Most of us are aware that you can arrange for a special order cake from the grocery store bakery, but it doesn’t stop there — these places can provide several other surprising services you probably aren’t aware of. The following tips will help you make the most of your supermarket bakery, but there's one caveat: Be nice. Every grocery store is different and no store employee “has to do” anything for you, especially if you’re rude about it. Courtesy is key. Understanding this will get you a lot more for a reasonable price — and sometimes even for free.
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| If you’re not that steady with a serrated knife, this is about to be your go-to bakery request. Pick a loaf and ask your friendly bakery counter staff if they could run it through the slicer and get perfectly even cuts. Making croutons? They can run the loaf through the machine twice on opposing sides to give you block cuts. They will also cut bagels from the self-serve case for you (that includes the 6-pack bagels, too), if you show them a receipt. |
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| In the pastry case, the desserts with cooked fruit or fresh fruit are often the highest-turnover items, but they’re also the quickest to fade. If you notice the few berries decorating the top of a strawberry shortcake are wrinkly or dry, you can politely ask for them to get replaced with new berries. Often, this is a quick task that doesn't require the expertise of a cake decorator, and the staff member helping you will replace the fruit within a few minutes. |
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Sometimes you need to bring a pie to an event, but the problem is properly transporting them if you don’t have the necessary cases. A supermarket bakery might be able to give you a 9-inch cardboard circle or a proper pie box. Some groceries stores will charge you, but it’s normally a nominal fee, like 50¢.
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| So, your bakery only bakes off their cinnamon raisin bagel bites on Saturdays but you can’t make it there until Sunday, and they’re always sold out. Dry your eyes: Even if they have an in-house schedule for what-sells-when, you can special order those bagel bites for a day that works for your calendar. Place an order at the counter and you can have a half dozen of their super popular Friday-cookies on Thursday, before the rush hits. |
