Ok, I had my first paid cake over the weekend. I made a double layer 1/2 sheet cake with a large fondant supergirl badge and stars on it. 16 mini star cakes that spelled out HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARI and I also threw in 30 cheesecake stuffed strawberries dipped in chocolate (got that idea here on this board and it went over really well - thank you!!!). Anyway, because I was doing this for a friend and it was my first paid cake I didn't know what to charge her. I ended up telling her $35 and I felt really guilty. So my question is, why would someone want to pay us more for a cake than they could pay Publix or any other grocery store? What justifies charging more? Not that I think it is a bad thing, I just feel bad that they could go to the store and get probably a bigger cake for less money. How do you guys feel about this? What would you have charged for this party?

Welcome to CC Machel:

This is a question that has been asked many times and you will get many answers a points of view.

However, there is something just a bit different than the grocery store cake.

I'm not sure that you can get a super girl shield from the grocery store.

I know you can't can't get stuffed strawberries.

Because we are not confined to a mold and are free to do whatever (within reason) a person can imagine.

As for pricing, there are many threads addressing this issue, I would do a search in the forums for pricing there is a wealth of info there.

Have a good time with it, and know that you are worth every dime.

OK, I struggle with pricing and for some of the same issues, but they can't get the quality or the detail there that they can from you PERIOD! The cake you get from the grocery store simply won't taste as good or be decorated as well. Many years ago I worked for a warehouse type grocery store and I decorated the cakes there and they weren't interested in flavors and designs, just production. Don't sell yourself short.

Hi,
I feel the same way as you, but if your Publix's are like mine in my home town most of their decorators are not very good. I use to decorate for Publix and when I was there if your cake did not meet standards, you re- did it. I now have people who only come to me and they say it is worth a bit more to have me do it then to get something that looks like crap from Publix. Also most of the time I will deliver the cake and they don't mind paying the extra for that either. If you only charged her $35 for the cake and strawberries she got off way cheper than Publix..you actually under charged her quite a bit. So, don't feel bad..you were very fair, not to yourself, but your friend and I am sure that she appreciated it.

Dawn

Because the majority of us bake our cakes fresh (not frozen for months like supermarket bakeries) and make our icing fresh, not premade stuff that comes out of a bucket. We often offer more cake flavors, more filling and icing options to our customers and smaller bakeries and home bakers have more time to spend decorating to make each cake custom and special than a supermarket would.

Grocery store cakes are not fresh, they are shipped in frozen. They also use pre-made icing that come in huge buckets. They taste awful and are not custom made-to-order cakes.

um, i undercharge. but you really undercharge. they come to you because they want something special. most of the cakes we do cannot be done by publix. they are time consuming and personalized. not just personalized with a name written on at the last minute. you would never pay your prices because you have talent and can do it yourself. why do people pay someone $400 to paint a 12x12 room. because they either don't want to do it or can't do it. you can, get your money's worth.

As anyone who has been on this site for even a little while could tell you, this is a VERY hot topic. Some people like grocery store cakes, some don't. Some people from here even decorate at grocery stores and put the same amount of attention to those cakes as they do for the ones they make for loved ones. My own (humble) opinion is that our cakes are special because we love what we're doing. We take special pride in being the "cake lady" or "cake guy" that our friends and family like to brag about. And, as stated above, (most) of us make our cakes fresh and our icing from scratch, which to (almost) everyone, tastes a heck of a lot better.

Shelle

Why would someone pay a million for an original painting by one of the masters when they can get a copy painted by some unknown? Same thing. Quality. Originality. Specialty. You need to value your own work before you can believe that others will value it. Cake decorating is a form of art. You are creating your customers vision. Publix does nice cakes, but they're mass-produced, not originals.

Personally I think you way undercharged for all that you described. I would have charged $60 to $75.

I don't have a Publix in my area, but a lot of people get their cakes from Walmart here, so I decided to run a comparisson ... you should do the same. Their cake was only 1", mine was at least 2". I've got a family member that told me the only reason they bought from Walmart before was because I wasn't selling them at the time. They told me that they'll gladly pay more than what they paid at Walmart, because they know it will be good instead of just ... well, .... there!. I don't feel bad charging more than them because I work full time outside of the cake world and do this only on my time. My time is worth a lot to my employer and should be worth something to others (and myself). I'm new at this, so I don't ask a lot, but I do ask more than Walmart/Kroger would charge. Why shouldn't I? I don't get my ingredients at wholesale and yet provide a better product. The way I figure it is if someone doesn't want to pay what I charge, they don't have to .... but they won't get one of my cakes.

