You know guys, maybe we are being short sighted here. Maybe this woman is really in need, and turned to the only baker she knew. Maybe we should be compassionate enough to help her out in this situation. You know... do unto others, and all that jazz. I think you SHOULD make her a $12 cake! Seriously. A single layer, six inch cake with a little plain frosting smeared on it. That's about a $12 cake, isn't it? 
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Run, do not walk, away from this woman when she approaches you again!!!! Hide under your desk if you have to. She is clearly insane. Sounds like she is off her meds.
Seriously, if she approaches you again, just let her know that your basic sheet cake prices start at _____ and you are sorry that you are unable to meet her needs at this time. Sweet, profeesional response then run like h&$L!! Don't look back either-she may have laser beams coming out of her eyes!
I understand that $12 is really cheap for a cake, but its nothing to get all excited about. Some people just don't know how much it costs. Just tell her what your price is and be on your way. No harm done
But this is our safe place to VENT about it. We HAVE to be polite, couteous, and friendly to the customer, so this is our haven to come rag about them when we've just had enough. Please don't take that from us too!! 
people nearby take advantage of ur creativity and talent. I thought i am the only one. there is a friend of mine she asked me to do a circus cake with two layers for free and didnt even invite me to the party. I gave her some other excuse and didnt make the cake.so dont do the cake....let her buy whatever cake she wants from a bakery.
Melvira-I used to work in sales/marketing and my dh would ask "why are you so mean when you get home" (he was half-joking!). My response to him was "If I have to be nice for 10 hours a day I've got to get it out of my system somehow!!" I always felt like it was my sanity control!
I think this woman is also a valuable learning experience as well. You don't have to accept every order that comes your way, make excuses to not take an order or second guess yourself about pricing.
It's true dodi!! My husband comes home ranting about how stupid everyone is, and I grab the baby and look at him with big eyes and say, "We're not stupid... you still like us don't you?" Then he melts and turns into Hubby/Daddy instead of Mr. Insane-I-hate-people Man.
And we do all have to learn the word 'no'. I have a hard time with it as I am trying to get my name out there, and often get roped into things for friends or family. (Anyone who read my thread on my cousin's Nascar wedding will know what I mean!!)
ok...guess I will be the outcast....
but...ummm can someone tell me how her asking for it for 12 dollars is any different then you wanting 25, 30, or 50 for it?? .....isnt it all just a matter of a request?.....I mean you put up I want 30....they decide whether or not they'll pay it...I honestly....give props to the woman for being brave enough to ask for exactly what she wanted for it....
just as you would all give props to those posts that say I charged $75 for this plain sheetcake!
we all weren't born with a piping bag in our hand....so at one time we all saw it as "just cake" too
I understand that $12 is really cheap for a cake, but its nothing to get all excited about. Some people just don't know how much it costs. Just tell her what your price is and be on your way. No harm done
But this is our safe place to VENT about it. We HAVE to be polite, couteous, and friendly to the customer, so this is our haven to come rag about them when we've just had enough. Please don't take that from us too!!
I'm certainly not trying to take away your place to vent....just trying to see it from a different point of view. I'll 
so you guys can carry on...
4gifts4lisa- has it nailed - well that, and the woman is just plain rude.
I have been learning and taking courses, etc for 7 months, and I am still shocked when I add up all I have spent for one cake! I am still used to the days when I paid 99cents for a box of mix, $1.50 for frosting, and that was it. So that is probably where they are coming from.
I actually thought I would take that challenge and see what I could come up with if I used a box mix and can of frosting from the pantry-OK, I was bored. I did cheat a bit by throwing in a $2.50 can a raspberry cake filling. But no decorating tools or fancy pan. The results are a bit on the sad side but it did taste pretty good.
But that isn't the issue here. You do custom baking and decorating. If she wants your services, she pays your prices.
One little giggle, can you imagine what the frosting will taste like- much less look like if she tries to make red frosting from the little bottles of red coloring from the grocery store.
Oh, I didn't mean to sound b****y!! I know you're just offering some perspective. Don't hush... you have the right to voice your opinions too! Please don't take me the wrong way... I say these things with a smile on my face... believe me, you'd know if I meant to be rude... hahaha!
