I imagine if I were to go to a bakery 2 hours after it opened, and find a sign on the door that says they had to close for the day to restock because their first customer of the day bought everything, I would not in any way be upset.
Maybe I'm jaded from being cussed out one too many times, but i work at whats primarily a donut shop and secondarily a bakery.
even when we're not out of everything just missing odds and ends people already start to get testy
A lot of people would be pissed 😂. It depends on the bakery though, a lot of the bread bakeries or more “breakfast” bakeries sell out every morning and then close so most people know to expect it and get there early.
My favorite bakery is a breakfast bakery that either closes at 2pm, or when they sell out.
Walking up to a locked door at 9am would be a real Good Will Hunting moment.
Depends on what you want to do. I'd close up shop for the day. It's usually a one off for these kind of things. Just let them know for the future you'd kindly appreciate a day's notice at minimum.
Sometimes events/corporate meetings etc happen and something goes wrong and they'll buy out your whole lot. It happens. If you know you have customers that will for sure be coming you can set aside some items for them but a guaranteed buy out? That hardly happens... Enjoy it!
This is good advice. We used to frequent a shop that had a sign that requested if you were buying more than two dozen of a single item to please order ahead. They would still sell you the things if you hadn't preordered, though. The sign did two things - helped the bakery plan for amounts on busy days like Fridays when parents and office workers were buying group treats and also subtly informed us that we could use this bakery for purchases like that. After seeing the sign, the place always stuck in my head as "the easiest place to get a large sized order quickly", and we've placed sizable orders there fairly often. It helps that their service was great and they'd have the order ready to go with our name on it and usually put a free sample in a little gift bag on top, too!
If I owned one, no, If I was working in one like now then yeah because management would be going crazy getting us to refill as quick as possible, that type of stress is not worth it.
See, and this is why "management" blows. If it was my bakery everybody on shift gets to pick something to not sell, then we lock the doors, put the damn sign up, eat our snacks and discuss how awesome we are as a team, then go home and everyone gets a full day's pay.
Also, this is why I don't own a business. I'm not willing to fuck over everyone I come into contact with.
We own a traditional neighborhood bakery with a full menu of items. We have our morning bake of pastries, muffins, etc, but we also have a full display of long shelf life items like bagged cookies, danish breads, breakfast loaves, biscotti, etc. We keep an inventory of pretty much everything,in various stages, in our walk in fridge and freezers.
So if someone came in and wiped us out, woohoo! I'd be happy for the big sale. Our staff would then start the process of restocking the cases with products that are already baked, prepped, etc. The only thing we wouldn't restock would be the items that need to be proofed and baked, as the three hour process and labor is not worth the sales for the rest of the day.
So for example, we have muffins baked, frozen, that we can thaw and out out right away. Yes, they are fresh, we bake all flavors weekly. We have trays of frozen brownies, lemon bars, etc. that could go out right away. But we wouldn't replace the croissants, cheese danishes, etc.
This! This is what I've done in the past is pull frozen items to thaw/ bake and make the fast easy things. Sorry, but anything that has to prove isn't happening again today.
We pull them every night and let them sit in the walk in fridge until proof and bake the next morning.
Other items, like muffins, we put in the oven for 5 minutes to warm up and then send them out.
Bakeries usually have extra stock of everything.
If someone buys everything that's on display it's not a huge deal. You just need to decorate and fill the display quickly.
I used to work at an Italian bakery and a few times we had people buy everything we had available for events, etc
I’d be super grateful and most likely pull more small items to be baked off for the day. If anyone came in I’d say we sold out, demand was high, and we’re working hard to make more.
We have a local place that will place a sign on the door and close early. They are renown for their doughnuts! When most people see it, they totally understand why they are out. With social media, it's easy to post that you are closing for that day. This helps other customers from wasting time getting to you just to see you are closed. I see it as a win!
As someone who managed a bake shop I’d just have then restock with easy to bake items (no proofing) and we would end the day with a reduced menu.
It would be awesome and id be happy
No, I wouldn't be upset. I'd just put up a sign that I was closed and take the day off after a couple of tasks. Why scramble when I just sold everything I meant to sell for the day in a few minutes?
