"The flour was finer than usual today, she thought, reaching for the sugar instead. At least that's what the new shipment from the mill said, but she wasn't so sure. Still, it was worth a try. None of the baked goods were selling well, and the turnover couldn't be turning over as quickly as it needed to. "I told you, it's the state of the economy, it's not the pastries," the woman said, sliding a batch of croissants onto the screen to cool. "Pastries, they're the last thing people want to buy when they're worried about where their next paycheck is coming from," she replied, patting a tray of gooey-glazed donuts. "Maybe we need to think outside the box. Cutbacks, get creative." "Give it a try, but don't spend my money on fancy molds and decorations. What's the point of paying five bucks a dozen for a baguette when it's just going to go stale in a day or two?" "Stale? In this heat? Don't be dramatic," she said, the woman retorting with a twinkle in her eye, and they both laughed, the sound carrying out into the bakery, a brief respite from the reality of the economic woes, and the struggling of their once-thriving livelihood.