**what Does Your Walmart Charge For A Full Sheet?!?!**

Decorating By mmdd Updated 15 May 2015 , 2:37am by Jenn123

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jmt1714 Posted 26 May 2006 , 12:56pm
post #31 of 80

you have to remember that you can't be everything to everyone. I am just starting out, but I already know that I will never be the cheapest cake. But I will have high quality and great taste and wonderful decorations. There are different markets. A Wal-Mart cake is great for people looking for a bargain, but you do usually get what you pay for.

Don't try to compete, and don't feel you have to justify your price. It is what it is. Not everyone will buy from you, but you can't give it away. Your time is valuable too.

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jmt1714 Posted 26 May 2006 , 1:03pm
post #32 of 80

I'm a little rusty on "standard" sizes, but I think you all are nuts to charge $20 for ANY cake. Pricing is hard, I admit. I'm just starting to sell cakes, but I start my 9x13 cakes at $50, and that is just buttercream and a border and basic plaque and message. I add to that if they want gumpaste flowers, decorations, etc. I was hesitant to quote my first order b/c I too thought, well, that is high for a cake, but the customer didn't even blink.

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smashcakes Posted 26 May 2006 , 1:03pm
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i called my local target because i had a large cake for the first time, and they only charged 33.00 for a whole sheet that feeds 80!!! ach. so, i called a local bakery, and their price was about 73.00, so that's closer to what i end up charging. i charged 80 recently for a 2- layer 11x15 with a round oval on top decorated to look like a basket of pansies still cheap, but for my area, not too cheap

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cakesbgood Posted 26 May 2006 , 1:04pm
post #34 of 80

Sorry barb, I hope you didn't take offense lol, I wasn't putting down the workers in the store bakeries, just the product and that's not YOUR fault icon_biggrin.gif ! When I worked there they had one cake decorator, and maybe one other person, besides me, that could even write on a cake. But one of my SIL had worked there for a long time, in a kroger bakery, and I know they had started sending just about everyone to classes so that they all could do some basic decorating intead of just one person. And I know the workers wouldn't have the time to bake fresh cakes! But it still makes it harder for someone doing it at home to compete with those prices icon_cry.gif

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cakesbgood Posted 26 May 2006 , 1:09pm
post #35 of 80

That's a good point to smashcakes! I've actually told people that lol, of course they were friends that were ordering. That if you were to go to a "real" bakery, your going to pay alot higher price for your cake! "Real" bakery vs. grocery store that is. So yeah, I guess as long as I stay somewhere in between I should do alright icon_smile.gif

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jmt1714 Posted 26 May 2006 , 1:09pm
post #36 of 80

smashcakes, you just stated it perfectly. personalized cakes aren't competing with grocery store bakeries, they are competing with higher end bakeries. At least that's what I strive to do.

You all should take a look at the fine print at the grocery stores - that basic price is never what people end up paying. if you pick more than one color flower, or if the writing is a different color than the flowers or the leaves, or if you want ANYTHING special, they add it on to the cost and it quickly adds up. Make sure you point that out to people. Price out what your exact cake would cost at your local store (down to the number of colors, etc) using that store's own information, and I'll bet the price difference is a lot less than you (and the customer) thinks it would be.

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petitesweet Posted 26 May 2006 , 1:20pm
post #37 of 80

I'm new to all of this and I haven't baked cakes for anyone except friends and family (basically freebies) but, I must say, I was intrigued with this topic and everyone's comments thus far. I live in Podunkville in MO, so there aren't many high paying jobs. It's just more feasible for a lot of people. Not because the people are cheapskates, but it's what most people here can afford. There's some expendable income as well and those keep our bakeries here very busy.

In my opinion, Wal-Mart can have their cake and THEY can eat it too. I won't ever buy there because for me nothing says love like a special cake for a special occassion!

Just remember, it takes all kinds to make the world go round and those that feel as we do, will appreciate and pay for a cake that is worth every cent. There's enough business to go around. I mean isn't that what made America great?! Competition?!

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sweetsomethings Posted 26 May 2006 , 1:44pm
post #38 of 80

My Walmart advertises they do Wedding cakes too......FYI just 2 tiered starting at $138

They showed a really not so pretty one with light blue flowers..... icon_smile.gif

laura

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SimplyDenyse Posted 26 May 2006 , 1:45pm
post #39 of 80

I don't think that all people relize all the the work that goes into making a good cake. I actually didn't know about the cakes being shipped frozen and the icing coming in non-refrigarated tubs. Yuck!! I don't know if I will every buy a strore bought cake again. And like many of you already stated people will go with a low price before quality because they feel that is more important. I think if the majority of them just read this post they would definatly change their mind on that. Its probably good when you explain the reasons to those who balk at the prices becuase then they may think alittle more about it and relize why its worth the extra $$.

