10 Things That Secretly Annoy Bakery Employees

Visiting a bakery is almost a therapeutic experience, even for great home bakers. There's just something soothing about getting a close look at a variety of freshly baked goods and picking one (or a few) out for yourself. Bakery cakes always taste better than what you'd make at home, and bakeries know how to keep their treats fresh, so you'll always get a fresh item regardless of when you visit. Lastly, how can we forget how great the employees are at most bakeries? They're always ready to help when you're confused and make sure you go back home with the best items. However, despite them smiling and having a calm demeanor, there are times when they are really annoyed but can't show it. The reason behind their annoyance could be operational issues, but it is often also due to customer habits.

As a pastry chef who has worked at several bakeries, I've often seen that some customers have no idea how bakeries work. They drop in during closing hours and expect freshly baked goods, order custom cakes a day before a big event, or even cancel those orders right at the last moment. These practices, though they may seem harmless, usually annoy employees and sometimes also put them in a tough spot. Luckily, though, by knowing what secretly annoys most employees and not doing those things, you can make your next visit to a bakery much smoother.

It's great that bakeries have everything on display so that customers can take a proper look before choosing what they like. While some items may be in display cases, products like breads, croissants, danishes, and sometimes even sweet options like pumpkin bread and banana bread are usually kept in the open. Bakeries also place a pair of tongs next to these items so that customers can easily pick up what they like and even bag them themselves before paying. Unfortunately, though, some customers don't use tongs and instead touch these products with their bare hands. This practice always annoys bakery employees.

There are several reasons why this gets on their nerves. First, your hands aren't always clean, and when you touch baked goods without cleaning them first, it's really unhygienic. A lot of customers also have a bad habit of touching and sometimes even holding or pressing all the baked goods on display, even those that they aren't planning to buy. That makes it unhygienic for the person who actually buys that item. On top of that, pressing on fragile baked goods can ruin their texture, and the bakery employee will have no option but to throw them out. Considering this, isn't it easier to just use tongs when picking up a product? I think so, too.

Getting customized cakes or other baked goods from a bakery is always fun. In fact, even bakers love making custom orders. But it's surely not fun for the employees when customers constantly make changes to their orders until the last minute. Though bakeries may entertain this behavior, that doesn't make it right for customers to do so. Custom orders are made just for them, and the price depends on what has been requested in the order. If you keep changing things, the baker has to put in all that extra effort to implement those changes. Not to mention that some customers also have a habit of making major tweaks and then not liking it if the item ends up costing more than what was decided.

So, you might wonder what you could do in this situation, as it's likely that sometimes you decide on something and then later want a few tweaks. Honestly, most bakeries are okay with you asking them to change a few things in your custom order — even a few days after you've finalized it — as long as you're picking it up at least a week later. Just don't ask them to constantly tweak things until a day before you're supposed to collect your order. That puts a lot of pressure on the baker, and it's possible that because of all those last-minute changes, the bakery might not be able to give you the best product.

Customers aren't always sure about what they want, especially when it comes to customized orders. Most bakery employees are okay with that and usually ready to help out by suggesting the best products or flavor combinations. However, a few customers are extremely rigid and aren't always open to suggestions, despite being unsure about what they want. What's even worse in this situation is when they make extremely vague requests that leave the staff and the bakers confused. While all of this may seem harmless and the employees may not necessarily show it, they do get annoyed by such behavior.

The least a bakery would expect when a customer places an order for a personalized item is for them to eventually be sure about what they want. If they are sure and clear when they order, it makes the whole process a lot easier for the staff, and they don't have to worry about whether or not the customer will like the product in the end.

Many customers also have a habit of not disclosing allergies while ordering and then lashing out at the staff when an ingredient they are allergic to is used in the baked product. If you think about it very objectively, nothing here is the staff's fault. And if you want the right product for the money you're paying, it always helps to be extremely clear about what you want. Take those suggestions from the staff if you aren't sure. Trust me, they want the best for you.

More often than not, bakery employees get annoyed when customers don't pick up their orders on time, especially custom-made ones. There are several reasons why this gets on their nerves, and it's even worse when certain customers don't even have the courtesy to inform them that they'll be picking up their order late.

One of the main reasons why employees don't like it when customers pick up their orders late is that the item is usually assembled right before the pickup to ensure the freshest quality. If a customer doesn't pick up the order on time, the product has to sit around for some time, which can often compromise its quality, especially if it's one of those products that can't be stored in the refrigerator for too long. The worst part about this situation is that some customers have a habit of getting angry if the quality isn't perfect, even though their delayed pickup caused the item's quality to drop.

Even when it comes to items that are usually stored in the refrigerator, if you pick up the order a couple of hours after you're supposed to, the bakery staff has to make extra space in the refrigerator for that item, as storage space might be limited. These delays also disrupt their usual workflow, as the staff may have to stay past closing hours to hand over an order. Given all this, it's just better to pick up your order at the right time.

It's always possible that you might order something at a bakery and not like how it tastes after a few bites. Not all bakeries do this, but some of them do give their customers a refund in such cases. Of course, that depends on the bakery's standard policies. However, some customers think all bakeries offer a refund if they don't like their products, and a few of them even go as far as eating most of the baked goods and then asking for a refund. This always annoys bakery employees, as they are supposed to follow the store's refund policy, and if it doesn't allow them to give refunds in such situations, they can't give one to a customer.

