Ok, I recently applied for a bakery position at a local retail grocery store...I have never worked in a bakery before but I have taken Wilton courses. I was told that I could have the job (which will be a "bakery clerk" that will help take orders and work the counter and other things) I found out today when I went in for an interview this position only pays $8.28 which I am used to making alot more than this with previous office jobs. They also told me my hours would be either 10am-7pm or 12-9pm probably working Saturdays and Sundays. I don't have any kids but I am married and money is somewhat important in this decision. Should I take the job or look for another office job that pays better and won't have to work weekends? I'm not sure what to do...if I take the job I'll gain experience and strengthen my skills and techniques but if I have to work crazy hours it is worth it? My main goal in the future is to open my own cake business and I feel like this is my first step to getting towards that goal! If you were in my situation what would you do?

I guess the main thing is can you afford it? I could not afford it so I would not be able to take it. Maybe you can work somewhere on weekends and then make some pocket money while working a weekday office job? If you can afford it then maybe you should work there for a few months and then look for a better paying job in a more upscale bakery. Good luck!

I wish I had some advice for you, but I really don't. It seems to me that you would need to follow your heart here. The only thing I can think of is that I have children, when I had my daughter, I put her into daycare...but she was constantly sick and then ended up with viral menghitis and had to be hospitalized for 2 days and home for a week. After that, my husband and I decided that I could work part time and make the money that I made after paying for childcare etc. I've stayed home with her (she's 4) and my son (2) and plan to be with them until they go to school...at which point, I'll be done with my degree to be a teacher (with hopefully similar hours as them). I say all that to say this, we had to really learn to budget, our income got cut in half by making this decision, BUT, because it was somethign that we were determined to do, we are making it. We don't always have an abundance of cash, but man, you'd be amazed at how we can survive on less than we ever did when I worked also! If this is what you want to do, you'll find a way around it money wise...maybe to make cakes on the side to make up for the loss? And before long, you'll have more experience and be able to open that bakery...I wish you luck, but think in the end, it's a decision only you and your husband can make. Good luck either way!

Keyshia

PS, at least working in the bakery gives you access to what you want to do with your life in the long run, while working in an office might fill that need for money right now, but it's not going to teach you the in's and out's of the business or help you work towards getting your own shop.

I was in the same situation you are in. If this place is wal-mart you will get raises for the amount of cakes you do, or thats what happened with me anyways. If you have to work the weeknds for a little while so be it that is the best time to get experience because it is the busiest day of the week!!! I say go for it because that is valuble experience!! Good luck!!

Speaking strictly from the viewpoint of the bakery, the pay rate is normal for the job requirements as a beginner. Even full time "clerks" may eventually make $10. Full time, very experienced decorators in a grocery store bakery make $13 and it sounds like you are not on that level.

The working hours are for when they need you, not when you want to work.
Weekends are a bakeries busiest time, when they need the clerk help most.

I don't want to come off badly but truthfully, in the 30 years I spent in bakeries, both grocery and regular, when we came across an applicant who wanted to work 8-5, and no weekends, we just laughed and "filed" away their applications. That is a position you may or mostly likely may not earn in years, not "right off the street."
If you want to get into the baking business and realize that you must begin somewhere, this is it.
Suck it up and don't complain. If you want to work "no weekends" and better hours, stay in the office job, baking is not for you!

For me I would look at the pros and cons - then talk to your husband.

If money is any issue then you really need to get his input on this until you can take a less paying job.

Bakery experience will be the best thing for you. Bronwen Weber told us it will be the best thing you can learn and these people deserve a lot of respect. They have to frost and decorate so many cakes a day. She work in a grocery store for about 10 years and it was hard work. One thing she did mention do not tell them you took wilton class, they want simple and fast. you will learn how to frost cakes fast which is important. Working for any grocery store you will start with a low pay - are you full time, do you get benefits (that may make your husband happy - if your husband does not have insurance you can see how much it would cost to add him to the plan later), do you have to join a union (how much are the dues). Bad thing is you have to work weekends, but most bakery store section close at a certain so you will not be their until 9pm at night. (my local safeway bakery closes the register at 7pm. You can still purchase stuff but you pay at the front.)

