When people ask your prices of your cakes and you tell them and they are like "well i can go to sams club,walmart,etc... and get such and such cake for such and such amt"...and you tell them well sams, walmart,etc..is not fresh and hand made and they are like well its cheaper and its "fresh frozen" wth...so what do you tell them after that? ive had this told to me several times w/some people and i really am kinda bumfuzzled...

w/like the cake on my pictures that is purple w/the lil pansies on it...i charged 35 dollars because it was my first customer and im learning and this and that...well the customer had no problem paying it...but other people asked how much i charged her and i told them and they were like thats to high...i could go to sams club, walmart, etc for cheaper..

I am at a loss of what to say and kinda aggrevated already...Any comments on this?

I am not going to compare my cakes to wal-mart. If you want a cheap cake then you can go to wal-mart.


ok I probably wouldn't say this to anyone that I don't know personally so instead I usually say "Ok, thank you for calling. Hope you have an enjoyable celebration" I usually insert birthday, anniversary, etc...

this is coming from a couple of people where i work..they say my cakes are very pretty w/me just starting out decorating and all...

im kinda depressed cause of being told about samsclub,walmart,etc...ive tried to convince them that mine are fresh and made w/care and all this but then i still get the other comments...very depressing coming from people at work though

If you are dealing with them face to face then just very plainly and matter of factly state "I can not compare my cakes with Wal-mart as I make all custom cakes per order"

If they keep bugging you I am sure you can find a few choice words for them. I use to get that (and still do from some of my BF's family) but hey if they dont' want to pay then they don't get the cake.

Most of the people that have said that (outside of a few certain people) have then had a chance to try my cake and all say that it is worth the money...

I wouldn't worry about it. only YOU can but a $ amount on your skills as a Baker AND a Decorater.

And another thing.....they certainly don't get a choice of exotic flavors of cake and icing, candy and fondant decorations from Wal-Mart. I really do think some people believe that cakes we make at home are iced and decorated as quickly as "production cakes" prepared. They don't factor in your supplies, colors, flavorings, boxes, cake boards, time, incredients.

Wal-Mart does offer cute cakes, but I would rather have something custom made with interesting flavors. I have my repeat customers who pay what I charge without cringing. They know the cake will be a big hit at their gatherings

I would tell them very politely to enjoy their cake from Walmart, Sams Club or wherever. If they persisted in telling me about it I would tell them not to let the doorknob hit them "you know where" on their way out going to Walmart.

I am not bashing Walmart or Sams cakes as I have eaten cakes from both places that were good. I especially have like the baked goods I have purchased from Sams. You are not going to get that personal touch and that homemade taste from those cakes, however.

Don't beat yourself up about it. Stick to your guns and don't let them run over the top of you and make you feel badly about your prices.

Diane

Those are the people that you don't want to have as customers, don't feel bad. I am a beginner and I struggle with pricing myself, but I saw a signature on one of these post and for the life of me I can't remeber whose, but neways, it said "good cake isn't cheap, and cheap cake isn't good". And it is very true, you can get a cheaper cake at Sam's or Walmart, but they won't get that personal touch from a home made and decorated cake. DOn't sell yourself short!

Explain to them that your ingredients are of finer quality, use the term "gourmet" and tell them that Walmart and Sams Club, etc are limited on what they can give you. They dont have the same choices for flavors, decorations etc. And if they still insist that your too high then you should nicely tell them to buy their cakes at Walmart. And you might add in that people in the bakery departments are usually under paid for their skills!!

At Wal-Mart or Sam's or any grocery store you get to pick from stock designs, and someone may spend 10 or 15 minutes on your cake if you're lucky. Try going to them and asking:

- To match a cake to a baby shower invitation or baby's room
- To design a cake around a favorite hobby of your mom
- To recreate a cake from a Wilton book (I had a customer who wanted a 2-tiered baby shower cake from the Wilton Tiered Cakes book -- the grocery store flat out refused to do it, and a "real" bakery quoted her $500).

They won't do any of these things. You offer something that CANNOT be purchased at those places! It's like going to McDonald's and asking for spaghetti.

So to the people who say "well I can get a so-and-so cake at Wal Mart for $15", I agree with every other person -- wish them well and say goodbye. Believe me, once people start seeing your cakes at parties and showers, word will spread, and you will get customers MORE than willing to pay a fair price for your time, creativity, and artistry.

You laugh out loud and say, "Well, if you're going to try to compare Kmart to Tiffany's.......!" and then walk away.

(But then .... I DO tend to take the smarta$$ view on things!)

Seriously, and I've posted this story before, when the company I worked for began doing price comparisons and my cakes were on the list (I provided the monthly employee birthday cakes), I flat out told them, "Yes, you can save money if you go to walmart. But they dont' deliver, like I do. And as I recall, there was still cake left at 2:00 whereas my cake was gone by 10:00 a.m. So if you want to spend money on cake that you will have to throw out in the afternoon, then by all means do so. Just let me know in time so that I can not make the cake next week if I don't have to."

I am arrogantly confident in the product that I provide....and I dont' see a problem with that.

In the words of Will Rogers: If you've done it, it aint' braggin'!

BTW, they didn't cancel the standing monthly order.....I continued to make the monthly birthday cakes.

I heard the same thing, too. But My reply is that while they can get just a cake at Costco, Walmart, etc.. they will not get a work of art. And I always guarantee that they can count on me washing my hands.. lol

Sandy

I agree, Dezzib27. Don't waste time trying to convince these people. There are many other people out there who do see the value in what you can provide.

It's like the soft pretzel you can buy in a mall that's hot and has many flavors available, or the soft pretzel you buy off some guy on the street corner 3 for $1.00. Technically they're both soft pretzels, but they are 2 totally different products and appeal to different consumers. Can you get a pretzel for 33 cents? Yes. Did you see a bathroom anywhere? Where does that guy relieve himself and wash his hands? Think about it. (That comment doesn't reflect on sanitary bakery conditions in any way.)

In my first year of business, I used to get upset when people cringed at my prices as opposed to the grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Sam's, etc. As time went on, I realized that people who want quality, will pay for quality.
Now, when posed with the question of my prices versus the chains, I simply say, " I understand completely how you feel. However, I do custom cakes made from quality ingredients and quality costs more." Then, I smile really big! That usually shuts 'em up!

Good luck.

I just politely say that "I do not and can not compete with Wal-Mart, I do custom cakes and if it is not in your budget then I completely understand".

I am just kinda scared right now to say much being not licensed and all..i guess if i was licensed then it wouldnt be as bad and i wouldnt worry about tickin people off...

it has been said a few times by a couple of people at work but next time it is said then i will say something about what yall said..i really do appreciate the comments...i will try and see how that goes...does walmart,samsclub, etc do wedding cakes or babyshower cakes or etc? They only provide Bday cakes right?