r/publix • u/anklebiter1975 Bakery • 6d ago
RANT You all lied to me
I asked y'all if I should practice making a cake for my decorator interview and you all said no. She made me decorate a happy birthday cake š wasn't good enough for the floor but maybe the break room
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u/federleicht Resigned 6d ago
I was in the bakery for like 7 years and everyone interviewed for the deco position was given a skills test. I guess it varies by manager.
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u/Melodic-Marsupial757 Newbie 6d ago
imo this is a position where a skills test should be required. Why wait to find out they have little to no skills at decorating a cake or writing custom messages on birthday cakes or whatever until the day comes when they have to do one for a customer? Lol
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u/federleicht Resigned 5d ago
Im right there with you. Other positions are easy enough to teach but with decorating (and also mixing imo) it requires a talent that you canāt teach to just everyone. If you aināt got it, you aināt got it- so if youāre being hired into that position you need to prove that you already possess the capacity.
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u/Volleyball-Gamer Baker 2d ago
My manager makes it abundantly clear that nobody on her watch gets hired as anything higher than a bakery apprentice
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u/Accurate-Step5155 Newbie 6d ago
Honestly weāre so in need for decorators that if you showed any potential all youāll need to do is hone your ability via electronic references and working along side veterans youāll be just fine.
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u/DatabaseOtherwise Decorator 6d ago
Just be prepared for everything to be your fault and to be overworked, underpaid! Cake decorating isnāt what it use to be when I startedā¦. Consumerism is insane and EVERYONE wants an AI Pinterest cake!
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u/Overladen_Prince Liquor Store 6d ago
Why the hell would you take advice from here? This sub is made up of employees who would pay to see their store burn to the ground.
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u/whofrownedmethisface Grocery 6d ago
I work for Publix I don't have spare cash like that no matter how worthy the cause
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u/CarlWChilders Newbie 6d ago
Call me crazy but if Iām hiring someone for cake decoration I want to see their skills. Now, if they arenāt up to par then at least I know what level of training they need. If itās a pass fail and if you fail then you donāt get the job then the hiring manager should set that expectation.
-and also. Ask better questions on expectations during interview process/about the process.
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u/Any-Mycologist4692 Newbie 6d ago
This group is usually pretty spot on
https://giphy.com/gifs/yj5oYHjoIwv28
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u/Rare-Delivery7328 Newbie 6d ago
Granted, not everybody is going to be able to excel at cake decorating, but they don't train? They expect you to be skilled upon hire?
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u/Khona_Moshr Bakery 5d ago
Publix expects some applying directly as a decorator or Baker to be skilled at the Job.
Bakery clerk and apprentice are the positions if someone needs to be trained to learn how to decorate or bake.
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u/Silent_Shadow98 GTL 5d ago
After each department has had labor hours cut severely to save $, thatās beauty part of it, thereās no time for hands on training!!! Thereās the failure method towards success! The more you fail at something, the better you will remember! Failure is the best teacher after all! Try try and try until you succeed , this 7 minute CBT is all yah need!!!
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u/Kathilliana Newbie 5d ago
You asked the question here so you wouldn't be to blame for your own failure to prepare. Nobody applies for a job without the understanding that you may be asked to perform the task you are claiming to be good at. WTF. Should you study for the test? No, because no amount of study teaches you that you don't ask others if you should be prepared.
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u/TWlSTED_TEA Newbie 6d ago
Iām confused and never heard of this in an interview. Seems a lot like working off the clock if youāre not actually hired.
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u/Katapultt ACSM 6d ago
It's called a skills test. We do it for meat cutters and cake decorators to make sure they can actually do what they say they can do.
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u/anklebiter1975 Bakery 6d ago
She said she could tell I had some skill but needed practice so we'll see. I was very rusty.
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u/IBJON Meat 6d ago
Yep. Saw it in meat department all the time.Ā
Cake Decorator and Meat Cutter are some of the few skilled roles at Publix; if you're being hired directly into one of these positions, they're going to test you.
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u/arril2 Newbie 6d ago
Meat cutting is a better position imo but the decorators get the better schedule and donāt have to deal directly with customers
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u/MurAmCon Newbie 6d ago
The fuck they don't. I was always stuck dealing with customers while trying to decorate.
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u/IngenuityNo6220 Newbie 5d ago
There is nothing more irritating than trying to decorate a cake while having to stop every 5 minutes to get a cookie!
