What To Sell in a Butcher Shop [and How To Manage Your Stock]

Nov 19, 2024 • 6 min read

The meat industry is changing. Baby boomers, traditionally the biggest source of income for butchers, are getting older, and inflation is making people more careful with their wallets.

It’s not all bad news. More people than ever are cooking meals from home, and the popularity of cooking channels on YouTube and TikTok is helping people be more confident in the kitchen with gourmet cuts.

If you’re opening a butcher shop in 2024, it’s not just important to have the right tools and a solid business plan — you need to build a winning product list that caters to the old and new.

In this article, we’ll cover what to sell in a butcher shop, including:

How to choose items for your shop
The five top-selling product categories
How technology helps you manage your stock
Additional tips and resources for starting a butcher shop

Once you have a firm idea of what to sell in a butcher shop, you’ll have a better understanding of your startup expenses and customer preferences. Let’s get started.

Butcher Shop Inventory: How To Choose What To Stock

It’s essential to offer a product lineup that is both unique and appeals to your customers.How do you settle on a great butcher shop product list? Here are a few tips:

Conduct market research: Every great butcher shop business plan starts with market research. Investigate your area to see what other butchers offer, customer demographics, and other information that can help you define your niche and stand out.
Ask your customers: Often, the easiest way to build a product list is to ask your customers directly. Set up an online survey or use social media to ask customers what they want to see more of.
Peruse social media: Browse popular cooking influencers and recipe channels to see what types and cuts of meat are coming up again and again. Don’t hesitate to capitalize on current trends.
Use reports and data: If you’re already up and running, use the reports on your point of sale (POS) system to see which products and product categories are consistent bestsellers. You can also use sales data to spot any seasonal trends or spikes in demand.
Look at statistics: Numbers don’t lie. In the U.S., chicken is the most consumed meat, trailed by beef, pork, and fish. If you’re not sure where to start, begin with the top 3.
Your suppliers: Customers visit butchers for high-quality meat. Know your suppliers and what they specialize in to give people the best quality and value. It’s not worth expanding your product list with an inferior product just because a certain type of meat is more popular.

The right product list will help you keep customers happy and drive sales while minimizing waste. Just remember, you can change things up. Constantly keep your ear to the ground to know what cuts and types of meat are popular and stay ahead of trends.

What To Sell In a Butcher Shop: 5 Product Categories

If you’re unsure about what to sell at your butcher shop, you’re not alone. Butcher shops come in many shapes and sizes, from general butchers to artisanal delis, halal butchers, fishmongers, and more.

While your exact offerings will differ based on your location, suppliers, and customers, here are some common categories to get you started.

1. Beef

Beef is a popular staple at butcher shops, especially for those looking for a better burger or steak than they can find at the supermarket. Some of the most popular beef products to sell are:

Ground beef and chuck
Ribeye
New York Strip
Brisket
Chuck roast
Sirloin

It’s a good idea to have a mix of cheaper, everyday items (like ground beef) and pricier items (like ribeye) that are more for special occasions. Use sales data and reports to understand the demand for both types of items so you don’t overstock on expensive items and understock staples.

In addition to selling by the pound, use your POS system to create custom products like packs of pre-made burgers, dry-rubbed briskets, and other pairings that might upsell customers.

2. Chicken

Chicken is the most eaten meat in the US because it’s cost-effective and versatile. At a minimum, sell the most popular cuts like:

Boneless thigh
Bone-in, skin-on thigh
Breast
Chicken drumettes and drumsticks (wings)
Whole chickens
Tenders

To level things up, you could offer pre-marinated chicken thighs, stuffed chicken breasts, or kebabs for grilling. A flexible POS system should allow you to price custom items, giving you plenty of room to be creative.

Some more niche items like ground chicken might be more cost-effective to ground on request instead of it going to waste. You could also freeze more specialized cuts so that they last longer.

If you have a good supplier, consider other poultry like goose and turkey, though you might find demand for them spikes around the holidays.