And Narie... that's fun that you did that... it doesn't look bad. I mean, it's not a decorated cake, but that's not what that lady wanted. I think it looks like something you would find at MarthaStewart.com or something like that. How fun!!
ok...guess I will be the outcast....
but...ummm can someone tell me how her asking for it for 12 dollars is any different then you wanting 25, 30, or 50 for it??
Asking if she would do the cake for $12 is far different than telling her she should do it because "after all it's just bread and frosting".
My response would be either a) My price for a cake like that would be $30. Let me know if you're still interested. OR b) I'm sorry but I'm already overbooked for the time that you need your cake.
ok, can't hold it in any longer...lol
Maybe, this woman is looking for a bargain because...
Drum roll please...............
She plans on plopping some decorations on the cake herself and passing it off as something she did?
and she is under the impression that you DOUBLE the price of things you buy to get a profit?
LOL
Just my unwanted 2 cents!!
PS: What an offhanded, insulting remark to make to someone . Obviously she need the other money to go buy herself a CLUE! HULLO!
Cake is nothing but BREAD and whatever?????!!!!!
BREAD!????????????????
UGH!!!
oh, oh one more thing....
I would NOT explain my prices!! I do NOT suggest making that cake for 12 dollars, you can't even BUY enough cream cheese to make that icing for 12 bucks!
You give her your regular price, smile sweetly...while poising the pen over your reciept book and say....so!? will you be paying, in full for that today? lol
NEVER EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE what you go through to make a cake..
Number one: THEY DON'T REALLY WANT TO KNOW AND THEY DON'T REALLY CARE
Number two: In my book when people over explain things, are usually lying!!
Number three: It breaks the mystery of my beautiful work!...It's like pointing out to the customer all my mistakes!! NEVER DO THAT EIGHTER!!
First of all she is very ignorant, 
and you really do not want to deal with
"that".. Bread with frosting ??? is that ignorance or what ? !!
Unless you are desperate, then just say no. She's not worth your time and effort... for $12.00.. might as well give it away. She might as well say "Can you make me a cake for free?" "Since I am very cheap ?"
You guys are funny! I love reading these posts! I esp. liked Melvira's Mr. Insane I-Hate-People Man hubby! I think I may have met him before...
Well, not much else I can add to this though. Just tell her that cakes are actually a lot more expensive to make and decorate than people think and the grocery store can do them cheaper than you can because they spit them out like a production line so they have tons of icing ready to go in every color and so forth, while you have to make the cake and icing specially for each cake. Not to mention that the cake board and foil cost money and you don't get that at wholesale prices like they do. Therefore, your minimum charge is $_____ for a cake that size, and if she is interested in a custom-done and nicely decorated cake, you would be glad to help her, as that is what you do. If she is interested merely in price, however, she would be happier with the grocery store cake for $22. which you think is really a deal. Then smile sweetly and see what she says! She'll probably go on her way and you can get back to working on masterpieces that people appreciate and are willing to pay more for. That's my two cents.
LOL i was just reading this again and again I thought - bread??? What type of cake is this lady eating anyway? And bread is made from a DOUGH - cake is made from a BATTER - at least most of the time - totally different things 
Maybe give her a loaf of bread and pour some of that "melt and pour" frosting in the can over it and say "ta da"
Hmm that is an idea that she is going to decorate it herself and might try to pull it off as her own.... hmm sneaky little thing isn't she?? If that's the truth..... what would she buy and put on there though? It doesn't sound like she's knowledgeable enough to go buy gumpaste flowers or something like that - OR that she would pay that much money for some flower decorations.... maybe she was going to get a whole bunch of kiddie toys and stick them all over the top??? Not worth your reputation! And who wants to let her take credit for the yummy cake YOU made? Nah these are the customers you DON'T need........
I haven';t read this all of the way through, but I'm going to hazard a guess that no one came up with this idea as of yet...... make a cake with cheap ingredients and somehow, when you deliver it, find a way to stomp on the brakes and ruin the cake. When she asks if you can fix it, the answer is no because you have already used up her $12.00 on ingredients, box, board, gas, and delivery fees. You didn't have enough for extra icing.
