let me say she's not a close friend, but we volunteer together so i see her once a week.

she wants to order a cake or cupcakes for xmas, but only needs to feed 6 people. with all the effort that goes into the cakes (more so for me b/c i'm slow and i nit-pick), i feel like it wouldn't be worth it for me.

i feel bad charging like $6-$7 a slice b/c she wants something basic, but i know how much effort i put in...and i really wouldn't want to take less than $40.

what do you think? how do i put it nicely, have her understand, and not feel uncomfortable seeing her every week??!!

any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

thanks

wow thats a tough one. you could say that you have already met your quota for orders during the holidays?

or maybe tell her how much the cake or cupcakes will cost and that might discourage her from ordering.

you dont want to have any odd vibes with her if you see her every week.
btw- looked at your pics.....you do very nice work. i can see why she would want to order from you!

telling her i have too many orders already would be a great idea...if we hadn't talked about the flavors, the transport, etc. i gave her estimated pricing for cupcakes and said cakes depend on the design, etc. THEN i found out it's only for 6...

i feel bad discouraging her b/c i really always give people i know a really good price (and have been realizing lately TOO good of a price...) so that actually might make me feel funny if she declines...ugh! i guess that's my only option at this point...unless i want to make $3/hr...lol

thanks very much for the compliments

"I'm sorry, but my minimum order is for $XXXX. It's not worth it for me to light the oven for less."

cutthecake - that's what i was trying to avoid saying! lol...but i do need to do what is logical so...i guess i will name a price and give her the option.

Exactely what Cutthecake said.

You have to have a min order -

LOL - Someone phoned me and asked for 4 cupcakes as she was having a friend over for afternoon tea.
Thats very nice i mentioned - but my min order is one dozen.
What do you want me to do with the rest - she asked.

I have no idea - but what would you like me to do with the rest of them?

Fair enough i could make them and freeze them - but i refuse to get into that pattten - its is just not worth my time...and i am not filling up my freezer space with bits and pieces.

You would not sound mean or nasty if you explain that your min order is one dozen - its standard practise.



Ohhh, the lady ended up ordering one dozen - it was either that or nothing.

Bluehue.

I agree with all the comments about a minimum order. It is usual to have this and not unreasonable at all.

You need to make decisions about how you want to run your business whether it is huge or suits you to make a few cakes a month.

You have to set the boundaries for what you are prepared to do and then stick with it. Thats not to say that you will be totally inflexible but you have to have some ground rules.

If you do orders that you didn't really want to or feel you were pressured into you will not give it your best.

Hope it wll works out
Amanda

I too instituted a minimum price for orders. I got tired of all these small orders. Now no one has even balked when I tell them. That is your best out with her.

Bluehue's cupcake post is along the lines of my feelings. If it means you going to waste money on left over product why shouldn't you sent a min to keep that from happening and to make it worth your time.

Just be honest with her. "The smallest cake I bake is XYZ which serves LMN and it will cost ABC."

Then the ball is in her court. She can decide if she wants that cake for that price or not.

If you are totally not interested in doing the cake, even if she wants to pay your price, then just tell her that. "I'm sorry but I just don't have time for a cake order right now."

I just posted on facebook, for all my friends to see, that the only goodies I will be baking from now till mid january 2010 is exclusively for family. I've had a couple of friends send out feelers for cake for the end of the year. (Paid orders, of course). I don't accept business orders from Dec 16-Jan 15 but I guess that since they're close friends they're hoping I can accommodate them anyway. Well I can't. I need a break too.

If my posting doesn't head off any requests or orders, I will simply say, "sorry, can't do it."

Edited for clarity

The only way I'd do it is if I had an extra round of cake in the freezer, or was already making cupcakes for something else.

Otherwise I'd just say "The smallest cake I make serves 12-15" (or whatever) and then charge your minimum price.

However once in awhile if its someone I know, I will go out of my way to do something stupid like that if I don't feel like saying "no".

See this is why men go nuts. Hmmmmmm HOW ABOUT THE TRUTH. If your going to lie to her about it then who the heck cares whether, or not she's offended.

Mike

I'm not a man, but I agree with Mike. Just tell her that it's not worth it to you in terms of your profit/time/energy to do an order that small. Then maybe institute a minimum size for future orders.

thank you all for your feedback! well i sent her an email that went like this:

"...I was also thinking about pricing for such a small cake. I don't think I've done such a small one before and I'm not sure how to price it! As I said, I always give people I know a good price but for something this small it's really difficult to do that. Something basic would be about $3-$4/slice but for 6 people that's only $24 which, I hate to say it, really wouldn't be enough for the amount of work involved. Please know that I am very flattered and appreciative that you thought of me to do this cake for you, and I would really like to make something that you love. That being said, if you would still like me to make a cake for you for 6 people it would be $40. I realize this might be more than you were looking to spend, and please feel no obligation to place the order.

And for cupcakes, it's hard to just make 6...I could do a dozen for $35.

Let me say again that I am very appreciative that you want to order from me and please don't feel any obligation.

I'm attaching some ideas, let me know what you decide."

She didn't respond to my email, but I saw her tonight and asked her if she got it. She said she did and that she was going to decline and that maybe she would keep me in mind for her husband's birthday (or something to that effect). I think she said his bday was in April or May, so I guess we'll see!

I don't know, I think the numbers part was okay, but it was a little apologetic for me. It apparently got the message across, though, and since it's a friend the tone seemed to work fine.

I'm glad you stood up for youself and your time involved. Next time though, keep it short and simple. You do not have to explain how or why you came to the price. The price is your price, that is it. When you start explaining things out, people will often pick up on that and think you aren't comfortable with your prices and try to talk you down.

You stated in the email your cakes go for $3 to $4 a serving, but if she takes this statement "That being said, if you would still like me to make a cake for you for 6 people it would be $40" and does some simple math she can figure out that you are charging her $6.67 a serving, almost double your other prices.

What cake pan makes only 6 servings? A 6in round makes 12 servings of cake. I would have said, "the smallest cake I can make is a 6in round that serves 12 people and the price for it is $36 (using the x3 or $48 using the x4). If you are still interested in me doing the cake I need the following information no later than..." Then ask what flavor, design or what other information you need from her.

Again you don't need to give her an explaination on how you came to the price. But by using the serving size for the pan, even if she needs less servings, you keep the numbers in line.

You may give your friends and family a "good deal" but I would have balked at paying $40 for only 6 sevings myself, and I even understand what a hassle that small of a cake woudl be.