had a customer call me today and asked could i do a cake for TOMORROW???
can you believe it!! i told her that i charge extra for last minute orders.
here's what she says...oh, but you did a cake for me before., your ad says $25 dollars and up. (thinking that she was gonna get it for $25 dollars. yeah, right! that sure is a lot for a cake for ten people!
can you believe it??? she acts like i don't have a life and all i do is decorate cakes!!! i charged five dollars extra. i think that's fair, don't you guys?

Sounds more than fair to me! As long as you said "and up" you can do whatever you want...!
People like this are the ones who think the world revolves around them and never even consider what your life is like! Charge her more and decorate less...good enough for the likes of her!

Boy! I sound tuff, don't I? Janice

I get that all the time, but since I dont get alot of orders and have nothing else to do, I dont mind, and I dont charge extra....heck I stutter everytime someone asks me how much I charge...... but you go girl. I do agree that is more then fair.

It is definitely more than fair to charge for last minute orders. For all she knows you could have already made plans to do something else before she placed that order. If you didn't say yes she should would have to go somewhere else where the cake might not be as good and as pretty.

Customers who don't know the process of cake decorating sometimes need explanations of our process.

I think you should have charged her more!

Don't you just hate it when people think you should jump at their beckon call..... I would have charged her more too....and if you had plans and had to cancel them because of her cake....well, ..I would have put a nice $$ amount to the cake... after all you did say ...and UP!!!!
Happy baking,
cakegal

Diane

Yes, you should charge! Me & tcrema have a 7 day rule. If your order is needed in less then 7 days there is an extra charge of $5. No if &'s or buts about it! You have to order a cake in plenty of time. If that lady doesn't like it then she can go to someone else. She doesn't have many choices on the base so she'll pay extra.

Flayv... You are too kind!! I couldn't do cakes for free. If a good friend or close family member needs a cake I tell them to get the ingredients I need & I don't charge them. But that is if they let me know about the cake in at least 3 wks ahead of time. When are you PCSing? You getting short yet?

Good luck on charging!!!

PCSing is permanent change of station. getting short means she only has a short time before she moves to her new base. i can't wait til' me and my family pcs, but that won't be for another two and a half years.
i miss the states!!

Ughh, my husband did this to me last night. He runs a restaurant and occasionally asks me to do cakes for him. Well last night, as I was walking out to go to the movies with friends, he asks me to make a 1/2 sheet cake for him. he told me that it was for an employees last day.

So I got back around 11 pm, made up the cake, made a batch of icing, and went to bed around 1 am. Way too late for me. My 2 year old is up at 6 am!

So I finshed it and tok it in, but I was still peeved!

Ah! Well, that's a relief... you would believe all the things you can think of the come from PCS. (Joking, by the way) Thank you for clearing that up for me, man was I confused!

I think a $5 last minute premium charge is more than fair, she would be charged a lot more at a bakery, if they would even do it at all!
What I absolutely hate is when someone was supposed to get back to you about a cake and then pulls this last minute stuff because they were "Just so busy". Of course everyone knows that cake decorators do not have lives or problems and are never ever too busy to be available at the last minute, haha! Grrh!
Hhmn, remind me again why we are doing this for peanuts? Oh yeah, we are nuts!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Calejo,

My family knows I'm doing cakes because I like doing them & also for the extra money. They will pay me if I ask but I usually just do it for them if they buy the ingredients. They will usually slip me at least $20. Now my Mom always pays for my cakes. She also says EVERYONE should pay, that it's a business enough said. (Gosh, I love my MOM) Our family reunion is in July... Hopefully Mom will tell everyone just that! I'm a lot like her.. outspoken

When I first started out I told everyone that the 1st cake they want is free. I also told them that if it is good & looks good & they want another one they will have to pay. Everyone said fine. I have a big family... that wasn't the brightest thing to do!! I still have a lot of family who hasn't order a cake yet... One day I'll have to do each person a free cake.

Sorry I didn't explain the PSCing to you. There's no telling what you're silly mind came up with. Just joking

i know this may be a dumb question, but i just have to ask, what does DH stand for??

Or Duncan Hines

Heehee Turtlelady, a lot of ladies seem to be involved in relationships with him! Remember the old commercials, "Springs right back". Hhmn!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

5$ is more than fair! I have an emergency cake clause in my contract and I charge anywhere from $10 - $20 depending on the situation for any cakes requested prior to 5 days notice.

Hey PureShugga!!!! Where in the world have you been? I've been missing you!

Squirrelly, you nasty squirrel you! Too funny!!!

Heehee Turtle, couldn't resist!
Yes, we miss our Shugga!
Hugs Squirrelly