Lady ordered a cake for this weekend and called me today wanting me to meet her so she can sample my white and butter flavored cake. Would you charge for meeting and letting them sample? I am going to have to find child care to meet her (im a stay at home mom) and bake two batches of cake for them to taste... uugghhh... if you would charge, what would it be? The cake they ordered was a two tiered buttercream with flowers and a kitchen sheet cake for $85.
Thanks!
I don't do samplings for anything other than wedding cakes. I also don't do them at the customer's convenience...I do them at mine. I block of Friday evenings and take appointments. Charging for a sampling IMO is like charging for a sales pitch.
This topic has been discussed at length with some really great ideas on when to do them, how to do them, and why to charge and why not to charge. You should do a search. 
The easiest solution would be for the customer to buy a small cake from you, and then decide if she likes it.
I don't know of any bakery that custom bakes and delivers samples to get a sheet cake order!
This doesn't sound like a business practice that's going to work in your favor. Are you going to bake and deliver samples of all your cake flavors for all your potential customers... What if they've previously ordered cake, but this order is for a different flavor.... (And you can be pretty sure this customer will tell everyone she got free samples before ordering.)
JMHO
Here's a super thread that covers charging for tastings, no-shows and how to conduct the tasting:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-58197-.html
HTH
Edited to update link.
I did a small 4 inch sampler in two flavors for a client of DH who wanted a large sheetcake. She's paying a LOT of $$ for this cake (which she did order) so I don't feel so bad because I recouped my costs. It's really a matter of preference. Sometimes there's no samples for you, other times (if I'm feeling generous), I'm happy to provide two small samples. Just depends on my mood I guess...
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I too only do samplings for wedding cake consultations and I don't charge for them. But I do charge enough for the wedding cake to cover the sampling. I have only had one no show me in all these years, and only one didn't book a cake because of budget restraints. I only do two or three weddings cakes per year, perhaps if I did them on a weekly basis I would do what sweetconfectionschef does and block out a certain day and time for consultations and I would charge for them.
Booking consults. for birthday or shower cakes just wouldn't be worthwhile to me, I think I would set a minimum price of $100.00 before I would do a sampling.
I will prepare at no charge up to two different flavors for a wedding cake consultation. After that, I charge $10 for 5" cakes. I do charge for cheesecake samples - 5" size. If there is cake left I pack it up for them to take home suggesting "I'm sure your Dad, brother, etc. would love a taste, too!
I did a small 4 inch sampler in two flavors for a client of DH who wanted a large sheetcake. She's paying a LOT of $$ for this cake (which she did order) so I don't feel so bad because I recouped my costs. It's really a matter of preference. Sometimes there's no samples for you, other times (if I'm feeling generous), I'm happy to provide two small samples. Just depends on my mood I guess...
...
That comment was on a sheetcake (not wedding) that is for a prospective new client. On my wedding cakes I always give two 6 x 2 inch cakes in two flavors for free. After that they are $5.00 each (or I'm cooking all day for nothing!) To date my lemon cake has become by far my most popular seller.
I only give free tastings for wedding cakes. And then only one flavor.
I would not do it for a sheet cake.
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