Walmart Cakes Aren't Exactly Fresh

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When you need a cake and lack the time or supplies to bake one on your own, Walmart seems like a good alternative. In fact, Walmart estimates that it sells a quarter of all the cakes purchased in the United States. While there's no way to substantiate that claim, it does make sense given the massive number of U.S. locations the company has. The chain currently operates 3,560 Supercenters in the states, along with other retail locations. With this type of volume, fulfilling cake orders could become downright harrowing during busy times of the year, such as graduation season and over the holidays. That may explain why the store receives its cakes frozen, as opposed to baking them from scratch, as claimed by a former Walmart employee on TikTok.

In the clip, the self-proclaimed former worker stated that Walmart's policy of taking one to two days to complete a custom designed cake allows time for the frozen baked good to completely thaw. "Nothing is actually baked in the bakery," the person explained, "It's warmed up from frozen." Walmart does put a lot of time and care into its bakery, as the store frequently adds new items and conducts in-depth research and testing to ensure its goods are the best they can be. And for what it's worth, customers don't seem very bothered by the admission about frozen cakes. As one commenter stated on the TikTok video, "and imma still order my cakes from [Walmart]. frozen or not, they still good."

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There are few smells in life that rival the scent of freshly baked bread, cookies, and cakes, which may help explain why the history of bakeries spans back to ancient times. However, big retailers like Walmart have rendered the small, local bakery concept somewhat redundant, as it's typically easier for customers to procure cakes from the store, especially with its online ordering system that allows you to specify custom designs. The chain even makes ultra-affordable wedding cakes, with a two-tiered decorated cake costing just $70 at some locations.

The truth is that a large number of grocery store cakes aren't made in-house, which shows that Walmart isn't alone in its time and cost-saving bakery methods. It's been claimed that Costco receives a portion of its baked goods frozen, as do stores like Publix and Kroger. While there's no denying the appeal of a freshly baked cake, Walmart customers do enjoy fast turnaround times and reasonable prices when it comes to customized cake designs. It may just be that a frozen cake is the price one pays for this level of convenience.