The One Thing You Have To Avoid While Shopping At Costco's Bakery

From oversized muffins, cookies, and croissants to fresh rolls and loaves of bread, Costco's bakery has a large variety of baked goods, some of which are made from scratch by employees in the store. One such freshly made bakery item is the bulk retailer's popular made-to-order cakes for every occasion. However, Costco has a very specific (yet simple) ordering process that shoppers must follow for these beloved sheet and round cakes. In fact, Costco's cake ordering system is kind of archaic, but members love it. So, if you're new to custom cake orders at Costco, avoid trying to go outside the box (both in the metaphorical and literal sense) when placing your order.

Indeed, there is an actual, physical box in the store that cake order forms must be placed into. While Costco has many products available to order online, there is no online order form for its cakes. There is also no way to call the bakery directly to order a cake (though if you have questions about cake ordering, you can call the store's general customer service line). So, save yourself the hassle of trying to figure out how to order a Costco cake from home and head to the store because that is the only way customers can order a cake. 

Before heading to the store, there are some useful tips you should know about Costco's cake options before ordering. The process is easy enough: Simply locate the cake ordering kiosk in the store (near the ready-made cakes), fill out the form, and submit it. Bear in mind that the store requires 24 hours' advanced notice for custom cakes, so avoid same-day requests. At the bottom of the form, make sure to legibly write your name, pick-up date, and pick-up time. The form also asks for your phone number, but that's just in case staff have any questions — the store does not call you when the cake is done. Plan to return to the store to pick up the cake on the date and time you indicated on the form. 

The cake options are relatively simple and limited, which allows warehouse bakery employees to streamline the process. Avoid requesting unique, custom decorations outside the form since these types of special requests are not fulfilled and may delay your cake. However, you can specify what you want written on the cake and the writing color. Some people who have felt limited by the cake options have found fun, easy ways to spruce up Costco sheet cakes. Also, in accordance with its generous return policy, you can return a whole cake to Costco for a refund if it isn't up to your standards.