So, if you are really looking to working in the cake decorating field this will help you out and if you and your husband can work out budget then go for it. Like I said if money is really an issue then you really need to figure out how you can make this work or get a higher paying job. Put together a budget pay off what you need and then in a year or so you can try for another bakery position.

I wish you all the luck with your decision. Be happy with your decision that is what is important. Everything does work out.

Honestly....I applied for a grocery baking job last summer. I was looking for part time work and the ability to gain experience. Unfortunately the hours that I was available didn't coincide with the hours they needed me. Financially I could not afford to pay child care and work there, so I moved on. I took a few cake decorating classes and am continuing to practice by making friends and family cakes. They love that my cakes are different than what they would have bought at a store. So, if I were you, I would continue to work your higher paying job, enjoy the time with your hubby, and use some of that extra salary toward taking more classes. Look into your local community college for cake decorating classes, or in your state/local craft guild. You may be able to find different and unique classes. You will learn a lot and not struggle to afford the things you want.
But, ultimately, it is your decision, and as always, your heart will guide you.
I wish you the best of luck.

It depends on whether or not you really want to do cake decorating...or if you are just wanting a job. I started working in a grocery bakery 32 years ago. I have never worked for WalMart or Costco. I go to the ,higher up, stores. They let me take more time and use my own decorating style. Since I first started in 1975, I have worked for 3 different grocery companies and I have worked in 3 different private bakeries. (I left each of the jobs because I relocated, not because I didn't like the job.) I love cake decorating...I love the fast paced work...I love the challenge of coming up with designs which can be done fast...I love being able to offer the customers a custom cake at grocery store prices.
Drawbacks to my career...I work weekends (Sat. and Sun.) ALWAYS. I work extra hours every holiday. As a decorator my work hours are early. I go to work at 5:00 A.M. and work until 2:00. I have accepted this is what I have to do and my job enjoyment makes up for it. Sometimes there is an advantage to working weekends. You can take care of things like business appointments on your days off through the week. You do your shopping through the week when the stores aren't so busy. If you go someplace for entertainment...lines aren't so long, everyone else goes on weekends. Working the early hours means I don't have to fight rush hour traffic.
If you plan to have your own bakery someday...be prepared to work those weekends...that is when the customers are there. I would advise you to take the job and see if you can handle it....if not I would not even consider opening my own bakery.
As a decorator you would earn more than a beginning clerk. When I go in and apply for a job I always demand their top pay 12.00 to 15.00 per hour, and have always gotten it. I live in California now but spent most of my life in the Midwest, it is the same there as it is here. You do have to be reasonably fast though. I would say you need to be able to ice and decorate at least 6 quarter sheets per hour.
If your speed and skills are not quite where they need to be, then I would take the job at a lower pay until you could get to where you are comfortable with your skills....then ask for the pay increase.
Hope this info helps, and I hope everything turns out good for you whichever you decide.

I don't mean to hog this whole thread...but If you do have children, working weekends can be good. The husband can watch the children. With your two days off through the week, that is 4 days of no baby sitter. and, You can always do things in the evenings.
I would for sure give it a try, what do you have to lose? You don't have to sign a contract with them for a year or anything. Take a peek at my last 4 photos ..those are the type of cakes we make. Of course most of our cakes are the kit cakes.

If you take the bakery job, make sure that they will use you for what you applied for. After moving to my present location 2 years ago, I applied for a bakery position in a local chain grocery store that I was familiar with in Florida. I was promised by management that I would be baking within a week due to my culinary degree. I packed breads and cookies for 2 weeks with an occasional baking 'hockey puck' cookies. The manager had different ideas for my use than the store manager and HR person had told me.