I've often noticed that many customers, unfortunately, get angry at the employee when a refund is denied. This puts the workers in a very tough spot, as they don't know whether they should entertain the customer's needs (and get an earful from an angry owner later) or just stand there and listen to the customer lashing out at them. So, it's best not to ask for a refund after you've eaten most of a baked item, even if you don't like it. If you're unsure about the product and want to taste it, check with an employee to find out if refunds are allowed before digging in.

Some customers are highly unaware of how bakeries work, so they show up during closing hours and expect freshly baked products at that time. This gets on the employees' nerves, as bakeries follow a schedule and usually bake all their products in the morning or by mid-afternoon. So when you go to a bakery during closing hours, it's very likely that they won't have any freshly baked products. What's even worse is that a few customers ask the staff to bake fresh goods for them during closing hours, especially things like cookies and pastries, as the dough is usually ready. This also puts the staff in a tough spot, as they want to refuse, but sometimes can't if the customer insists. Not to mention that they might have to extend their shift to cater to that one odd customer's needs, which, let's just say, no one wants to do.

Honestly, it's best not to drop by during closing hours and expect or ask the employees for freshly baked goods. And if you're really looking for items that are made fresh, try visiting a bakery early in the morning or sometime before noon. Some bakeries might even bake fresh products in the afternoon, so it's best to ask them about it first if you'd like to drop by at the right time for items that are fresh out of the oven.

As noted, custom orders are usually made specially for each customer, and so they aren't a part of the items that are made daily at a bakery. While many customers are enthusiastic about placing such orders, they sometimes end up canceling the order at the last moment after it is ready. This isn't appreciated by bakery employees, as customized items cannot be resold. So, it's most likely that it will have to be thrown away. You might think that the bakery could just donate it, as that's what many grocery stores do with their unsold bakery items, but that isn't always the case. This is because policies for such products vary from one bakery to another. So, more often than not, the product is trashed.

When a customized item has to be thrown away, the bakery incurs losses, even more so if the baked goodie is made with specialized or high-end ingredients that they don't usually use. Some bakeries don't even take an advance amount when the customer confirms their order, which means they'll face a greater loss. Not to mention that the effort put in by the bakers to make the custom item also goes to waste. Since all these factors can be an issue for the bakery and its employees, I'd recommend canceling your order at least a few days in advance if you need to, not at the last minute.

You might have trouble deciding what you really want right until the last minute, and may even change your mind about whether you want a certain item or not while you're waiting to pay for it. While it's okay to do that sometimes (like when you're one of the only customers there), if you do it even during rush hours, most bakery staff won't show it, but they are usually secretly annoyed.

In most cases, bakery staff will help you out if you're confused, even while you're waiting in line to pay for your order. However, the downside in this situation isn't really for the customer, but instead for the employees, as there's a high chance that the other customers standing in line will lash out at them if they have to wait for some time. Besides that, cash registers aren't usually able to handle too many changes at a time, so the cashier will have to start a new order on it every time you make changes. This takes up extra time too, and can lead to the cashier getting yelled at by other customers, even though it isn't their fault. And so, ideally, you should decide what you want before you stand in line to pay for it. If you are confused, just get out of the line and take some time to think your order through, so that everyone else doesn't have to wait.

Perhaps one of the biggest issues that a lot of customers have with customized items is that they usually cost more than regular products available at a bakery. Many customers don't understand why they cost more, which is okay. But it's not okay when they keep asking the staff to lower the product's price. Sometimes, especially if you're a regular at a particular bakery, the staff might give you a discount. However, expecting every bakery to do so and then feeling unsatisfied when they don't oblige isn't the best thing to do, and the more you haggle, the more it irritates the employees.

The reason why employees don't like such behavior is that they can't do much when it comes to lowering the prices. Every item's price depends on the type of ingredients used, the amount of effort that needs to be put in, and more. It's usually decided by the owner. So, when you end up arguing with the employee and expect them to lower the price, it puts them in a difficult position. If they oblige and lower the price for you despite it not being a part of the bakery's standard policies, they'll have to hear from the owner. At the same time, if they don't accept a customer's request, they may get yelled at for that, too. Hence, instead of expecting customized items at really low prices, just keep in mind that they will cost more than a regular product, so you aren't disappointed later.

One of the main rules for shopping at a bakery is to order your customized items, especially large cakes, well in advance. While that is something that should be kept in mind as custom orders require some planning and time to prepare, many customers have a habit of placing such orders just a day in advance. This, without fail, annoys bakery employees and bakers, too. I'll tell you why it gets on their nerves, but first, let's understand why customers do such a thing.

Many customers seem to think that baking isn't much of a task, and it won't take time to bake and assemble their order — regardless of how large or intricate it may be. However, that isn't the case at all. Baking, especially when it comes to special orders, involves a lot of planning in advance. Bakers usually already have a lot on their plates as far as daily baking is concerned, so they actually take some time out in between all that to make custom orders. When customers place a special order a day in advance, it completely disrupts the bakers' usual workflow and doesn't give them proper time to plan their day. This means it's likely that their execution may suffer, and so the final product won't turn out that great. Hence, just be sure to place your order for custom items at least a week in advance to save the staff and yourself from disappointment.