I'm just wondering if ya'll box your stacked cakes when the customer wants to P/U the cake themselves ? It would seem that you/they could potentially make a big mess of the cake if you do so..plus how do you find a box that is high enough to cover the whole thing? I myself would prefer to leave it unboxed but i guess i'm just curious what ya'll do?

I would never ever not ever send a cake out of my store unboxed. Talk about unhygienic! And not to mention... how are they supposed to carry it?

I had boxes made to my specifications, and when they order a tiered cake I always add the cost onto the final quote (I 'bake it in', if you get what I mean).

I usually do box them but I live the cake uncovered. I tell them to cut the side open instead of lifting the cake out of the top.

i keep various sizes of boxes in my studio for transportation. when i need one, i select one that is the right width and depth, and is at least 6" taller than the cake., (including the flaps...i never put the flaps down, cause people like to keep checking on the cake while enroute to make sure it's still ok) cut two of the corners all the way down to make a flap that you can lay down...this way you can just slide the cake straight from the countertop into the box, and then when it arrives at the location, straight out of the box onto the surface. make sure to have a piece of nonstick foam between the cardboard and cake board to keep it from shifting. put the cake in, lift the flap up, tape, and pray!!

chutzpha...I can see what you mean about boxing it to keep things off of it..good point...but where in the world do you find boxes the size you need?

The deepest box i can find is 6" high.

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I special-order the sizes I need. They are sturdy.... they are made from food-safe corrugated cardboard, and not cheap. I do pass that cost on to the customer, though.

Normally I'd love to, but I live overseas so I'm not sure it would help much!

Check with different box manufacturers.

yes i box too, but i will take the lid and secure it in a tilted position using the side flaps taped down to the sides, so it sits 1 - 2" off the top of the cake. making sure i tape it well, then i have clear cello that i use to cover the opening. I have a label warning of the transportion problems that can occur if they are careless and that i am not responsible for any damage that occurs once it leaves my kitchen.

I use the file storage boxes from office supply stores that are nice and have holes for your hands to carry it. Need bigger? I buy moving boxes at WalMart; they are 15 X 15 X 16, very sturdy for about $3 each, and if I need even bigger, Home Depot has some that are 20 X 20 X 20 (or app) for about $4 each.... All work great and really pretty cheap. Load the larger boxes from the side, much easier... hth

I use shipping boxes if I have to...They have them at office supply stores. I tape them shut then slide the cake in so that the open ends are on the side, not the top and the bottom.

But I would generally NOT let someone pick up a tiered cake, because you know they'll do something stupid to it and then call in a panic expecting you to fix it.

I box all my cakes as well. I found great cake boxes for tiered cakes on Decopacs website. Once put together you put the cake into a custome piece of cardboard then slide that into box. The side of the box lowers so you can open and close the side, it also comes with a removable lid. The are about 12 bucks a box but you can just "add" it to the price of the cake.

I use this when I deliver cakes also, usually the client doesnt want the box, so I can take it with me.

HTH

Sweetcravings---I'd let her see the cake and watch her reaction. If she looks panicked, tell her that you could take it but you'd have to charge a delivery fee. Most people pick cakes up to avoid that fee, but they don't realize that you charge to deliver not only to get the cake there, but to make sure it gets there in one piece! Whoever picks it up might be totally comfortable with it, you never know.

I personally wouldn't offer to take it if they didn't want to pay me to do it in the first place. That would essentially be giving her a discount to reward her poor planning and cheaping out on paying you in the first place!

However, I also wouldn't let the person picking the cake up to leave with it if they show up in a sedan and expect to put it on the backseat. If they don't have a good spot for it in the car, tell them that they'll have to get someone else to come get it in an appropriate vehicle (a minivan with seats that fold down, an SUV, or even a car with enough room on the floor to put it level), or they'll be responsible for any damage and you won't be able to fix anything if it happens. When I let people pick things up it's usually just flat sheet cakes, single tiered rounds, or the occasional smaller tiered cake. I carry it out to the car myself, say that I'm responsible for it until they drive away, and make sure it's put in there securely and FLAT. I also always ask them if they're planning on going directly to the reception,etc, and if they say no I tell them not to leave the cake in the car if it's going to be hot.

costumeczar..what do you charge to deliver?
I like your suggestion. You know i spoke with this women on Thursday and asked if she wanted it delivered and she said..."Nooooo". My husband said to her, "how are you gonna get it there?" She said, "i'll carry it"...my husband said, "i dunno, it's pretty heavy etc.." She said, "it'll be ok".
BUT now she is having a family member pick it up. My husband seems to think they have a really small vehicle.
I think i'll do as you say..see how she reacts, evaluate her mode of transport, if not acceptable advise other p/u vehicle, if not i'm not responsible.

I charge based on the distance and how long it's going to take me to set it up. If you have the cake in one piece you could just charge for the time it would take you to get there and back, plus a fuel charge!

Well, the women came this morning alone .to pick up the cakes .i guess she decided not to send family.

She brought a pickup.;o0 Yikes
She wanted to put the cake on the backseat which was heavily slanted. I told her absolutely not..so she decided she wanted it in the back of her truck, it had the tarp over it..She had a peice of cardboard down which was moving about..yikes agian!! I gave her some non skid matting to put beaneath it and I tried to center it in the middle as best possible, it seemed pretty stable. I just dunno how good the cake will travel back there. My husband has a pickup and the ride isn't all that smooth, especially over bumps. I told her to drive very carefully..and good luck. I wasn't gonna offer to drive it for her again..since i already offerred it days ago and she declined. She didn't seem all that concerned so i wasn't either. Oh how i wish everyone owned a mini van for this very reason. It's hard letting your 'baby' go after working so hard on it...and you just hope people respect the cake...back of pickup..not my idea of respect. oh well i got paid.

I hope it all worked out for you. How big was the cake? I have in my contract that ALL cakes over 2 tiers are delivery only with a fee. I don't even give them the option of picking it up. I learned this the hard way, many times in fact. Years ago I didn't have this policy and I had too many people calling me that the cake was damaged on their way home.

I'm sure I read on here somewhere that someone charges $50 or $100 an hour if they are called to repair a cake that was damaged during transport by the customer.

When people decide they'll save money by picking up the cake their own selves, why, I whip out that waiver and see that they sign on the dotted line. I make sure they know that they assume FULL responsibility for the cake from the moment it leaves my countertop.