I'm not sure if you understood exactly where I was coming from on this, I can price out cakes accurately I just plucked a price out of the air that I knew would make the mother and her bratty daughter leave.  I did not want them as my customers there were red flags everywhere, this was my way of making them go away and be someone else's problem.  I don't think my words conveyed exactly how obnoxious they were.

AI think that you did exactly the right thing to that horrible woman and her daughter. I hope you check for her on CakeWrecks in the future.....you made my day, I feel so good just thinking about the look on her face. If she comes back, send her to me....I think my price for that cake would be over a grand! Seriously massive PITA fee on her back.....

I would be hopeless in business because I would not have even given her a price. I would have told her to control her daughter or leave.

I wouldn't have touched that  cake for less than $400-500!

AI had a customer contact me three weeks ago for a cake on June 6. I was out if town and told her call me on Tuesday. Never called following week emails she says I wanted to let you get settled in. When can I call? Me: call me today. Nothing. Anot her week passes which is this Monday. Can I still order? Yes call me tonight between 5-9. Never heard from her. Today she calls while I'm driving. I ask her to please call me at 12 when ill be stopped nothing yet.

It's for a wedding! Sheesh

AI would give her a dead line. If not ordered by such n such date I can not make it. Some things need to be ordered and won't be I in time if she doesn't order soon.

What NOT to say to a baker:  In large type at the top of my consultation form it reads:  Please do not bring children with you to the consultation.  They don't like to sit still.  If a babysitter can't be found, we can rebook the appointment.  So in walks a woman with false eyelashes so thick I kept thinking of big black caterpillars and  couldn't look her in the eyes.  She had three children with her under 5 and said the sitter bailed.  The kids screamed, ran around and got into places I didn't want anyone to be, wrote with crayons on my den floor, threw tantrums and totally trashed my house.....................finally after a half hour, I escorted them out the door and said that I just couldn't concentrate.  I feel violated, she will not be getting a wedding cake from me.  Oh and the final insult was that they're moving soon, which will severely affect their wedding budget, says the bride...........................good bye.................here's a hint................elope.

Funny story, I had a bride last year who was super nice- great to work with and pleased with my ideas and the final result. I always make an anniversary cake for the couple to take home and freeze. I don't want to make another one the year later. She knew this, as it is something we discuss at her tasting and it is in the contract.

BUT she wrote me ON HER ANNIVERSARY wondering when I was going to ship her cake to her and to let me know she had a new address. UMMMMM there are so many things wrong with that story I can't even begin.

I told her that I made her cake on her wedding day, that it was labeled, blah blah. She never saw it, it disappeared (which is plausible). I offered to make her another one if she gave me some notice. She gets all huffy about price (I was not going to charge her but at this point I hadn't said that) and then tells me how disappointed she was that she didn't have a cake ON her anniversary (that had come and gone) and was really sad I didn't ship her one.

Really. REALLY??? Some people. So I offer her a free one and I've heard crickets. Who expects shipped cake to an address that is no longer theirs???? And I bet she thought the post office would forward it?? CAKE????? SMH.

A[@]DeniseNH[/@]....unbelievable! I mean, I believe you, but dang! You put up with it longer than I would have, kudos to you. [@]jenmat[/@]...what the what?! What?!?! Omg.

It really was a nightmare and I know she'll be contacting me soon asking why I haven't gotten back to her.  I've practiced what I'm going to say.  "It's too early - you haven't booked your venue yet so you don't have a date, and you want "bling" while the father of your children insists his heart is set on a birch bark design.  My husband just kept laughing after they left because he just couldn't believe it................... I took two Advil.  Sheesh!

AUgh...you're booked!

And I prescribe two large gins and tonic instead of the Advil.

Someone called me yesterday for a " last minute birthday cake" for her 3-year-old. I am going out of town tonight and I already had a cake on the books, but I told her that if it was simple I could squeeze her in. 

She says she just wants, "a simple two-tiered cake."  

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA

I said that a two tiered cake was actually two cakes, and I wouldn't be able to squeeze her in. 

