Feeling A Little Taken Advantage Of
Decorating By summernoelle Updated 30 Aug 2007 , 9:37pm by Zaxapi
Yeah...I think I remember the whole disasterous situation from last time. I think maybe she is now trying to take advantage because maybe she thinks you feel badly about the last time?? Why else would she even think that you would want to do this for free? Even if she is still paying for the ingredients, it is still free. I would say no way should you be doing this for the cost of ingredients! Then she expects you to chase her around to discuss the cake? I would tell her you could offer her a discount (if you even want to do that) but you cannot make cakes for the cost of ingredients.
Summernoelle...if you don't get some backbone you will eventually HATE doing cakes. Why do you make cakes? Is it because it gives you pleasure? If so, then move past those people that attempt to take advantage or don't order from you. Eleanore Roosevelt once said, "People can only take advantage of you if you let them." The other quote that comes to mind is "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
You can be very kind in declining the "offer" that she has made you. Something like, "You know, I'm not going to be able to do this cake. I'm am just way to busy and I'm having to turn orders away at this time. I could suggest _______(another decorator)" YOu may not be busy doing cakes but feel the need to "take a breather". YOu have that right. Best of luck to you.....
Personally I wouldn't make it for her since you lost money on the first cake. And not paying labor...what's up with that? I made a cake for a friend last month..got there and they said their relatives would pay for it...guess who didn't show up? I never got paid. I saw them again this past weekend and they said nothing at all about paying me. The husband even asked me to make their cake when their baby is born. Uhh....no! I'm not losing anymore money.
If you are thinking that you are being taken advantage of...DON'T DO IT! YOU yourself are feeling used and that is not right! You owe yourself to be taken care of at all times! If this person is not taking care of you then you owe yourself that much to tell her "no"!
the next step is to make yourself a price list and laminate it and give this to all those people that are trying to get to pay for your cakes "at cost". Put at the bottom "This is AT COST" they can't argue with that. Then take your practice cakes where they are appreciated and you will drum up some more business and your friends will see people going in and out of your house with cakes and they will have no choice but to call you! 
I am just an evil little thang! 
I don't like people that try to do this to others...they just don't get it!
I have a really good friend of many years whose husband owns a construction company. Would I dare call and ask for a reduced rate??? NO way! Certainly I use them when I need work done because they are my friends and I would never hurt his/her feelings by using someone else but I realize he has overhead and expenses. IF I get a reduced rate, it is because he quotes me that price NOT because I asked for it.
This lady is just taking advantage of you. I don't even bake for the public but if my family wanted receipts and did not trust me then I would not bake for them either.
I would email back "I am no longer able to do the cake. Sorry." You don't need cheapskates like this. And if she questions why....tell you you took an order from someone who was willing to pay your full asking price, and those customers take priority. There will always be people like her who want something for next-to-nothing, learn to identify them and say NO!!!
No way in HELL would I make this cake. Who is she is dictate what YOU charge for YOUR cake. 
Oooh that makes me mad. You need to set the stage for how you need to be treated. I would simply say "Sorry.. I don't do cakes for cost of supplies." And next time she comes around peddling Pampered Chef I'd say "sure.. I'll buy whatever you want for COST." Tell her to stuff it.
After the first cake that she thought was too expensive, she would have to pay full price or no cake. I do give my friends and relatives 5 or 10 of the price of their cakes. She is on even a friend, and when you went out of your way to make a cake at cost, it was still too expensive.
I had a friend that came over because she wanted to watch me decorate a cake. She ordered a cake from me and I just let her watch me decorate the cake. I gave her a price that was 10 below the price of the cake. After she watched me decorate her cake, she gave the 10 back as a tip. She said she had no idea what it took just to decorate a cake.
I don't know what it is about cakes and friends....I think they see cake mix on sale for 1 dollar at the store and think.....no big deal you could do this easy as a favor....
I get people trying this also ~ I think part of it is ignorance and part of it is wanting something nice for free...but like others are saying...who in their right mind would ask this of another trade....
sure wouldn't get someone to paint your house for the cost of supplies!
I would take a high road with her and say that you know this is very important to her and that you are too booked that weekend... you are flattered that she likes your work and that if she has a need in the future for a cake or cookies you would be able to give her 15% your usual prices since she is a friend and neighbor... then I'd be certain to charge her for every detail and get payment the week prior...
