I have a consult tonight for a bride that thinks I should give HER a discount because SHE is on a budget!!!

She really wants a 3 tier but only wants to spend $250.00. She asked several times if I could meet that price.......I ignored her question and offered other options.

What gets me, is that in the conversation she talked about hiring a local high school band to play at her wedding........... for a donation of 800.00.!!!! The strings section will play at the tables during dinner.
Get it..???? Dinner??!?! She would be serving dinner also. She's pushing me for a 60.00 discount because she is serving dinner with music.

We'll see how it goes tonight. I'm not one for giving any discount.

If she is on a budget, she needs to order cake to be within that budget. no discounts to apply.

Completely agree with JoAnnB - she needs to adjust her order to fit her budget of $250. It is not up to you to give her a discount on a larger cake to meet HER budget of $250.

OK, and why in the world does serving dinner with MUSIC have any ANYTHING AT ALL to do with expecting to receive a discount on the cake?? What is that all about!?!?!?!? She's crazy. You sure you want to even work with her?

"I'll gladly meet your budget of $250. Now, how are you going to tell the other $60 of guests that they aren't getting any cake for dessert because you didn't order enough?"

Otherwise, "Sure, you can have your cake for $250 to serve the 83 guests, this is what IT IS going to look like"...

Of course, presented in such a way that you appear

The conversation would start out like. Oh sure are there any other ways I can break my fricken butt to please you?

Mike

There was an article in our local paper this SUnday on weddings on a budget. One of the suggestions was to get your cake at Target or Walmart.

I can scan it for you and you can give it to the bride and say "this might be a good idea for your budget wedding...."



(I cannot IMAGE getting your wedding cake at Target!!!)

I would tell her if she wanted a 3 tier cake and budget was tight maybe the marching band should play a few less songs or she should lose a tier

You charge your regular amount. If she has a budget then she needs to get a cake in her budget.

I'd love to go to a Lexus dealer to get a 2008 Lexus but I'm on a Ford Focus budget. Not gonna happen

Tell her to kick gravel & travel . If she cannot afford the cake she wants she either needs to decide on a cake she can afford or lose the band & pay what you are asking. The nerve of some people. Champagne dreams on a twist top budget. Think long and hard about if you really want her business I would hate to read later that you ended up making her cake & then there's a problem ie.... it wasn't what they wanted & they don't want to pay or want a refund or something. I'm a newbie to CC but from what I've read here about what can go wrong after the cake is delivered & eaten, when I get a 1st wedding cake job I might consult an attorney before hand. Just a little CYA

gezzz you'd think we were selling cars the way people try to haggle on cake prices.

Just because that is her budget it doesn't mean that she's entitled to any kind of a discount from you ... it's her budget, not yours. Your suppliers won't give YOU a discount because she's got a $250 budget. If she can't get what she wants from you on her budget, than she needs to either adjust what she wants or where she gets it ... Hello, WalMart!

maybe she could donate less to the marching band aren't donations just that and you choose how much you will pay or donate?

and kindly remind her that the marching band might cause your cake to fall. I marched in HS and I know bands can be loud....

I agree that you should answer he discount question by saying you don't offer budget discounts. Simply say something to the nature of offering a repeat customer discount or a military discount.

ROFLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeahrightsure

Good luck with her!

I can totally understand your frustration! I have a bride that would like cupcakes for her wedding (again with the idea that cupcakes are cheaper) Anyway, she is a referral from an amazing customer and a hall that I've been trying to get into is her reception venue, so I lowered my price to "her budget" for my benefit! Then, she decides she would like 2 mini cupcakes at everyone's place setting! I emailed her back saying she wouldn't even be able to afford the boxes they go in! I can't wait for this wedding to be over!

Personally, I wouldn't have ignored her question either. I let people know my prices up front. They are what they are & if I'm not in your price range, there are plenty of cheaper decorators around. Of course in many cases, you get what you pay for. Why waste your time? Not worth it.

yeah, wouldn't have ignored it either. And did she say for how many people the cake is for? What if she wants a 6/8/10 - that's 53 (earlene) and $250 would SURELY cover that.

Plus, on the flip side she may not be trying to have 'champagne dreams on a beer budget' she may just want to be upfront with you so you also know that you are working with.

Don't write her off quite yet.

Let us know how it goes.

