Bakery Staff on Their Biggest Annoyances (and Yes, You Do This Too)
I worked Saturdays in a bakery for years. It was a wonderful time, if only because of the leftover pastries you were allowed to take home at the end of the day. But as with any job, working in a bakery isn’t always a piece of cake. From baker’s eczema to sour strawberry pastries you’d rather keep for yourself: these are the bakery annoyances every (ex-)baker will recognize.
1. Customers who always order exactly the same thing
“Can I have one currant bun, two tompouces and half a white loaf?” – every Saturday without fail. And when the currant buns are sold out and you suggest a muesli bun, they look at you as if you’ve just insulted their child. Try something new? No way. Routine is sacred. And annoying.
2. Having warm coins pressed into your hand
Cash remains king, but those sweaty handfuls of loose change? Ugh. Especially on Saturdays, when it’s busy and you’re meanwhile melting behind the counter. The combination of coins and body heat: brrr.
3. Getting around the eternal grump
There’s always that one customer who never says hello, never smiles and never says “thank you.” So you dump him on your colleague. Or, if you’re feeling brave, you’re extra exaggeratedly friendly until even he has no choice but to return a polite nod. That’s what we call job satisfaction.
4. When someone takes that one pastry you had your eye on
Did you know that bakery staff are often allowed to take home the leftover pastries? So when someone wants the last strawberry pastry at the end of the day… OUCH! That’s when the sales pitch began: “Yes, the strawberries are a little sour today. The raspberry tompouce is much better.” Anything for the pastry deal.
5. Cleaning, cleaning all the time
Every day ends with a major cleaning session. Display cases, pastry trays, the floor, the toilets… If you think working in a bakery is just about selling cakes, think again. You become almost as good at cleaning as you are at selling.
6. People assuming you can’t do math
“Don’t you have fifty cents? Five ten-cent coins make fifty cents too, you know!” Oh really? Thanks, math guru. As if you didn’t know that yourself. Extra frustrating when you’re studying Econometrics, but on Saturdays you’re simply ringing up loaves of bread.
7. Heat wave? Time for hot sausage rolls!
Bakeries are hot. Always. But on sweltering summer days, they’re even worse. And then customers cheerfully order a hot cheese croissant, sausage roll and slice of pizza. You struggle through the oven heat while your own hair melts. Lovely. Interesting detail: do you know what we wore under that baker’s apron in summer? Practically nothing.
8. Baker’s eczema is real
Dry, cracked hands from all the washing, sometimes accompanied by allergic reactions to speculaas spices or cleaning products. Especially in winter, baker’s eczema is a serious bakery annoyance. Beautiful hands? Forget it.
9. The forbidden end pieces
Everyone knows it: the end pieces of freshly sliced bread are the tastiest of all. Technically, you’re not allowed to eat them… but oh well, the customer won’t notice. So, after slicing: grab the end piece and tuck in. The taste of rebellion has never been so crunchy.
10. Flirting with that one attractive customer
Amid all the croissants, tompouces and baker’s sweat, there was always one bright spot: that one attractive customer. That one glance. That extra slice of cheese with his order. Your Saturday was good again.
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