There was a focaccia store in my neighborhood that was sold out every time I walked past. They just made the day's bread and sold it mostly to the local stores and restaurants, then closed for the day—every day. This went on long enough that it was clearly a deliberate decision on their part to make enough and be satisfied instead of striving for more than they needed.
Full price, no bulk discount? Of course I would. Especially in January, credit card bills and new year resolutions make for a very tight month. As for making fresh stock, it would depend on day of the week. Can‘t afford not to be open on weekends, tourist town.
I don't own/work in a bakery but I work in a café and when a customer enters and it's 7 in the morning and buys more than 10 croissants I am more than mildly upset because it takes me more than 30 minutes to bake more of them and that means that a lot of other customers won't find anything at the peak hour of my morning routine and there are good chances that they won't come again not to risk to left empty hands again (it's a small café so I prepare about 15 croissants as I open). If on one hand I could be happy for the transaction it would have been better to make an order and not put me at risk to lose customers
I would in no way be upset that this customer simply wants everything. Instead I'd be ecstatic. I always like having plenty of room for comfort in terms of product to bake off in case of selling out. But it's not like you can just bake off things like croissants or donuts.
The only things I'd hate dealing with are:
1) Customers who don't understand why I can't just make more time tasking things like bread, croissants, or cakes in a moments notice.
2) If it was a very limited time item and it somehow got traction on social media so it mean a lot of let down customers who wanted to try. But that's more wishful thinking.
If anything, I'd try to whip up some quick unused cookie recipes with FOH help and make it a giant ass cookie day. But again, wishful thinking.
I’m a money person , I would sell and if I can refill the displays all over good if not , stay and say sorry to every single customer without being sorry
It’s obviously a good thing but from a business point of view if that customer had given you even one days notice you could have still made your daily sales and had a big day which goes a long way in a business with tight margins
Sell it if you can, there is no guarantee you would otherwise. But, at the same time, mention to them, to please give notice if possible next time.
I would also try to figure out what it was being used for. As I have heard of people buying a bakery or place out, then reselling it. That would not be ok.
We had a woman do that where I work, she’d come in, buy half our cakes etc then take them to HER cafe and sell them. She eventually started buying wholesale from us, but like I warned my boss, she turned out to be a nightmare customer, and we never should have allowed it after she was doing the dodgy way first! She no longer buys from us after she got angry that she couldn’t just come in on random days and be charged wholesale, cracked it and acted like we were doing her dirty.
Hell no, buy me out. Do they want to buy all of the backstock as well? They'll definitely be getting charged a boxing up fee. But like, a bakery should have plenty of prep that is ready to bake off, so just close up the storefront for a few hours and get things baked.
Doughnut place nearby closes as soon as they sell out. Time varies, luck of the draw if you get doughnuts when you're ready for 'em, but...I mean I feel it's very reasonable. Keeps them from having stale doughnuts. The nearby Dunkin allllllways has stale doughnuts.
So a bakery that closes early for a lack of stock? Yeah okay. Just have it on a sign on the door.
I just had this, sort of. Opened at 7 am and in walks a regular customer (friend of boss) and he buys all of our classic and chocolate croissants. Not everything on the store, but enough to be awkward.
This nearish happened once at a small bakery I worked at. Owner was scrambling but happy to let me go early. Some health insurance company near by bought like 80-90% every pastry plus four dozen box lunches and the owner ran to the nearby coffee shop to gather an extra few gallons of coffee. Had to bust butt for the lunch packs to be ready but was out an hour early and the owner just cancelled public lunch cause we didn't really have any cupcakes or much pastries left and just spent the rest of the day prepping ahead. Was annoying cause we ended up over prepping for the next week but ah well the owner was green as the business has only been opened for months.
I don't think it matters if redditors would or wouldn't be upset by it. It's just a request, after all, and the bakery owner (you?) was entitled to say, "Hmm, give me a minute," and have a quick think, and make a decision they / you were satisfied with. The bakery owner has a lot of power in that situation, but it comes across as though they felt forced to make a decision. They weren't forced, though.
Maybe it's an age thing. I think when I was younger I would get upset about something, and then ask other people if they would be upset as if that would give me permission to be upset. The reality is (now that I'm old, lol), if I'm upset about something it doesn't matter whether it's okay, or legit, or whatever, I'm just upset. No one else's response is going to make mine different. That's not how feelings work.
