Birthdays are special annual events, and cakes are the cherry on top. Since these baked goods are the center of attention, having them baked and decorated correctly is crucial, especially in this economy, where prices keep climbing.
After one Georgia woman saw the results of the “Spider-Man” cake she ordered from Publix for her son’s birthday, she was livid.
Publix Birthday Cake
Just like “Spider-Man”’s signature suit, this layered, round cake is adorned in red and blue. The bottom tier is red with a brick pattern, and the top half is blue with spiderweb designs, topped with a “Spider-Man Ultimate Light Up Eyes DecoSet.”
According to Publix’s website, customers can choose vanilla or chocolate cake with buttercream icing and sprinkles inside. Because these cakes are delivered flash-frozen and decorated by the bakers, they should be finished on time, right?
What’s Wrong With This Publix ‘Spider-Man’ Cake?
As she sits in her car, TikTok creator AshleyJay (@iam_ashleyjay) paints her “POV: up my son’s bday cake gone wrong story time.”
“I just went to the store to pick up my son’s birthday cake. Mind you, the birthday cake was supposed to be ready at 12 o’clock. I did not get there until 2:30, and somehow I ended up leaving with a free cake,” she begins her video.
“I get to Publix, I head to the bakery. There’s five women back there, so everyone’s kind of locked in,” she says. “Nobody greets me for three to four minutes. I’m just standing there.”
Some time passed, and she called to get someone’s attention, but no one acknowledged her. Once one of the female workers looked up from her task, she asked what the content creator needed.
Then she told the worker she was picking up her “Spider-Man” cake.
“‘Let me go look for the order,’” AshleyJay recalls the woman saying. “‘Oh, it’s not ready. I need five more minutes.’”
After the worker handed her a payment sticker, she noticed something odd occurring in the background.
What Is She Doing With The Cake?
“I see her mixing up the icing,” she remembers. “I got him a ‘Spider-Man’ cake, and I see the cake sitting there. The blue icing was on there, but it was not even smooth.”
To add insult to injury, she received an email notification from the Publix location that the cake was ready and ordered it two days ahead of time.
“Now, I see the lady rushing my cake, putting decorations on it. She slides it, trying to sneak it into the box,” she says.
Before the employee could do this, the content creator caught her red-handed and requested to check out the cake.
A Disappointing Cake Reveal
“The cake looks rushed,” the content creator says. “It did not look like the picture.”
When AshleyJay asked for more brick layering and web designs on the cake, the employee searched for a decorator to do the job. The worst part?
“Why was the lady who initially helped me the assistant manager?” Finally, the cake was ready. However, she vocalized her disapproval.
“I looked at that cake, I looked at that lady, I looked at the decorator. I was like, ‘You know y’all playing?’” she says.
As proof, she posted the photo of the cake in all its “glory” to over 163,000 viewers: The black spiderwebs at the top were thick and unevenly applied, while the red bottom half was almost nonexistent, the black bricks thick and bulky.
Subsequently, the assistant manager intervened and asked how she could rectify the issue. For AshleyJay, she tried to put it into her perspective: “If you were a mom and this is you and your situation, what would you want done?’”
While she declined an offer for a remake, the worker said something shocking that was never mentioned.
“‘I was already gonna give it to you for free,’” she recalls the assistant manager saying. Needless to say, this struck a nerve.
“This is the second year that Publix has played in my face on my son’s birthday about a birthday cake,” the content creator shares. “I’m just gonna have to find a baker off the street cause the grocery stores have officially done it for me.”
‘That cake ain’t even worth being free’
In the comments section, many were just as appalled as AshleyJay.
“That cake ain’t even worth being free! That is insane!!!!” one viewer commented.
“Wait the cake screenshot has me hollering. Ain’t no way they put that in the box and thought you were going to pay,” another remarked.
A third even thought there could’ve been a mix-up. “I think they sold your cake to someone else and had to remake your cake!” they proposed.
Moreover, others shared alternatives to prevent this in the future.
“Girl go to Sam’s Club!! Their cakes be hitting,” one commenter recommended.
“Kroger would never,” a second stated.
“Walmart cakes have never failed me,” a third said.
@iam_ashleyjay/
Subplot reached out to AshleyJay via email and TikTok direct message as well as Publix via email.