...Maybe, this woman is looking for a bargain because... Drum roll please............... She plans on plopping some decorations on the cake herself and passing it off as something she did?
OMG Risque... I never even thought of that! That is hilarious!!
Maybe we should work together to come up with this "Stupid Fee" we need to figure in. I can recall several customers that people on here have dealt with that needed this "Stupid Fee" attached to the cost of their cakes. I still haven't recovered from the one who thought cakes were just a little flour, sugar, and eggs with a little frosting squirted on top. (By the way, we never got a update on that one and I've tried PM and email) That was the woman who decided to do her own wedding cake.
We must remember though, some people have been hit with that stupid stick and some people just want something for nothing. I can almost overlook someone who just doesn't understand the cost but I can't overlook those who want to rip us off.
Diane 
Tell her for $5 you'll tell her how to make a cake herself, since It's so easy!
And direct her to the closest grocery. She can spend that last $6 on a boxed mix and the pre-made icing, and a little box of food coloring.
(Not that there's anything wrong with those, but I would NEVER EVER imagine trying to hire a professional - or even a friend - to bake a special-order cake for $12!)
Tell her for $5 you'll tell her how to make a cake herself, since It's so easy!
And direct her to the closest grocery. She can spend that last $6 on a boxed mix and the pre-made icing, and a little box of food coloring.
(Not that there's anything wrong with those, but I would NEVER EVER imagine trying to hire a professional - or even a friend - to bake a special-order cake for $12!)
Silly girl...........what's she going to do with the other dollar?
Diane
People have champagne tastes on a beer budget!!
This is why i became a decorator (and seamstress) to begin with! I could not afford $80 birthday cakes but i wanted my children to have them, so i had to learn how to do it myself!
There's no crime in having champagne taste on a beer budget, but don't expect others to GIVE you something for nothing! I guess that lady thinks we do this because we're bored and have nothing better to do with our time than turn box cakes into works of art, after all its just a plain ole $.88 box of mix anybody can get at walmart right? Add "water" and stir and bake in the magic oven that heats for free, voila- cake!
I think if she's thinking "heck, it's a $1 box mix and some icing, how expensive can it BE?"...
Give HER the dollar and tell her she needs to get a box mix and carefully follow the instructions written in very simple plain English on the box for anyone who's over 6 to be able to comprehend, and she can have the sweet feeling of having made something special to give her friend. AND saved $11 (by her estimation).
Why would anyone come to a custom artisan looking for a bargain basement product?
Here's my example: Say I need a rug for my entry way, and I think "Well, it's just some rags woven together. I won't spend more than $10 on that." You would think I already KNOW BETTER than to go shopping at the most expensive, upscale, custom-made-everything store, and look up beautiful, exclusive, one-of-a-kind originals made by some talented, self-motivated, business-minded woman who raises her own sheep, sheared her sheep this morning, hand dyed their wool with berry juice from berries she picked herself, that she grew herself, dried the wool in the sun, spun it into yarn, wove it into an intricate tapestry, and then bang my purse down on the counter and say, "I'll take one of those. But I need it for $10."
HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Tell her you're sorry, but you're price is ______. Remind her these are custom made products, and that you're not sure if ANY place has cakes for $12 these days (me: "My, my...you found one for $22?? That IS a good deal..."), but she might keep shopping around, just in case...
bread with stuff on it...that's priceless...! whatever...
Are you kidding ? tell her Toba Garrett and Colette Peters would be willing to do it for her for $12,000.00 
$12.00, that is an insult to your talent.. what was she thinking ..
Gee, I'm speechless. Bread? Bread? Make her a cream cheese and jelly sandwich and tell her that will be $12 please.
I can't imagine what planet she buys her cakes from!
I'm so sorry that you had the misfortune of dealing with someone so clueless. Perhaps everyone has always done everything for her, including her shopping, and she just has no idea.
If she could read these comments, she would probably feel like a complete idiot for comparing our deliciously hard work to bread! And to think $12 would cover it!
Stick with your NO!
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