But I Thought We Hit It Off, Dont I Get A Discount Now?
Decorating By twistedsplinters Updated 28 Jul 2008 , 6:13am by chutzpah
I often wonder how to handle situations like this. For the most part, I don't have a problem saying "no" if they want it too cheaply but what do you say when the person you're quoting too has given you a (unasked for) discount on something they sell, like a haircut. I appreciate them doing it for me, but I can't afford to do it for them too! How do you handle that situation?
You simply tell them what the cost of YOUR cake is...your pricing has nothing to do with someone else's discount, that they gave you without you asking. I have learned that you just have to be firm & stand up to people.
I just recently had my uncle give me a referral...when I called the man I talked to him and his wife. They want a cake for her mom's 92nd b-day...but they asked me for samples! 
I told them I MIGHT be able to, but I'm not going to do it. I'm going to call back, say that I can't provide samples, but if they want to order do it by Wed. for a Sat. cake. People make me sick! What is word of mouth for???? You take a chance on the person's word that referred you...if you like, fine...if not, don't come back!! Do you think they ask for samples before they order at a new restaurant somebody tells them about?! NO! I did tell them "samples are for weddings". It'll be interesting to see if they order.
How about the friends and family that order their cakes from Walmart's instead of you. I know my cakes taste great.
I made a disney princess cake for my daughter's 3rd bday(in my photos), my niece loved it and wanted a cool cake for her 4th bday and she was so sweet she said, "Kim that cake is sooo cool, it's beautiful Kim. Kim, can you make my birthday cake?" i just told her we'd see about it. I asked my sister if she was going to buy a cake from me and her response was, "It depends on how much you want for the cake. If it costs more than I'll pay at Walmart then I'm going to get one from Walmart." 
She agreed that my cake tastes better and I reminded her that mine are 2 layers. I really wanted Jessica (my niece) to have a nice cake and b/c I love these kids so much I'm a total sucker for them, I agreed to make a cake for basically cost. She said she'd pay $25 and no more, I reluctantly said ok. After I made the cake she mentioned that she had , until I agreed to do the cake, picked out a 1 layer cake at Walmart for $30. 
So she was going to pay more for a singe layer plain ole sheet cake than she was willing to pay me??? Everybody had a fit over it and I said, "I don't suppose I'll be getting a bonus for this will I?" her response "No, I don't suppose you will." 
They acknowledged it was at least worth $150, it's the 2 tier strawberry shortcake cake in my photos. My mom felt bad for me and insisted on giving me an additional $10 for what I went over in ingredients. I can tell you this though, if it had been a cake for my sister I would have told her not to choke on her walmart cake. 
Was that awful of me to say?
Was that awful of me to say?
No...I would have told her TO choke on that cake!
Was that awful of me to say?
No...I would have told her TO choke on that cake!
LOL....LMAO
Yes, I used to bring a few things to the office--like leftover cakes or practice cakes. Don't anymore, they never order from me. THey ordered a half sheet 1 TIME and I had to send them 2 invoices for them to pay...I don't think they were expecting me to charge them.
So now when they ask "hey when are you going to bring some more cake up here?" I tell them when they order it.
Exactly. At work they all bug me to bring in practice cakes (freebies), but when it comes time for someone's birthday they not only get the cake from the grocery store, but then they are too embarrassed to invite me to the party. Had it happen twice. I just said I don't care I don't eat grocery store cake anyway.
If you think about it people can be very amusing. I just laugh to myself and move on. What else can you do.
Oh, Mac and playcakes -
Don't you know by now? It's a best cost, not best quality, philosophy in Corporate America!
Theresa 
Well, actually, I think the office feels guilty. They are the reason that I got fined by the HD. Even tho' I have a commercial kitchen now, they still don't order from me.
We were going to have an office halloween party last year. I so wanted to make the severed arm and rats cake (no charge to them b/c I wanted to try my hand--no pun intended--at it). Worked on it Wed and Thur nite. Called office on Fri to see what time was the party. Told that they decided to have the party NEXT Wed. Was never contacted about the change AND they knew I was bringing the cake. They told me I could still bring it to the office for them to eat SINCE I went to the trouble to make it. Told them "No, THIS cake has to be seen--needs to be PRESENTED--before it was served." Just sent the cake to my friend's party on Sat.
THEN the office called and asked if I was bringing one that next Wed. Told them "No, since no one bothered to call me about the change, you can go where you usually get your cakes. I'm booked."
Hubby and I are chuckling over this thread! 5 minutes of chance encounter and now you're close enough friends for a discounted cake? 
Hubby says to tell her, "Tell ya what ... when I buy something from YOU, then YOU dont' have to give me a discount either!"
I had a woman contact me about 6 mths ago asking if I would like to donate "donate" two 3 tiered cakes for a triple baby shower that it would be good advertisement for me. I told her no ma'am I dont donate to baby showers, I told her you can buy two 3 tiered cakes and no response from her after than.
