Im rather new at cake decorating but am enjoying it a lot. Although I haven't been doing them for long most of them have been for other people (mostly ones people have bought from me) the only thing is people dont seem to realise how much effort goes in and how much the ingredients are, I guess I mean the people at work. I've always brought sweet things into the office. But now Im doing the decorating thing they want me to bring them in not caring how much it costs me. And now they are being pushy. Somone who hasnt really spoken to me in the office asked me to make a cake for her last day in the office. Im not very good at saying no and this has really annoyed me as I now have 3 cakes due in the same week (2 to paying customers) and I work full time. I only charge £20- £25 for my basic cakes but that covers ingredients and SOME of my time but this is a lot for me to be out of pocket to make a cake for someone who has never bothered to have a conversation with me. What do I do?
Gotta second the frankness of Chutzpah--she is right!
I think it was Indydebi's remark that has stuck with me.
Tell them you will bring a cake in any time when they pay for it.
If you don't have the stuff to tell them where they and their cake-demanding ways can go, just say "sure, I'd love to make you a cake. That will be XX dollars." Then watch them stare in shock as you walk off.
Don't fold to people like this.
Well, what do they usually do for someone leaving? Do they buy a cake from a bakery and everyone pitches in?
If you have never spoken to her AND she is leaving, you don't really have an obligation to please her. I would just tell her the next time you see her that you are now booked with paying orders that week, and unfortunately you can no longer *donate* her going away cake... Good luck, it's hard to learn to say no....
Sorry Chutzpa I don't mean to aggrivate. They don't usually do much when someone leaves take a collection and that is about it. I made a cake for a colleague leaving a few months ago but he was a good friend still is a good friend actually. It just annoys me that they expect it, grr. They want cake but wont contribute they can just forget it. I cant afford to that for everyone that leaves. Unless they want to buy them then I will try to accomodate. However if I want people to keep ordering cakes I have to make sure that the paying customers get the best I can do as most of the work I have had has been via word of mouth and people seeing my cakes and wanting one themselves. Thankyou for helping me get up the nerve to have a spine.
Usually, there is one person in each office who seems to be the organizer of these types of things. Tell that person, and I assure you that word will get around. You need to have on the tip of your tongue at all times "How much do you want to spend on this cake?" and that will let them know for sure it's not free!
I would sometimes take cookie overbakes into work at the end of the week. Like you, people started to expect them and were letting me know which cookies they wanted me to bring in.
The line I began using was: "My oven time is now at a premium. If you want on the baking schedule, place your order now with a deposit check and I'll let you know my first available open slot and put you in line."
It worked. People were placing cookie orders 4 weeks in advance! And these were just the simple little choc chip & snickerdoodle type cookies.
When I was first getting started, I worked in a bldg of 300+ women, so we had LOTS of baby/wedding showers, retirements, and pitch-in's for no reason. Same thing .... I'm spending a lot of time making a cake while others are bringing in a bag of chips. So when I hear people talking about "I've no idea what to bring", I'd tell them to contribute some money toward the cake and "we" would bring in the cake. I'd get 3-4 or more people doing that, who were MORE than happy to just hand me some money as their contribution. My supplies were bought and sometimes I came out ahead money wise.
Sorry Chutzpa I don't mean to aggrivate. They don't usually do much when someone leaves take a collection and that is about it. I made a cake for a colleague leaving a few months ago but he was a good friend still is a good friend actually. It just annoys me that they expect it, grr. They want cake but wont contribute they can just forget it. I cant afford to that for everyone that leaves. Unless they want to buy them then I will try to accomodate. However if I want people to keep ordering cakes I have to make sure that the paying customers get the best I can do as most of the work I have had has been via word of mouth and people seeing my cakes and wanting one themselves. Thankyou for helping me get up the nerve to have a spine.
I hear ya on this one! I made a cake for my friend/coworkers bday (the frog one on my album) well another friend/coworker is leaving wednesday and yes i did say i'd make one but that was when we were doing a pot luck. well then the pot luck wasn't going to happen and people were still looking at me to do the cake... EXCUSE ME??? i said "i see this is going to snowball on me" and one of the girls told me to just give the office manager a reciept. i thought... good idea, and if they don't want my cakes (which they profess to be soooooooooooooooooooooooo good) they can carry their happy tail to walmart and buy a gross tasting one. and then i'll just pick and choose the cakes i make for my FRIENDS! 
BE STRONG or they'll walk on you like a rug!
Hannahlass, I was in the same boat...when I started out I use to bring in things for the office and this one chick in particular who I really didn't care for, she told someone in the office that she didn't like me & never said more than 2 words to me...I mean if I go out of my way to speak she would just look at me. But once someone snuck her a taste of my banana pudding and she was hooked, she starting coming into our section of the office just to ask if I made any banana pudding. So she'd be asking me when I was going to make more and can I bring her a sample 
Are u kidding me...I told her that I don't give away my sweets for free and if she wanted a sample of banana pudding then she'd have to pay The nerve of some people 
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