Hostess Products Flying Off Local Bakery Outlet’s Shelves

While the future for Twinkies, Zingers, Donettes and Wonder Bread remains uncertain, Hostess products continue to fly off stores’ shelves.

At the Hostess Wonder Bread Bakery Outlet in Glendora, a steady stream of customers came in for what may be their last stash of Hostess products.

Half of the store’s shelves are nearly bare. Much to the dismay of some local shoppers, the store was out of Twinkies Monday afternoon.

But that didn’t stop customer Chris Scott, who drove to Glendora from Pomona to buy three bags of Donettes, Cupcakes and other Hostess goodies all for $15.

For Scott, the prospect of never again tasting one of his favorite childhood treats, and the deep discount deals on Hostess products, will keep him coming back to the Hostess store in Glendora as long as the Donettes and Ding Dongs are available.

“It’s horrible, a travesty that they’re going out of business,” said Scott. “Hopefully, they still will make the Twinkies.”

The Hostess Wonder Bread Bakery Outlet, located at 905 E. Arrow Hwy, recently opened its doors in Glendora. Store employees would not comment on the future of the location or availability of products, but the store remains open even as Hostess moves to shut down operations in response to employee strikes.

On Monday, a bankruptcy court judge ruled that parties had not gone through private mediation, stalling Hostess’ attempts to liquidate and sell off assets.

But the Twinkies, Ho Ho’s, Zingers and Ding Dongs may live to see another day. Several firms, including the Florida-based Sun Capital Partners Inc., are rumored to be interested in acquiring Hostess.

Still, the threat of a Hostess shutdown has sparked a craze for all things Hostess nationwide. The Huffington Post reports that one eBay seller is auctioning off a full box of Twinkies at a starting price of $200,000 (shipping included).

CNN Money reports a lunch box featuring "Twinkie the Kid," a cartoon cowboy character that bears a resemblance to the iconic yellow cake, fetched a winning bid of $690 on Friday.     

According to a Friday press release from Hostess, the wind down means the closure of 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers, approximately 5,500 delivery routes and 570 bakery outlet stores throughout the United States.

“We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” said Gregory F. Rayburn, chief executive officer. “Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders.”