I tell them, âMy cakes will get exposure and advertising whether they are free or paid for, and I really prefer NOT to advertise that I do free cakes.â
DH ran into our next door neighbor at a local store. She was there buying her son's BD cake. He reminded her that I do cakes and she said: oh, I forgot.
This doesnât bother me at all. At granddaughterâs birthday, a neighbor talked to me about a cake, but when her daughterâs birthday rolled around, they got a walmart cake. Neighbor seemed very embarrassed and told my daughter that they â..just couldnât spend that kind of money on a cake from your mom.â Daughter said, âHey, no problem! The only reason my kids have cakes like that is because gramma makes âem, âcoz I canât afford my momâs cakes either!â
When she heard the price she asked if I could make one for about 12 people instead, because she only wanted to spend about $20! Even I won't start my oven for that! I told her that for such a small cake, I would have to charge her full price, which would be about $40. She said Thanks Anyway, Goodbye, and hung up!
I tell âem, âOh if you want a just a little cake like that, thatâs what walmart is for. Theyâre about 3 minutes that way.â
Yes, and I love the saying with "It will be good advertisement for you." Hey, I have plenty of business without "paying" for you to advertise for me.
I started my business on word of mouth and that's fine by me. It keeps out a lot of the "economy" shoppers...hope that doesn't sound rude or pompous but I mean the ones that are looking for a custom cake at a Wal-mart price. As far as advertising--I just purchased a PROFESSIONAL ad in our local wedding magazine.
I have added a pricing page to my website and lots of people call to ask what do I charge for a 1/4 sheet cake. YOU ARE ON MY WEBSITE...CAN YOU NOT LOOK??? Sorry, I don't say that to them but I'm thinking it.
[quote="
I tell them, âMy cakes will get exposure and advertising whether they are free or paid for, and I really prefer NOT to advertise that I do free cakes.â
[/quote]
I like that I will say that next time.
.... and lots of people call to ask what do I charge for a ..... cake.
"Have you had a chance to visit my website?" (and it doesn't matter if they say yes or no because I continue with ....) "all of our pricing is posted right on our website and we also have a Budget Wizard you can download to enable you to figure to the penny what your reception will cost." Sometimes I will give them a general price range: "Our buffets run between $15-$20. All details are right on our website."
I am a sucker for kids - especially older kids who know when times are tough and they may have to forgo certain things on their b-days - like GIFTS. I can certainly relate to DG's doing that 16 year old's cake for free. The look on his face must have been incredible!! Worth every ounce of time and $ put into the cake 
However, it is the people you KNOW can afford a cake from you and play the $ card that frustrates me. My husbands co-worker ordered a "very" specific cake for his 12yr olds birthday (music note in my pics). That cake was only for < 15 ppl, but was 2 flavors of cake and 2 different fillings. So, I had to make 2 cakes, but did not charge him for THAT. The fondant microphone was actually detachable from the stand, and the cord was a pain in the butt, since it was continuous and he wanted the whole cord to spell out "Happy Birthday Peyton". My charge to him? $50.00. Cake was a HUGE hit, and the daughter even sent me a hand crafted thank you card 
He immediately wanted to order another "very specific" cake for his fathers birthday - a chocolate angel food cake, carved in the shape of a Glock pistol and decorated as such. Yea, like THAT was gonna be easy! I told him I "might" be able to work on it but if I could do it, it would be in the 45-55$ range. He bawked at the price, saying it was not gonna have fondant things on it. Never heard from him after that. This guy works with my hubby, so I KNOW how much he makes, and for him bawk at a 55.00 cake is beyond comprehension...
WHAT ever
Gimme the 16 year old ANY day! I would do free cakes for a kid like that all year long 
my pet peeve.."Would you do a cake for me? I will pay you for the ingredients, if you make it." Like that's a favor?? Paying for just the ingredients??
PFFT
Sandy
my pet peeve.."Would you do a cake for me? I will pay you for the ingredients, if you make it." Like that's a favor?? Paying for just the ingredients??
PFFT
Sandy
"Hello? General Motors? Would you build a car for me? I'd be more than happy to pay for the parts. Payroll? Rent on the building? Equipment needed to build it? Oh, no ....that's YOUR problem. I mean, it's not like you're putting out money for that stuff ... you already own it, right?"
"Hello, Pizza Hut? Would you make a pizza for me? I'd be more than happy to pay for the ingredients. See I'm having a party to celebrate the new car I just bought from General Motors!"
I agree with Janette. I recently made a b-day cake, it was a shoe box with a candy shoe mold, for a friends stepdaughter, free. I also did one for my friend, her husband, and her son. Her other stepdaughter had an anniversary party for the in-laws, I had no cake order. I saw the pictures, it looked like a Wal-Mart cake with an edible image of the happy couple on a cruise ship, with roses all over. I wasn't even asked if I could do a cake with an edible image And yes they could definitly afford my cakes. I only charge $30 for a shaped cake.
