Wholesale Handler
You probably already have a cutoff time. You might even have told your customers about it. The problem is that nobody treats it as real - including you.
A customer texts at 10pm to add something. You could say no, but they're a good account. So you say yes, just this once. Except it's never just once, and now the cutoff is a suggestion rather than a rule.
This article is about making it real.
How to choose your cutoff time
Work backwards from when you start production.
If you start baking at 4am, you need orders finalised before you begin. That means your cutoff might be 8pm or 9pm the night before - early enough that you can review everything before bed or first thing when you arrive.
If you bake in the afternoon for next-morning delivery, you've got more room. A midday cutoff gives customers the whole morning to place orders.
The right cutoff is whatever gives you enough time between "orders are locked" and "production starts" to plan your bake without rushing. That gap is different for every bakery. A few things to consider:
- How long does it take you to review all orders and plan production?
- Do you need to order ingredients based on what comes in, or do you stock everything?
- Do you have different lead times for different products? (Custom cakes vs standard bread, for example)
Pick a time. You can always adjust it later. The important thing is having one at all.
How to tell your customers
Once. Clearly. In writing.
Send every customer a message: "From [date], all orders need to be placed by [time] the day before delivery. Orders placed after cutoff will go on the next available delivery."
That's the whole communication. Don't apologise for it. Don't over-explain. Customers deal with cutoffs from every other supplier they use - this isn't unusual or unreasonable.
For new customers, mention the cutoff during onboarding. It's easier to set expectations from day one than to introduce rules later.
What happens when someone misses it
This is where most bakeries buckle. A loyal customer texts after cutoff. You don't want to damage the relationship. So you make an exception.
Here's the problem with exceptions: they're permanent. The moment you accept a late order once, that customer now believes the cutoff is flexible.
You have three options for late orders:
Firm cutoff, no exceptions
The order goes on the next delivery. Simple, clear, easy to enforce. This is the strongest position and most bakeries find that customers adapt within a week or two.
Late order fee
Some bakeries charge a fee for orders placed after cutoff. This discourages the behaviour without a hard refusal. Only works if you're willing to actually charge it - an unenforced fee is worse than no fee.
Best-effort, no guarantee
Accept the late order but make it clear there's no guarantee it'll be fulfilled. "I'll try, but if I've already started production, it might not make it." This is the most flexible option but also the hardest to manage consistently.
Pick one approach and apply it to everyone. The worst outcome is different rules for different customers.
The real problem is enforcement, not communication
Most bakeries that struggle with cutoffs have already communicated them. The issue is enforcement. And enforcement is hard when it relies on you personally saying no to someone via text message at 10pm.
This is why manual cutoffs fail. They require you to be the enforcer every single time. You have to see the late message, make a decision, reply, and deal with whatever pushback comes. It's friction you don't need, and after a long day of baking, it's the easiest thing in the world to just say "fine, I'll add it."
The solution is removing yourself from the equation. If the cutoff is automatic - if the system simply doesn't accept orders after a certain time - then there's no conversation to have. The customer sees that ordering is closed. They place it for the next delivery. Nobody's feelings are involved.
How Wholesale Handler solves this
Wholesale Handler enforces your cutoff automatically. You set the time, and when it passes, the customer's portal locks for that delivery date. They can still place an order for the next available date, but they can't modify or add to a locked order.
Both you and the customer can see the status - open orders are editable, locked orders show a padlock. There's no ambiguity and no awkward conversation. The system enforces the rule so you don't have to.
