Walmart pride itself on being able to provide a large number of goods and services to its millions of everyday customers.
However, you may be wondering if, as part of this commitment to service, Walmart has dedicated butchers or delis. Here is everything that I have managed to find out!
Does Walmart Have A Butcher & Deli?
Walmart has been phasing out its butcher counters from the year 2000 onwards and now sells pre-butchered and prepackaged meat instead. Walmart still has fresh deli counters in most stores that sell deli meats, cheeses, platters, and more.
Read on to find out more!
Why Does Walmart No Longer Have Butchers?
Walmart moved away from butchering and preparing meats from their own stores around the year 2000 when they instead moved towards pre-butchered meat, cut in a separate facility, and then packaged for sale.
A butcher’s position is a highly specialized job that Walmart presumably would no longer see as a necessary role in their stores.
Walmart also, as of 2020, now owns its own meatpacking plants, meaning that they now have full control over the meats they sell, and where they come from.
What Does Walmart’s Deli Counter Sell?
Walmart’s deli counters specialize in a number of diverse and fresh foods. These items include such things as cheeses, sandwiches, and salads, as well as various types of meat.
Unlike a butcher, however, the deli counter does not specialize in butchering entire animals and instead is more focused on ‘slicing’ already prepared meats.
When Do Walmart Deli Counters Open And Close?
Walmart delis open and close separately from the rest of the wider Walmart store. The times at which they are open are not set in stone across the company, and thus deli counters will open at different times in different stores.
Typically though, the deli at Walmart is open between 8 am -10 pm in more stores.
However, most deli counters are usually open for a minimum of ten hours a day, and even when closed, a selection of prepared deli foods can be purchased from in front of the counter.
Do Any Other Grocery Stores Have Butchers?
Even though Walmart no longer has many butchers or meat cutters within their stores, a number of other grocery stores do still offer butcher services in most of their locations. These stores include:
- Costco will cut meats to meet most requests.
- Sam’s Club offers a basic butcher’s service. Although Sam’s Club is owned by Walmart, they specialize in more high-quality goods and services.
- Safeway offers a dedicated butcher’s service.
Does The Walmart Deli Cost More Than The Rest Of The Store To Buy From?
Foods from the deli counter generally cost more than the average products in the rest of the store, due to the fact that the products are fresh, and need entirely separate staff teams to maintain and prepare them, which significantly ramps up labor costs.
As well as this, deli foods are more high quality, and fresher, thus more valuable, but also closer to perishing, so they must be valued accordingly.
To learn more, you can also see my posts on where Walmart gets their chicken and beef from, and also whether or not they sell halal meat.
Conclusion
No. The majority of Walmart stores do not have specialized butchers preparing cuts of meat. Walmart stores do have deli counters that require additional labor to ensure that the products remain fresh and up to a high standard, hence their increased price.
