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apcowboy


Founder of The Meat Cutter's Club

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New member here! ( from old site, T-Bone )
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From: T-Bone  (Original Message)Sent: 1/28/2008 10:38 PM

Hi guys! I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm T-Bone (Dave) from TX. I started my meat career when I became legal-18. I started this trade by begging the restaurant owner to train me to cut meat since he couldn't keep cutters (they kept getting arrested). Besides, washing dishes sucked. I remember clear as day one sentence he said to me while showing me how to cut top-sirloin: "Meat cutting is a skill--a trade--and it may come in useful someday." I never thought much about it, until those words became a reality.

 

I went off to college and like any kid needing money, I decided to put that skill to use. I was hired as a seafood clerk at Albertsons. I hated working that seafood counter, but I developed a nice clientele. On slow nights, I'd spend any extra time helping the night cutter, learning as much as I could, and cutting the meat for my block myself. I swooned at any chance I got to fill-in as clean-up boy. I knew I had to work my way up and prove my worthiness. I filled my seafood role well, but became sick of it. I got transferred to another store to take over a meat-deli. That worked out well until my school schedule got in the way. I then cashiered for a few months, hated it, and begged a market manager that needed help to let me clean up for him. I got it and got after it. I eventually worked my way up to ast. market manager and got my degree. I became known as the "college boy."

 

I took a lot of pride in the meat I cut, all with a knife. It was instilled in me by the old-school guys that saws were for bones and wussies. I repsected the old-school market managers, but they all began leaving. Times changed and companies needed a new generation of meat-cutters. I didn't like that one bit. It alienated a lot of customers, and brought in a lot of piss-poor lazy help. People would question why I was there with a college degree. Hell, I liked cutting meat; I enjoyed the trade, but the corp's were ruining everything.

 

My time came to head up a market. It was the most difficult thing I've ever done--balancing the sheer workload and ridiculous labor demands with the lazy employees that swamped Unicru. I swore up and down that employment system had a direct link to MHMR. I consider myself a hybrid of the old generation and the new. Luckily, my statistics class came in handy: if you hire enough of them, you'll eventually find a diamond. So I did, and I eventually composed a great team. I found respectable college students (I was in a college town) that would faithfully do their duties at the seafood counter, and selectively recruited out of slaughterhouses for cutters. I had to re-train them, but they knew how to work, and that's what mattered most.

 

Just when I got everything how I wanted it and was making huge strides, I got shut down. The store closure killed everything I'd worked so hard for. You never realize how much you really enjoy the trade until it's gone. I'd always thought it would be great to have a place to meet with other meat cutters...so here I am and that's my story in a nutshell.



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Leon Wildberger

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apcowboy


Founder of The Meat Cutter's Club

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Posts: 5562
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RE: New member here! ( from old site, T-Bone )
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From: MSN Nicknamec.gifcbx791Sent: 1/29/2008 6:33 AM

Great to have you T bone , feel your pain trying to find that diamond out of all the coal we go through , everywhere seems to have the same problems , good luck.



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Leon Wildberger

Executive Director 
apcowboy


Founder of The Meat Cutter's Club

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Posts: 5562
Date:
RE: New member here! ( from old site, T-Bone )
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From: MSN Nicknamec.gifapcowboySent: 1/29/2008 11:12 AM

 
Some story !!  sounds like you one of us old die hards that loves this crazy business
you are,  where you can shoot the bull with other meat cutters and in a bed of old timers LOLOLOL  Have respect for us aging ones LOLOL
GLAD you found your way here T-bone





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Leon Wildberger

Executive Director 
apcowboy


Founder of The Meat Cutter's Club

Status: Offline
Posts: 5562
Date:
RE: New member here! ( from old site, T-Bone )
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From: MSN Nicknamec.gifcrazeemomma71Sent: 1/29/2008 6:07 PM

Welcome! I hope that your luck will turn around soon.



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Leon Wildberger

Executive Director 
apcowboy


Founder of The Meat Cutter's Club

Status: Offline
Posts: 5562
Date:
RE: New member here! ( from old site, T-Bone )
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From: MSN Nicknamec.gifbikeshooterSent: 1/31/2008 6:12 PM

Hi T-Bone and welcome,

 

Sorry to hear about the store closure. I was with Safeway for 15 years when they started closing whole divisions and had to start over.

There is a critical shortage of cutters and managers here in North Florida if you're interested.......



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Leon Wildberger

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