They Just Don't Understand
Decorating By AgentCakeBaker Updated 15 Oct 2006 , 8:34pm by AgentCakeBaker
I'm a little irritated right now. I was having a conversation with some co-workers about the pricing of my cookie bouquets. I have had several inquiries about the price of my sample cookie bouquet and I let them all know that my prices aren't finalized. I have a list but I don't want to short myself and I don't want to over price them either. So I told them the prices of what I came up with so far.
These two ladies said that a 5 cookie bouquet for $25 was too much. They said that I should price them lower or add more cookies since I'm just now starting out with cookie bouquets. In the beginning I was going to price 5 at $30 from the advice of one of the members here at CC. Since they are my co-workers I tried nicely to explain the cost, time and effort put into these cookies and it seems like they still don't understand. I even pulled up a website for a local cookie bouquet company in the Atlanta area to compare my prices. This website priced a 6 cookie bouquet for $48.95 which doesn't even include shipping or delivery. I wasn't even going to charge for delivery b/c most of the requests are coming from people at work. So you are talking about a total of $60 compared to $25.
Why don't these people understand the time it takes to make these things? One of my co-workers had the nerve to bring up Publix in this conversation. I told her that Publix isn't homemade like mine and that I spent over an hour applying the outline then filling in the icing for only 16 cookies. That hour time didn't even include the details for the faces or words on the cookies. Is my time not important? AND this is coming from two people who don't even bake.
I just had to vent...I know I'm just now starting out in cookie bouquets but I also have to be compensated for my work and time. I also mentioned to them that I priced my cakes just right when I first started out and no one had a problem with it.
What is wrong with these people? They always want something for nothing. 
Thanks for letting me vent.
I'm sorry your coworkers are jerks. And you a 100% correct- they DONT understand. I feel your pain. One of my "lovely" coworkers asked me for a cake for her DH's b-day last minute. She told me that her 13 year old dtr. usually makes their cakes and she was too busy with school to make it so mine would just have to be a close second. 
I wanted to say lady, if you want to compare my cakes to your daughters DH and canned frosting, then you're better off going to WalMart because I dont have the time to be insulted by your ignorace. And that's exactly what it is- ignorance. Let them go to Publix. They'll be disappointed and they'll be begging for YOUR cookies in no time!
I agree with you . . . people who don't bake don't understand. But then again, if everyone was able to bake we wouldn't have very many customers! 
Try not to stress about it . . . I've found that friends and family who know me understand that I tend to obsess over perfection with my baking and decorating . . . I have made over 10 practice cakes just to get the design of one birthday cake perfect! Don't lower your prices anymore . . . your cookies are worth it. Consider selling your cookies at craft fairs too . . . I know a woman who did cookie bouquets at a fall craft fair last October and she sold out two hours into the day!
I don't blame you for being irritated. They obviously don't understand how much time goes into something like that. You are offering an exceptional product for a price that is way lower than they can get somewhere else. Hang in there and hopefully they will come around.
i think that people have a hard time understanding how much work goes into a cake or a cookie bouquet. most people underestimate the cost of supplies and also don't factor in your time.
if these people aren't willing to pay $25 for a cookie bouquet, they're certainly not going to pay $60. i'd advise them to give making their own cookie bouquet a try and see how much work it is. maybe then they'll gain an appreciation for what you do.
BTW - i LOVE your cookies... the halloween bouquet is so CUTE! just getting started at cookie bouquets or not, your product is great!
I know what you mean. I showed my pic of a cookie bouquet I did for a wedding shower and my ex-co-worker loved it. She said she wanted to order one and when I told her the price of $3.50 a cookie she said she would get back to me. I told her additional things would be extra. Haven't heard from her since. Hey people don't realize the time & effort it takes to make one of these. Her lost. She can go on line a pay alot more if she wants one.
Yes, yes, yes....people are soooooo unrealistic about what things cost, etc. It happens more often than not.
I really am careful who I talk to about $$$$ and I'm more careful about who I offer my services to.
Your price list is a great things. Stick to it. It's what you need to charge to make $ and to feel satisified about what you are doing.
Lesson learned...in the future, do not cast your pearls before swine.
AgentCakeBaker
Keep in mind that there are many people out there who are very satisfied with the refrigerator cookies and think they are eating gourmet cookies. Those aren't the kind of people you need to target for your customers. I wouldn't be upset with them - I would just be happy that you have customers who understand what you do and the time and effort it takes and they know they are getting a bargain. The other people will NEVER understand - so just accept them as they are. It's not worth your aggravation.
If they don't like it, they don't have to buy it and you don't have to change anything for these people and make it clear to them that they 
should not be telling you what to do. 
Thanks everyone for understanding.
jillchap, thanks for the comments on my cookies.
I will leave my prices as they are, I'm sure others will be interested. Besides, the next one will be much better. The one they saw was just a small sample.
I have learned to not let people's opinions bother me. If your prices are well thought out, calculated, and they are FAIR (to your customer AS WELL AS to yourself), then you have no reason to make apologies to your co-workers, or any potential customer.
I firmly believe that if people don't believe quality is worth paying more, then they can get the cheap stuff and save a few bucks!!! You are working hard on your products, so don't let people get chintzy with you!!!
Lindsay
Cookies seem to the hardest thing people accept the price of. Someone sent me a website for a place that does custom cookies and quoted her a price of $8 a cookie, well I just don't charge that much, but when I told other people how much I was charging per cookie, they were like are they like the big cookies at the mall? NO! It's a cookie that's really freakin fancy, it takes a lot of time to make all those different colors and consistency, let alone the actual decorations. They taste good, they look good, and I can put them on a stick!!! I say don't discuss price, just say, it is what it is, if you want Publix cookies in a plastic container then be my guest.