Now, go puff your chest up. Tell yourself you're worth something, and don't feel bad about what you sold to your friend, as you actually did her the favor, not the other way around!

See this thread: http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-359313-0.html

In this thread, the poster "foots2" points out that warehouse grocery store bakeries can get a sheet cake for $0.50 to $1.00. A cake mix cake cost more than that, let alone some of the scratch recipes that are used by CC'ers. Places like Publix are cheaper because they mass produce everything at a cost none of us can touch. That's why their prices are low and ours are higher.

Do I feel bad about that? Not a bit. I've been to events where the cake was purchased from warehouse/grocery type of store and there was lots of cake leftover plus all the cake on the plates that went into the trash. When I clean up after a wedding, that's not the case with my cakes and i'm sure it's not the case with most CC'ers cakes.

It's the bottom line of "you get what you pay for".

(Psst! I would have charged $45 for the strawberries alone.)

The simple answer is that anyone with a discerning palate knows that grocery store cakes in general (there are a few exceptions) taste like crap. Yes, they can get a half sheet cake for $20, but it tastes like poo, and most of the time it is sloppy and thrown together because their decorators are under the gun to do 50 cakes RIGHT NOW! Most of those places don't even bake the cake there. It's shipped to them, dry, uniced, and God knows how old. So... for the most part, the people that are going to come back to you are the ones that have discovered that the flavor and pleasure of eating your cake is worth a few extra bucks. It's the same motivation behind people buying an Escort vs. a Mustang. They are both cars, both will get you there, some people just appreciate having nicer things in life. Thank God for them or we'd be out of business!

Dupl post .... see other responses on this thread: http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-446053-.html

Even Publix charges more than $35 for a DOUBLE LAYER HALF SHEET CAKE!!! Holy cow! I am one of the queens of undercharging, but I even charge $50 for that! I am getting better through people like Indydebi that kick my wimpy butt for feeling bad about charging too much or charging my friends. If they don't want to pay what you're worth, they'll get it at Publix.

wait...you charged 35 for 16 cupcakes, stuffed strawberries and the cake???!!!! Then felt guilty about it??!! How many hours did you spend on this project? now divide that by 35...I am guessing it took at least 4 hours all told so that means you made 8.75 an hour...now subtract your ingreidents...I bet you ended up paying her for the goodies in the long run. Don't you think you are worth more than that?
Yes she can go to publix and get some generic cake that everyone one else on the planet has with no cupcakes and certianly no strawberries and probally still end up paying more than $35


(what I posted in the other thread)

this is a quote from an article titled: #1 The Business of Cake Decorating
by Earlene Moore

"Now, your friend who comes to the party - wants a cake for her little Suzy. Do you charge her for it? It is so much fun youll just do it because she is a good friend. WRONG. One, you will have expenses, two, you are using your time, and three, you should not feel funny about charging her. Up front from the very start - You should expect to be reimbursed for your time and expenses. Check out your area bakeries and DO NOT UNDERCUT their prices. If you are new at this you obviously cannot charge them for all of your time in decorating their cake. By the time you mix up one cake batter, bake it, make your icing and decorate your cake you have several hours of time in this cake. You are probably going to make about $1.00 an hour for your time (if you are speedy) for the first several cakes. You wont get rich but you will gain knowledge and experience and hopefully pick up some speed.

Bakeries make tasty cakes but you should also have as good or better tasting cake than your local bakery. But, you say your skills as a cake decorator are basic. We all had to start somewhere. If you only have basic skills then you may need to keep your prices the same as the bakeries - NOT LOWER THAN THEIRS. As your skills grow you can re-evaluate your prices. I had a friend once who told me. I feel like I should pay my friends to let me play and practice and learn. You can play, practice and learn on your family. If others outside of your family ask for decorated cakes they should be willing to pay you. If you are going to make this a business you must treat it like one."

