Cake decorator calls out employer, refuses to bring glitter or fondant to work: ‘The store… expects [me] to use my own money to decorate a cake’ – FAIL Blog

This cake decorator is refusing to pay for their own supplies, and they have a great reason for that decision.

Working as a cake decorator is a special job that requires a lot of icing-related skills, not to mention plenty of practice. It’s one of those careers that I’m absolutely in awe of. You’re telling me you can make realistic flower petals out of fondant? You can make dozens of perfect, identical icing puffs around a cake? You can write “Happy 40th Birthday Jessica!” in perfect cursive, without messing up a single letter? I humbly bow down to people with these skills, as they are more talented than most people walking the earth. Their skillset should net them 6 or 7 figures per year, but I fear a lot of these workers are making minimum wage or like, $20 per hour. They’re being far more useful and talented than any CEO or CFO, and yet they’re incredibly undervalued. Just think about the many times in life you need to buy a cake from a bakery and have it professionally decorated. Birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, weddings… the list goes on. It’s one of those services that we all utilize, but almost never get to see the face of the person who made it. 

This cake decorator gave us a peek into the lives of these crucial yet underappreciated behind-the-scenes workers. It’s fascinating that they’d be expected to prepare cakes without being provided the actual ingredients. You’d never show up to a job and be told to bring your own hamburgers to cook for customers, or to bring your own pens and staples to the office. Not to mention that for a bakery, there are rules and regulations relating to food safety that they must follow. You’re telling me this bakery lets bakers bring in their own decorations? Just as a thought experiment, what would they do if a baker brought in craft glitter to sprinkle on the cake, then served that to customers? Obviously that cannot be allowed to happen! Or what if they brought in a handful of pecans to decorate a cake, when the area is supposed to be free of allergens? 

This whole thing seems like a massive liability for the bakery, and I hope this person finds a way to tell that to their bosses. I don’t blame them for their refusal to “go above and beyond” without being given the proper tools to do so! All they can do is stand their ground, ice those cakes to the best of their ability, and maybe seek out an employer that has higher standards than this place does.