I started out as a night stocker making 9.65 an hour plus .50 for working at night. then the store manager said how would you like working in meat? I said I had to think about it. Next thing I know, my schedule is during the day time and I'm in the meat department without even agreeing to it. I actually still made 9.65 an hour for the first two weeks working in meat, after that I went down to 7.45 an hour but here's the catch. Before going into meat, I asked the store manager will my pay be the same and she said it will, you will just lose the night premium bonus (which is 50 cents) . So when my pay changed and I went into work, I asked her, why did my pay wage go down and she said because you lost night premium bonus, which is 9.65 so now your 7.45. I just think its a load of bull**** to be honest with you. Then during a morning huddle, she was telling me that I can become a cutter if I come to her and sign a paper but I will get tested to make sure I do the right cuts or something like that. But how long does it actually take to become a cutter and what's the process like?
I started out as a night stocker making 9.65 an hour plus .50 for working at night. then the store manager said how would you like working in meat? I said I had to think about it. Next thing I know, my schedule is during the day time and I'm in the meat department without even agreeing to it. I actually still made 9.65 an hour for the first two weeks working in meat, after that I went down to 7.45 an hour but here's the catch. Before going into meat, I asked the store manager will my pay be the same and she said it will, you will just lose the night premium bonus (which is 50 cents) . So when my pay changed and I went into work, I asked her, why did my pay wage go down and she said because you lost night premium bonus, which is 9.65 so now your 7.45. I just think its a load of bull**** to be honest with you. Then during a morning huddle, she was telling me that I can become a cutter if I come to her and sign a paper but I will get tested to make sure I do the right cuts or something like that. But how long does it actually take to become a cutter and what's the process like?
Typical, You got hosed. The whole meat cutter thing is a ruse to keep your mouth shut. You can call the Union, but not likely they can do anything about it since you already made the move. Best thing to do is call the HR person for your zone/district. But be warned, if you go that way expect for a ****storm from management.
I actually came from meat to night stocking, but both offer 7.65 where I am from. I was told that I couldn't learn to cut unless I had been there for a year, so I really don't know what to believe. It really does look like they are giving you the run around, tho~
I was in meat dept over 5 years and was never promoted to a cutter/assistant manager, even though I expressed interest and learned how to order, inventory, 709's etc. They teach you to cut but then make you do the work for clerk pay I finally got fed up and left meat they always would claim there was an "apprenticeship" program but at the time we had no such thing it seems like now they have brought it back again but who knows i still know of a lot of meat clerks who cut meat with no pay raise for the work they're doing. I'm a woman and honestly I feel like it's a lot harder to move up in meat dept for women, maybe I'm wrong but I've never even seen a woman meat manager.
It's weird because I was hearing the same exact thing from a woman who cuts and shes been working in meat for half a year though. She's only talked to the store manager twice though. I would go to huddles and put yourself out there more and just be up front, your ready to be tested on cutting meat and see what he/she says.
ALRIGHT!! I feel it is completely male dominated! I even had prior experience and am there at night cutting away at minimum but NO ONE has asked since I was hired if I am interested. Thing is I know of men who have moved thru in 6-9 months in2 a asst mgr. position and are getting the knife skills class. We are almost 150 hrs under and I work most nights w/ a trainee or alone!
Something to also add here...most of the meat clerks in my dept, like myself, were thrown in and left to fend for themselves. After 3 months in, I still do not know how to use the gun & have never worked frozen.I have never done anything other than fill, cut, prep, clean, REPEAT!! The closers get the flack when it is not done but hell, I am suppose to do everything and supervise new people!!! I have requested not working close every single shift so I can learn more but no one listens. I keep hearing from others that management wants to see you express an interest and see what you can handle. We all seem to be doing the job of 3 people. How can we learn more when we are overwhelmed with basic tasks?? On top of the customer ALWAYS comes first and we NEVER tell them no???
Sounds like poorly run departments...anywho in dallas division..
dept head needs to email coordinator, get you into cutting program..
you go one day per week for 5 weeks to another store to work with a designated trainer in your district....
there are 3 levels. basic, intermediate, and advanced. do them all, get more money along the way with completion of each step. check your union book.
had one guy complete basic, made him a seafood lead for 15 bucks an hour
had another guy who went as far as intermediate and he is opening 1-2 days a week as cutter, and cutting ad on nights he closes. once he runs through advanced I can put him through ADH for 16? an hour I think they make now.
i don't really put a time requirement on how long before they can get into it, it just depends on the person. my rule of thumb is when i can come into 2 layers high and everything i asked completed, then i can recommend you.
I'm all for getting my team members more money and I push for them to get a decent living wage.. I get paid back when they are more interested in my goals for the department and they drive the *(#@ out of sales at night for me keeping my svc/counters full to the max, but unfortunately not everyone strives to have a team like mine and only cares for themselves, so it can be a pain to get the dept head to put you through what you need.
as for gender and meat department... there's a couple in my district. the company pushes for diversity. i've only seen a couple good women cutters... usually they get pushed into being a seafood lead because there is less heavy lifting. But hell, right now we had a woman recently get a dept head position and she has a female backup, so while more rare, it exists.
We used to have a female meat department head, and i thought that was kind of rare (most of the dept. heads in my store are women) but now she's at a bigger store in another town. There's a woman that's now the assistant meat department head too.