Was at Target this afternoon and heard a bride to be consulting with the bakery lady. She wanted this cake in their book that retails for $300 to be $150. The bakery lady told her to go to Safeway and see what they could do for her. The price was the price and she told her that even though Target was the bane of cake decorators they were cheaper but she'd also get what everyone else got and it was her choice but the $300 stood. Bride to be said she couldn't afford $300 and then the lady told her she was also welcomed to hang around Michael's and see if she could catch someone coming out of a Wilton 1 class to do it because there might be someone who would take it but she didn't know any licensed home bakers who would talk to her for what she wanted for $150. I was just hanging around and then when she left the bakery lady asked if she could help me so I wound up buying three cupcakes to make my visit there look like more than lurking at a cake consultation.
Good luck with your bride and I have to agree about the marching band problem. We were at a ball for my then fiance (now husband's) unit and they had the Third ID Band play the National Anthem, the Third ID song and the Army song. There was a tiered cake for the ball and that thing toppled over half way during the National Anthem. It was pretty funny.

Why do people think they can play "Lets Make a Deal"?

Really, do you negotiate the price of your gas, groceries or clothes?

Reality bites sometimes and if some people learned how to properly manage a budget they could get the things that are the most important to them!

I know I have a tude but it just bothers me when people say they have a budget. Don't we all?

Can you respond with " I know I quoted you $310, but I think you should pay me $400. I have a carpayment."

I'd do it, but I'm like that.

Well all is well that ends well. She was nice and never did ask me to lower my prices. I think the orginal phone conversation she was just trying to see what options she could manage. As usual, brides spend too much on some things and then get to the cake last when the cash is running low.

As it turned out she ended up spending more. Like 150.00 more than the orginal budget. Her mother was helping with the decisions and liked the look of the bigger cake. works for me.

Thanks for all the notes. Hopefully other decorators out there see that you can't give in. We are worth the money.

I'm glad it worked out for you..I met with a young lady yesterday that wanted a 4 tier round cake with royal icing morning glories and pansies cascading down the side. She also wants a 2 layer groom's cake with candy decorations (she has a specific theme) also. Both cakes are butter cream frosting..She wanted me to do both for $150.00..Umm...I don't think so..

Glad it worked out for you and the bride.

I often see in bride magazines articles about bargening with the cake maker. How about bargening with the dress maker and the band and everything else. You will get less of a product that is what you will get.

I feel sorry for all of you licenced bakers who deal with these people all the time.

I wish someone would have an article in a magazine that was real and told them like it is.

We understand you have a budget, but what you want and your budget often do not match You do not tell someone what you want and how much you will pay. Usually anyway!

Good Luck.

Bride to be said she couldn't afford $300 and then the lady told her she was also welcomed to hang around Michael's and see if she could catch someone coming out of a Wilton 1 class to do it because there might be someone who would take it but she didn't know any licensed home bakers who would talk to her for what she wanted for $150.

That cracks me up! Can you imagine coming out of a class and having someone ask you to make their wedding cake? Hee hee. Sounds like that bakery person gets asked for discounts a lot, since she sure had a lot of advice.

Bride to be said she couldn't afford $300 and then the lady told her she was also welcomed to hang around Michael's and see if she could catch someone coming out of a Wilton 1 class to do it because there might be someone who would take it but she didn't know any licensed home bakers who would talk to her for what she wanted for $150.

That cracks me up! Can you imagine coming out of a class and having someone ask you to make their wedding cake? Hee hee. Sounds like that bakery person gets asked for discounts a lot, since she sure had a lot of advice.

I have a similar problem to vent about. My God brother just called me and said he is getting married August 16th of this year and he needs a cake. Him and his fiance came to look through my stuff and chose a 3 tier fondant covered cake with rose sprays on the side. They also want fresh strawberry filling. When I told him ok, you can just pay my supplies because I know you guys are on a limited budget. (I was going to sneak in a profit without telling.) All of a sudden, he looked across the table and said in a high pithch surprised voice, "well how much is that going to be because we are planning a trip and our funds are limited." I am a christian so I didnt say what I wanted to say out loud. . I wanted to tell him so bad where to go but I gave him the option of going to safeway to try to get a better deal. Noone in their right mind is only going to charge supplies. I am going to ask him what else has he negotiated for this low budget wedding. I can always do a sheet cake because thats what it looks like he wants to pay for. Im tired of being nice. I have to eat too.

If she's on a budget tell her to go get some McDonald's apple pies, there are .50 cents and focus on "real" costumers, hahaha the nerve of some people

My brother was telling me the other day that he now has brides trying to go cheaper because of gas prices. Since gas prices are going up so is everything else, and they try to get the cheapest cake they can get... Forgetting that gas prices are affecting our cake prices as well. I also, find it funny how "family and friends" think they can get a wedding cake for a discount or better yet for free. LOL.. Congratulations, here is your "present" that cost me "$300"...

Sorry did not mean to vent..