Ok. So I've been a bagger for a year and 4 months now. I am sick of Carts and wanna get out of it. Also of the Head front End manager (Trust me you don't want know her). When I first started working at Kroger I was in the Deli. Hated it So anyway a position in the Bakery opened up. The other department was Deli. I went and told the HR manager and Store manager I was interested in that department. When I told the store manager , he mentioned me working in the Deli and asked about my availability. Then asked how old I was. I already told him I didn't like the Deli. One of the Co- managers came up to me and told me she heard I was interested. We talked about the hours and asked if I wanted part time or full time. Right now I really don't need full time. She was like "Ok I'll see what I can do". I am really wondering if I want to do this. I hate bagging and carts. I guess my Store Manager mentioned the Deli I guess because it's similar to the Deli I guess. I really hope I like the Department because they need people and I want to get out of FE. Can someone currently working or was in the Bakery, tell me about the Bakery .Tell me your experience. A lot of my FE co workers think I can really do a good job at it. I guess I have to believe in myself. I really want to learn everything I can. If I don't like it I might just go back up front but try to get on as Cashier.
I've worked in the bakery department for over 20 years. I do it because I like that type of work. If you don't like baking things or decorating cakes at home, you're not going to like doing it as a job. Every store is different, but we typically have five people (not including the bakery manager) working each day.
Person #1 (usually me) arrives at 4:00 AM. Bakes bread and danishes. Unloads frozen food order. Does the CAP and breakout for the bread. Also bakes croissants and pies if there's time left.
Person #2 arrives at 6:00 AM. Makes the donuts. Bags and works the bread. Starts baking things like turnovers, scones, strudel bites etc.. Also bakes pies and croissants if person #1 doesn't have enough time. Starts baking cookies.
Person #3 arrives at 8:00 AM. Decorates cakes. Makes cupcakes and other single serve desserts.
Persons #4 and 5 are the closers. They either both come in after 3:00 PM or one comes in at 11:30 and the other one comes in later in the afternoon. They bake cookies and package and label everything that's left to be done. When that's done, they make sure the dishes are washed, the tables are wiped off, the floor is swept and mopped, and the trash is taken out.
The bakery manager takes care of filling up the pre-made items (things where you just open the box and put the item out for sale). She also does the CAP for the pies, croissants, and cookies, and does all the ordering.
Every store must be different because in my store our baker comes in at 3am, and bakes all the bread/pies/croissants/etc.
The next person usually comes in at 8 and fills the tables/does cake orders/etc.
The next person will be in later and will bake cookies/do whatever else needs done.
The last person will be in anywhere from 1-5pm and will break out the bread and donuts, etc for the next day.
I think the size of the bakery determines how the work is divided up. We typically make around $19,000 or $20,000 a week in sales. A slow week would be anything under $18,000. Also, as a baker, I prefer to do my own breakout. That way I know exactly what I'm facing the next morning. If I have to make a substitution or if I decide to break out more or less of a certain item, I'll already know ahead of time what to do the next morning.
You must work in a small bakery if your cake decorator does orders and fills tables too. Our decorator has her hands full trying to get the orders done and fill the cake case. Filling the tables with pre-made stuff is an all day job. We'll have a minimum of two of those green u-boat trucks filled with boxes of table items stacked as high as they will go to put out on a daily basis. If someone doesn't fill tables one day, there will be three or four u-boats of items to put out the next day.
Before taking the position I suggest asking yourself if you like working independently. At my store, the department head and the old back up do everything in their power to avoid working in the evening. So there is no one to ask questions of on the closing shift, which is just fine with me. I've never had any of my decisions criticized, or gotten a talking to for things not being clean. I assume I must be doing something right.
If they try to talk you into doing the truck, add about 20 boxes to whatever they tell you. I recommend checking out the freezer as well, ours fits together like the workings of a watch. One piece out of place and the door doesn't shut!
im a bakery manager and the people who posted above me are on point. Every Bakery is different for example i have 2 bakers that come in at 3 am 1 opener that comes in at 5 that do markdowns, fill tables another opener that comes in 10 that helps with packaging, on fridays and saturdays i have 2 decorators usually and 2 closers every night. not including my shift of course, i have no idea why i have at least 450 hour everyweek but then again i pull in around 35k-40k a week, not a marketplace store btw.
im a bakery manager and the people who posted above me are on point. Every Bakery is different for example i have 2 bakers that come in at 3 am 1 opener that comes in at 5 that do markdowns, fill tables another opener that comes in 10 that helps with packaging, on fridays and saturdays i have 2 decorators usually and 2 closers every night. not including my shift of course, i have no idea why i have at least 450 hour everyweek but then again i pull in around 35k-40k a week, not a marketplace store btw.
35k-40k a week just for bakery? How much does the whole store do? We do between 1.3M and 1.5M a week. Bakery pulls in around 20K. I think that's pretty good considering I live in an area where there's always another Kroger just a mile or two down the road.
Every store must be different because in my store our baker comes in at 3am, and bakes all the bread/pies/croissants/etc.
The next person usually comes in at 8 and fills the tables/does cake orders/etc.
The next person will be in later and will bake cookies/do whatever else needs done.
The last person will be in anywhere from 1-5pm and will break out the bread and donuts, etc for the next day.
I think the size of the bakery determines how the work is divided up. We typically make around $19,000 or $20,000 a week in sales. A slow week would be anything under $18,000. Also, as a baker, I prefer to do my own breakout. That way I know exactly what I'm facing the next morning. If I have to make a substitution or if I decide to break out more or less of a certain item, I'll already know ahead of time what to do the next morning.
You must work in a small bakery if your cake decorator does orders and fills tables too. Our decorator has her hands full trying to get the orders done and fill the cake case. Filling the tables with pre-made stuff is an all day job. We'll have a minimum of two of those green u-boat trucks filled with boxes of table items stacked as high as they will go to put out on a daily basis. If someone doesn't fill tables one day, there will be three or four u-boats of items to put out the next day.
We actually don't have anyone with the title of cake decorator. We have a couple people who do cakes though, but it's not an actual position. Our manager does them sometimes as well, we really just do a little of everything.
I wouldn't say we're a small bakery, but we're certainly not the biggest around here, my store does probably around $750k a week maybe. We have a schedule of about 180-190 hours a week on average.