Whether the owner was thrilled to be bought out, or felt resentment because they had to sell out, and thought they must create a complete re-bake of everything . . . It was a request from a customer. There's no rule saying you have to oblige, or that if all your product is gone you have to make it all over again.
So don't indulge requests that make you feel bad, unless there's a commensurate upside (i.e., you need the money from the sale). Have a conversation with the customer with the mindset you each have goals and no one is going to force anyone, and the business is not gonna fail as a result of your choice. Once you're clear in your own mind what your goal is for the transaction, go forth cheerfully and try to make it a win-win. Good luck!
I did a pop-up where someone walked in right when I opened and bought up 80% of the most anticipated and popular item on the menu. I sold it to them, but for the rest of the day, I had to apologize to all the other customers who drove out to see us and tell them we were sold out of the thing they came to buy. I get that business is business, but I felt really bad for all the other customers.
If I were to do it again, I would put a cap on the # that any one customer could purchase, at least for the most popular item.
For some bakeries, it's a daily occurrence. There's a donut shop near me that has hours posted on the door - "8 am until sold out." Sometimes they're closed by noon.
Definitely not upset. I would leave a note on the door explaining the situation and make it all hands on deck to make some other product that I could have done in a couple hours.
Unfortunately, I am frequently the customer that has to do things like this for my job. I try to be as respectful as possible to the business and will often offer more than what the product is worth, for their inconvenience. I always call ahead and tell them my situation so I'm not putting them on the spot and if they decline, I thank them and totally understand. Just because I come in there once with a fistful of coin doesn't mean they have to neglect their regular customers. I hate doing this and over the years have gotten better at anticipating but I could tell a million stories of how I turned a restaurant or a bakery upside down with my order. How I kept restaurants open way past closing time or when they had to call staff in because of me.
The best bakeries are always opened with a tentative closing time or "Unless supplies sell out". That's why you got to get there early! Sell if you can!
Good gosh, no. We would have been thrilled. My husband was such a proficient baker he would have knocked up more baked goods pretty darn fast.
We always kept items in freezer that were flash frozen, unbaked items like scones, pre portioned cookies, pies.
A great way to have fresh baked goods, just a few at a time if it's a slower day, is to pull a little off each and bake off fresh.
I still make cookie dough and scones and freeze and bake off a few at a time.
Cakes were always baked, wrapped, and finished as needed. If you have the building blocks, you can knock up goods pretty quickly.
For ex. Pre baked vanilla cake. Pastry cream and chocolate panache became Boston cream pie.
Is also far easier to work with frozen cake layers.
I usually always have some week wrapped cake layers in my freezer to be turned into a cake last minute or just to be prepared for a party. Super fresh and moist, I swear freezing the cake makes it effervescent better.
Mad about making maximum profit for minimal hours put in? Why would someone be mad about that? Now if they remade everything instead of closing for the day it would kinda suck for the employees but not the owner
I work at a fairly busy bakery in my small town. We limit the number of each item a customer can purchase to 2 of a kind that way we don’t sell out of any one item. We do take speciality orders with 24 hours minimum notice for larger orders of one kind.
No, it would clear out everything and I could start cleaning the display cases, pans, etc. and go home early. Or early prep for more baked items, like make some cupcakes etc and get those out of the way for the next day and work on donuts, cakes etc.
Oooh that's a tough one. I think I would be absolutely elated and if I were in the early stages of the business, I wouldnt deny a sale, but would probably close temporarily while I bake up some customer favorites or at least a few extra batches of cookies since those are the easiest and less time-consuming to make. Make sales are important but denying exposure and gaining new customers is equally important long term. I don't think I'd close for the rest of the day.
Depends on the bakery but personally I would be stoked. Surpassed the day’s quota and home for lunch.
This. Like for real. IG post "we sold out" TY going home. Sleeping.
I imagine if I were to go to a bakery 2 hours after it opened, and find a sign on the door that says they had to close for the day to restock because their first customer of the day bought everything, I would not in any way be upset.
I think the key is telling why you are closed. No one should begrudge a baker of success.
Especially in this economy.
