I can imagine that a store might decline to sell an entire loaf of something popular. They might well prefer to only annoy the one big-order customer, so that they don’t have to tell the dozens of other customers who would otherwise be able to buy later “we’re already out”.
Do they even count as ‘butchers’ if they work at the grocery store? I’ve never considered them as such, since I think of the butchers being the ones who work where they actually butcher the animals. Not sure what I’d call them, maybe ‘deli service workers’?
I, too, think of butchers as more highly skilled than the typical grocery store meat dept workers. I tend to use the term “meat cutters.”
That being said, I have had excellent service from meat cutters over the years, including cutting extra thick T bone and Porterhouse steaks.
As for ground chicken or turkey (or beef, for that matter) I have ground my own quite successfully in my food processor. Sometimes I find stew beef for a much lower price than ground beef and it makes a much lower fat grind for spaghetti sauce with meat.
That’s when the store orders an extra one (or places the next order a little sooner). They’ll make more profit on that one big-order customer than on dozens of small (and hence more time-consuming) orders, and a happy customer is frequently a repeat customer.
Store policies vary–some places really don’t employ “butchers” in the meat department, and the ill-trained meat clerk manning the department has no clue what you want or how to cut it, and not much equipment to work with if he did know. Other stores have full-service butchers, and are more than happy to cut to order.
Go to a Mexican grocery. Every one I’ve ever been to has a good sized staff of butchers, and pretty much every customer is getting something cut to order. The only problem I’ve had is conveying that I want that Ribeye cut into thick steaks as most of their cuts are super thin. Instead, I usually just get a big hunk and cut my own steaks at home.
Interestingly, in my experience, my go-to Mexican supermarket - El Super - will not cut to order. Won’t even cut a large piece in half or anything. It’s a big chain market though, not a smaller grocery, and the meat counter always seems to be slammed. Might be I’m catching them at a bad time.
My experience is more like gaffa’s (but I think he may be in the same area I am.) The Mexican supermarkets around here do usually have 4-6 guys around cutting meat and serving customers. Usually about 3 in the front, and then another 3 in the back. I almost always get asked how I want the meat cut when I order from the counter (even though I usually don’t want it cut. But they take the initiative to ask.)
I’m in Albany Park, and usually shop at the Lindo Michoacan market.
I just meant general area/city. If you flip the N to S in your address (assuming you live on a N-S street), then you’re probably in my neighborhood (I’m in Archer Heights, near Midway.)
Complain to the manager? For what, a dirty look?