Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Meat Wrapper

🎯 Role Definition

As a Meat Wrapper, you are a crucial link between our skilled butchers and our valued customers. You will be responsible for the expert packaging, weighing, and labeling of a wide variety of fresh meat and seafood products. Your primary focus will be on maintaining the highest standards of product presentation, food safety, and sanitation. This position requires a keen eye for detail, a commitment to quality, and the ability to provide friendly and informative service to shoppers, ensuring they have an exceptional experience in our meat department.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Grocery Clerk
Deli Associate
Food Service Worker
Retail Stocker

Advancement To:

Meat Cutter / Butcher Apprentice
Meat Department Lead
Assistant Meat Department Manager
Meat Department Manager

Lateral Moves:

Seafood Specialist
Cheese Monger
Produce Associate

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Accurately weigh, package, and wrap cuts of meat, poultry, and seafood using hand-wrapping techniques and automated wrapping machines to ensure product integrity and freshness.
Apply correct pricing, tare, safe handling instructions, and sell-by date labels to all packages, ensuring 100% compliance with company and regulatory standards.
Skillfully stock and rotate products in the fresh meat and frozen display cases, following the First-In, First-Out (FIFO) principle to minimize waste and maximize freshness.
Create and maintain visually appealing and fully stocked product displays to attract customers and drive sales throughout the day.
Engage with customers in a friendly and professional manner, answering questions about different cuts of meat, cooking suggestions, and product origins.
Take and prepare special orders for customers, including custom cuts and quantities, ensuring accuracy and customer satisfaction.
Operate, break down, and thoroughly clean department equipment, such as wrapping stations, scales, grinders, and slicers, adhering to strict safety and sanitation protocols.
Monitor product quality and appearance, promptly removing any items that do not meet the store's high standards from the display case.
Maintain price and tare integrity on all scales, performing regular checks and adjustments as needed.
Assist meat cutters by receiving primal cuts, organizing inventory in the cooler, and preparing items for the cutting room.
Proactively monitor product temperatures in all coolers and display cases, logging data and immediately reporting any deviations to department management.
Prepare value-added and ready-to-cook items, such as seasoned meat patties, kabobs, and marinated chicken, following established recipes and presentation guidelines.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc inventory counts and assist in the ordering process by communicating stock levels and product needs to the department manager.
Contribute to the organization's food safety culture by consistently following all Health Department, HACCP, and company-specific sanitation and safety procedures.
Collaborate with fellow meat, seafood, and deli department associates to ensure seamless customer service and operational efficiency.
Participate in regular team meetings and training sessions to stay updated on new products, procedures, and safety regulations.
all businuess units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Assist in receiving and unloading meat and supply shipments, verifying invoices and inspecting products for quality and correct temperatures upon arrival.
Maintain a clean, safe, and organized work environment, including the backroom, coolers, and sales floor areas, by performing regular cleaning duties.
Respond to intercom pages for the meat department promptly and professionally.
Effectively manage production workflow to ensure a consistent supply of wrapped products is available, especially during peak customer traffic hours.
Provide support to other grocery departments during slow periods or as directed by store management.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Product Wrapping & Packaging: Proficiency in using both manual and automated wrapping equipment to create neat, secure, and appealing packages.
Scale Operation: Ability to operate digital scales accurately for weighing, taring, and pricing products.
Food Safety Knowledge: Strong understanding of food safety standards, including temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, and sanitation protocols (ServSafe or similar certification is a plus).
Product Identification: Knowledge of various cuts of beef, pork, poultry, and seafood.
Inventory Rotation (FIFO): Practical experience in applying the First-In, First-Out method to manage perishable inventory.
Basic Knife Skills: Foundational ability to safely handle knives for trimming and portioning, as needed.
Equipment Cleaning: Skill in disassembling, sanitizing, and reassembling department machinery like grinders and slicers.

Soft Skills

Attention to Detail: Meticulous in ensuring accurate labeling, pricing, and quality control for every product.
Customer Service Excellence: A positive, helpful attitude with the ability to interact effectively with a diverse customer base.
Time Management & Prioritization: Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple tasks and meeting production demands.
Teamwork & Communication: Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with colleagues and communicate needs to management.
Physical Stamina: Ability to stand for extended periods, lift heavy objects (up to 50 lbs), and work in a cold environment.
Dependability & Punctuality: A reliable work ethic with a consistent record of being on time and ready to work.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent (GED).

Preferred Education:

Food Handler Permit or ServSafe Certification.
Vocational certificate in culinary arts or a related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Culinary Arts
Food Science
Hospitality Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 0-2 years.

Preferred: 6+ months of experience in a retail meat department, butcher shop, deli, or other food handling role is highly desirable. On-the-job training is often provided for candidates with a strong work ethic and a passion for customer service.