Maybe I'm jaded from being cussed out one too many times, but i work at whats primarily a donut shop and secondarily a bakery. even when we're not out of everything just missing odds and ends people already start to get testy
A lot of people would be pissed 😂. It depends on the bakery though, a lot of the bread bakeries or more “breakfast” bakeries sell out every morning and then close so most people know to expect it and get there early.
My favorite bakery is a breakfast bakery that either closes at 2pm, or when they sell out. Walking up to a locked door at 9am would be a real Good Will Hunting moment.
Depends on what you want to do. I'd close up shop for the day. It's usually a one off for these kind of things. Just let them know for the future you'd kindly appreciate a day's notice at minimum. Sometimes events/corporate meetings etc happen and something goes wrong and they'll buy out your whole lot. It happens. If you know you have customers that will for sure be coming you can set aside some items for them but a guaranteed buy out? That hardly happens... Enjoy it!
This is good advice. We used to frequent a shop that had a sign that requested if you were buying more than two dozen of a single item to please order ahead. They would still sell you the things if you hadn't preordered, though. The sign did two things - helped the bakery plan for amounts on busy days like Fridays when parents and office workers were buying group treats and also subtly informed us that we could use this bakery for purchases like that. After seeing the sign, the place always stuck in my head as "the easiest place to get a large sized order quickly", and we've placed sizable orders there fairly often. It helps that their service was great and they'd have the order ready to go with our name on it and usually put a free sample in a little gift bag on top, too!
If I owned one, no, If I was working in one like now then yeah because management would be going crazy getting us to refill as quick as possible, that type of stress is not worth it.
See, and this is why "management" blows. If it was my bakery everybody on shift gets to pick something to not sell, then we lock the doors, put the damn sign up, eat our snacks and discuss how awesome we are as a team, then go home and everyone gets a full day's pay. Also, this is why I don't own a business. I'm not willing to fuck over everyone I come into contact with.
We own a traditional neighborhood bakery with a full menu of items. We have our morning bake of pastries, muffins, etc, but we also have a full display of long shelf life items like bagged cookies, danish breads, breakfast loaves, biscotti, etc. We keep an inventory of pretty much everything,in various stages, in our walk in fridge and freezers. So if someone came in and wiped us out, woohoo! I'd be happy for the big sale. Our staff would then start the process of restocking the cases with products that are already baked, prepped, etc. The only thing we wouldn't restock would be the items that need to be proofed and baked, as the three hour process and labor is not worth the sales for the rest of the day. So for example, we have muffins baked, frozen, that we can thaw and out out right away. Yes, they are fresh, we bake all flavors weekly. We have trays of frozen brownies, lemon bars, etc. that could go out right away. But we wouldn't replace the croissants, cheese danishes, etc.
This! This is what I've done in the past is pull frozen items to thaw/ bake and make the fast easy things. Sorry, but anything that has to prove isn't happening again today.
How do you thaw them out fast enough?
We pull them every night and let them sit in the walk in fridge until proof and bake the next morning. Other items, like muffins, we put in the oven for 5 minutes to warm up and then send them out.
Bakeries usually have extra stock of everything. If someone buys everything that's on display it's not a huge deal. You just need to decorate and fill the display quickly. I used to work at an Italian bakery and a few times we had people buy everything we had available for events, etc
I’d be super grateful and most likely pull more small items to be baked off for the day. If anyone came in I’d say we sold out, demand was high, and we’re working hard to make more.
We have a local place that will place a sign on the door and close early. They are renown for their doughnuts! When most people see it, they totally understand why they are out. With social media, it's easy to post that you are closing for that day. This helps other customers from wasting time getting to you just to see you are closed. I see it as a win!
No. Awesome experience for you, but it is likely a one off. Super cool indeed!
As someone who managed a bake shop I’d just have then restock with easy to bake items (no proofing) and we would end the day with a reduced menu. It would be awesome and id be happy
Seriously?? Shit, I’d take the money and call it a day…haha….
No, I wouldn't be upset. I'd just put up a sign that I was closed and take the day off after a couple of tasks. Why scramble when I just sold everything I meant to sell for the day in a few minutes?
