Costco's bakery section isn't your average grocery store bakery section—it's a Willy Wonka-esque wonderland of bread, pastry, cake, and a slew of other confections that carb-loving members say are hard to resist. You'll find classics like chocolate chip cookies, bagels, and butter croissants, of course. However, the bakery department also keeps things fresh and exciting by rolling out new and limited-time offerings super frequently. In 2024 alone, members have been treated to a new cherry cheesecake, banana cream pie, and raspberry morning buns—all of which have garnered rave reviews from shoppers.
While the actual baked goods are certainly the most alluring part of the department, the inner workings of the department are also extremely fascinating. Some of Costco's bakery employees—aka bonafide bakery department experts—have taken to social media to pull back the curtain on what it's like to work there. So, using that employee expertise, we've rounded up the most intriguing details about that all-important Costco department below.
Read on for seven fascinating facts about Costco's bakery section!
You can score frozen cookie dough at a huge discount
Cookies are a popular mainstay in Costco's bakery section—and pretty affordable at just around $9.99 for a 24-pack in the warehouse (prices may vary). However, Costco shoppers may be able to save even more on their bakery cookies with a little-known hack that has been garnering buzz on social media.
According to shoppers, Costco's bakery department sometimes sells cases with 120 pucks of frozen cookie dough for just $31.99. That's significantly cheaper than the roughly $49.95 customers would have to pay to get the same number of freshly baked cookies.
You'll have to directly ask a bakery worker for the box of frozen cookies, and unfortunately, members have said they don't always comply with the request. Still, enough shoppers have reported success with the hack to make it more than worth a try, especially if you love the idea of having a stash of affordable, frozen cookie dough on hand.
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Costco hires workers just for wrapping baked goods
The actual baking process for Costco's array of breads, cakes, and cookies is only one part of what it takes to keep a steady supply of carbs flowing out to customers. According to Costco employees, packaging and wrapping up the finished baked goods is quite literally a job in and of itself.
Bakery workers have revealed online that the retailer has a dedicated position in the department just for "wrappers," who are tasked with labeling containers, adding product to containers, and completing other essential tasks as needed. Apparently, this can turn into quite a demanding job at a popular retailer like Costco.
"It's easy, just super fast-paced. If you're not fast enough they will get rid of you or move you somewhere else assuming the store you applied to is [run] like mine is," one employee noted on Reddit.
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Working as a cake decorator is particularly hectic
The wrapper role isn't the only intensive job in Costco's bakery section. Employees say that serving as one of Costco's cake decorators tends to be pretty hectic as well.
One of Costco's cake decorators gave a detailed scoop on what the position entails in a Reddit post a few years back, saying they worked at a particularly busy warehouse that sometimes had to churn out a hundred or more decorated cakes per day. Graduation season, for example, is reportedly one of the most chaotic times of year for cake decorators.
"During graduation, we were doing 80-120 orders PER DAY from Wednesday through Sunday (and our numbers were still down from where they were pre-COVID). Heck, even last Saturday, a random Saturday in August, we had 100 orders. Just for Saturday. That doesn't include having to do all the other stuff—rounds, bars, cheesecakes, etc.," the worker explained.
Luckily, some employees have said the wages and job perks can make up for the more stressful aspects of the cake decorator job.
"I would have to say this position is one of the most challenging in the warehouse, but the pay and the benefits make it worthwhile,' another employee commented on Reddit.
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Certain items are reportedly made off-site
Depending on what you grab from Costco's bakery section, you may or may not be getting something that was freshly made on the premises. On Reddit, Costco workers have claimed that some of Costco's bakery items (i.e. the bagels, croissants, baguettes, apple pies, and Danishes) are delivered pre-made and frozen. At the warehouses, workers will finish the pre-made items in the bakery ovens.
Meanwhile, offerings such as cakes, muffins, pumpkin pies, and cheesecakes are reportedly made on-site, some from mixes and others completely from scratch.
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The enticing smells are a major perk of the job
While some consumers will shell out money for scented candles that evoke the smell of freshly baked treats, Costco's bakery employees get to enjoy those enticing aromas for free by virtue of where they work. After all, just consider the wide array of tantalizing desserts, breads, and pastries that Costco's ovens churn out on a daily basis—and the rich, buttery, sugary, and savory smells that come hand in hand with them.
When a Costco bakery employee took to Reddit last year to ask for advice on their first day on the job, a fellow worker's sole suggestion was to relish the scent of the baked goods.
"Enjoy the smells all day," a Redditor wrote.
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Baked goods are churned out fast and in massive quantities
To keep up with Costco shoppers' massive appetite for baked goods, bakery workers say they have to whip up a mind-boggling number of sweets and pastries per day.
"It's not hard work starting out, it's just fast-paced and repetitive. Laying out racks of cookies and croissants, hundreds of cookies per rack," a worker wrote on Reddit.
Baking for Costco reportedly becomes all the more intense during the annual end-of-year festivities. That isn't surprising at all considering that the retailer sells a whopping six million pumpkin pies alone between September and December each year.
"During [the] holidays when getting closer to Thanksgiving, our bakery will switch to running almost 24/7, so schedules around that time can be rough," an employee noted.
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Bakery items are covered by Costco's satisfaction guarantee
One of the biggest perks of paying for a Costco membership is its generous product satisfaction guarantee, which allows shoppers to return pretty much any item they weren't happy with. That policy extends to its bakery offerings, giving customers the freedom to sample popular baked goods without fear of wasting their money.
So, if you take a chance on a loaf of bread or a cake that ends up falling short of your expectations, make sure to bring it to a returns counter at any Costco warehouse for a refund.
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