I had a lady call me last week. She wanted cookies for two hundred people for graduation! I told her how much that would cost and have not heard back from her. The kids she is buying these for are her exchange students so she doesn't want to spend that much on them since they aren't their kids. Seems kind of crappy to me. So I am thinking that she just needs to go to Wal-mart or make them herself! Kind of ticked me off. She obviously has no clue how much time and effort goes into 200 made from scratch and decorated sugar cookies!!! Fuming....... So my question is, how much would you have charged for that many cookies? Wondering if I was off base or if this lady is just trying to get something for nothing!
Thanks, Anna
Under no condition less than $2.75 ea. That's alot of money if they just want cookies, but this is not just cookies, it's art!!!!! What did you quote her?
I agree, not less than $3 each, for a 3 in cookie, maybe 4 in at the most. And did you consider a cello bag or some sort of package? If that was the case, I would add $0.50 to $1 each. It takes for ever to pack them into a pretty cello bag and pretty ribbon. JMO.
Maybe she did go to Walmart or make them herself since you haven't heard back from her.
Not everyone has $600 for cookies. Not that that isn't what they're worth, because that is a lot of work.
Unless she yelled at you or insisted that you make the cookies for next to nothing, I don't think she's "insane." Most people just don't know what handmade things really cost. She probably had sticker shock and found a cheaper option.
I really wouldn't take it personally. You're not going to land every customer!
Well, at first she told me 8 dozen and I told her $100. Then she told my DH she wants 200 cookies but won't pay me "nearly a dollar per cookie". I usually do not take orders for less than three dozen and I charge $35 for three, $45 for 4 dozen and so on. So do you think I was out of line?
Anna
I don't think she's "insane." Most people just don't know what handmade things really cost. She probably had sticker shock and found a cheaper option.
I completely agree with you! Folks see wonderful, beautifully decorated cookies and have no idea what's involved in making them....hence their price! I get that reaction all the time from people, but I don't budge on my price!
Thanks to all of you for your advice! By the way, the cookies are 3 1/2" round, very simple decorations. Just frosted white with a CG (for our school) or an 07' on them with a small shell border around the edges. Most of the cookies I do are slightly more difficult than that but I don't do the cello bags. I just put them in a big rubbermaid like I do my cakes. I love the look of those individually wrapped cookies but have never had anyone request those. Live in a pretty small town. No really fancy requests around here.
Anna
LanaC and Cambo and HollyPJ, thanks for your honesty. I know she isn't truly insane. It just bothered me a bit but you are right that I am not going to "land every order". Truth is I wasn't too thrilled at the thought of making that many cookies anyway, though the money would have been nice. Just checking with all of you if it was ME that was in the wrong here but charging too much. I don't want to be "robbing" my customers but I need to make some kind of profit and at least get paid back for the ingredients. cry.
Thanks again!,
Anna
Well, at first she told me 8 dozen and I told her $100. Then she told my DH she wants 200 cookies but won't pay me "nearly a dollar per cookie". I usually do not take orders for less than three dozen and I charge $35 for three, $45 for 4 dozen and so on. So do you think I was out of line?
Anna
You qouted her an unbelievable price!!! 96 decorated sugar cookies for only $100. 
This is obviously someone who has no idea the time that goes into these. If she had sticker shock at this price, can you imagine her response to $3/cookie. 
I agree, she must have found another alternative within the budget she had in mind since she hasn't called you back.
aaauuuggghhhh!! Stop using the "small town" as a reason not to charge for your work! (I'm gonna put this on the "pet peeve" thread!)
As I've put on here before .... I grew up in small towns. One was even a one-horse town, but we had to stop calling it that when the horse died! People who live in small towns have good jobs, access to TV and the internet and the ability to see what things cost. A lot of well paid professional and talented people live in small town bedroom communities because they don't want to live in "the big city".
YOu have 3 Cookies by Design within 3 hours from you (one is less than 2 hours away). I see this as putting you in the driver's seat as the "sole source" for this style of cookie. They can pay a reasonable price of $3 or more .... or they can drive 3 hours and pay twice as much.
(Ok.... i'll put my "mom" finger away now!)
Whoa!! What is "Cookies by Design"? I didn't realize that I was so close to something like that! I live only 45 minutes from a bigger city that has bakeries and other cake shops. But I am the only one in the area that does cakes and cookies. One lady 15 miles away does cakes but only Angel Food cakes? She somehow does these in sheet cakes? So I pretty much have the market unless they prefer to drive the forty five miles or go with Angel food cake.
Thanks indydebi!! You made my day! Made me laugh to!!! HA!!! I will TRY to stop thinking the "small town" way! By the way, the last cookie order I did was for three dozen and I charged her $35.oo. They are in my gallery.
Anna
http://www.cookiesbydesign.com/
Their featured mother's day bouquet is 7 cookies for $51 ... PLUS an extra $7 if you want the picket fence container!! Grand total is over $8 per cookie. And they will add shipping ..... I phonied up an order to check it .... add $15 shipping, add $2 "service fee" (whatever the heck THAT is!), add $4.68 sales tax. Grand total for 7 cookies is $80.23!!!!