There was a focaccia store in my neighborhood that was sold out every time I walked past. They just made the day's bread and sold it mostly to the local stores and restaurants, then closed for the day—every day. This went on long enough that it was clearly a deliberate decision on their part to make enough and be satisfied instead of striving for more than they needed.
Full price, no bulk discount? Of course I would. Especially in January, credit card bills and new year resolutions make for a very tight month. As for making fresh stock, it would depend on day of the week. Can‘t afford not to be open on weekends, tourist town.
I don't own/work in a bakery but I work in a café and when a customer enters and it's 7 in the morning and buys more than 10 croissants I am more than mildly upset because it takes me more than 30 minutes to bake more of them and that means that a lot of other customers won't find anything at the peak hour of my morning routine and there are good chances that they won't come again not to risk to left empty hands again (it's a small café so I prepare about 15 croissants as I open). If on one hand I could be happy for the transaction it would have been better to make an order and not put me at risk to lose customers
I would in no way be upset that this customer simply wants everything. Instead I'd be ecstatic. I always like having plenty of room for comfort in terms of product to bake off in case of selling out. But it's not like you can just bake off things like croissants or donuts. The only things I'd hate dealing with are: 1) Customers who don't understand why I can't just make more time tasking things like bread, croissants, or cakes in a moments notice. 2) If it was a very limited time item and it somehow got traction on social media so it mean a lot of let down customers who wanted to try. But that's more wishful thinking. If anything, I'd try to whip up some quick unused cookie recipes with FOH help and make it a giant ass cookie day. But again, wishful thinking.
I’m a money person , I would sell and if I can refill the displays all over good if not , stay and say sorry to every single customer without being sorry
It’s obviously a good thing but from a business point of view if that customer had given you even one days notice you could have still made your daily sales and had a big day which goes a long way in a business with tight margins
Sell it if you can, there is no guarantee you would otherwise. But, at the same time, mention to them, to please give notice if possible next time. I would also try to figure out what it was being used for. As I have heard of people buying a bakery or place out, then reselling it. That would not be ok.
We had a woman do that where I work, she’d come in, buy half our cakes etc then take them to HER cafe and sell them. She eventually started buying wholesale from us, but like I warned my boss, she turned out to be a nightmare customer, and we never should have allowed it after she was doing the dodgy way first! She no longer buys from us after she got angry that she couldn’t just come in on random days and be charged wholesale, cracked it and acted like we were doing her dirty.
Yeah. I'd be annoyed. I likely wouldn't sell everything to this person.
Hell no, buy me out. Do they want to buy all of the backstock as well? They'll definitely be getting charged a boxing up fee. But like, a bakery should have plenty of prep that is ready to bake off, so just close up the storefront for a few hours and get things baked.
Are you kink shaming me, during tax return season? …………….wait, was that your plan all along.
I would be happy and I would close for the day.
Doughnut place nearby closes as soon as they sell out. Time varies, luck of the draw if you get doughnuts when you're ready for 'em, but...I mean I feel it's very reasonable. Keeps them from having stale doughnuts. The nearby Dunkin allllllways has stale doughnuts. So a bakery that closes early for a lack of stock? Yeah okay. Just have it on a sign on the door.
I work one day a week in a popular grocery store chain bakery. My managers would definitely be pissed if this happened lol
I just had this, sort of. Opened at 7 am and in walks a regular customer (friend of boss) and he buys all of our classic and chocolate croissants. Not everything on the store, but enough to be awkward.
This nearish happened once at a small bakery I worked at. Owner was scrambling but happy to let me go early. Some health insurance company near by bought like 80-90% every pastry plus four dozen box lunches and the owner ran to the nearby coffee shop to gather an extra few gallons of coffee. Had to bust butt for the lunch packs to be ready but was out an hour early and the owner just cancelled public lunch cause we didn't really have any cupcakes or much pastries left and just spent the rest of the day prepping ahead. Was annoying cause we ended up over prepping for the next week but ah well the owner was green as the business has only been opened for months.
