My local grocery store is hiring cake decorators, so I turned in an application along with some pictures os cakes I have done. This morning I went in for an interview. I had no idea that the first thing I would have to do is go down to their bakery and decorate a cake in front of 4 very talented decorators! I was so nervous. My cake came out ok...I have a heard time coming up with something on the spot--I usually have a good idea of what I will decorate before hand. All I did was some roses in each corner, added some leaves, then wrote Happy Anniversary. My writing was horrible, horrible, horrible. I would never buy the cake I decorated there. However, it is for an entry-level decorator...and I never claimed to be a professional. So we'll see if they call back.

If you work in a store bakery, what it is like? how many do you do each day? What is your pay, etc, etc. I'd love any info or tips!

Oh, and any tips on improving writing?? Thanks!

I am soooo qualified to answer this question. I have worked in bakeries for 32 years. about half of that time was private bakeries and half grocery store bakeries. I like both. You get to do more detailed decorating in the private bakeries but I like the really fast paced work of the in-store bakeries also. All of the grocery stores I have worked for have let me do my own thing. I don't think I would like working for Wal Mart or Costco type. If I average doing 4 special order cakes an hour, they are happy with me. I love working with buttercream and doing figure piping so all of my decorating goes reasonably fast. .....and, I have loved, loved, loved my career. I love the challenge of coming up with exactly what they want, on the spot.
I currently earn $14.35 per hour but have earned more in the past. I am semi-retired now and only work part time. My benefits are excellent. Beginning pay is usually not that much but as you improve, so does the pay. I love working all day and coming home to a clean house. I love having all the equipment I need at my finger tips. If you have more questions pm me, I could write a book.
All of the photos in my album are cakes I have done at work or similar to, if you would like to check them out.
Good luck on the job. I think you would love it.

I have worked in store bakeries for 15 years (wow, I didn't realize it had been so long!!). The pay really depends on experience and where you live. I would expect to start around $9.00hr or so. You don't have as much freedom/creativity as if you were doing cakes at home. Most stores have a program they have to go by and don't stray to far from that. It's a good place to start if you want to start your own business or get more experience. As far as how many cakesyou do, it depends on the size of the store. I worked at one where you would have 60 special orders on a Saturday and have 2 decorators. Where I'm at now, we have about 1/2 the work. I probably average 50-60 or so basic cakes a day just to put in the showcase and have back-up for later. I time myself when I decorate and you shouldn't put a lot of time into each cake, at least in the beginning. It's more about quanity at a lot of stores, but once you get speedy at it, you can put a little more effort into your work. Sorry this is so lengthy! GOOD LUCK!!!!!