You should do as I do when people tell me my cakes are too expensive--Go to Publix! I've been decorating cakes and catering food for a little more than a year now and I put a lot of time and effort into what I do and my prices will accomodate me for that. People don't understand that you have to shop, cook, decorate, deliver, etc., but they want that for little to nothing. I charge a $10/hour fee for labor, which is minimal in my opinion. None of the people who talk about prices being too expensive would take a $10/hour job.
Keep doing what you do and charge enough to make a profit that you're happy with because Publix does customizing but never to the extent that we private bakers do. I'd like to see some of these people call Publix a million and one times to make changes to their orders at the last minute and see how far they get!
I said that to one friend/potential customer... he wanted prices on different things and I told him and he said, oh that's so expensive and I said, well what do you think I'm worth per hour? a dollar? 3 dollars? and he was like, no I'd say maybe 15-20 an hour, so I said ooh well the price of your cake just went up then. He still bought from me
You are Absolutely right!!! People who have never baked or make homemade items will NEVER understand the time,money and special attention it takes to create beautiful cakes and cookies,therefore the ignorant and uniformed comments.I am glad I have family that understands and is perfectly willing to pay my prices but others it is hard to convince.Don't under estimate your time and skills and I wouldn't let co-workers decide your prices.Stick to your guns!! People will buy!!
Well I'll be the flip side of the coin lol I do make cookie bouquets myself and I find them very nice and so does my husband. I've have so far just given them away to family and as door prizes at my mom's bingo hall in her appartment block and everyone wanted to win one. BUT I do find the prices on the web sites I have look at really expensive and I myself would never pay that much and I do know how much effort and time goes into them. You have to think like a person who is thinking wow 6 cookies yikes I could eat them in 2 minutes or buy a whole cake for that price and share with a bunch of people. Yes they are nice and yes everyone would like to receive one but I still find the prices too high. Maybe it depends what part of the world you live in but in montreal I doubt very much I could find any one willing to pay around $5. for a cookie.
I discovered a long time ago that there are a lot of folks who simply don't have a recognition or desire for quality. They were raised on supermarket cakes and cookies and dinner from a box...and they think it's just fine and don't "get" why things are so expensive. They're the same people who don't recognize the difference between an $8.00 bottle of sparkling wine and a $100 bottle of imported champagne. Don't fret over them. You can't overcome a lifetime of lack of education. There are ALSO folks out there who DO recognize the differences and who are willing to pay for quality. It's a matter of marketing to the right group. You obviously work with folks from the former group. Don't waste your time on them. Find an "in" with the right group and your reputation will grow by word of mouth. Soon you'll have lots of people willing to pay your prices for your quality. Good luck!
Well at a restaurant you would pay that much for a slice of cake, or if you were to send flowers you would be paying for than that for a tiny bouquet of flowers(just go on any FTD website ). If no one was paying those prices online for those cookie bouquets, none of those sites would still be in business.
www.cookiesbydesign.com is a huge cookie bouquet company, and are charging $40.15 for 5 cookies, not including delivery or a special container.
I am surprised really because Montreal is a large city, I live near T.O myself and some of these places charge $3.50/cupcake alone. I wouldn't necessarily have the money to pay $5 a cookie (then again I am broke and can also do my own right..no way would I be going to a grocery store! 
) but when you're selling, you have to be making a profit or there isn't a point. If people want cheap, they can keep looking, or make their own. As long as your prices are competitive you have nothing to worry about.
I agree with Crimsicle. I think you hit the nail on the head! I use to look at the cost of bakery cakes are high until I started doing them. I started a lightbulb cake last night and I have to tell you I have 5 hours in it already just in the mixing, baking, sculpting and frosting. I haven't even started the fondant yet. If someone came to me and said this cake would be $75-$80 before I would have thought they were crazy but now I see how right on the money that would be.
Crimsicle you said that about wine and champagne and you are right. I drank my $8 strawberry white ziphendale the other night and it was good but I would anyday rather pay for the taste of that $400 champagne I drank on my honeymoon! They just don't compare.
I have to agree with darcat. I don't know anyone, including myself, who would pay $5 for a cookie, giant or fancy. And I live in a city that has a very high cost of living.
If a person offers a quality product at a fair price, it will sell. You might want to market your cookie bouquets as gifts; people seem to splurge if it's a gift for someone else. I'm not implying your cookies aren't worth it! I'm just saying that a $1 million house could be worth the cost but not many people will be trying to buy it.
... lady, if you want to compare my cakes to your daughters DH and canned frosting, then you're better off going to WalMart because I dont have the time to be insulted by your ignorance.
I started baking my family's birthday cakes when I was eleven, and have never used canned frosting or a cake mix. My oldest sister (who is much older than me) started baking at the same age and made cakes that rivaled the bakery by the time she was fifteen.
Cheers, from
SwampWitch
Darcat, I understand where you are coming from but you most also take into consideration other items used for a cookie bouquet besides the cookies. I'm putting these things in nice ceramic containers with paper shreds, styrofoam, etc.
So a 5 cookie bouquet for $25 seems fair to me. I'm not the richest person in the world but I would pay for that. When I look at the price I'm looking at everything else besides the cookie.
I have to admit that before I started baking and decorating, I never knew that alot of time and effort was required for this skill. So I too was one of those people who would have said back then "$5 a cookie, no way". But now that I'm on the other side I can say that the price is justified.
I think I will stick with my prices b/c as I said before a well known cookie company sells it for much much higher not including shipping. Think about it, I'm sure those companies have at least 1 or 2 people assisting with their product. Therefore, they have to charge more to pay their associates and bills. But me on the other hand, I'm a one person business. No physical help from anyone except the great advice given from my cake central friends. 
Thanks everyone. I feel much better now. No more justifying why I'm charging what I'm charging.
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