Get Back to Where You Once Belonged

That chill the kids felt down their spines last week was the realization that it's back to school shopping time, which means that classroom bells will be ringing in just a few short weeks, to the relief of parents everywhere.


The People Who Keep Statistics inform me that back-to-school is the second largest shopping time of the year for retailers. That doesn't include us--Valentine's Day is typically our second-busiest shopping period, followed, interestingly, by Father's Day. This leaves me with just two things to relay to you as we enter another frenzied Back to School shopping season, neither of which is my idea to make the first Friday in August the "Black Friday" of school shopping--stores will open at midnight to grab the earliest shoppers with deep discounts on clothes and notebooks.


First, we've got Back to School mini cookies back in stock. That's them on the left--shortbread butter cookie pencils, crayons, scissors, and glue bottles. Teachers love getting these, and they're a fun gift for a child who's just starting school, or a child who likes to eat crayons. These crayons may have more calories than the ones in the Crayola box, but they're food and not crayon. Plus they taste a lot better.


Second, if you're exporting your child to college, prep school, or a private school, now is the time to gather information on how to ship things to your child. Most schools seem to have a hard time giving out this information, and more than a couple of schools get it wrong, because the United States Postal Service will put up with addresses that FedEx and UPS reject.

Here's the catch: UPS and FedEx cannot deliver to PO Boxes. There are no exceptions to this rule, despite anything a well-meaning Orientation Guide might tell you. If you want to ship anything from our site--or almost any other Web site--you'll need to know where to send the package.

Your child will probably have a mailbox that's far too small to fit anything larger than standard letter-size envelopes. Most schools deal with packages that won't fit into the box in one of two ways:
1. They put a package slip in the student's mailbox, and the student goes and claims the package either from a central mail room or the dormitory's mail room.
2. They put a package slip on the student's door, and the student goes and claims the package at the mail room.

So rarely that I hestitate to mention it, a school will let FedEx or UPS deliver directly to a student's residence, or the school will leave the package outside the student's door. This only happens at very small schools or if the student lives in a fraternity or sorority house. Assume this doesn't apply.

When you drop your child off at school, ask the orientation guide or a staff member where large packages should be sent. If they ask, "How large?" reply, "About the size of a canoe." Our packages are much smaller than a canoe, but asking this question will tell them that you're serious. If they try to give you a PO Box number and nothing else, remind them that the Postal Service doesn't like to ship canoes, so you'll be using FedEx.

What you're looking for is one of two pieces of information: either the address for the central mail room or the address where UPS and FedEx leave packages (at some schools, this is the main gate). That's the address we--and all the other Web sites--need to get your package dropped off on campus. We'll also need the student's box number or dorm address, but that's used internally by the school to route the package.

Try to get a phone number for the mail room as well, along with the days and hours that the mail room is open. Most are closed on Saturdays, and most shut down between 4 and 6 in the afternoon, which means that students need to wait until the mail room reopens to claim their packages. This won't hurt cookies, but it can be very bad for cakes, especially if they're sitting over the weekend.

It's also a good idea to test the waters of on-campus mail delivery by sending a card or a package containing nonperishable goods before sending something fragile. Ask your child how long it took to receive the package, and you'll know how efficient the school's mail system is. I can say from experience that they almost always do well with something that has "perishable" printed on the box.

So to recap, be sure to get the address of the mail room or the drop-off point as well as a phone number for the mail room. This will ensure that shipping companies get your deliveries to the school, so that your child's special occasion isn't missed.

Did You Get a Haircut?

No, I don't have enough hair to cut. But 1-800-Bakery.com did get a makeover this week. You'll notice some very subtle sitewide changes, but the biggest and best is our redesigned Shopping Cart. As if our Calendar didn't make ordering easy enough, we've reorganized and rebuilt the Shopping Cart to make buying even easier.

Never again will you need to retype information. Shipping and billing address the same? Go straight to credit card information without all that tedious scrolling. Can't remember what's in your cart? You'll find the list on every page.

