Okay. I have an order for a wedding cake for 150 people. The cake includes double layers of 16", 12", 8" and a keepsake 6"... 4 tiers in fondant with French BC and fresh strawberry preserves for the filling (groom is allergic to the jelly stuff in regular preserves), decorated with fondant swags and blue ribbon roses. I told her I would charge her $250 for everything. Is that too much?! Around here stuff like that starts at $400!! So I sent over a sample cake (free) to see what it was gonna look like. She liked it and so did the family but her friends said it tasted like rubber!!! Now she's calling me back asking if I can do the same design in regular BC. I nicely said "sure" and gave her a new price of $250. "$250!?" she said. "I'll have to think about it," she says and will give me a call by tomarrow. Am I charging too much or is she being cheap? Someone help me out please!
Cheap...she is being cheap...IMO...If she liked the cake why does she care what her friends think..And is she asking for another free sample cake.
Just curious...the first price you mentioned is $250 and then after the bride wanted the change it is still $250. Was there to be an increase after the requested change?
If you do charge $250, that is ONLY 1.67 per person!! That is really cheap and a great deal for the bride. Don't be ashamed to stick to your guns if that is a price you feel is fair. You know the work that is involved, more than likely she doesn't.
Just my humble opinion...whatever that is worth! 
Good luck!
Ummm, she's being VERY CHEAP!! Stick to your guns. You are already giving her a break at that price if a similar cake would run her $400. I'm doing a cake with the same servings and no keepsake for $350 and that is on the low side too. You are cutting her A DEAL!! If she wants cheap let her go else where. Just curious, is $250 the original price you told her? If not then maybe she was just surprised at an increase. Either way she's getting a bargain. [/i]
No, that is not too much! She is getting a great bargain. I have gotten to the point of just letting some brides go because I knew they were going to be a problem. These cakes take lots of time and effort. I have "given" too much away before and it just is not worth it. It always comes back to bite me. You do great work and she needs to pay you accordingly or she should just go to Wal-Mart. 
She is being very cheap.. Rememeber all the time you put in to it..
She even WORKS there???!!!
Then she already knows how cheap and crappy their cakes are, and she wants to get one of your most excellent creations for the same price.
As my husband would say, "Too bad, so sad. Isn't gonna' happen."
Dump her. She's trouble.
16-$100
12-$50
8-$25
6-$15
preserves -$30
BC-$20
fondant decorations?-$30
Not including your time, here's about what I would work the price out to:
$270
Personally, for a job like that (including the free cake you gave away, I would have told her $350 FIRM)
It takes a lot to hold firm and not want to underprice yourself. I am slowly learning not to do that. But when you see it all on paper, I think it makes things look more realistic.
Tell her your price is not negotiable, she is getting a deal as is. Be firm! Raise your prices. Make a price list and stick to it. It helps.
For what she's looking to spend, she should get it at Walmart, if she gets an employee discount, then she should take advantage of it.
I START my BC wedding cakes at $2/slice.
That is for something simple. Fondant STARTS at $3/slice.
I have a tentative wedding for September. A 6", 9" and 12" fondant covered whimsical (although I should charge more for the whimsy part...) for $260. Including $50 for delivery/set-up.
It's a pretty simple design, just random stars and swirls and dots and stuff. The main issue is the style.
I would refer her to Wal-Mart. You're seriously undercharging her as it is, and on top of that, she is EL CHEAPO!!!
"EL CHEAPO," that's too funny! LOL! Well, it's 1:30 over here and I still have not heard from her. She's probably realising that it's either Wal-Mart or me and I know she doesn't want Wal-Mart. I should raise my prices though. The only other place you can get a cake the way you want it is by ordering from a bakery (the only one withing a 100 mile radius of here) in Roswell. They are the ones that start fondant WC at $400. Heck even if I charge $300 it'd still be a deal! Tempting. I keep everyone posted on what her choice is as far as who she's gonna go with for the cake.
You gave her a really great price on the cake. I would advise her to do a little comparison shopping (other than walmart) if she thinks that your prices are so steep. I think that if she went to any other bakery and asked for the same thing for less than what you charge....They would laugh at her.
I would say DUMP HER !!! $250.00 or the highway !! 
Okay. Here it is 5 days later and I just got a hold of the bride. She told me she had JUST gotten off of the phone with her fiance and that he said, "It's just too much. For that price we can do it our selves." What is these people's problem. If they don't want me to do it fine but they don't have to be nasty about it! First they said my fondant tasted like rubber and then they said they'd rather do it themselves!? I guess I should consider myself lucky that I don't have to deal with them anymore. No to figure out what the heck I'm gonna do with 11 boxes of white cake mix, 20lbs. of powdered sugar and 10 lbs of butter along with the marshmellows I bought for the fondant. Next time I'm sooo asking for a non-refundable deposit on wedding cakes.
Most of the stuff will keep for a little while. I would use them them on something else. You'll get rid of everything before it goes bad.
Maybe once they figure out they can't do that kind of cake "themselves" they'll come back - not that you want them to... you'd think w/ Food Network on all the time people would understand how much work goes into these kinds of things........ I guess they just don't watch.........
I would suggest you don't buy the ingredients until you aqctually have the order. So many people these days think that they are 'entitled' to lower prices because we work out of our homes. Would they expect a lawyer to bill them less just because he or she works out of a home office? I don't think so!
Be glad she isn't using you! Let her get a crappy Wal MArt cake, or better yet, do it herslf! I had a lady tell me the other day at the park that anyone can slap some fondant on a cake and make it look professional! I said go for it, and send me a picture of your cake!
Yeah, you're good to be rid of her. If she did go with you, she would be a constant problem, I'm sure. You don't need that hassle.
Those ingredients will keep. No worries, just do those beautiful birthday cakes for those wonderful people who appreciate you.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%