To read the full article here is the link: http://www.earlenescakes.com/business01.htm

There was another great article about pricing at:
http://www.earlenescakes.com/business09.htm

I am new at this but I work in a supermarket bakery/deli. The cakes sheet and rounds comes in shrink-wrappedm and frozen from the factory. 1" maybe 1-1/2" thk. The appropiate size is cut and the remaining part is stuck back in the freezer till it is used for a cke to fill a hole on the sales floor. Icicng is spooned out a a 10-20 gal. pail, I do not care if it is by Rich's. Get it done fast and out on the floor ---you're missing a sale!!!! Piece work like in a factory.

Since I am new, I do not go below what my local bakery charges but more than a retail supermarket. I make my own icings--buttercream, foudant, royal icing. and same for the cakes. Sometimes a box cake mix is used but I've learned how to make it my own. I am learning to value my talents (young they may be now). Their are people that come to me at work and ask for my cards or ask me about recipes. We cc'ers and all bakers are proud and passionate about what we do. associates at stores are just trying to get thru their shift in one piece!!

I do this for the love of decorating and baking. Never sell yourself short.
Even if you are new or a seasoned pro....We are all worth every drop of sweat, love and bent tips we invest...I would'nt do anything else....

Check out this thread also...I stated my thoughts on the issue there:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-437393.html

A neighbor/friend just recently called and asked me how much I would charge for a wedding cake for her nephew. She explained that they just want a simple 3 tier round cake for about 75 guests. I gave her the "normal pricing speech" about number of servings, fondant vs. BC, style and details and that I couldn't quote a price without knowing exactly what the couple wanted. When I told her what my minimum price per serving was, she said, "Well, they may want to check with Publix". I told her, "I am SURE Publix will be cheaper."

Don't guess I'll be doing that wedding cake. (and it would've been my first wedding cake, too!)

On behalf of grocery store cakes being frozen for who knows how long....I have worked in grocery store bakeries. We ordered our cakes twice a week. All cakes were rotated so we were never using any cake which had been frozen for more than one week. All of the cake boxes come in with a date code on them. Nothing is kept more than one month. Do I find these cakes tasty, and do I buy them? No. But of course, I don't buy from anyone else either. I bake my own.
Why would someone pay more for your cake? The ingredients you use. Butter, buttermilk, sour cream...these all make a huge difference in how the cake tastes. Of course the attention to detail is a big factor. The fact that you deliver a lot of your cakes could be major to them. Also, there are people who do not wish to purchase specialty items from a grocery store. I would not go to Sears to purchase a diamond, just seems like a jewelry store is where I should be. People who drink Starbucks coffee enjoy being around the type of people who frequent them...it is worth the extra price they pay. It could take some time to build up your customers but I am sure there are people who would prefer buying from you and would be more than willing to pay that extra price. If they aren't willing to pay the extra...you don't want them as customers.
About the strawberries....if they were thrown in as an added bonus...I don't think they should be considered in the figuring of the price of the cake.

I am kinda wondering WHY you think you OVERCHARGED????? 35.00 for all of that certainly didn't cover costs...not even by a long shot...even our local small IGA sells 1/4, single layer cakes for 30.00 !!! Stuffed strawberries even in our area costs 3.00 a berry, and cc's at the grocery store even sell for 1.50 so I would charge 3.00 for a homemade, nicely decorated cc! Value your work girl! I don't care if you lose business because of pricing...if they love your cakes they WILL pay! Chin up...don't feel like you ripped anybody and charge MORE MORE MORE

Your cakes are custom, grocery store cakes are not..........like Melvira said, you get either an Escort or a Mustang.......great analogy by the way.......Mustang would be my dream car! When I sold my last big cake for 400 people, my area does not charge near what I do for cakes, but the lady paid me cash in full at our consultation weeks before the event, because she was so thrilled that I was doing her cake, and she has told everyone in our small town how wonderful my cakes are, etc........when the day came, I set it up, and she was thrilled..........exactly what she wanted........don't feel guilty, what you do is an art, and people pay good money for art.

I also tell people that as cake designers we offer personal service and we care about them as an individual. Walmart and other big stores consider you as a number to add to the end of their sales chart.

You definitly did her a favor, not yourself!! The only people who get free cakes are family, and then it is in leu of a gift or something to that extent, AND I volunteer to do it I'm not asked. If someone wants something then they better be willing to pay. And I mean for the cost of the supplies and MY TIME!

Question: Will Wal-mart or Publix deliver and set-up?

If not, cause I really don't know, then there's another reason that's worthy of setting us apart from "THEM" and certainly adds to the value of what we are doing.

actually, not that I'm EVER on Publix side, they do deliver.