As a 62 y.o. butcher, with 44 years using a knive. I've made a good living and don't have to work. But, I get up 5 days a week at 3:45 a.m. and make my way to 8 hrs. of cold wet meat cutting. I would rather do that than sitting at home watching Dr. Oz or Ellin. I enjoy the fact that I am the king of the cutting room. Young guys and other senior cutters don't question me or f''k with me. My concern is that I don't recognize real "talent" coming up in the ranks. The mature cutters don't seem to have a sense of urgency when necessary and the younger guys only won't to know when can they make more money or get the early shifts. You older quys know how difficult it is to train butchers. Your asked to do all your work while holding the hand of a wide eyed newbie! I'm just venting quys, but if you have any comments, let me hear them.
My concern is that I don't recognize real "talent" coming up in the ranks. The mature cutters don't seem to have a sense of urgency when necessary and the younger guys only won't to know when can they make more money or get the early shifts. You older quys know how difficult it is to train butchers.
In this day and time I feel Market Managers have to work harder at motivating the younger cutter and a lot of the older ones set in their ways. You have 44 years in, I have 51 years in, you and I came up in a differ time, one where hard work was a thing you did with out being ask. it was our way, today's young don't see it that way, hard work isn't something mamma and daddy taught them.
Being a Market Manager isn't having a rosy life all the time, It has it's up and downs usually brought about by the warehouse or some incompetent " Meat God " Today Market Managers have the challenge of not only training their cutters but motivating them also. The ones that will have the talent for the trade will be the ones that have a passion for it.
I tell many young cutters the below, IF YOU really like the business and want to learn it, TEACH your self as much as you can, with the internet a young meat cutter can learn in weeks what it took you and I a year to learn.
Some of us younger guys still work hard. I always say I am how I am because I was raised by grumpy old men!
I get what you are saying though. I'm in a hard spot as a 29 year old market manager. Lot's of more senior cutters around, who didn't want bids. I've had to earn their respect by knowing my sh*t , and let the younger ones know I wont put up with their cell phones out "I'm here to socialize and get some stuff done by accident so be it" sh*t either. I've worked hard to learn our trade some by lurking here, some by going to a local farm that does sides and helping out just to see how it's done, some by cutting deer with a retired cutter who lets me in on little things every time we work together or drink a beer together.
I guess what I'm saying is some of us younger guys still want to know the trade and bust our asses to do so.
As a 62 y.o. butcher, with 44 years using a knive. I've made a good living and don't have to work. But, I get up 5 days a week at 3:45 a.m. and make my way to 8 hrs. of cold wet meat cutting. I would rather do that than sitting at home watching Dr. Oz or Ellin. I enjoy the fact that I am the king of the cutting room. Young guys and other senior cutters don't question me or f''k with me. My concern is that I don't recognize real "talent" coming up in the ranks. The mature cutters don't seem to have a sense of urgency when necessary and the younger guys only won't to know when can they make more money or get the early shifts. You older quys know how difficult it is to train butchers. Your asked to do all your work while holding the hand of a wide eyed newbie! I'm just venting quys, but if you have any comments, let me hear them.
That's a new one for me. I've never worked with a king.
Ironically, Article from The Chicago Tribune printed inour local paper on 5/19/15 stated:
Butchers, electricians among jobs hardest to fill
Employers are looking for butchers, bakers, mechanics & electricians. Jobs in the trades top the list of hardest-to-fill positions in the United States, followed by drivers & teachers, according to Manpower's survey of employers conducted during 2015's first quarter. These positions also are hardest to fill globally, for the fourth consecutive year. Globally, the survey included responses from more than 41,700 employers in 42 countries & territories. After those, the other seven US jobs where there are talent shortages are sales representatives, secretaries/receptionists, managers/executives, nurses, technicians, accounting & financial staff & engineers. Globally, 38% of employers reported they were having trouble filling jobs in 2015, compared with 22% of companies in the US.
Ironically, Article from The Chicago Tribune printed inour local paper on 5/19/15 stated:
Butchers, electricians among jobs hardest to fill
Employers are looking for butchers, bakers, mechanics & electricians. Jobs in the trades top the list of hardest-to-fill positions in the United States, followed by drivers & teachers, according to Manpower's survey of employers conducted during 2015's first quarter. These positions also are hardest to fill globally, for the fourth consecutive year. Globally, the survey included responses from more than 41,700 employers in 42 countries & territories. After those, the other seven US jobs where there are talent shortages are sales representatives, secretaries/receptionists, managers/executives, nurses, technicians, accounting & financial staff & engineers. Globally, 38% of employers reported they were having trouble filling jobs in 2015, compared with 22% of companies in the US.
Heard the same thing this week on local news in Atlanta.
As far as butchers go, the problem of training and maintaining quality meat cutters became worse when companies like Walmart and Kroger basically went to prepack, with some exceptions. The lure of well paying butcher jobs really dried up.
But now, companies like Publix ,Whole Foods, Sprouts, Fresh Market and others are pushing in house meat cutters, but a whole generation of butchers has missed their training opportunity. Newbies are coming in wanting 15 to 20 per, but that ain't happening. My old bosses at Publix are making good offers to me, but I'm loyal to my current company, unless they piss me off.
Heard the same thing this week on local news in Atlanta. As far as butchers go, the problem of training and maintaining quality meat cutters became worse when companies like Walmart and Kroger basically went to prepack, with some exceptions. The lure of well paying butcher jobs really dried up. But now, companies like Publix ,Whole Foods, Sprouts, Fresh Market and others are pushing in house meat cutters, but a whole generation of butchers has missed their training opportunity. Newbies are coming in wanting 15 to 20 per, but that ain't happening. My old bosses at Publix are making good offers to me, but I'm loyal to my current company, unless they piss me off.
I agree 100%. One of our stores is a butcher shop with some specialty grocery items & the other is a grocery store with a slightly larger market in a small town that hasn't had a grocery store in over 15 yrs (both privately owned). Pride ourselves in fresh, quality cut meats & take a lot of special orders. All but a couple of meat cutters are "old school trained" with the proper training from the companies we used to work with years ago & are willing to learn the newer cuts. One hasn't had the proper training from the company he was with (shows in the quality of his cuts), came from the "quantity over quality" type store & has already after 1 yr tried to get more $$$. The other (my son) is training on the job at the other store under the rest of us in attempt to carry on a tradition of top quality meat cutters. They are begging me to go full time so they can deal with the other guy but I got to retire from where I'm at first (1 more year I hope).
