I have seen a lot of posts on here about 'customer's' comparing our cakes to Walmart/grocery store cakes... and apparently I was really bored at work this morning and this popped in my head as a reply. I haven't had the question yet, but I'm sure it will come up as I continue to delve into decorating.

Sure I can give you your cake for Walmart's price... their decorators have to decorate, let's say 5 cakes an hour and they charge $20 a piece. That's $100 an hour and your cake will take me at least 3 hours so at the Walmart value price, that will cost you $300... What flavor would you like?

HERE HERE!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!! GO FOR IT!!!!

Wow! I guess that would get them to thinking.

That's a good one! I can just imagine the flabber-gasted look on their faces along w/ the "Harumph!" hehehe

I love it!!!!! I just had a lady cancel a cake at the last minute, because she decided to go with a Walmart cake...she could get "a better deal." Yeah???? It won't taste the same!!!!! And they won't do the design I spent 3 days researching and putting together for her!!!!
I brought that up (tactfully) and she said she knew that, but "it's just cake" and she can always do that design another time!
(steam out my ears)
I did a few deep breathing exercises and walked away....

You know it depends on what a person wants. They need to realize that the cake is usually the first thing people check out. If they want to look cheap, oh well.

I just had a cancel because they are going to Sam's.

NICE, I love it!!!!!

I like the way you think.

Theresa

You know that has happened to me before as well. I, as nice as I could word it, mentioned the party wont be as wonderful with a store bought cake. The grocery store bakeries are there to fill shelves, not to put love in their customer's designs. That's is why I thought you came to me. She went ahead and went with the store cake, but came back to me and had me do another event for her. So see it does work, if you guilt them a little.

I work for one such grocery store. Yep, you can have a nice birthday cake for 15.00 no kits(1/4 sheet and 3 roses) of course. I can honestly tell you, all of our cakes come in frozen. Our icing comes in buckets, the only icing we make is whipped, but that comes in a gallon milk carton and is mixed up in a large hobart. I started working there to gain experience and improve my skills. I have learned how to make a rose on a stick and airbrushing which I am thankful for. I have also learned to become faster at my borders too. However the cakes are very generic and are very impersonal. But I can't blame anyone for going to the cheaper stores, because they don't know how much love and time go into a personalized cake...

I hear you "neikosmom" I did work at a grocery store bakery. I lasted about 6 months. That is were I fell in love with the art. I saw how the cakes got from truck to the shelf. Frozen like you said, the frostings were all whipped and made 50lbs at a time. I was always being asked to stop spending so much time on customers cakes. I wanted them to have the time and love they deserved. So I left and started out on my own. It sure doesn't pay as often, but I am more satisfied with my result now. I am proud of the work I put out.

CarriM, I burst out laughing when I read that! It's a classic!!!!

Adding to favorite comebacks for future use...

LOL That reminds me of my boss he wanted a purse cake for his wifes Birthday and I told him it would cost him about 45.00 he said oh that to much for a cake I looked at him and said well I hear Walmart sells cheep cakes and walked out of his office.

wow 45 for a purse cake that is cheap..when i took the nick lodge class and did the purse cake..he said minimum 75

we have to tell them we are not in competition with walmart...they are not CUSTOM

$45 that's low

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!

AMEN!!!!!!!!

You want a cheap WalMart cake - go to walmart! When your guests don't eat the cake - thank WalMart! Flush the 20-30 dollars down the toilet for the crap cake or pay the extra 20-30 dollars and have people raving over the cake! Decisions, decisions!!!!!

I am looking into starting my own business I will personalize in shaped cakes. I too am working at my local grocery store in the bakery department, but the only thing I am allowed to do is work on putting cakes, brownies, cupcakes, pie squares, etc. into a bunker. So the only time I get work on decorating cakes is when I do it on my own, for either family or friends. That is when I feel there is no limits into what I can do. I am taking cake decorating classes, I have finished my third class and loved every minute of it, and have shared my pictures of the cake I have done and have gotten alot of praises on how they look.

OR you can do short and sweet......

F U !!!!!

he he he

I can say that. No one wants to buy my cakes.