Finding butchers has become impossible to find these days. Even finding people to train is just as hard. No one wants to take the time to learn the trade anymore. Any Suggestions?
let's see , what were the phrases I use to hear from chain store managers...
" meatcutting doesn't take the skill it use to-so we won't need meatcutters in the future"
"let's do with one less meatcutter to make our payroll budgets"
"payroll is the largest tangable expense to be profitable- let's bring in more pre-pack, we don't need to be paying someone 12.00 an hr to cut up bnls pork"
"pretty soon, all fresh meat will come in case ready-stop hanging on with the past"
" The case ready meats will come from a more trusted and safe supply"
"can't we "get-by" with one less cutter"
Maybe i'm a bit sarcastic, but seeing the corporate chain stores do all they can to diminish the role and importance of meatcutters in the stores-they are now laying in the bed they made. (I was a meat manager in a chain store for many years)
My best advice for seeking a meatcutter is;
put the ads out, most good meatcutters are rooted- they arent LOOKING, so get the ads visible- place ads on craigslist, careercenters, on your stores website
also its how you write your ad-DONT LET AN H.R. PERSON WRITE AN AD- don't have your ads sound so professional, they are intimidating- and also-put part time ads out-you may pick up excellent semi-retired meatcutters, that have tons of experience- they are good trainers
always cross train -ambitious store personnel in other departments- versatility is a cornerstone of a store's success you may find an employee that wants to work in the meat dept and puts it in gear to learn.
there'sa lot ofspinelessbutcherin africa thatworkandlearn....sorrybutthere areanimalsbutnotworkingis low.That's whatweMAKESFUNIN AFRICABYAFOOTBALL...Goodfestivalsof Easter
Mainemeatman, great reply. So true! And anybody else on this two-tier wage scale? Out here on the West Coast the Unions settled a few years ago for preserving pay for the old guys, but all new hires would top out at $11 an hour. It effectively ended all apprenticeship programs and incentive for anyone learning to cut meat. We have a couple young guns now that would make good meat-cutters, but why would they want to? They make the same money stacking boxes, washing windows or twiddling their thumbs. Where's the incentive?
From what some old timers have told me the union use to protect our trade, but now they make deals to just get their cut of the action and the hell with the trade, I really can't understand why the union would even think about topping a meat cutter out at $11.00 a hour. Discount stores here in Ms pay more than that! I have never worked union so I don't really know, I guess our union members here could answer that better.
I went past $11.00 dollars a hour with Bi-Lo after two years of cutting. I just can't understand a union topping at $11.00 I'm no longer with Bi-Lo but I've heard they are topping a Journeyman now at 18.00 in most districts
Regarding the posts about Chain managers. I find that true. ESPECIALLY the young guys. The older guard still "gets it" to a point.
For instance we pretty much stopped ordering case ready pork over the last month at my store. Our pork sales went up 80% and our pork shrink went from 4.8% to 1.9%. His exact comment "I love the numbers guys, I'll take em every time. Remember that I cant budget hours for you cutting it." The dept head fired right back "we're both efficient cutters, cutting the pork isn't a problem. I want the sales"
rd the language of business is numbers, if you cut your shrink by almost 3% put that to numbers (total pork sales x3%) and thats the savings based on an 80% increase in sales, and "I can't budget hours for cutting it"????????????????? annualize that sales number times the 3% savings in shrink.
can't is a four letter word, meaning , you guys may blow away budgets on extra efforts, based on case ready sales- just be sure-the numbers reflect cutting and not the case-ready and those numbers - are highly visible to top brass.
let's hope thier is more recognition that case-ready isnt the answer.
I was in a similar situation 25 yrs ago when I was a trial store for case ready pork, we all hated it, and wanted to go back to cutting I had to do the math and SHOW my meat supervisors, the difference- the reports, is what my supervisor, could take back to corporate it eventually worked, because they couldnt ignore the numbers when I annualized the sales and margin loss.
and
I had to call the other meat managers in the district and push them to do the same and clearly- pass on-if we make this case-ready work and be short term heros, we are cutting our own throats- then they started to annualize the numbers (sales and margin loss, too, which gave more ammo for the meat supervisors to change the program, otherwise, the top brass accountants are cutting our throats)
-- Edited by Mainemeatman on Saturday 7th of April 2012 06:05:15 PM
The nice thing is the stuff we cut has a different PLU than case ready. We can actually track the markdowns/throwaways/daily sales of each on the computer. I've actually considered taking the numbers and making a brief presentation to the Meat coordinator. He hired me way back when as a store manager, so I could probably snag his ear.
i work for a northeast supermarket. we are union and they tried the case ready meat and sales went down. the public loves to talk to a cutter to get what they want, not like wal-mart where they have to take whats there.
We own Bill Kamp's Meat Market in Oklahoma City, OK and my husband is the third generation. We were the first store in OKC to have a butcher shop, and at one time there was even a butchery school in OKC, but that slowly died. It is very difficult to find someone reliable, wanting to make it a career and be versatile to do many things such as butchering, smoking meats, sausage making, etc.
We just lost a very valuable employee who had been with us for 14 years, and it will be hard to replace him b/c he could do all those things. But, if anyone knows of someone that needs a full time butcher position that only has to work Tuesday-Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm, please have them contact me. It is a great opportunity to join a great mom and pop store with a family environment and great hours!
We own Bill Kamp's Meat Market in Oklahoma City, OK and my husband is the third generation. We were the first store in OKC to have a butcher shop, and at one time there was even a butchery school in OKC, but that slowly died. It is very difficult to find someone reliable, wanting to make it a career and be versatile to do many things such as butchering, smoking meats, sausage making, etc.
We just lost a very valuable employee who had been with us for 14 years, and it will be hard to replace him b/c he could do all those things. But, if anyone knows of someone that needs a full time butcher position that only has to work Tuesday-Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm, please have them contact me. It is a great opportunity to join a great mom and pop store with a family environment and great hours!
Good word thats banker hours. Sounds like a great job if you can find the right person for it.
I know right, you don't find those hours in retail very often and two days off in a row! I sure hope someone sees this that can appreciate our small mom and pop operation with the best work environment around. And, not to be partial, but my husband is a wonderful boss, and we also give our employees great creative freedom, and are very flexible when someone has a sick child etc.