As one CC'er said recently: See if she can go down and buy a Lexus for the price of the parts!
HAHAHAHA!!! That was me, and I was just going to mirror that sentiment here when you beat me to it!!
I was thinking that personally, the response this *friend* would get from me would be riddled with curse words, but since we are trying to keep it clean and cordial here, I would simply tell her that her proposal is not acceptable. You need to be honest with her. I would tell her that based on your last experience with her (which I remember reading about) that you told yourself you'd be hesitant to do a job for her in the future, and based on her attitude, she has sealed the deal! People will ALWAYS take advantage of you until you say NO!! I had to teach my huge hearted brother that lesson too. I hated watching loser after loser come into his life, drain him dry, and leave him for dead (metaphorically of course!).
USE THE BACKBONE GOD GAVE YOU!! I know it's hard, and it's scary, and if you're like me, you HATE confrontation. But I know sometimes it's the only way! The only time someone gets a cake for free or 'at cost' from me is if I OFFER it!! 
Good luck and let us know how it goes!! We're pulling for you!
Well, the weird thing to me is that she hasn't really tried to contact me about it. She just has her husband send me an email. I called her last night at 10, and she wasn't home. I get this impression that she thinks she is doing me a favor, getting me up and making cakes. She thinks she is being nice about paying for the supplies. Like someone said, "turning off the soaps and putting down the bon bons". I actually have 2 orders this week, which is decent for me, so I don't need her to keep me busy!
I would explain to her exactly what you said in your post. That no, you will not do it only for supplies because you feel like she is discounting your time and talent. She knows you have talent because if you didn't, she wouldn't even consider asking you to do it. If she were a real friend, she would understand where you are coming from and pay you what you're worth.
Here's another option.......Make a shopping list and include everything you can think of, eggs, oil, butter, Melvira's roller, cake board & covering, flavorings, merange (sp) powder, hi-ratio shortening, fondant (if aplicable), food coloring, 10X powdered sugar, etc. and tell her to go shopping. 
Also tell her once she's located all of the supplies to call you and then come pick you up and you will make the cake at her house and she can do all the clean up. Also tell her the clock starts when she picks you up and your hourly rate is $XX. My guess is she won't want the cake.
tell her your husband set up a romantic get away for like 3-4 days and when she sees you those days tell her something came up last minute at ur husbands job and you guys had to postpone and you don't have time to go buy anything
or you can simply hide in your house all weekend .and the cars r parked in the driveway bc u guys took a cab
GL
wow - that lady has some nerve to expect you to do this for her. My family and friends have NEVER asked for a discount, I do tell them (and my church) that I will charge them 20% less just because they are family/friends and they chose to go to me and pay a little more to help me out when they could've just ordered a nasty cake from wal-mart...
they all argue with me and tell me NOT to give them a discount, most times I do it anyway, but my dad especially is VERY firm - he says, "a days work is worth a days' pay..." in other words, just because he 's my dad doesn't make my personal cost or labor go down, so why should it make his cost go down? something I have to remind myself.
well i hope you don't do it......each and everyone here has given you the best advice...in the end you are going to do what you want....but if you feel taken advantage of now....just imagine how you will want to kick yourself in the pants after you were to make it!!!! thinking back....or even during!!!! just say NO...whats the worst that can happen??? she won't ask you to do another cake for her again??? hahahahaha well great!!! no more headaches for you!!!!!!! Good Luck!!!!!!
She just called me. And I told her...no. Sorry, but I have some orders the weekend, and I just won't have time to get to it.
She just called me. And I told her...no. Sorry, but I have some orders the weekend, and I just won't have time to get to it.
So what was her reply to that? I have found that one of my "friends" that expects freebies, also expect to have her cake 'squeezed in"
good for you! Hopefully she get's the picture now.
She was fine. She said something like "well, if you have other things to do, don't worry about it".
Hmmmm. That sounds way snottier when I write than it sounded when she said it.
Good for you summernoelle!!!!!
I wouldn't have done that cake! If someone wants me to do a cake, they will at least pay me for my time!!!!!! 
GOOD FOR YOU Summernoelle!!!!!!!!!!
I would have handed her the bag of groceries with the receipt and said "You get what you pay for" !!!!!!! 
Your time and talent are worth so much more that this "so called" friend thinks!
WTG!
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