How To Become A Deli Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a deli associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A deli associate, sometimes called a deli clerk, works at a deli or deli counter in a supermarket. They prepare deli products and serve customers looking for a sandwich or some cold cuts. Deli associates weigh, cut, and package deli products. They know how to use deli slicers safely and how to store food following safety regulations. Besides food, another important component of a deli associate's job is interacting with customers. They take orders, prepare them to customer specifications, and even hand out samples. Great deli associates manage to build lasting reports with customers, who return to them for their lunchtime sandwiches time and time again.

Most deli associates don't have a bachelor's degree. Instead, a high school diploma and some customer service experience, for example by working as a cashier, are more important than a college degree.

Deli associates earn an average salary of $11.51 an hour or $23,944 a year. However, this varies depending on minimum wage laws in their area.

ScoreDeli AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $28,360

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.0

Growth Rate 14%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%

Asian 6.49%

Black or African American 9.64%

Hispanic or Latino 18.63%

Unknown 6.92%

White 57.47%

Gender

female 62.84%

male 37.16%

Age - 21

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 21

Stress Level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.8

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

9.7

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a deli associate

Explore deli associate education requirements

Most common deli associate degrees

High School Diploma

45.9 %

Associate

18.9 %

Bachelor's

18.6 %

Start to develop specific deli associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Handling	23.85%
Basic Math	17.22%
Customer Service	16.98%
Math	9.55%
Food Safety	7.02%

Complete relevant deli associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New deli associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a deli associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real deli associate resumes.

Research deli associate duties and responsibilities

Open and close deli; schedule work hour coverage; manage and monitor deli cleanliness code; customer service.
Serve customers, stock shelves, cook food in fryers, slice deli meat, prepare food trays, close/open department
Bag groceries, and help customers out to their vehicles.
Pick and pack chosen items and ring them up in the POS system.

Prepare your deli associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your deli associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a deli associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Deli Associate Resume templates

Build a professional Deli Associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Deli Associate resume.

Apply for deli associate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a deli associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do deli associates rate their job?