So we settled on a cake and simple design. She orders a chocolate cake with buttercream ruffles. 

Then she tells me to go light on the ingredients because she doesn't want her daughter eat "too much bad stuff"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA

I simply told here that I have no idea how to do that. That my cakes were definitely not diet food. 

She ordered anyway.

I'm quite chuffed. I stood up to a customer and she still made the purchase. 

A

UGH!!! I hate that question!!! Like...it's basically butter and sugar! Sure there are some variants like Swiss meringue but seriously...butter. Sugar. What do you want from me??

I do that too - less sweet cakes and smbc which is less sweet anyway. It's the one comment I hear over and over - especially at wedding fairs when people have tried a few cakes - that they much prefer it when it's not tooth-achingly sweet.

I had one a couple days ago. She contacted me on Facebook and asked if I could do a cake for the 21st (a little over a week away) I told her that I could fit something in and asked what she wanted. She said that she saw the cake in my gallery that was shaped like Mario busting through bricks and the 24 cupcakes surrounding it with little fondant Mario icons (gumba, mushroom, turtle shell, etc.) and asked how much I would charge. I'm already wincing because that is a lot of little fondant work to do for the cupcakes, not to mention at least a 4 hour decorating job on the cake itself. I quoted $130 and didn't hear back for several hours. I thought that my price offended her (okay by me) and she would seek her cake elsewhere but she messaged me back later that evening saying that she knows I am very creative and can come up with something really fabulous but she really only wants to spend about half of what I quoted to serve 50 people.  I told her that for $65 I can do a cake shaped like Mario's head...flat on the board.  She said she would "let her friend know and get back to me". I'm sorry, but if you are going to quote my price, I am going to limit your options, especially on short notice.  She has yet to "get back with me". No deposit, no order.

The less-sweet question never bothered me, it's market perception. They want a cake that isn't cloying, like those supermarket cakes that can give you hiccups if you eat them too fast. SMBC is my "oh, yes, we certainly have a less sweet, very delicate buttercream, I think it's the perfect match for a XXX cake" option. Customers know what they want, but don't know what to ask for. Whenever I hear less-sweet, I know exactly what they mean and I'm happy they clarified.

What I'm not fond of is what I recently got, "We were going to go to wal-mart, but we figured we'd check with you first." That one hurts, almost as much as finding out about an undercutter stealing money from my family.

I think that most people do not have any idea of the recipe cost of a cake let alone the time to make and decorate it.  I didn't realize it myself until I invested in some software that was really an eye opener. One thing that has stayed with me from articles and posts I have read-- I am going to price cakes according to the cost of the cake and a reasonable charge for my design and labor for decorating the cake.  I am not going to be known as the "cheap cake lady" and spend hours of my life decorating cakes practically for free.  I'd rather be less busy and make what I'm worth than stressed and rushed for practically nothing.  And fellow cake bakers will appreciate it too-- we should not be undercutting each other.   Hang in there.  If they want a Costco/Walmart cake, they can go there.

I had a new one today, a client called for a 3 tier cake for her sons birthday. I asked her how many people the cake was for and she said 8-10 kids. I told her it's too much cake but if she really wants the 3 tier look I could make 2 of the tiers dummies. She was really happy about it so I told her I'd get back to her about the price. I worked out everything & messaged her the price. She messages me back absolutely incredulous at the price, she just can't understand why it's not the same price as the 6 inch cake she ordered for her daughters birthday.

Well, you could always calculate the surface area.

People are truly amazing.  A client called and wanted a birthday cake (3 days notice)-- carrot cake for 12 people.  So I quoted her a price for an 8" round 4 layer cake with cream cheese filling/icing.  She called me back and said she didn't like the price because she was only really having 8 people.  Wanted to know if she could pay by serving.  Sure-- I'll be happy to cut a huge wedge out of that cake for ya!

AWhat is wrong with people? Really? LOL

A

Of course you can pay by serving. See that price I just quoted you? Take that, divide it by 8, and there you go :-D