It's long been known that consumers are intimidated when it comes to preparing meals made with fresh fish. It is for this precise reason that many stores with fresh fish cases have instructed staff in proper methods of preparation and provided easy-to-prepare recipes for shoppers to follow.
Today, something similar is happening in fresh meat departments where meat cutters are offering tips to shoppers on methods of preparation. The reasons behind why meat cutters are doing something other than cutting meat include not only culinary-challenged shoppers but also increased competition from stores that only sell case-ready product. By coming to the counter and offering preparation advice, meat cutters are offering something that others are not.
A piece by The Wall Street Journal pointed to a number of grocers including Supervalu, Winn-Dixie, Publix, Southern Family Markets and others that are putting the knowledge of chefs into meat cutters' brains to provide an added service for consumers.
The advice meat cutters offer can lead to higher rings as consumers feel more comfortable buying more expensive cuts, Jim Hertel, managing partner of Willard Bishop, told the Journal.
"If I was cooking a roast and I burned it, I could be out $20 or $25," he said. "That's a lot different than saying my Pop Tarts got burned."
Discussion Questions: Are meat cutters a difference-maker in the competition between traditional supermarkets and discounters that sell only case-ready cuts? Does the solution-provider attitude in meat and seafood have applications in other parts of the supermarket?