Summer Shipping FAQ

In case you haven't noticed, it's wicked freaking hot outside. Hot weather is my natural enemy, as is cold weather, rainy weather, or any weather that isn't 75 degrees and cloudless with nighttime lows in the 50s.

Hot weather is the mortal enemy of baked goods, cakes in particular. That doesn't mean we can't ship them to you, it just means we have to be a little more careful with them, which we are, which is why Overnight is the only shipping option available on some of our products.

We get hit with a lot of questions about that, so I thought I'd take some time to answer them and offer some general tips on shipping that you might find helpful on any site where you shop.

1. Why is Overnight Shipping my only choice?
Because it's wicked freaking hot outside. We've got tropical depressions forming off the coast of Maryland (not actually part of the tropics, the last time I checked) and Portuguese Man O'Wars floating around off the coast of Rhode Island. Maybe they came for the Sweet Bread.

If you're ordering layer cakes, cheesecakes, or petits fours, Overnight shipping is the only way we can get them to you before they melt. If you're in New York City, Chicagoland, or Boston, it only costs $6.95.

All of our other products, including cookies, breads, croissants, and English muffins can still be shipped via Second-Day Air, and they'll arrive fresh and tasty. We guarantee that. Second-Day Air shipping will return on our cakes, cheesecakes, and petits fours by October 15, maybe sooner if it decides to cool off out there.

2. Is it safe to ship bakery foods in the summertime?
Yes it is. We've been doing it for a few years now. We use ice packs and dry ice as needed to keep things cool.

3. Do you deliver to (insert city and state here)?
We deliver throughout the continental United States, or the Lower 48 as some folks call them, even though Hawaii is just off to the left. We cannot deliver to U.S. territories or protectorates because of the extra time it takes to get our products there.

Our Saturday delivery range is very limited. We can reach the major cities in the continental United States and some suburbs. Where we can't go is sometimes surprising, so I recommend checking with us at 1-800-287-9870 before placing an order for Saturday delivery.

4. Can you deliver to military bases/universities/my kid's summer camp?
We can, but we'll need complete information to get the package there, which includes a physical mailing address where the package will be delivered, usually a front gate for a military base or a mail center for a school or summer camp. UPS and FedEx, our two primary shipping partners, won't deliver to P.O. Boxes and can't deliver to internal mailboxes, so all deliveries need to be sent to the mailing facility for the base, school, or camp.

Finding that information can be very tricky. I recommend calling the school or camp directly and asking for the mail services department, which should be able to provide the address. You can also try calling the FedEx or UPS office near the base, camp, or school, and asking them for advice.

When shipping to bases, camps, or schools, always try to allow an extra day for delivery and avoid shipping on Friday. Experience has shown us that not all internal mail services can deliver on the same day. Some of them are great, some of them need a little extra time. In general, summer camps and military bases are great at getting packages to the recipient the day they arrive. Some schools, especially the larger ones, get so much mail that it takes an extra day to process it all. If the package arrives on Friday, it might not get to the recipient until Monday, which can be harmful to our cakes and cheesecakes.

5. Do I need to give my phone number and e-mail?
Please give us at least one, and make it one where we can reach you during the day. Sometimes we have questions about a delivery date, sometimes there's a problem with the address. If we can't figure it out, we can't ship your order. We will only call if we have a question, and we use your e-mail to send out tracking information, so you know the package got there on time.

Summertime doesn't mean you need to go without our delicious bakery treats. Every week, we deliver cakes, breads, confections, and pastries to addresses all across America to rave reviews from our customers. This year, we've even added several Summer Shipping Specials to help take the bite out of those overnight shipping costs.

If you've got any other questions, feel free to call me at 617-331-0929 or e-mail me at derek@1-800-bakery.com.