Costco's Custom Cake Ordering System Is Unexpectedly Archaic
Costco is well-known for whipping up tasty treats in bulk, and one popular treat that people come back to again and again is their cake. Not only is it oh-so-moist, but it also comes big enough for plenty of servings for you to cater to even the most extravagant of parties.
While the taste may be great, the ordering process is not. After one tweet about Costco's bakery ordering process went viral, consumers discovered that unlike most local bakeries, you can't just pick up the phone and place your cake order, nor can you grab your smartphone and fill out an online form. There's not even an app for that when it comes to Costco cakes!
Instead, if you want to place a cake order at Costco, you'll have to actually walk into the store, fill out a paper form, and drop it off at the bakery. If that sounds outdated, there's more that you need to know. Here's what else to be aware of when it comes to ordering Costco cakes for your next big to-do.
How the Costco cake ordering process works
If the thought of walking into Costco and ordering a cake daunts you, you might be surprised to find that the ordering process is actually pretty easy.
According to Insider, to order a cake, the first thing you need to do is make a trip to your local Costco and head over to the bakery section. Here, you'll notice what looks like a bulletin board hanging over a white box. This is the cake kiosk, where you'll place your order and send it off for the Costco bakers to work their magic.
At the cake kiosk, you'll find a paper form that looks like something from the doctor's office. To start, you'll need to choose what shape cake you want. Although NBC Bay Area reports that sheet cakes were once unavailable to order, they're now back, and you can choose between one of those or a round cake.
Next, you'll be able to choose whether you want a chocolate or white cake. Finally, you'll get to pick your design for the cake and write down any words you want the shop to add as decoration. Just make sure to be as clear as possible — according to the New York Post, Costco has a habit of taking things too literally sometimes, as they did with one customer who left a drawing of what they were looking for.
After you've filled out the form, just drop it in the slot on the kiosk. Two days later, you'll be able to come back and pick up your cake from the bakery.
Is it just Costco that's this old-fashioned?
If you're thinking that Costco is sorely outdated for using this pen-and-paper cake ordering system, you might be surprised to hear they're not the only store to use this system.
Although other popular grocery stores like Wegmans and Whole Foods let you order your cake online, Giant Food still seems to be on the same page as Costco. Although you can start the ordering process online, you'll still have to print out your order form, fill it out, and drop it off at a local Giant Food store. Or, you can just walk into the shop and grab an order form from the bakery staff to fill out on the spot.
Still, they're a little ahead of Costco — with Giant, at least part of the ordering process can take place online.
It doesn't look like Costco has any plans to update its cake-ordering system any time soon, either (luckily, they still beat the competition). As of yet, there have been no hints as to digitizing its methodology. So, for now, it looks like we're all stuck taking a trip back in time if we want to order Costco cakes for our next event.