It's so gosh darn user friendly that I didn't have to fill it up with comments explaining how everything works. To fully enjoy it, you'll need to buy something, of course. Try getting two tarts and using the Coupon Code TWOFORONE in the new Coupons field--you'll see the savings before you even begin checking out. Tell me that's not the coolest thing to hit the Internets since YouTube.

Alright, YouTube's a little bit cooler, but nowhere near as tasty.

Tabletop Fireworks

I was up in New Hampshire last week getting ready for the Fourth of July by stocking up on Roman Candles, fountains, and aerial repeaters--or, as they're sometimes called, "cakes."

And that got me to thinking about something other than the firey destruction I'd soon be unleashing on my friend's back yard: July 4th is America's Birthday, and while parades, glittering chrysanthemum blooms, and Saturn Whistling Rockets with Report are a grand way to celebrate, it's just not a birthday without some cake.

So we made our July Fourth Cake to help you share a slice with family and friends while you watch 500-gram aerial repeaters and #3 Golden Palms burst overhead in the night sky. Stick a couple of sparklers in it for an extra-festive effect, then enjoy three layers of moist yellow sponge layered with summery-smooth raspberry and lemon preserves, iced with our vanilla buttercreme, and topped with an icing Colonial Flag and and red-and-blue swirled border. Think of it as the dessert finale to a perfect day.

As Seen on TV

Fox25 Morning News paid a visit to Winchester last week and did a brief segment on La Patisserie. We created a custom cake for the occasion, which we can easily do for any of our local Winchester customers. (We're also happy to make custom corporate cakes as well.)

Our friend Baguette got her 15 minutes of fame as well, both on the Fox broadcast and in The Winchester Star. She and her six ducklings took up residence in the river behind the post office in Winchester. Sadly, only three of the ducklings survived their first day on the water. There's a pair of hawks living nearby that I suspect are the culprits.

The remaining ducklings are doing fine, though, as you'll see in this picture I shot on Friday along the river's edge. The batteries in the camera gave out on me right after, otherwise I'd have more.

May Cause Cries of "Awww" and "Oooh"

As promised, a picture of adorable ducklings. We had one arrive yesterday, and this morning there are five more, with around three eggs left to hatch. They're quite fuzzy and quite timid--they'll take a step or two around their mother, then go diving back under her wing.

She's also become rather defensive since yesterday. She was fine with me bringing her water, but even that seems to get her riled.

Just in time for Father's Day.

Still Waiting

I've been waiting for two weeks to get a shot of Baguette with her eggs. She obliged, however briefly, this past Friday.

She's still patiently waiting for them to hatch, perhaps more patiently than the rest of us. There's been reports of ducklings blocking traffic in various parts of Massachusetts, so it shouldn't be long before Baguette's brood arrives.

A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned

Our friend Baguette is riding out the remnants of a tropical storm today and doing her best to keep her eggs warm and dry. Absent from this equation, incidentally, is Father Duck, who, according to the naturalists, is off somewhere else courting another female.

We of genus homo sapiens take a more hands-on approach to fatherhood, which is why, on June 17th, we get a chance to thank Dad for all the games of catch, barbecues, oil changes, minor repairs, and unsolicited advice he's been kind enough to give us through the years.

Father's Day is one of the toughest holidays out there for givers. You can't bail on this one with flowers or a spa gift certificate, and you don't want to present him with a tie or an electronic talking bass unless you want to give him another reason to criticize you.

Dad likes stuff, right? Stuff like grilling, or home theater, or home repair, or NASCAR? We just so happen to have Father's Day Gift Baskets for all of those Dads and more, AND if you order one of the selected baskets by 2PM on Friday, June 8, you'll pay just one penny for Ground shipping, and we'll get it there in time for Father's Day.

Dad likes to know that you're good with money. He likes gifts too. Cover both bases with a gift basket he's sure to love.