36, 6-Inch Cake Pricing Issue

Decorating By caketease Updated 13 Mar 2006 , 9:08pm by tiptop57

ellepal Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
ellepal Posted 13 Mar 2006 , 6:46pm
post #31 of 36

I think for 3.00/cake, you are losing money. How much did it cost you in gas to go to the store, in utilities to bake the cake, in ingredients to put it together, and don't forget the time involved for you.

I personally start at 15.00-25.00 for a cake, even a 6 inch double layer. It just isn't worth my time to do smaller cakes.

I think I would tell this lady that you unfortunately can't compete with a walmart price, and your price for a 6 inch is 6.50, and that is the lowest you can go in order to break even. Anything below 6.50 is going to put you out.

Tell her that your cakes are homemade and cared for, icings all from scratch with excellent ingredients, and for 6.50/cake, still a better deal than a frozen generic Walmart cake with canned icing.

I think you need to value yourself as a cake decorator, and if people can't pay your price, you can't accept the assignment.

If you are doing this because you are being a nice friend, how about going out with her, get the ingredients and have her pay for them. Then tell her how many hours you will be working on them and give her your usual per hour labor costs. Tell her that is what your time and effort is worth to her, and now it's up to her.
Let us know how it goes!!
Ellen

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ellepal Posted 13 Mar 2006 , 6:47pm
post #32 of 36

I think for 3.00/cake, you are losing money. How much did it cost you in gas to go to the store, in utilities to bake the cake, in ingredients to put it together, and don't forget the time involved for you.

I personally start at 15.00-25.00 for a cake, even a 6 inch double layer. It just isn't worth my time to do smaller cakes.

I think I would tell this lady that you unfortunately can't compete with a walmart price, and your price for a 6 inch is 6.50, and that is the lowest you can go in order to break even. Anything below 6.50 is going to put you out.

Tell her that your cakes are homemade and cared for, icings all from scratch with excellent ingredients, and for 6.50/cake, still a better deal than a frozen generic Walmart cake with canned icing.

I think you need to value yourself as a cake decorator, and if people can't pay your price, you can't accept the assignment.

If you are doing this because you are being a nice friend, how about going out with her, get the ingredients and have her pay for them. Then tell her how many hours you will be working on them and give her your usual per hour labor costs. Tell her that is what your time and effort is worth to her, and now it's up to her.
Let us know how it goes!!
Ellen

ellepal Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
ellepal Posted 13 Mar 2006 , 6:47pm
post #33 of 36

I think for 3.00/cake, you are losing money. How much did it cost you in gas to go to the store, in utilities to bake the cake, in ingredients to put it together, and don't forget the time involved for you.

I personally start at 15.00-25.00 for a cake, even a 6 inch double layer. It just isn't worth my time to do smaller cakes.

I think I would tell this lady that you unfortunately can't compete with a walmart price, and your price for a 6 inch is 6.50, and that is the lowest you can go in order to break even. Anything below 6.50 is going to put you out.

Tell her that your cakes are homemade and cared for, icings all from scratch with excellent ingredients, and for 6.50/cake, still a better deal than a frozen generic Walmart cake with canned icing.

I think you need to value yourself as a cake decorator, and if people can't pay your price, you can't accept the assignment.

If you are doing this because you are being a nice friend, how about going out with her, get the ingredients and have her pay for them. Then tell her how many hours you will be working on them and give her your usual per hour labor costs. Tell her that is what your time and effort is worth to her, and now it's up to her.
Let us know how it goes!!
Ellen

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ellepal Posted 13 Mar 2006 , 6:55pm
post #34 of 36

geez....I don't know how that happened. I only hit the button once, but my computer was generating really slowly! My apologies for the triple post!!

cakes47 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cakes47 Posted 13 Mar 2006 , 8:44pm
post #35 of 36

Oh sure, ellepal!!!!
You just like to see your name up in lights!! LOL Hope you know I'm just kidding!!

Maybe the site is busy, it's been taking me quite a while to get here but other places seem OK.

tiptop57 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
tiptop57 Posted 13 Mar 2006 , 9:08pm
post #36 of 36

I bet that customer is the kind of person that would punch an old lady in the face to get to the head of the line at BestBuy the day after Thanksgiving to get five bucks off the electronic toy for her spoiled snot-nosed kid! (Okay gang, how is that for an imagination?) I say send her back to Walmart, she just might hit the clearance bin and find some really cheap dried out cupcakes for a buck!

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