShopRite Supermarkets Inc.	$32,266	$15.51
   10	Uwajimaya	$31,948	$15.36	1
   11	Albertsons	$31,517	$15.15	84
   12	United Natural Foods	$30,874	$14.84	5
   13	Citarella, Inc	$30,609	$14.72
   14	Stew Leonard's	$30,353	$14.59
   15	US Foods	$30,192	$14.52	7
   16	Dash's Market	$29,086	$13.98	3
   17	Performance Food Group	$28,979	$13.93	31
   18	Adams Fairacre Farms	$28,966	$13.93	1
   19	Village Super Market Inc.	$28,657	$13.78
   20	Winco Holdings, Inc.	$28,256	$13.58	7

4. Writing a meat wrapper job description

   A meat wrapper job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a meat wrapper job description:

   Meat wrapper job description example

   Essential Job Functions:
   
   * Ensure efficient and courteous customer service at all times in support of the company mission to "Run the Best Store in Town!"
   * Maintain a positive attitude; create an atmosphere of friendliness and fun through flexibility and teamwork.
   * Generate a positive, friendly, and fun working environment with a customer first initiative by greeting and speaking to customers, provide prompt, courteous, and efficient customer service.
   * Products for self-service are in proper package with correct weights and ingredients
   * Follow company food safety program
   * Wrapping, weighing, and pricing of all meat department products
   * Assist in stocking and ordering product in display cases
   * Assist in organizing cooler arrangement and rotation of product
   * Keep workstation and area around workstation neat and clean
   * Department is to be sanitized and cleaned at least twice a day
   * Responsible for attending on-site work during scheduled shifts to adhere to company time and attendance policies
   
   Qualifications:
   
   * Must be 18 years of age or older
   * Ability to meet standard Physical, Mental, and Visual demands
   * Ability to understand and follow verbal and/or written instructions, perform routine and repetitive tasks and have constant contact/interaction with various levels of individuals on a daily basis
   * Ability to attend on-site work during scheduled shifts to adhere to company time and attendance policies
   
   Benefits of working for Food City:
   
   401(k) with company match, Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Weekly Pay Checks with Direct Deposit, Company paid Life and Disability Insurance, Medical Plan with wellness benefits, Dental Plan, Paid Holidays, Paid Vacations, Associate Offers, and so much more!
   
   About Food City:
   
   Food City is a privately held, family-owned company with a driving mission to "run the best store in town." Dedicated to giving back to the communities we serve, we encourage our associates to get involved with their local civic organizations. We consider our associates to be our greatest asset. Over 13% of the company is currently owned by our associates through our employee stock ownership plan, promoting tremendous pride in the services and products we provide. Whether your passion is baking, accounting, or trucking, Food City has a promising career opportunity for you. We offer flexible schedules to ensure our associates have ample time to spend with family and friends. If you're looking for a great career or the opportunity to try something different, consider becoming part of the Food City family.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right meat wrapper for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with meat wrappers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit meat wrappers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your meat wrapper job on Zippia to find and recruit meat wrapper candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting meat wrappers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new meat wrapper

   Once you have selected a candidate for the meat wrapper position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new meat wrapper. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a meat wrapper?