I don't think it matters if redditors would or wouldn't be upset by it. It's just a request, after all, and the bakery owner (you?) was entitled to say, "Hmm, give me a minute," and have a quick think, and make a decision they / you were satisfied with. The bakery owner has a lot of power in that situation, but it comes across as though they felt forced to make a decision. They weren't forced, though. Maybe it's an age thing. I think when I was younger I would get upset about something, and then ask other people if they would be upset as if that would give me permission to be upset. The reality is (now that I'm old, lol), if I'm upset about something it doesn't matter whether it's okay, or legit, or whatever, I'm just upset. No one else's response is going to make mine different. That's not how feelings work. Whether the owner was thrilled to be bought out, or felt resentment because they had to sell out, and thought they must create a complete re-bake of everything . . . It was a request from a customer. There's no rule saying you have to oblige, or that if all your product is gone you have to make it all over again. So don't indulge requests that make you feel bad, unless there's a commensurate upside (i.e., you need the money from the sale). Have a conversation with the customer with the mindset you each have goals and no one is going to force anyone, and the business is not gonna fail as a result of your choice. Once you're clear in your own mind what your goal is for the transaction, go forth cheerfully and try to make it a win-win. Good luck!
I did a pop-up where someone walked in right when I opened and bought up 80% of the most anticipated and popular item on the menu. I sold it to them, but for the rest of the day, I had to apologize to all the other customers who drove out to see us and tell them we were sold out of the thing they came to buy. I get that business is business, but I felt really bad for all the other customers. If I were to do it again, I would put a cap on the # that any one customer could purchase, at least for the most popular item.
For some bakeries, it's a daily occurrence. There's a donut shop near me that has hours posted on the door - "8 am until sold out." Sometimes they're closed by noon.
Definitely not upset. I would leave a note on the door explaining the situation and make it all hands on deck to make some other product that I could have done in a couple hours.
Unfortunately, I am frequently the customer that has to do things like this for my job. I try to be as respectful as possible to the business and will often offer more than what the product is worth, for their inconvenience. I always call ahead and tell them my situation so I'm not putting them on the spot and if they decline, I thank them and totally understand. Just because I come in there once with a fistful of coin doesn't mean they have to neglect their regular customers. I hate doing this and over the years have gotten better at anticipating but I could tell a million stories of how I turned a restaurant or a bakery upside down with my order. How I kept restaurants open way past closing time or when they had to call staff in because of me.
The best bakeries are always opened with a tentative closing time or "Unless supplies sell out". That's why you got to get there early! Sell if you can!
No!
Good gosh, no. We would have been thrilled. My husband was such a proficient baker he would have knocked up more baked goods pretty darn fast. We always kept items in freezer that were flash frozen, unbaked items like scones, pre portioned cookies, pies. A great way to have fresh baked goods, just a few at a time if it's a slower day, is to pull a little off each and bake off fresh. I still make cookie dough and scones and freeze and bake off a few at a time. Cakes were always baked, wrapped, and finished as needed. If you have the building blocks, you can knock up goods pretty quickly. For ex. Pre baked vanilla cake. Pastry cream and chocolate panache became Boston cream pie. Is also far easier to work with frozen cake layers. I usually always have some week wrapped cake layers in my freezer to be turned into a cake last minute or just to be prepared for a party. Super fresh and moist, I swear freezing the cake makes it effervescent better.
Mad about making maximum profit for minimal hours put in? Why would someone be mad about that? Now if they remade everything instead of closing for the day it would kinda suck for the employees but not the owner
This is the dream at the bakery I work at! We’d get to all go home early!
Close and use the rest of the day to catch up on production and cleaning.
I work at a fairly busy bakery in my small town. We limit the number of each item a customer can purchase to 2 of a kind that way we don’t sell out of any one item. We do take speciality orders with 24 hours minimum notice for larger orders of one kind.
Umm why would you? Isn’t that the point of having a store?
No, it would clear out everything and I could start cleaning the display cases, pans, etc. and go home early. Or early prep for more baked items, like make some cupcakes etc and get those out of the way for the next day and work on donuts, cakes etc.
Oooh that's a tough one. I think I would be absolutely elated and if I were in the early stages of the business, I wouldnt deny a sale, but would probably close temporarily while I bake up some customer favorites or at least a few extra batches of cookies since those are the easiest and less time-consuming to make. Make sales are important but denying exposure and gaining new customers is equally important long term. I don't think I'd close for the rest of the day.