Business is catching on like wildfire. I need to start setting up pricing guidelines. I want to find out what some local bakeries charge for the various products I will be providing. Do I pretend to be a customer when I ask questions? Be honest and tell them why I'm asking? Will they share info in that case? Who's done this before and what advice do you have for me?
"Hello, Mr. Bakery? My sister is in California but is coming home to Indiana for her wedding. I've been put in charge of getting wedding cake info for her. Do you have a price list or something I can send to her?"
works every time. If they ask you for a date, just tell them "Oh she's such a twit! She hasn't even nailed that down yet. I know it's in 2008 and it's in the fall .... that's as close as she's gotten to getting this thing organized!"
Yeah never be honest. 
.When they call you with some kind of store and they lower thier price and then you call them and lower your price and then they call you and lower thier price the public gets a good price and you both go out of business because your prices was to low. Just kidding I work for a large retail store and every week they have a person shop the competitors for over 200 items. Yes I would get my competitors price but I know for a fact that
sometimes we sell are 2x4s for less than we pay for them. My point is
( and yes I know your not a lumber company) the prices you get may be
miss leading to you.
I didn't have a chance to read your replies before I went out today and "shopped around". I pretty much did what indydebi suggested. I started at my first bakery with the sister and no date yet. Either he was weird or he saw through me. The next few places I visited I told them my dad was getting married next year (true) and that I was doing some research for him (sorta true...research for how much I might charge him for the cake heh, heh.) I'm a much better liar when I at least partly believe my own lie. The issue I ran into was that it was easy to get wedding cake info, but not as easy to get a rundown of prices for party cakes, which is much more my target client right now. I got a few and it will certainly help me set my prices. I sure do appreciate your responses 
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