Costco Bakery Facts

I have written several posts about bakery items at Costco (Summer Bakery Desserts at Costco);(To Buy or Not to Buy From the Bakery (Part 1 of 2): Advice from a Professional)); (To Buy or Not to Buy From the Bakery (Part 2 of 2): Advice From a Bakery Employee))). I love bakeries and baked goods. In these posts, I tend to focus on the baked goods themselves. However, because I am interested in other aspects of Costco (e.g., jobs; services), when I came across an article providing information about the bakery itself, I thought it would be good to share. I was already aware of some of the following information, but other facts were new to me.

7 Costco Bakery Facts

1. Costco sells frozen cookie dough at a huge discount

Most Costco stores sell chocolate chip cookies for about $10 for 24 cookies. These cookies are very popular. In addition, members “in the know” can buy 120 frozen pieces of cookie dough for $32. However, members have to specifically ask for this dough as it is not part of a bakery display or in the freezer. The article also cautions that employees do not always provide them for members.

I love this idea and am tempted to try it. Although premade cookies are delicious and can be warmed up if desired, there is little better than a freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Therefore, in addition to saving money, this trick enables people to cook a few cookies at a time (or perhaps eat chunks raw…I don’t worry about raw eggs).

2. Bakery “wrapper” is its own job

Costco certainly employs bakers. In addition, it hires people to package and wrap and label  the baked goods. 

I never thought about who does the packaging for goods made in the store. It actually would be a very busy job with a lot of things to keep track of and a need to keep moving. I thought it was a little funny because decades ago, my dad and I went to a Chinese restaurant and noted that there was a man who was not cooking and seemed to be there just to put the lids on the take out packages (ok, to be fair, i think he also was taking phone orders and those containers are awfully hard to seal…). Because of our humor, we *still* joke about the “guy who put the lids on the Chinese food containers.”

3. Cake decorating is a busy job

Another bakery job that does not involve baking itself is decorating the cakes. This job can be very busy, with these employees decorating 80-120 cakes each day during busy times (e.g., graduation time). The article points out that, although it can be stressful, this position pays well and has good benefits.

I once went to a class on cake decorating and then bought a bunch of tools for decorating. Alas, as I have done with my several interests, I then neglected it. However, I still think it would be a great job. It looks fun, artistic, and a way to be involved with baked goods without actually being the baker (although I like cooking, I don’t like having to be so precise with baking). I didn’t think about it as stressful but I imagine the pressure to decorate so many would take some of the fun out of it because it is would seem more like a machine vs individual decorating. 

4. Some items are made off-site

According to the article, whereas many items (cakes; muffins; pumpkin pies; cheesecakes) are baked within the warehouse bakeries, orher items (bagels; croissants; baguettes; apple pies; danishes) are baked off-site, frozen, and then delivered to individual warehouse stores. They are then finished cooking in the stores. The article also reports that some items are from mixes, whereas others are from scratch.

I knew that the apple pies were made off-site but I did not know about the others. It is disappointing to learn that many are premade.

5. The smells are a major benefit of working in the bakery

The author mentions that baked goods are a common preferred candle scent. Bakery employees get the scent from the actual baked goods and can enjoy them all day.

Baked goods smell so good. I used to wear vanilla perfume and I definitely liked smelling the candles with the baked scents. In addition, I have read and discussed with people that, when selling a house, it can be a good idea to have cookies or cake or cinnamon bread baking because it creates such a comforting scent that may make the house more appealing through association.

6. Baked goods are churned out quickly and in large quantities

The article mentions that working in the bakery can be an intense experience, due to the number and speed with which the baked goods are produced. Not surprisingly, it becomes even busier during holiday seasons and the author writes that at these times, the bakery is working essentially all hours of every day, affecting the schedules of employees.

I often forget how big Costco is and how many items are produced. I have commented to others about how different brands supply items for different warehouses or how some companies stop producing for Costco. They have reminded me just how big a company must be to be able to supply Costco.

7. Bakery items can be returned 

Another piece of information about the bakery is that its items can be returned, just like other store items.

I’m not surprised that bakery items can be returned. However, I wouldn’t return an item unless it was a product I normally buy and it was not up to standard/something was wrong with it. I don’t agree with returning items I decided to try and just happened not to like.

Did you know this information about the bakery?