I also found out that most of the baked goods for this chain are baked in a factory, frozen and sent to the local stores. Very little actual baking from scratch occured on th premises. Cookies, donuts and artisinal breads came in frozen and had to be thawed and warmed. Only a handful of breads were made from scratch. Only wedding cakes were baked on the premises. I am very disappointed at this chain. My sister worked for this chain while she was in high school (many, many moons ago) and they baked everything from scratch and nothing was shipped in frozen.

Sooooo, make sure that the position is what you want. Ask questions before you sign on.

I've been working at a local bakery for about 2 months now and BCJean is correct about the hours. I work 6-2 Tues-Sat. But it's actually not that bad. There's no traffic in the morning and I get off in the afternoon. But it is definitely hard work. I'm also taking a huge paycut from what I'm used to. But we're budgeting and I know that this isn't long term. I'm not going to be there forever, I just really wanted the experience, and I was able & willing to sacrifice a little to get it. I would suggest that you try it out. And if it doesn't work out you don't have to stay! You can go back to an office job and try to find a pt job at a different bakery. Good Luck!

Yes, be very specific about what your job description will be. Working in a commercial bakery can teach you alot, but there are many things that a clerk may be required to do other than decorating. At the grocery store I worked at many years ago, the 12-9 shift was responsible for defrosting everything the bakers needed in the morning and clean up, very little decorating. Just make sure you know what they are expecting you to do.

I have to agree with the cakequeen50. When I was unemployed, I considered looking into a bakery job, but after really thinking about it, I knew that I liked the comfort, hours and pay of an office job. Plus, I knew that I would rather learn my kind of cake decorating and do the kind of cakes I wanted to.

This guy once told me that he couldn't go to school to study music because he loved it too much and if he ended up working in a music-type job that he hated he would end up hating music. And I totally get what he means. I have my degree in communications and I ABSOLUTELY love it, but my last job had me constantly questioning/doubting my abilities as a writer and made me dread going to work. I never want that to happen to me and cake decorating. Once again, I'd rather do it on my own terms.

But having said all of that, you really just have to see what the best decision is for you.

I lucked out with my part time bakery job. I work for a large catering company that my dh also works for. They let me work when my dh is off or goes in late, so one of us can watch the kids....so no money for childcare. Is there any catering companies around that you could work for or other regular bakeries?? I started out at $10 per hour but after doing some cakes they said that my work was better than what they were paying me and gave me a raise to $14 per hour. Plus, I'm meeting brides and getting to do cakes for people that I never would have. For ex. I just recently made a 3D sailboat for a congressman's birthday party that was booked through the catering company. I also do cakes at home so this job is helping me make connections and get into doing more weddings which is what I've been trying to do.

Good luck!
Courtney

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice! Here's the thing...there is also another bakery in town that I could also apply for and it is more of an upscale bakery compared to this retail grocery store bakery. This upscale bakery does more unique cakes and not production cakes like the retail bakery does. Besides I think it pays more and I could either apply for the "Cake Icing" position which the hours are 5am-2pm Tue-Sat or the "Cake Decorator" position which hours are 7am-3pm. I think I would be more willing to work those type hours because I would have my evenings free compared to the retail bakery where I would have to work up until 7-9pm at night. I would rather go in and get my work done and leaving at a decent time rather than go in later and get off later.

Good luck with everything!

If you have the support of hubby and since you have no kids, I would work the weekends at the bakery (part-time) for a double-shift on work. Still keep your higher paying office job. You can gain your business experience then at the bakery. If hubby wants more of your time, then I would take the lower pay if you can afford it. Working 2 jobs is tough, but if you give yourself an end date, say 6-9 months, then it is worth the extra cash, and experience, and anything else that comes your way. If you are pleasant on the job, then decorators are happy to share their tips & talents. I'm just a regular customer at Yokes and they decorators share their talents with me all the time...and I appreciate their advice.


your hubby needs to support your dreams on this...think of it as in reverse, if he wanted to do the same.