Introduction to Walmart’s Bakery Decorators
Inside a Walmart store in New Jersey, a worker puts the finishing touches on a cake with an edible ink Sponge Bob on top. A colleague creates a buttercream rosette border for a different cake, while another co-worker frosts a tier of what will be a triple-deck dessert. It’s graduation season, the busiest time of year for the 6,200 employees the nation’s largest retailer trained to hand-decorate cakes per customers’ orders.
The Importance of Custom Cake Business
The cakes themselves come, pre-made, frozen and in a variety of shapes and sizes, from suppliers, not Walmart’s in-store bakeries. But there’s no sugar-coating the importance the company places on its custom cake business. Its army of icing artisans are the highest paid hourly workers in a typical U.S. Walmart, excluding managers. Cake decorators earn an average of $19.25 per hour, compared with $18.25 for all non-managerial store workers, a company spokesperson said.
Meet the Cake Decorators
Melissa Fernandez, 36, started working in the electronics area and then the wireless services department of the Walmart in North Bergen, New Jersey, before she transferred to the deli area in search of better pay. But Fernandez had her eye on a cake decorating job and after spending two months getting trained by a store colleague, she picked up a piping bag full-time in 2021. “I love baking at home. I love painting,” Fernandez said. “I love doing anything artistic, and I just always wanted to be a part of it.” After 11 years with Walmart, she said she now makes about $24.40 an hour.
By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) —
Employees make cakes inside Walmart Supercenter on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in North Bergen, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Cakes are displayed inside Walmart Supercenter on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in North Bergen, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
An employee decorates a cake inside Walmart Supercenter on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in North Bergen, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
A cake is displayed inside Walmart Supercenter on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in North Bergen, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
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Employees make cakes inside Walmart Supercenter on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in North Bergen, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
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## The Debate Over Custom Cakes
Despite their elite status within Walmart, the retailer’s cake decorators have attracted detractors on social media. The company promotes its personalized baked goods on TikTok, and the workers behind such creations do the same with their own profiles. As the content has grown in popularity, critics have accused Walmart decorators of stealing ideas and undercutting the work of professional cake artists with their low-priced products.
## The Market for Custom Cakes
A customized sheet cake that can be sliced to serve 96 people costs $59 at Walmart, about one-third to half the price that a nationwide sample of independent bakeries list online for similarly sized cakes. For $5.20 more, Walmart customers can add strawberry or “Bavarian creme” fillings, which like the bare cakes, are vendor-supplied. The slice of the celebratory occasion cake market Walmart holds appears vast based on company-supplied figures. One out of four cakes sold in the U.S. comes from Walmart, and its employees will collectively decorate more than 1 million cakes during May and June, according to a company spokesperson.
## The Role of TikTok in Promoting Custom Cakes
The number of cakes decorated each day at the location where Fernandez works nearly doubles to 50-60 when school graduations come around, compared to 30-35 a day during the rest of the year, said Michael DeMarco, the manager of the store’s fresh food department. He credits the decorators’ talent and promotional efforts on TikTok. “We’re getting a lot of repeat customers. We’re doing a lot more business because of just the viral sensations,” DeMarco said.
## The Skill and Artistry of Cake Decorating
Jazzing up a cake by hand requires skill, whether or not someone else did the baking, she said. Funneling buttercream frosting through a bag and various sized piping tips to yield the desired design without misplaced blobs is not the same as drawing or painting, Fernandez explained. “There’s a lot of pressure points that you have to practice in order to get the borders correct and the right thickness or the right texture,” she said.
## Conclusion
In conclusion, Walmart’s army of bakery decorators are the highest paid hourly workers in a typical U.S. Walmart, excluding managers. They earn an average of $19.25 per hour, compared with $18.25 for all non-managerial store workers. The company’s custom cake business is a significant part of its operations, with one out of four cakes sold in the U.S. coming from Walmart. The decorators’ talent and promotional efforts on TikTok have helped to increase sales and attract repeat customers.
## FAQs
Q: How many cake decorators does Walmart have?
A: Walmart has 6,200 employees trained to hand-decorate cakes.
Q: How much do Walmart cake decorators earn per hour?
A: Walmart cake decorators earn an average of $19.25 per hour.
Q: How much does a customized sheet cake cost at Walmart?
A: A customized sheet cake that can be sliced to serve 96 people costs $59 at Walmart.
Q: How many cakes will Walmart decorate during May and June?
A: Walmart employees will collectively decorate more than 1 million cakes during May and June.
Q: What is the role of TikTok in promoting Walmart’s custom cakes?
A: TikTok has helped to increase sales and attract repeat customers by showcasing the decorators’ talent and promotional efforts.
