Highest wages in the country are in the North Shore and South Shore surrounding Boston... Boston not so much. Also the neighborhoods along the shore of Connecticut.
Question is... I didn't realise meatcutters actually fancy retirement. I mean, I didn't think they could afford it... I know certainly don't expect to.
I honestly expect to someday wake-up, sore and unable to move my hands, get fired for being disabled, become homeless again after being unable to pay the fine for not having health insurance, and nearly starve to death in a gutter but for a religious sister or a religious brother or some other do-gooder feed me soup and give me a cot. I don't ever expect to retire but I do expect the nurse at the city hospital to bring me the black bottle, euthanising me against my will, when no-one is looking. Potter's field, here I come.
-- Edited by JimmyMac on Saturday 3rd of November 2012 12:43:46 AM
If you are having doubts then I think you probably aren't satisfied with what you have now so you might want to consider other options but really only you can answer that question for yourself.
The meat business is what you make it and willing to work for. you can go up or you can just stay a cutter, staying a cutter keeps you in a smaller pay scale. I spent 51 years in the business and have always been a high paid meat man but I did it by hard work and learning every thing I could about it even to the point of working for free in my younger days in a slaughter house to learn that part of the trade. I give up a half day and a whole day for weeks to learn the kill floor. I started at 28.00 a week for 44 hours, At one time in my life I made a 1000.00 a week running a non union market with 21employees. my last 5 years I made 750.00 a week with 10,000 a year into a fund that I didn't have to put in a penny.
The man in this video is one that I wish I had his money lol
Leon is right, the opportunities in this business are there, but you have to be willing.
I learned how to cut when I was a sophomore in college, graduated, and then ran my own Market while I attended graduate school at night. At 27 I was promoted to supervisor over 21 Markets across 4 states. I got there by never being content, always wanting to grow sales, always wanting to learn more merchandising, always listening to my supervisor's advice (they don't get there by accident).
The Market Manager that taught me how to cut retired earlier this year, and walked away with a cool million. The good retirement programs are there, and being with a good company is key.
SOMETIMES IN A MANS LIFE YOU THINK TO MUCH-WAIT A FEW DAYS , COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS AND REVIEW YOUR SITUATION-MEATCUTTERS AND MANAGERS ARE A BROTHERHOOD, A REAL PARTNER WILL PULL YOUR SLACK AND HELP YOU THROUGH A ROUGH SPOT, THINK ABOUT IT HARD AND POST AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS.AFTER ALL ASK LEON,IS HE RETIRED OR JUST HELPING US YOUNGBLOODS KEEP THE RIGHT COURSE?
Hey man - the key is passion. If you're not enjoying yourself or passionate about what you're doing, you will probably not get farther than just "meat cutter". But I will tell you that aside from bones aching from working in the cold - it's not a bad life. After some years of experience you could go to run someone elses meat shop - where other meat cutters will do the hard stuff and you may only have to cut a few hours a day and then do paperwork :) I get excited about cutting and anytime I can learn about anything related (cooking for example) I take advantage of that. My customers can ask me anything about the steak in their hands, from where on the cow it was from to how to prepare and cook it. They see the passion in my eyes and it gets them excited to go home and eat a delicious meal!
In short - if you want the high pay - work your ass off for it. Be the BEST meat cutter in the area and build a repuation with other meat cutters in other stores. It will pay off one day when its YOUR name that comes up with people ask for a great meat cutter to run their store :)
But only if you're willing to work very hard for that :)
