Ok, here's one for you to use on all of those customers that go to the grocery store to get their cake 'cheap'!! I was at the local grocery store, and whenever I go, I always manage to walk through the 'cake aisle' with their sample cakes. I was SHOCKED to see a cake... 8", 10", 12" round, stacked cake, covered in fondant, plain border and three little buttercream roses on the side of each tier (total of only 9 roses) with a sign that said 'serves 147' marked $700!!! I have never... ever... charged that much. I am totally competitive with the 'cheap' cake places for wedding cakes (they smoke me on single sheet cakes because I refuse to give away my products) so I am thinking I REALLY need to raise the price on fondant cakes!! I want to take a picture of it to show potential clients so they can see what a deal the are getting with me. And I know what the cakes taste like at this place... I call it 'sweetened bug spray'. Not that I eat bug spray... but the cake tastes the way bug spray smells! Sheesh! I was floored!
It's not very often that I see Iowa people here! Do you have any good cake supply places near you? I am always looking for somewhere other than Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Hi zoboo!! Awesome to hear from you! I teach Wilton classes in Davenport! For cake supplies you should check out Trevor True Value over in Moline... they have a great cake section. Much more than the hobby stores. They even have some CK products and Magic Line, etc. However... once you get to the stage I'm at... you have to start shopping online because you own everything at Trevor! hahaha!!
So, being in Davenport, you can appreciate what cakes cost in our area. The store I am speaking of was Hy-Vee in Clinton. Can you believe they would charge that much? Yikes!! Fortunately it wasn't bad looking... it was pretty plain, but it was well done. I think they have a pretty good decorator there. But she/he can't change the way it tastes. At least it will look decent!
many of the places here have fondant cakes priced at 2x the per serving price for buttercream only - I do the same thing. so $5-6 a serving for a basic fondant covered cake doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
But where are you located? I'm talking small town farming community! And I didn't mean to imply it was unreasonable, just making the point that I need to raise MY prices!! 
I am obviously undercharging.
Birdgirl... it's an absolute mystery, isn't it? Fondant has been around a long time, but it's just now getting popular all over the US, so the stores think they can get in on the action and charge an insane amount for a substandard cake. My prices *just* went up! Hahahah!
I think you are correct, I am willing to pay money for a nice cake from a bakery, but I refuse to pay big money for a cake from a grocery store that gets it frozen, and has tubs of iceing on the floor. I want good fresh ingredients if I'm going to pay extra dough!
just my 2 cents! $700 for a cake from a "wal-mart" store is crazy.... (now from a good bakery, sure...)
Melvira, where do you teach? I am taking Wilton classes at Michaels on Wednesday nights! I am originally from Clinton so I know exactly which Hy-Vee you are talking about! I just wish there was an actual decorating store or bakery supply store around! I will just have to order online like you do. I have been to True value and they do have some cool stuff there!
OMG zoboo... with Perrien?!! Or however the heck it's spelled.
That is where I teach... if you look on the board where the teachers pictures are by the samples... the youngest one with dark brown hair is me!! (I was a brunette when that pic was taken.)
Melvira, I completely understand. We have a Hyvee and I guess I never even looked at their cake prices but I see their displays. Nice, but nothing great. I paid $1.15 a slice for my wedding cake, which was cheap 10 years ago. I think she is still way under $2.00 now. I really don't know how Hyvee works, but the lady who runs our Hyvee bakery had the family bakery in town going back decades, and the assistant manager owned a bread bakery and delivered to most of the restaurants in several counties. I think they pay them very well for their name and recipes. I use to use their catering through work and found them ridiculously expensive. Restaurants were sometimes cheaper, and that makes no sense to me.
Wow thats insane. I could not imagine paying that much for a grocery store cake.
I wonder if it was a mistake??
Melvira, I completely understand. We have a Hyvee and I guess I never even looked at their cake prices but I see their displays. Nice, but nothing great. I paid $1.15 a slice for my wedding cake, which was cheap 10 years ago. I think she is still way under $2.00 now. I really don't know how Hyvee works, but the lady who runs our Hyvee bakery had the family bakery in town going back decades, and the assistant manager owned a bread bakery and delivered to most of the restaurants in several counties. I think they pay them very well for their name and recipes. I use to use their catering through work and found them ridiculously expensive. Restaurants were sometimes cheaper, and that makes no sense to me.
Around here the bakery just employs people with some basic decorating skills, etc. I don't think there is any stringent requirements for employment. Not to say that some of them are not talented... but even the best decorators don't do their best work when they have 10 minutes to do it. I am often shocked by how bad the display cakes are. I'm not even talking about the inevitable finger dents, etc. but the workmanship overall is pretty poor considering this is the cake you are using to try and convince people to order there. At least they will have a realistic idea of how their cake will look! Anyway, I'm just glad I didn't have to do that... either pay out the nose or order a poo-poo flavored cake! That's why I am so reasonable with my prices. I put my wedding together on a shoestring budget, so I know how it feels to want nice things at a good price. Although, I do think I am going to be raising my prices with the skyrocketing price of powdered sugar! What's with that?
Melvira I can't believe that is the price! I will have to check the Hy-Vee here in town tonight just for kicks and giggles.
Zooboo, nice to see you =) I am south of you in muscatine. There is a True Value hardware store on Park avenue that also carries cake supplies. I am trying to get them to carry more and they have been receptive! They recently got in Gold and Pearl Pearl Dust =) Hopefully it sells well so they carry more!
