We have an office manager who does our wedding consultations. She told me yesterday that her consultation was frustrating. She said the bride was texting with her Mom and taking photos of cakes from our albums and sending them to her Mom for most of the consultation. I said WHAT!!

I asked her if she asked them not to take photos of our photos. Our office manager said she didn't want to put the bride off. I understand her point of view, to a point. I told our office manager that no one should be taking photos of our cakes without asking. If they asked, I would say: we don't provide sketches without a deposit, so they cannot take photos without a deposit. It is a whole other thing if they get photos from our website and take them elsewhere. I can't prevent that. I can prevent the photography and disruption during the consultation time.

The sign I wrote said: Please silence or turn off cell phones during your consultation. Please do not take photos of cakes in our albums.
Simple and to the point, huh? Anyone else had a similar situation?

No, but I've heard of situations like that, which is why my www is really an online gallery so bride and mommy can look to their hearts content!

That is just plain rude! While I haven't had this in the cake arena, I've had many patients in the ER texting while I'm trying to get a history or better yet, examine them!!! I find this totally disrespectful and usually just tell them I'll be back when they're ready to talk and not text and leave the room. Yeah, it's been a bad week at work.....

This is kinda taking the topic on a slight detour but its another great example of the lack of manners and simple courtesy known and practiced by "the texting generation." Even my own husband got an earful from me one night when we went out to dinner. He remembered he forgot to ask our son something and began texting him while we waited for our food. I was served dinner, ate it, and was done while he was STILL texting! I pushed my empty plate to the side and said, "Are you ready to leave now? Because *I* am done eating! Gee, THANKS for spending time WITH me at dinner!" (His food was totally untouched!) He got the point and avoids texting when we are out together.

To me, its like saying, "You are totally boring and a waste of my time so I'm going to talk to someone else instead." Rude. Just rude.

AMEN!! Indydebi. Been there, done that and said that!!!

I totally agree with you. Cell phones need to be regulated. I don't think they should be allowed in schools either. They start so young w/ what seems not a lot of parental control. I am glad I am not paying all those texting, and extended phone bills.

One night at our church youth group, all the teens were sitting around two tables pushed together texting...they were texting each other! They could not talk with each other...it was totally silent...but they would look up at each other and laugh and go back to texting...so I think a sign or signs are a must to keep control of your business...these are the next brides coming up!

lutie, I see that a lot and its sad. I have decided to have a Girls Night Out every other month at my house. Just a time for us gals to hang out. Social time. I've named them "Champagne and Caviar Girls Night Out".

Another friend, who I had a class with, has a cooking party at her house every month where everyone brings a themed dish and shares recipes. (This month is "Pick Your Country" night.) both of us were thrilled to discover that the MAIN reason we are doing this is because people just don't know how to socialize anymore .... they sit at the same table and text, but they dont' actually get together and just socialize.

I fear we are raising a generation of introverts, who may think they are "popular" because they have 278 facebook friends or some other such "phony" status symbol.

*raises hand*

Okay I'm an introvert. LOL. Growing up through 6th grade I was the picked on kid in class with no friends. hahaha.

7th grade on up I was in a small private school where you were friends with everyone only because that's the only ones you had.....in college I had a few friends, and that's about it....

Then we moved here and I got REAL lonely...hardly anyone my age around to be friends with...actually still do not have a local shopping buddy to speak of...maybe someone once or twice per year. My family is long distance.

Sooooo yeah I love texting and being online. Its the social life I really don't have in "real life". I'm thankful for it.

Although I will agree that kids do not need cell phones in school and that parents are not teaching their kids common courtesy these days....people are used to it though. One time I was going through a check out line and my sister NEVER calls me and she did and I was just finishing up as I got to the line...and I felt awful and apologized to the cashier and then we ended the call. I apologized and said "I'm so sorry, she rarely calls so I had to finish up..." and they just shrug and say "No problem"...I guess they're used to it.... I try not to if at all possible.

okay.. had to say this..too funny and I am sure some of you will wet yourself.

been in hospital recently...try talking to your doctor about the surgeries he did while you were totally unware of ever having them done..so I wanted answers!! and his phone rings.. and he says..hold on. pulls it out starts talking, hangs up and says.. i have to text someone, back in a minute. 10 minutes later comes in and says "now where were we", to which I respond.."please tell me you werent texting during my surgery". he said he didnt (then started laughing) and apologized again for the interuption.

