Bakery Woes

Tuesday was so traumatic that I couldn't even think of writing about it until today. Not really, I was unexpectedly quite busy yesterday. It was good.

So... Tuesday is one of the days we get a truck in, i.e. a delivery of bakery items (actually all departments get their stuff, not just us). USUALLY when the truck arrives out pallet of items is put in the meat market cooler as most of what we receive has to be kept frozen, especially our frozen dough items. Also, USUALLY the truck arrives about 6 am or 7 am and out stuff is in the market shortly after that. Though LATELY the truck has arrived at 9 am or later. Okay, that's all the background you probably need.

Tuesday I got to work about 7:30 am as usual and went to the market to get my bread dough to bake. None of my items were in the market cooler so I figured the truck hadn't arrived yet. Back to the bakery I went to bake bread and do all that bakery goodness.

I got caught up baking bread and croissants and realized I had forgotten to do my 9 am pick up about 8:45 am, so I got back to the market about 9:30 am. Still NOTHING in the market cooler. I walk out the back doors of the market and in the hall I see a pile of boxes right next to the open loading dock door. The pile completely obstructs the hall. I take a closer look, it's all my boxes. And some of the boxes are partially crushed. Fuck. Why the fuck would someone do that and not tell anyone? I start grabbing my boxes and realize that my frozen dough isn't feeling all that firm and frozen. No idea how long the boxes have been here next to the open door on a 99 degree day (yes it was that hot that early in the day). I run some of my stuff back to the bakery and come back, on my way I see the receiving guy and ask him why all my stuff was in a pile in the hall. He tells me that my pallet started falling over as he brought it in and that was as far as he could get it. I tell him most of my stuff needs to be kept cold and now I have several boxes of ruined dough, and ask why I wasn't told my stuff was all over the hall. He tells me that he TOLD the assistant manager of the store and he was supposed to tell me. Great, pass the buck. I don't have time for that I just go get the rest of my stuff.

When I get back there, more people have discovered the obstruction and they are helping me. At that point it's discovered that there are SEVERAL items for the market at the bottom of the pallet - things that need to be kept frozen also. So, they join in the mad scramble to save products. With help, all of my items make it back to the bakery.

About the time that I've located and cataloged all my frozen dough that needs to refreeze, I get a customer wanting his cake order. It's 10 am now. His order is for noon. I tell him it's not done because it's a NOON pick up. He's older than dirt, and he's irritated now. I tell him if he can wait 15 minutes I'll get it done. I make his cake, he seems happy, back to my boxes and bread I go. Remember, the bread I said I was baking. Yeah, between running to the back to freak out about my boxes, I've been putting bread in the oven. Now it's time to take it out. Then my manager shows up. It's her day off, but she's in the store so she thought she'd check in. She says "So how'd the truck go?" I say "Badly." as I find yet another box of thawing dough that needs to go in the freezer. I then explain the fun of the morning. She is less irritated by all of this than I am. She goes to talk to the assistant mgr of the store. A bit later the assistant mgr. and the receiving guy come back to the bakery and play pass the buck for a few moments before assistant mgr. says that he'll take the blame for this and apologizes. Fuck you. It's mostly receiver's fault. Come on, why leave a pile of boxes obstructing the hall in the first place. Secondly how fucking hard is it to page me to come get my items because my pallet fell over? Thirdly, if you can't fucking manage that, why not take 5 steps into the market to tell them that a pallet fell over in the hall and some meat market stuff is on it. Whatever, I had work to do.

Moving on, shortly after noon a customer comes in to order a wedding cake for Wednesday. As in, the very next day. Luckily it's just a small wedding cake to feed 40. We talk and I take the order. When she leaves I start the cake. I'm also working on another cake for Wednesday morning, a photo cake. It has a big logo on it and three lines of writing. Not a big deal. I get the bottom tier of the cake cut and iced and get a call from the bride. She's canceling the cake. Sheesh, great. Moving on. I go to print the logo to go on the cake and realize that I'm out of yellow ink. No biggie. I have another yellow cartridge, so I put it in. Reprint. No yellow. Hmmm... self clean on the printer. Reprint. No yellow. Self clean, self clean, self clean. Reprint. STILL no yellow. *sigh* Read the manual. More self cleaning. Print test strip. No yellow, fading black and blue. Replace black. Self clean, self clean, self clean. Print Test strip. DARK black, no yellow or blue now! Woohoo!

In frustration I call another store and tell the bakery manager there "I need some help. My printer isn't working." She asks what's wrong and I tell her "It's... it's... fucking up." She laughs at me, I explain the problem and she tells me how I can temporarily fill the blue by getting a syringe from the pharmacy and putting some of the airbrush color in the cartridge. Okay, I go to the pharmacy and explain what I'm doing when I ask for the syringe so they won't think I'm some kind of a junkie. Back to the bakery to mess with the printer. I get the blue working, still no yellow and now the red is out. FUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKK!

It's now almost 2 hours past when I was to get off work, my babysitter has already called to see if I'm dead or anything, and my patience is gone. I replace the red cartridge and print a test strip again. Black, blue and red. No yellow. Fine. I print the logo and carefully fill in the big yellow letters with a cotton swab dipped in yellow airbrush color. Finish that cake and LEAVE.

I'm so glad I had Wednesday off. Sheesh! What a whiner I am! Enough of that, have some CAKE!


This is the cake that was due at 9 am. Not bad for 20 minutes.


A pretty birthday cake for a man who forgot to order one the day before. This should get him out of the dog house with his wife.

Okay, that's all. Tonight I'm headed off to see Batman (hopefully someone is caught up with his work so he can go with me)! Have a lovely day! I have to go clean now! Woo!