3. Pork

Pork is another popular option because it’s affordable and easy to cook with. Many cuts of pork are good for quick meals or slow cooking. Consider stocking:

Bacon
Ground pork
Pork chops
Ham steaks
Pork belly
Brats and sausages
Baby back ribs
Tenderloin

Add different spices to the bacon cure for unique flavors that customers will be eager to try (e.g., pepper bacon, maple chili, brown sugar). You could also create a variety of sausage and bratwurst varieties for quick meals. Or pair bacon and sausage for the ultimate breakfast sampler.

These value-added products help differentiate your shop from competitors and potentially increase profit margins. Remember to use your POS system to track which products are selling well and adjust your inventory accordingly.

4. Lamb

Lamb isn’t as popular in all parts of the country. But it’s a unique offering and very popular in regional cuisines, such as those from Mexico, northern India, and Greece. The main cuts of lamb include:

Leg of lamb
Lamb rib chops
Lamb loin chops
Rack of lamb
Lamb stew meat
Lamb neck

If you’re looking to offer something special, lamb is another great candidate to sell marinated or as pre-made kebabs. Mix ground lamb with spices to make Greek burgers, Moroccan-style meatballs, or lamb skewers.

As with other meats, use your POS system to track sales and adjust your lamb offerings based on customer demand and seasonal trends.

5. Non-Meat Items

Just because you run a butcher shop or meat market doesn’t mean you have to sell meat exclusively. There are many complementary items you can sell to bolster your sales, such as:

BBQ sauces, pasta sauces, and hot sauces
Olives, pickles, and hot peppers
Spice rubs and seasonings
Cheeses
Fresh pasta
Wood pellets for smoking
Fat and tallow
Marrow bones and soup bones

Consider including educational signage with recipes, complementary meat cuts, or meal ideas. These helpful signs encourage customers to try something new while showing off your store’s expertise.

Use Technology to Effectively Manage Your Stock

Coming up with a winning butcher store product list is only half the battle. You’ll also need to find ways to manage your stock effectively to reduce spoilage, avoid stockouts, and keep customers happy.

Manually tracking your inventory makes it easy for items to languish in storage or to accidentally reorder items you don’t need. Instead, use inventory management software to avoid errors and streamline stock management.

Look for a POS system with industry-specific inventory management features, like:

Sell by weight: Track the weight of the meat you have in storage, then reconcile the amount in inventory every time you weigh and sell a cut.
Real-time inventory tracking: Use a POS system integrated directly with inventory so you can see your stock levels at all times.
Scale integrations: Connect directly with your scales so you can weigh items and print a barcode to scan at the register for a smoother checkout experience.
Reports and analytics: Modern POS systems come with various pre-built reports and analytics tools that let you identify bestsellers, help with demand forecasting, and understand inventory churn.
Automated reorder alerts: Set reorder alerts so you know the second stock is running low. This will help you avoid stockouts and overordering.
Custom SKUs and products: Create custom products like marinated chicken breasts or sampler boxes without losing track of them in inventory.

There are generic POS systems available, but many of them will end up causing you headaches in the form of manual inputs and costly add-ons. We recommend using an industry-specific POS solution to help future-proof your business without adding complexity to your day-to-day operations.

Streamline Your Inventory Management With Markt POS

If you’re looking to start a butcher shop or meat market, remember these tips.

It’s all about quality: At the end of the day, people go to a butcher instead of a grocery store for quality cuts and recommendations.
Have a mix of specialty and staple cuts: People are getting more confident cooking high-quality steaks, goose, and other quality cuts from home. But while those items will have a high profit margin, your bread and butter will be staples like ground beef and sausage.
Use inventory management software: Leverage technology to optimize inventory levels and maximize profits.
Listen to your customers: Don’t choose what to sell in a butcher shop on intuition alone. If customers frequently come in asking for something you don’t have, they won’t come back to try again.
Use data: Once you’re up and running, use the reports on your POS system to understand what your bestselling product categories are, seasonal swings, and other information that will help you optimize your product list.

If you’re preparing to open a butcher shop, here are some other helpful resources to get you started:

Ready to take the next step? Schedule a demo with our experts today to see how Markt POS can help you streamline inventory management, improve the customer experience, and drive sales.

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