The demand for meat cutters in Pittsburgh, Pa. is very high. There are 12 to 20 jobs listed every day. The meat cutters are driven away simply by low wages and the fact we aren't producing new meat cutters. Where is the incentive to learn the trade when you can work simple labor jobs for more money? I have been cutting meat for 30 years, retail and wholesale, recently my plant closed and have been trying to get a meat cutting job that paid more than unemployment benefits. I finally took a job as a parking attendant that pays $3 an hour more than the highest offer I received over a one year period to cut meat even though the stores are desperate. Something is wrong with this picture! Is this ever going to change or is the value of meat cutters being reduced to fast food worker status?
The demand for meat cutters in Pittsburgh, Pa. is very high. There are 12 to 20 jobs listed every day. The meat cutters are driven away simply by low wages and the fact we aren't producing new meat cutters. Where is the incentive to learn the trade when you can work simple labor jobs for more money? I have been cutting meat for 30 years, retail and wholesale, recently my plant closed and have been trying to get a meat cutting job that paid more than unemployment benefits. I finally took a job as a parking attendant that pays $3 an hour more than the highest offer I received over a one year period to cut meat even though the stores are desperate. Something is wrong with this picture! Is this ever going to change or is the value of meat cutters being reduced to fast food worker status?
The future doesn't look good. There may always be exceptions (small meat markets, occasional "high end" stores, independent guys doing custom jobs out of a truck or garage with game or back yard ranch animals), but the rest (98%???) is looking bad and getting worse.
I've been bitching about this on this site for years. Problem is, with the rise of the mega-market, we somehow got lumped in with the cashiers and clerks. We're no longer considered skilled labor, I guess. Even cutting box-beef, I still make a hundred decisions a day that will affect the company's bottom line. Ah well... They're gonna miss us when we're gone!
maybe we should be more like "free agents" like the sports pro's
maybe we should upgrade our resume's quarterly, and keep mailing them out- even if we are presently working, but very dissatisfied.- keep mailing, with salary requirements- hey, you are presently employed so you arent desperate, and who knows, you just may get a very surprising response- keep in mind- many jobs never get posted- particularly if they think they have someone very competent right there/ Also- be sure you put on a resume, you are very open to change and takes direction very well..... some meat managers get done because they dont adjust to change of the what the store owner wants.
If you are a cutter in a dept-part of a working "team" achieving a 28-30% gross margin- then put that in the resume's- but also request confidentiality/
Ive received resume's in the past with a bogus name just to be discreet), and I understood that, he didnt want to take any chances- but it was an impressive resume with his cell number and when to call
when you are already employed, you sometimes are a more valuable "commodity" than if you are unemployed
we all want to earn more- just the way it is- start marketing yourselves- often meatcutters are excedllent hard workers, but introverts, we despise b.s. and salesmanship- but you have to be your own best cheerleader!!!!
Learn all you can, even how to cook the products (to answer questions) and learn how to figure budgets.....how do you figure a gross margin, a payroll percent, sales per man hrs, how to do physical inventories, and why
also , just about every higher paying meat job -most likely you are in charge (managing) people....study what leadership qualities are, how to positively motivate people, the team cohesive ethics, and conflict/resolution skills
A meatcutter is a Title- you need to present yourself, that you are/ can be a meat dept manager/trainer/ you can make money for whatever store you are working for, you can merchandise branded, value added items, increase customer service excellence, to grow sales not only for the meat dept. but for the whole store.