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Gretta Posted 26 May 2006 , 2:15pm
post #40 of 80

My "business" (I have not officially hung a shingle, nor will I ever) is all word of mouth. One of the conditions I place on my clients even before ordering is that if they recommend me to anyone, they must tell the individual that I charge more than the local markets including Walmart. My price reflects a quality product in both taste and technique and, when they call on me do to their cake, they can rest assured the time I will invest in their order will be well worth spending a few extra $$.

Then when I get that call saying, "I got your name from _____ ..." I preface that call with, "I presume the reason you are calling me is bc you desire a truely special cake..." I always give them an out by saying the local businesses make 'good' cakes (stretching the truth) but if they want the cake to make a statement, then I would be happy to be in their service. Once that is understood, I then place that same condition on the new client regarding giving my name out to anyone.

I have found that this virtually eliminates the 'sticker price' shock and I have only had one potential client turn me down upon hearing the price.

Oh, one more thing, when I am doing a cake for a friend or when I am testing a new technique and I charge less for the product, I will instruct the client to tell any individual how much I would charge not how much I actually charged. The client doesn't have to lie. They just have to say, "She charges ______ for a cake like this."

Just my 2 cents worth... no, scratch that, make it 4cents.

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mmdd Posted 26 May 2006 , 3:59pm
post #41 of 80
Quote:
Originally Posted by barbaranoel

Hope they enjoy there freezer burnt cardboard grease concoction.

Barb





thumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gif I love that! LOL! icon_razz.gificon_razz.gif

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mmdd Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:08pm
post #42 of 80

My 1/4 sheet is 9x13, so 1/2 sheet is two 9 x 13's and a full sheet is four 9 x 13's.

We have some friends that I charge $10 for 1/4 sheet cake. They make over the price. (why wouldn't they, though?!?!)

I've know them for 7 years and they're really great people, but they just don't have much money. They have 2 children and are taking care of one of their grandparents...in their home. They don't strive to better themselves...they settle for most anything. They really don't care.

They know that this is a price for them only, no one else and they also know that they're basically buying the cake ingredients, etc. My gifts are the labor. It doesn't take much to please them. The bratz cake in my photos was the last cake I made for them and they acted like I gave them 1 million dollars or something......they were that pleased with it!

I'm so shocked to hear about all of these frozen cakes, and icing that doesn't even melt under hot water! Yuck! I'm so glad I'm a home baker!!!!

I was just waiting on my turn for someone to turn me down to go to walmart. I just didn't think they'd be so rude about it.

I have enjoyed reading this thread! (But I never expected it to get to 3 pages...WOW!)

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ge978 Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:14pm
post #43 of 80

jmt1714 : where do you live? $50+ is a really good price to get out of a 1/4 sheet cake.....wish I could get that much in my area.

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cakesbykellie Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:15pm
post #44 of 80

I just wanted to add my view on the cake decorating business.... in my experience of 5+ years, i have never had anyone complain about the pricing of the cake. The reason being that the customers are definitely looking for a special cake more for a centerpiece of the event rather than a dessert, actually. They arent going to find a 14" round cheeseburger cake at the local walmart!! and besides, store frosting and cake is SOOOOO icky!!!!!! so, when they actually have to cut into the centerpiece, they are shocked to find out that not only does it look good, it tastes good tooo!!!!!! icon_biggrin.gif
people know what they are getting at the grocery store for cake.... if they want something special, they know to call us.

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mmdd Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:19pm
post #45 of 80
Quote:
Originally Posted by ge978

jmt1714 : where do you live? $50+ is a really good price to get out of a 1/4 sheet cake.....wish I could get that much in my area.





Hey! That's what I'd like to know. Let us in on that, jmt!

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donnajf Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:20pm
post #46 of 80

mmdd

I think that we all once worried about Costco and Walmart prices at one time or another. icon_cry.gif
Please do not try and get hung up on suppermarket or superstore prices!! they are NOT your competition!
Those guys can charge ROCK BOTTOM because their ingredients- foam and add water plus their labor ( DEAR I SAY SWEAT- SWEAT!) labor is different.

Let her go to Walmart and save yourself the head of trying to provide her with the stuff that you and I ( & others on this cite) can identify!
Your (our) PRODUCT IS a HOMEMADE product with REAL INGREDIENTS and some level of LOVE. Can these guys say THAT!

I THINK NOT!