Thanks for the heads up of the place in Moline Melvira, i will have to take a road trip there to see what I can find! I mean Magic Line... it's worth it right? =)
I have to chuckle! Here in the UK, almost all the cakes in the grocery are fondant covered. I would be surprised to see a buttercream-covered cake!
PS. Originally from MN...love the quad-cities!
Melvira I can't believe that is the price! I will have to check the Hy-Vee here in town tonight just for kicks and giggles...Thanks for the heads up of the place in Moline Melvira, i will have to take a road trip there to see what I can find! I mean ... it's worth it right? =)
You'll have to let me know what you find! I am curious if it is all the local stores, or just in Clinton. I suppose they figure the town smells so bad you won't notice the taste of the cake. Hehehe. Ok, that was mean, but you KNOW what I am talking about... PURINA!! *gag*
I went to Trevor yesterday and bought a QUART of Magic Line butter-vanilla because I have found it smells like butter rum and tastes fantastic in MMF!! yum! I also bought some more pans... are there still pans out there that I don't own? Hahaha!! 
PS. Originally from MN...love the quad-cities!
Hey, everyone loves the QC don't they? We're like Vegas... except without all the lights. Or the costumes. Or the late night wedding chapels. We do have a couple buffet style restaurants...I guess we're not really that much like Vegas. I mean... I guess we have a couple strippers at The Chorus Line... but... well... you know...
That's crazy...I have a hard time spending $30 on a grocery store cake..much rather take the time and do it myself....Since on the subject i was looking at toba garrette's site and holy comoli there r cakes in there for over $5000..yikes 
Well I haven't had a chance to stop at Hy-Vee here in town Melvira but hopefully today I will (we need food) But I did make it to Trevors True Value yesterday! I just started loading up a basket with stuff. I couldn't beleive the cost of their comfort grip cutters! great deal. And their box selection is awesome for this area! I went to check out and my BF surprised me by buying everything I had picked out! what a birthday present. Thanks for the heads up on that place! I will definitely be making another trip there.
I'll let you know about Hy-Vee as soon as I make it there
Hi zoboo!! Awesome to hear from you! I teach Wilton classes in Davenport! For cake supplies you should check out Trevor True Value over in Moline... they have a great cake section. Much more than the hobby stores. They even have some CK products and , etc. However... once you get to the stage I'm at... you have to start shopping online because you own everything at Trevor! hahaha!!
So, being in Davenport, you can appreciate what cakes cost in our area. The store I am speaking of was Hy-Vee in Clinton. Can you believe they would charge that much? Yikes!! Fortunately it wasn't bad looking... it was pretty plain, but it was well done. I think they have a pretty good decorator there. But she/he can't change the way it tastes. At least it will look decent!
I knew exactly what cake you were talking about. I know there regular occasion cakes taste pretty blah but when my SIL was getting married we went to the Bridal fair and their cake that they had there for tasting was the best out of the ones there. But that was 5 years ago.
I nearly passed out when I saw that. I also inquired at the local bakery last year when I did the dress up cake in my gallery as I wanted to see what they would charge. Their prices start at $1.50/serving for buttercream and $2.50/serving for fondant. The lady there had no idea how to do the crown and said that from the picture that the green square was fondant and that would be $2.50/serving ( i had to keep my composure as it is just smoothed buttercream)
It made me feel better about my $1.75/serving for standard flavors and $2.25 for premium flavors. I charge $3.50 for fondant covered.
Good to see some other IA gals here.
Where do you teach at Melvira?
Mel,
Actually National Byproducts smells way worse than Purina.
We do have ADM and Sethness and let me tell you when they are opening the kettles at sethness it smells SUPER YUMMY. They make the syrup for many brand name soda companies. Too bad they can't do that every day. There are days it smells like either hops or barley from theADM plant as well.
Zooboo
Pauls discount has a nice selection of supplies.
Also Trevor True Value will order things from CK for you and you just pick them up. Or at least they used to.
I think K&K hardware in Bettendorf also carries some.
The True value in Dubuque has a nice selection of cake supplies and candy molds.
Hey Foster!! K&K doesn't carry anything any more... except like a handful of icing colors, etc. They are phasing it out. BOO-HOO!!! The True Value in Dubuque does have some good stuff, but that's about an hour and a half from Davenport! 
When you say Paul's, you mean the one on the main drag coming into Clinton? GOING THERE!! HEHEHE! Was just by it earlier this week but never thought to look there... haven't been there in years!
I was teaching in Dubuque and Davenport, but am taking a break from it for personal reasons. Foster, you should stop by Mike's Shoe Hospital in Clinton and tell him you know his sister! Hehehehe. That is, IF he's open! It's a 50-50 chance when you go there! He keeps odd hours! But he's my big brother and so I have to love him and not rag at him incessantly about going to work. Of course, now that he has a wedding to pay for... he is showing up a LOT more!! Still not as early as the hours on the door say! I will never understand him! Why would you post hours on the door and then just NOT be there? But he refuses to change the hours on the dang old door!! Sheesh! 
Anyway, very cool to talk to you! Since we're so close we should have a get together some day!!! We'd have to invite Leily too! She is in the Muscatine area if I remember correctly, but has family in DeWitt that she visits! We could all meet in DeWitt for the best Chinese food in the bi-state area!!!
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