or battier.

I get a call from someone who asks what kind of sweet 16 cakes I offer. I tell her that I don't have anything stock, as this is a totally custom business and she can order anything she wants. She gets all excited..."ANYTHING???" I say "sure, anything". She proceeds to ask about purse cakes, and although I elaborate that I won't do copyrighted images without permission (and she says she understands), she goes on to explain that she is feeding 100 kids and isn't sure if a purse cake will be enough. I explain her options, and she asks about price. So I tell her starting is $3 per serving and carved cakes like the purse are $5/serving because of the increased time, skill and labor involved. She does the math and says " So I'd need $300 to feed this party?" And I re-iterate that yes, that would be the minimum. She says "Oh, I'd NEVER spend $300 on a CAKE (say it like you would spend $300 on dog spit), so THAT is OUT." click.

I'm going to quit answering the phone.

people like that make me want to slap someone.

a-hole

I always enjoy the dead silence on the other end when someone finds out that the cake is more than they thought.

I don't get some people! They see these cake shows and think oh wow... I would LOVE that kind of cake. Then when you tell them the price they have a coronary! These are custom edible pieces of art people! We can't just pull them out of our butt!

I wish the cake shows would talk more about their pricing so maybe people would realize they can't get this kind of stuff for nothing. And forgive me if I'm wrong and the cake shows do go into more detail now....I haven't seen any of the shows in a long time so I could be wrong....I just remember always thinking, "I wonder how much they're charging for that."

Yeah, I think Duff has a minimum of like $500? I may be wrong, or it could have changed, but I remember hearing something like that a while back!

Charm City Cakes has a thousand greens as their minimum!

Nope, Duff's minimum is $1,000 and for probably like reasons like this.
People can be so odd.

do you think its because people think that this is "just" a hobby and you should be grateful for the reason to bake a cake and decorate (because your payment really is the warm and fuzzy feeling you get)

i cant believe how clueless some people are

I've found the best way to respond to the "Oh, I LUV That Ace of Cakes show......!" (after I swallow my "uh-oh!") is to quickly agree with them:

"Oh I LUV that show, too! Did you know," she said in a lowered and conspriatorial voice, "that Duff has a one THOUSAND dollar minimum on his cakes? And I'll guarantee you that the cakes you see on his show are no where NEAR a lousy thousand dollar cake. The good news is that I'm not QUITE that expensive. Now .... tell me what you're looking for."

I always ask a potential client what THEIR budget is.

I then describe what they can get for that kind of budget.

I like to know exactly what ballpark they are in before I go into detail about my charges. If the job isn't worth turning my oven on, I don't take it.

I'd rather do something else than give my work away for free.

What I always wonder when I hear a story like this is, so you are letting your no doubt overly indulged 16-year-old have a birthday party for 100 KIDS, which is just obnoxious to begin with, but must be outrageously expensive, but you can't afford $300 for a cake? The birthday cake is generally one of the central parts of the party.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? My daughter didn't know 100 people when she was 16. Even if she had, I never let her invite more than about 8-10 friends for her (at home, I might add) birthday parties. And we wonder why so many kids grow up feeling so entitled.

My favorite Sweet 16 cake story:
Mom calls, needs a small cake, as the girls will be partying in a hotel room. Not a ballroom, just a regular hotel room, but a swank hotel.

Mom asks about my Pink Champagne flavor.
"Well, as it's made with pink champagne, it tastes like a cake version of pink champagne," I say.

"Oh!" exclaims the mom, "My daughter just looooves champagne."

And I'm thinking completely to myself . . . Um . . .isn't your daughter just now turning 16 years old? And she "looooves" champagne?

Stunned silence on my end of the phone.

Leah, was it Drew Barrymore's mom? Ha!

You'd think if people are liberally feeding their underage kids alcohol that they'd have the sense to keep it to themselves when they were talking to strangers.

These stories are just too hilarious! Really, loving champagne at 16?!?!

Tell them to go to some custom cakes that have been around for a lot longer. She'll see that their prices start at a MINIMUM of $500! Good Luck crazy azz lady.