Don't let her scare you, allow her to make room for someone else who could appreicate your talent and skills icon_smile.gificon_smile.gificon_smile.gificon_smile.gif

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donnajf Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:22pm
post #47 of 80

I'm sorry I forgot to anwser the question - I DON'T CARE (anymore) what they charge icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif

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rezzygirl Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:32pm
post #48 of 80

Good to know about that icing that doesn't melt! MMDD it must be wonderful to be able to bless those people in that way! I find that those are the friends that spread the word about your cakes the most because the actually appreciate your efforts and what you put into them (besides the ingredients). Good for you MMDD. and about the question..I don't care either, I just cake snoop every once and a while. If they handed out samples like they do other products, they would loose customers BEFORE people spent their $$$'s

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barbaranoel Posted 26 May 2006 , 4:44pm
post #49 of 80
Quote:
Originally Posted by cakesbgood

Sorry barb, I hope you didn't take offense lol, I wasn't putting down the workers in the store bakeries, just the product and that's not YOUR fault icon_biggrin.gif ! When I worked there they had one cake decorator, and maybe one other person, besides me, that could even write on a cake. But one of my SIL had worked there for a long time, in a kroger bakery, and I know they had started sending just about everyone to classes so that they all could do some basic decorating intead of just one person. And I know the workers wouldn't have the time to bake fresh cakes! But it still makes it harder for someone doing it at home to compete with those prices icon_cry.gif




Don't worry, you didn't offend me. I really hesitated taking this job, but money is money and you do what you have to do to pay the bills icon_smile.gif

I'm going to take those dec. classes just to get something out of the job icon_wink.gif

Unfortunately, I've done such a good job there that after a month they offered me a Jr. Mgmt position with double my pay that I can't help but stay there for awhile. Maybe I'll make enough to open my own bakery, but until then I'll hide my disdain and snickers under my breath while I give them a half hearted job of decorating (definately not my best works)

Barb

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Coastiemom Posted 26 May 2006 , 9:46pm
post #50 of 80

In my brochure I state that you can "buy" a cake anywhere, if you want a imaginative creation, I'm your gal. People are always commenting that they love my cakes because they don't taste or look like "store bought" ones. I take that to include "Wal Mart"!

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kelseyelise Posted 4 Aug 2012 , 4:35am
post #51 of 80

I live in Ky, and I order my cakes from walmart all the time. For a single mother they are pretty much the only cakes I can afford. I like their cakes. My family has always ordered cakes from them and I have never heard anything bad about them til now.

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colababy Posted 4 Aug 2012 , 5:08am
post #52 of 80

I'm from Lima, OH. ,around 35.00 to 40.00. I charge $50.00 for my full sheet cakes. I let my customers know that my cakes are fresh to order. You really have to price your cakes in your area. Just call others decorators and ask how much they charge for their cakes. I price my cakes base on Walmart, Meijers, and Rays supermarket. 3d cakes a little more. But you got to understand, people in my area is not willing to spend alot of money for cakes, that why they go to Walmart. I was told before, that a person will used their government card to buy a cake from Walmart.

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KoryAK Posted 4 Aug 2012 , 1:43pm
post #53 of 80

Didn't read all the posts, but a full sheet from me (18x24x3") the feeds 100 people is $350. No, I don't have me decimal in the wrong spot icon_smile.gif. IDK what my Walmart charges, I'll have to find out and report back.

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AZCouture Posted 4 Aug 2012 , 3:21pm
post #54 of 80
Quote:
Originally Posted by barbaranoel

Ihe funny thing (or disturbing depending on how you look at it) the icing does NOT melt when put under hot water. Kinda scary....


Umm, yeah, like a very popular type of frosting that is made by many here. I tried making it once and cleaning it up was just grossing me out. icon_confused.gif

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Pyro Posted 5 Aug 2012 , 2:26pm
post #55 of 80

One thing to keep in mind, is that stores like Walmart don't need to make money off every item they sell you. Unless there is laws to protect prices ( like milk and such ), they are allowed to mark down that stuff to a loss if they feel like it.

They can make a loss or very little money on a cake because the client, once they bought that cake, will go around the store to pick out more stuff to put on that cake like candles, party hats, napkins and whatnot. Then they might even get stuff they wouldn't have bought have they not been in there in the first place.

That's where they recoup the money from the cake. And it would be interesting to see how long the ingredient list on their cakes is and how many of those ingrediends you really understand if icing doesn't need to be refrigerated. You get what you pay for.

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lkern777 Posted 5 Aug 2012 , 3:46pm
post #56 of 80

One thing that a lot of people do not know about grocery store cakes is that they do NOT make any money on them. That is how they can sell them so cheap. Their goal is to get people in the store to buy things that do make them money. Most likely, if you are buying a cake at Walmart or Kroger or any grocery store, you are also shopping for your groceries there. That is where they make their money, not on their cakes.