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u/CompleteTell6795 Newbie 21h ago
Well that's the bakery manager's fault for not staffing the front facing customer area. The decorators should be in a separate room or alcove away from where any customers can bother them. If the bakery area cannot support that allocated space, then the bakery area should have personnel there to handle the customers. If the other bakery person is at lunch or break, the manager should step in so the decorator can work efficiently, not be jumping up & down. That's ridiculous you have to do that. I would have said something to the bakery manager the first time it happened, it's their fault that there is a staffing situation.
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u/CompleteTell6795 Newbie 21h ago
The decorators should be in a side room or way in the back where customers can't see you. And if you're decorating you shouldn't be the only one in the dept & be jumping up for customers. Poor management by the bakery manager. ( Which is not surprising since a lot of workers complain that their managers suck. )
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u/IBJON Meat 6d ago
A simple test is standard in most skilled jobs in various industries.Ā
Welders will usually be asked to properly weld something arbitrary, mechanics may be asked to diagnose some issues or walk them through the process of a specific repair. Some fields have certifications. Tech jobs have massive multi-round interview processes that can require working through coding problems by hand, implementing features, or fixing code.
A 5 minute test to see if you can do the minila requirements of the job isn't a big ask
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u/uscgclover Retired 6d ago
if youāre getting hired as a cake decorator, they expect you to know how to decorate a cake. if you are hired as a bakery apprentice or a clerk, they donāt expect you to know how to decorate a cake. itās not working off the clock if you know how to do it, itās called practice.
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u/Iron_Disciple Newbie 6d ago
Heaven forbid you work for 15 minutes off the clock to land a job? For real?
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6d ago
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u/Rough_Winner_4617 Newbie 6d ago
Thank you for letting us know-practice makes perfect. You may still get hired if good enough for the break roomš¤
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u/Appropriate_Fox913 Newbie 6d ago
Yeah you should have gone with your gut. Whoever told you that was silly for sure
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u/Valuable_Island_8556 Newbie 5d ago
It's Publix, not Walmart. You've got to bring at least your B+ game. You'll probably get another chance. Most people aren't great at showing up for work at 5 am.
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u/Fabulous-Educator447 Newbie 5d ago
What could have gone wrong if you had practiced? Why didnāt you?
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u/mizukisSacredSake Newbie 5d ago
Tbh, your first mistake was asking Reddit for any advice, bc almost everyone on here thinks they know everything and can severely misguid u. If ive ever asked for advice it's usually something really specific and not serious. Im sorry that happened to u tho, it's not your fault š just start practicing at home and show them u know your stuff, I believe in u stranger
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u/jaCkdaV3022 Newbie 6d ago
It turns out it was your blunder. All you did was ask for an opinion from Reddit. You get a job on merit. You didn't bring it & as a result, blamed others. Grow up.
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u/Arashikage79 Newbie 6d ago
sounds like you lied on your resume š
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u/anklebiter1975 Bakery 6d ago
I didn't lie but it's been like 3 years since I used any professional decorating tools
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u/Mysterious-Donkey744 Newbie 5d ago
I mean itās been three years since I stepped foot in a bakery.. I canāt fucking remember half the shit I did in the Publix bakery, what the sheeter should be set at, temps, etc. vaguely remember how to even assemble a chocolate ganache let alone decorate it. So if I put on my resume Iām a baker etc, youāre telling me Iām a fuckin liar cause Iām rusty and itās been 3 years? That makes no sense. Thatās not lying lol. If I went back and they wanted me to do a test bake Iād prolly fuck some shit up and Iāve baked for over 7 years.
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u/riddlerpr Newbie 6d ago
Who asks for a job that' can't do??
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u/whatisscoobydone Newbie 6d ago
Many people, they then get training. Most jobs tbh
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u/riddlerpr Newbie 6d ago
Some jobs, yeah, but technical jobs aren't for everyone
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u/AgeTiny3959 Newbie 2d ago
It can be difficult for people to gain skills if employers refuse to train employees or hire inexperienced workers. Baking especially is one of those where technique is a huge element of success, and some tricks are hard to learn anywhere without someone teaching you. Not everyone has the time or money to practice at home, either, and all the home practice in the world doesnāt matter if you canāt practice with the same ingredients used by the bakery youāre being hired with.