And you feel bad for charging three bucks??????
You still don't charge enough IMO. Funny-I did a lot of my growing up years in Manly, IA-not too far from you. Such a small world. Anna,
Your real answer is in your signature: You must stand for something or you'll fall for anything. In this case, stand for your prices. The woman is probably strapped for $$ right now, and had no clue what it would cost for 200 homemade, hand-decorated cookies. so she panicked.
My daughter (who just turned 15) told me over the weekend that I should quit being a secretary and open my own shop full-time. I really don't think that's going to happen. My theory is this: if the economy is good, people will spend extra money for cakes and cookies and tortes (oh, my!), but when the economy is shaky (like it is here in Michigan right now), there isn't a lot of ready-cash to throw around on unnecessary items, like cakes and cookies and tortes (oh, my!). So I'm just very thankful that I can sell my items to those who truly can afford it and appreciate my talents for as long as I possibly can.
You just keep hanging in there! People who appreciate your work are everywhere ... your job is to keep putting yourself out there so they can find you!
Happy Baking,
Odessa
Thanks Odessa, I really do try to live my life by that signature. Long story but it stems from a life changing event several years back. Anyway, you are absolutely right about the economy and such. I hope that someday you are able to open the shop you want! Sounds like your daughter has dreams for you to! Hope the economy improves there for you to. Your cakes are amazing! I can see why people are spending their "extra money" on your cakes!
I am almost sure that I won't hear back from her. But I am okay with that. Totally okay with that.
Anna
Something to keep in mind about the whole "small town" thing is that some of us have to pay far more for ingredients than people in larger areas. Unless I get it on sale I'm paying $2 for a cake mix and I can't just pick up white chocolate or nutella when I go to town, it's 2 hours away.
I'm sooo glad this thread came up -- I'm sick to death of listening to people say "A dollar a cookie??? I'm not paying that!" 
(And believe me, I've told more than one of them "then go to WalMart and get the exact same thing!") Sheesh!! What cheapos!!! 
By the way IndyDebi is my new favorite defense in the cake field! 
Next time I hear that I'm going to tell them "if you don't like my pricing, I'll let IndyDebi explain it to you!" HA! 
Something to keep in mind about the whole "small town" thing is that some of us have to pay far more for ingredients than people in larger areas. Unless I get it on sale I'm paying $2 for a cake mix and I can't just pick up white chocolate or nutella when I go to town, it's 2 hours away.
I know what you mean. I used to live in Richmond, which is 70 miles east of me (on the Indiana/Ohio state line) and I'd have to drive to Indy to Sam's Club for some of my supplies. God help me if I forgot something!
Now I'm spoiled .... I have a Sam's club 10 minutes south of me, one 20 minutes north of me, a GFS 10 minutes west of me, and I can pick up orders from Sysco, which is about a 30 minute drive to the middle-west side of town.
But I remember those days very well!
i agree that you shouldnt budge on your price, i have the same problem, people dont understand that your poducts are custom made not walmart style and im sure they taste much better then boxed dryed out store bought cookies, my own family thinks im too high even if i just ask them to pay for the supplies of the cake!! i have lost some orders because of prices but i figure id rather not do it at all then do it for free!!
You know, on my www, under the cookies page I have a special cookie I made of Gilda Radner. Now it's no small feat to get a cookie to look like a person (I'm not nancysfancycookies.com!) and the technique I use takes 3 days to make 1 cookie!! Well the last time I made them for a huge function the dude who commissioned them told me he would pay for supplies and I would donate my time. Fine. It's a worthy cause. Well long story short, he paid $60 in supplies and got 6 dozen cookies. Do you think he was happy?? NOOOOOO!! For the next few months everytime I saw him all I got was snide comments on $1/cookie! Finally, more than a little sick of this, I tell him "In light of the fact that they are $8 EACH, I think you got a fabulous deal!" Guess what -- not one peep out him since then! 
Wow, I love reading all your comments everyone! I didn't realize I would hit such a nerve! Glad I started this thread! I feel so much better about my prices now! No more guilt or holding back when someone asks for a quote! Whoohooo, sweet freedom!!!!!!!
Anna
Gotta add my 2 cents on this. I don't think I'm a great decorator so I charge $2.75 for a cookie in cello, $3.00 wrapped on a stick. I know I undercharge, but I just don't have the confidence in myself to charge more. People here in Kissimmee Fl. know for the most part how much stuff like this cost and they keep coming back to me. I even give a pretty good discount on my regulars.
Now for the small town stuff, I grew up in Houston Tx. which is huge and spent many years in a small town in NM and a few years in Hi. before settling here in FL. People are different in different parts of the country, as far as "small town people" I think they are referring to people like a lot of my family members who grow their own veggies and have to be practical. They know there are higher prices and think what we do is great or crappy as my step dad once said about basicaly all of my cakes. They are just very practical people who are aware of whats out there, theyre just not willing to pay for the pretty on top of the taste.
Off my soap box now.
Amy
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