Very Upset...and Want To Know What Yall Think!!!! (Long)
Decorating By lillykaci1 Updated 1 Apr 2007 , 2:35am by LaSombra
he he he 
I used to work in a grocery store bakery and the thing is - grocery store bakeries are run on the assumption that they will NOT make a profit! The company knows that the department is run at a loss, but it gets customers into the store. The thinking is that if you buy your cake there, you'll get all of your other party supplies there, too, and they'll make a profit on the total in your cart, even if the cake is being sold at a loss.
My manager used to get excited and praise all of us and say we had a good week if we only lost $1,000 or less dollars - for the week! The only times we broke even or made even a tiny profit was at the holidays and that's because we had busted out behinds getting tons of product done ahead of time so we had more sales.
No home baker or stand-alone bakery is going to operate at a loss -- you'd be out of business in no time!
And even with as cheap as groc. store bakery cakes are, we'd still have customers complain because they could buy a box of cake mix and a can of frosting for less than $5.00 and they had to pay a whole $23.49 for a quarter sheet decorated with a Deco Pac kit!
So, the long and the short is - some people just don't want to have to pay anything for cake!
!
And even with as cheap as groc. store bakery cakes are, we'd still have customers complain because they could buy a box of cake mix and a can of frosting for less than $5.00 and they had to pay a whole $23.49 for a quarter sheet decorated with a Deco Pac kit!
This is such an ignorant way of looking at things!
I was a waitress in a Mexican restaurant once and from time to time I'd get a customer who'd say something like, "Why does my enchilada, taco combo plate (or whatever) cost $7.99? I could make this at home for $1.50."
Um, then why don't you?
It costs more to buy a restaurant meal because you're paying for not only the ingredients in your food, but the lease on the restaurant; the electricity, gas and water used to run it; the wages for the management, cooks, wait staff and dishwashers; the equipment, decor, and dishes etc. etc.
THINK, people!
Yeah, you can make a cake yourself more cheaply than you can buy one at a grocery store and you can buy a grocery store cake more cheaply than a custom cake from a private baker. It all boils down to what you want to pay for! If you want a custom, individually made cake, you need to expect to pay a premium for it.
I will never fault someone for having a budgetary restraits that make it necessary for them to buy a cheaper cake or make it themselves--nothing wrong about living within your means--but be willing to accept what you can really afford. It's just common sense!
I'm a firm believer in not only getting paid for your work, but for your TIME. And this cake took quite a bit of time considering they asked for it with such little notice. Unless they're willing to pay (get it in writing beforehand) the price that you give, then I would very kindly decline any future cake endeavors with them. As far as asking your husband what to do, I guess I'm wondering why he didn't come home with the 75 like you said, instead of the 37. I'd also expect my husband to speak up since it is HIS coworkers who got such a great deal at your great expense.
totally love itsloops's idea: take their 37 and buy a cake at heb to give to them!
If they are only wiling to give you $37 for your cakes...then give them a cake that is only worth $37. Then, when they want one of the cakes you have done in the past, tell them they will have to pay what you deserve.
Lisa
I agree with all of you, and from now on I'm going to talk to the lady in charge any time my hubby calls and asks if I can make a cake, and I'm going to made a printed price sheet for them so that they know what I charge and If they don't want to pay what I charge then they don't have to buy they can call another H-E-B and have them make a $37 cake!!!
Thanks everyone for all there help..I feel better now about the whole thing and hubby knows not to ask me to do another cake if they want one she better call me. I'm cutting out the middle man...
Thanks again 
I used to work in a grocery store bakery and the thing is - grocery store bakeries are run on the assumption that they will NOT make a profit! The company knows that the department is run at a loss, but it gets customers into the store. The thinking is that if you buy your cake there, you'll get all of your other party supplies there, too, and they'll make a profit on the total in your cart, even if the cake is being sold at a loss.
My manager used to get excited and praise all of us and say we had a good week if we only lost $1,000 or less dollars - for the week! The only times we broke even or made even a tiny profit was at the holidays and that's because we had busted out behinds getting tons of product done ahead of time so we had more sales.
No home baker or stand-alone bakery is going to operate at a loss -- you'd be out of business in no time!
And even with as cheap as groc. store bakery cakes are, we'd still have customers complain because they could buy a box of cake mix and a can of frosting for less than $5.00 and they had to pay a whole $23.49 for a quarter sheet decorated with a Deco Pac kit!
So, the long and the short is - some people just don't want to have to pay anything for cake!
That is crazy! so discouraging for us custom bakers 
Then again, it's a point that we can make to our customers if they complain that we have high prices. We can always tell them that the grocery stores operate at a loss as a form of advertising, basically.
Last year at the farmers market, this lady always came in just to be bitchy to us...her life's mission I guess. She complained about our pies costing $7, handmade scratch-made pies...so then one day, my dad was the one that came to help sell at the market. He's not exactly a customer service person. Anyway, I was away from the booth when this lady comes in with her sour look on her face. She looks at the cookies and says, "$4.50? I could pay less at Fullers!" so my dad pipes in, "Oh, then you ought to buy them over at Fullers then...or Kmart might have them really cheap"
She was gone when I came back and my dad told me about her...I was like OMG! You said that??
A couple weeks later, she buys a marionberry pie from us for $9 
Those are more expensive because the fruit is more expensive than the apples.
Stupid lady.
LaSombra, that cheapo lady should come shopping with me...I just happily paid $32 for a gorgeous 9" pie down the street at a shop here in Toronto.
Every bite is about $1 and I'll enjoy it to the full degree knowing I didn't have to make it!
$32! 
I wish I could get that out of my pies! Well, I was thinking of adding on a buck or two for this year though...They're alot of work!
Probably just need to chalk this one up as a loss since pricing was not clearly communicated up front. I used to be a little "aloof" when pricing my cakes for my hubbie's work......but I got smart real quick! I now stick to my guns on pricing and if they don't like it, they can go elsewhere! Sometimes folks will still say "But I can get a 1/4 sheet at * bakery for only $17.99", and my answer is "I never said I was the cheapest and you're getting free delivery to your cubicle, so if you want to drive out of your way to go to * bakery, be my guest!" That usually does the trick (I communicate that message in a much nicer way if you get my drift)!
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