Butcher or Smallgoods Maker
What the work is
Selects, cuts, trims, prepares and arranges meat for sale or supply, operates meat or smallgoods processing machines, or manages the processes in the production of smallgoods.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Selects and inspects meat to ensure quality and freshness
- Cuts, trims and prepares meat according to customer requirements
- Operates meat processing machines such as slicers, grinders and tenderisers
- Weighs, labels and packages meat products for sale or supply
- Maintains cleanliness and hygiene standards in meat preparation and display areas
- Manages inventory and orders meat supplies as needed
- Creates and maintains attractive displays of meat products
- Assists customers to select and purchase meat products
- Prepares and produces smallgoods such as sausages, bacon and ham
- Monitors the smallgoods production process to ensure quality, hygiene and efficiency
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a family butcher shop with a small smallgoods room out the back, in a fictional country town. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A customer asks for a cut you suggested last time and says it was the best dinner of the year
- A tray of your own sausages sells out before noon
- You take a whole side of meat and turn it into a counter full of tidy, well-priced cuts
Hard days
- Cold rooms and early starts, with knives and slippery floors that demand your full attention
- A big order for a function arrives the day before and the supplier is short
- A customer who wants a refund on a cut they cooked badly
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 322231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.