I am so tired of trying to grocery shop, when there's a woman in my way walking the pace of the snail and talking and laughing loudly on her cell phone. You try saying excuse me, so that you can get by but they are totally oblivious to everything.

My teenage daughter is not allowed to even take her phone out of her purse when we are out together. She tried it once and I got so mad that I told her that I was going to throw it out of the window and run it over with my car. She is also not allowed to use it when visiting grandparents.

Hats off to you for your discipline of your daughter and her cell phone. I hope she sets an example for other young people. I hope the sign that was posted helps also.

kita, I know this may be a little hard to believe, but I was a teenage introvert myself. High-school-wall-hugger!! today, you can't PRY me off of a stage and you'll have to work to pry that microphone out of my cold dead fingers, so there's still hope for you!!!

My husband is a doctor and when he takes a call or texts while with a patient, it is either to a patient who needs immediate attention or a consult with another doctor about a patient that needs immediate attention.

Manners went out the door when cell phones became a primary mode of communication. I was always taught not to interrupt someone when they are talking. So when I had my coffee shop/cafe, we had a frequent customer come in to pick up an order. She was busy chatting away on her cell phone, so my employees were trying to be polite and wait until she was finished to ring up her order and give it to her. All of a sudden, she got "pissed of" and stormed out of there stating no one was paying any attention to her (and she was still on her cell phone!!) Wrong - they knew she was there - just trying to be polite and wait til she was finished. I have noticed a lot of business with counter service now have a sign asking customers not to use their cell phone while at the counter.

I also find it embarassing for someone to be in a public place having a very graphic discussion on the cell phone about what they did the night before - loud enough for everyone to hear!!

Hubby's workspace in the car dealership used to be right next to the car rental people. He luv'd it one day when the car rental agent, who was patiently waiting for the customer to get off of the phone, said to the customer .... who, by the way, was furiously waving for her to "hurry up so I can sign this!" ...... she said to him, "Sir, you're about to sign a legally binding contract on a $40,000 car. Wouldn't you like to know WHAT it is you're signing?" He hung up.

I agree there are certain times you need to refrain from texting and cell phone use. But I actually prefer texting to talking on phone. Running joke around my house is my 17 year old averages 20,000 texts a month, thank goodness i have unlimited texting.

and on the topic of manners and cell phones, I read an article that said people have begun thinking that calling to say "i'm on my way" is the same as being there. Restaurants have refused to seat parties until ALL party members have actually arrived. they dont' care that Billy Bob "called" to say he's on his way. He's late, and everyone will WAIT until he gets there. In the meantime, the party runs the risk of losing their table.

Because what WAS happening was the restaurant was seating a partial party, who then sat and sat and sat, watiing for Billy Bob to get there before they ordered, which increased the turn-time for the table for the restaurant, which decreased the restaurant's income. So restaurants reverted back to "the good old days" of making people be on time or pay the penalties.

Hubby also used to get calls from people who would tell a dealership "don't close! I'm 10 minutes away!" Hubby would tell them, "well we close in five." Dealership's attitude is "the caller doesn't TELL us when we can or can't close. The caller isn't the one paying overtime." Hubby took it one step further. the caller isn't the one who would be paying the overtime AND the penalty fee because he was late picking up our daughter from daycare!

they think calling to say "I'm coming!" is NOT late. And I view being late as the ulitmate act of rudeness.

I think it is terribly rude to think a person can talk and text and send pics via phone especially at a meeting/consultation without the permission of the decorater/caterer etc...You just don't do that...I can't undertand how this genration has come to think they are entiltled to everything....and I mean everything.It blows my mind....

OK...so we all know the social reasons why we must adjust our cake businesses...putting a sign stating that cell phones/cameras are not allowed as each cake is 'proprietary' and designed for each person unless paid for in advance. That should stop some, but there is the one who will try to 'sneak a peek' to someone...