I don't try to compete with the grocery stores. I have a lot of people turn me down on price, but that's okay.

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Apti Posted 5 Aug 2012 , 4:01pm
post #57 of 80
Quote:
Originally Posted by kelseyelise

I live in Ky, and I order my cakes from walmart all the time. For a single mother they are pretty much the only cakes I can afford. I like their cakes. My family has always ordered cakes from them and I have never heard anything bad about them til now.




Warning! Climbing on my soapbox: At the risk of being crushed by the "opposing" viewpoints, I agree with the post above. I like WalMart cakes and love Costco cakes. I think they taste just fine. I think for most parties, they look just fine. And....of course I love their pricing.
I recently agreed to bring the cake to a dear nephew's birthday party. Well...I got sick, so I gave his mom a $20 bill and told her to get a cake from Costco. No regret, no worries, no problem. No one at the party cared that it was a Costco cake, not one of my custom cakes.

When I began this cake decorating hobby nearly 3 years ago, I had ZERO idea of the money and time needed to produce "custom" cakes at home. Since I am retired and do not plan on doing cakes for sale (also not legal in my State), cake decorating provides a world of fun things to try. It is a blast! It is also quite expensive and time consuming. BUT--it's my Hobby. (All hobbies are expensive and time consuming: golf, deep sea fishing, refurbishing old cars, etc.)

Until the age of 56, I had NEVER tasted a "custom" cake from an "expensive" bakery. We got cakes from local bakeries and grocery stores, or the cake was made at home. Now my family and friends (who receive free or nearly free cakes.....) love MY cakes and don't want the "other ones". They have been officially spoiled. However, spoiled or not, if they agree to bring a birthday cake to a kid's party or a work function (and I don't wish to make it for fun/practice), they will bring a cake from Costco (1st choice), or Walmart.

Just because WE know the time and effort and care and angst that goes into a custom cake, doesn't mean that the other frozen ones are "bad", just that ours can be better.

OK, climbing down off soapbox now.

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tamaranda Posted 18 Dec 2012 , 6:11pm
post #58 of 80

i just had the same comment from someone wanting a cake...stick to your guns and do them for YOUR price...if they don't like it they can go to walmart and get a mass produced box cake.....my experience with them before starting my own is that they never looked the way i wanted! being a cake decorator myself i know how much time and materials it takes to make a cake and if they don't like the price then send them to walmart!

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jenmat Posted 18 Dec 2012 , 7:25pm
post #59 of 80
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyro 

One thing to keep in mind, is that stores like Walmart don't need to make money off every item they sell you. Unless there is laws to protect prices ( like milk and such ), they are allowed to mark down that stuff to a loss if they feel like it.

They can make a loss or very little money on a cake because the client, once they bought that cake, will go around the store to pick out more stuff to put on that cake like candles, party hats, napkins and whatnot. Then they might even get stuff they wouldn't have bought have they not been in there in the first place.

That's where they recoup the money from the cake. And it would be interesting to see how long the ingredient list on their cakes is and how many of those ingrediends you really understand if icing doesn't need to be refrigerated. You get what you pay for.

I worked at a Walmart bakery for 4 years. They run at a loss 90% of the time. The goal is to get you in for the cake and then you will buy the ice cream, forks, napkins, soda and chips there. They are DESIGNED to run at a loss. We were at a loss 9-10 months out of the year (except for grad season), and we never got in trouble for it because that was the expectation. And yes, they get cakes that were baked in their cardboard boxes that they come in. BAKED in the cardboard and sealed with plastic wrap. The cupcakes came in by the flat, the wedding cakes were ordered in white or chocolate. The icings were ordered in tubs and the colors were ordered also. We were only allowed so many roses on a cake (although we broke that rule all the time), and had to crank out so many cakes per hour. 

 

There is no way to compete with that. So I don't. I appreciate them for what they can do- they weed out my clients for me!!!

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Annabakescakes Posted 18 Dec 2012 , 7:39pm
post #60 of 80
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyro 

One thing to keep in mind, is that stores like Walmart don't need to make money off every item they sell you. Unless there is laws to protect prices ( like milk and such ), they are allowed to mark down that stuff to a loss if they feel like it.

They can make a loss or very little money on a cake because the client, once they bought that cake, will go around the store to pick out more stuff to put on that cake like candles, party hats, napkins and whatnot. Then they might even get stuff they wouldn't have bought have they not been in there in the first place.

That's where they recoup the money from the cake. And it would be interesting to see how long the ingredient list on their cakes is and how many of those ingrediends you really understand if icing doesn't need to be refrigerated. You get what you pay for.

I always wondered about how they made any money off of them, and I am usually pretty intelligent, but this had bot occurred to me. Duh!

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