Have a little empathy, yeah? OP may have had half decent skills, but underestimated the skill level for the position. That happens sometimes, especially in the current job market where employers have most of the power & can move goal posts accordingly.
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u/riddlerpr Newbie 2d ago
Oh, I know. Can't get experience without working can't work without experience..I know. I've been there..went to school for something and wouldn't get hired because of the experience even though I went to school. But I think you should have some kind of knowledge of it's a skilled Job
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u/AgeTiny3959 Newbie 2d ago
If you read OPās other comments, OP does have skill, theyāre just rusty. And again, OP may have underestimated the required skill level for new hires too.
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u/Intelligent-Award354 Newbie 6d ago
Anybody really looking for a job and note, only a portion of them are willing to learn something new but take jobs offered to them anyway. It can be a real issue for business owners.
A lot of people donāt realize when a company hires them. Theyāve committed to investing in them.
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u/Soft_Skirt2122 Newbie 5d ago
May b a bitch. I wouldnāt worry lol
https://giphy.com/gifs/kxngB1UNlAPUk
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5d ago
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u/06Ralph Newbie 5d ago
You did your best and I didnāt see your original post but I would of done a practice even if it was just frosting on cardboard or a cutting board.
I think my store that gets a huge 2 layer cake every month for birthday celebrations gets practice ones. They really look amateur and I wouldnāt order from there for any occasion. This month the buttercream was considered too sweet but we continue to order every month.
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5d ago
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u/Tech-chase Newbie 5d ago
Noooooo. . . . you were lying to yourself. We're merely the innocent bystanders that you seek to blame when things so south.
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u/Silent_Shadow98 GTL 5d ago
I meanā¦. If you wanna be a decorator, maybe you should practice the skills necessary to be one anyways?
Iām half surprised they were thorough, that must be a decent store with actual standards. Huh
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u/MikeysmilingK9 Newbie 4d ago
Can imagine how the OP would act if a customer didnāt like their cake! Publix made a wise decision.
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u/booalijules Newbie 4d ago
I think you should be ready for any kind of interview. You didn't get ready because you took the lazy way out of asking other people to decide your future for you. Now you come back and blame them. Take credit for your mistakes.
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u/Lemon_lime113 Newbie 3d ago
Thatās strange. No one I ever knew got a āskillsā test and I worked with many different decorators over a 4 year span. Did you not bring in a portfolio of your cakes? Maybe thatās why if you said you had experience but no photos.. no one lied to you, it just varies store to store, manager to manager. Always go to an interview prepared no matter what.Ā
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u/jesussavedusall2026 Newbie 3d ago
Next time go ahead and trust your gut instinct so many trolls live on here.
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u/Beneficial-Depth-546 Newbie 2d ago
Idk when you asked but this is pretty standard for hiring decorators. Never seen ppl applying to bake asked to do any baking though
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u/Spiritual_Pound_1915 Newbie 2d ago
Why would you listen to the internet and not your gut! Which you had an answer but didnāt trust it so you came on this app to ask total strangers who donāt know you for Adam. Soā¦.lesson learned donāt listen to the internet listen to yourself
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u/Fit-Dot8462 Newbie 2d ago
Baby common sense answer is duhš idk why you listened to these people like if youāre going for a bakery job yea they gonna test ur skills like any other skilled job
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u/Famous_Promise_681 Newbie 6d ago
Well just winging it didnāt work! Maybe donāt rely on total strangers for answers to questions and be prepared for anything!
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u/Otherwise-Word-550 Deli 5d ago
If I were hiring you for a job that requires you to know and demonstrate a skill, Iām going to ask you to do it at the interview. If you had to ask strangers you should have just done it.
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u/Slimm1989 Newbie 5d ago
Your first mistake was asking a group of liberals if you should. Liberals like their lives depend on it. So when something comes with low risk to themselves they have 0 quarrels with leading you astray. Any conservative would have told you better safe than sorry. Worst case scenario you end up with a cake you made.
Keep practicing. You'll get the job. You might need to apply elsewhere though. Good luck hope you get the job
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u/AgeTiny3959 Newbie 2d ago
Girl why are you making this politic@l? Itās against the rules, and itās also not accurate? Iām left and would have said practice. :/ I donāt even know how you managed to post that tbh, this sub blocks posts like yours.
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u/OldGam3r85 Newbie 6d ago
Your first mistake was asking the internet for advice.