LMAO AT INDYDEBI'S response to my comment. I love it! Thanks for the laugh and making my day.
Sandy
Good for you guys! I am just starting out in this and the way I began was I got a call from my SIL asking if I would do her sister's wedding cake. I'd never done a three tiered wedding cake and the wedding was TWO WEEKS away. She said that they could pay me $75 for the work. I told her it would be fine as long as they paid for the supplies. I actually went all over town getting a list of where to get things and the price comparisons to save her money, I give her the ingredients list to pick stuff up and she says ok. I don't hear from them for days, and remember, this is like ONE WEEK away now. I get ahold of my SIL and she says, "she doesn't get paid yet, but you can buy the stuff and she will reimburse you" ? She knows I don't have money right now, I'm a student, so I said "maybe YOU can buy the ingredients and she can reimburse YOU" and she's like "Oh, I can't afford that!" Duh, neither can I! She says in 3 days she will get the ingredients. I don't hear from her and so on the 3rd day, 3 days before the wedding I connect with her and she says "oh, didn't Della tell you? We decided we couldn't afford ingredients, so we just bought a cake."
Are you kidding me?! Anyway, I was so disappointed that I didn't get to do the wedding cake that I decided I'd try to start a business! LOL!
So I literally just got off the phone with my neice, she says her mom is mad at me because the cake i made for her brother lost a truck, it was a skateboard and the wheel fell out of the cake. I made the cake for free because she wasnt going to get a cake for him because they had no money to buy it. They took the cake from Detroit to Traverse City MI, about a 4 hour drive, it was 95 degrees and humid and I told her it might happen I should leave the trucks off and put them on right before she served it and she said she didn't want to put the trucks on just do it and she would take her chances! OHHHHHH some people!!
When making my last "for cost" cake yesterday I decided it was my last. One, I usually go over the "cost" anyways, and two, I end up resentful instead of "doing it for the practice" or "cause I enjoy it." She's barely an acquaintance, too. But no more. (I still have to clean the warzone formally known as my kitchen.)
If I decide to do a free cake as a gift, it's 100% free. Otherwise you pay!
My husband's friend's son's birthday is coming up. I adore the boy, but they still haven't paid the agreed cost for last year's cake - a many-tiered spiderman masterpiece. I hope they enjoy their Von's cake (our Walmart's don't make cake here.)
I had a family member recently also ask me how much a 5 tiered floating wedding cake with fountains between each floating tier, in the shaped of butterflies iwth butterflies hanging from the ceiling would be to feed 350ppl. When I told them the price they asked is that with the family discount? WHAT?? I am not close to these ppl havent even had a conversation with them in 6 yrs until now and they were upset bc I was not give it to them at cost. I guarentee you they wont be able to get that design at the local walmart.
I had my boss's boss's daughter call me the other night at 9:00pm and said she would LOVE for me to do her wedding cake. She said she was looking at my site right now. I told her that she could taste three flavors of cake and filling and that I would even bring them to her house so everyone could taste them.
She didn't know what flavors yet, so I told her to get with her mom and call me back as to what day they wanted me to come by. No call. I called her the next evening and she said she hadn't talk to her mom yet (by the way she lives with them). So I said okay just call me back later. Haven't heard from her since.
Why don't people just say I changed my mind or I decided to go with someone else.
I'm going to ask her dad if she still wants me to do the cake that I need to know because I have someone else that wants to book that day.
So maybe we should all type up "special" pricing sheets for family and friends that we want to give a discount to, and when they ask, hand them one. You could even type across the top that it is special pricing, even listing that it's cost plus whatever amount you want to charge in addition for labor, and then you have a set amount for your preferred customer of family and friends, then they can see that they are getting a special discount and understand that you are not going to be negotiating.
What does everyone think?
So maybe we should all type up "special" pricing sheets for family and friends that we want to give a discount to, and when they ask, hand them one. ..... What does everyone think?
Here's my idea:
Regular Price: $10
Family Discount Price: $9
Regular PITA Price: $11
PITA Family Price: $25
Lesson here? Don't pi$$ me off, espcially if you're family!
Hi everybody! I was reading this topic and had to comment....
I have been decorating cakes as a hobby for 20 years and have never charged for a cake, so I can't speak to my experiences with customers, but I work in retail, and this theme of "can't I get a discount" is one I hear all the time.."well, I'm buying a chair and a desk, can't I get it cheaper?" or "since I'm buying so much, can't I get a discount?" It always amazes me that people ask for a discount. Personally, I would never ask for a discount, I would wait for one to be offered to me.
indydebi you are so funny! I like your idea. My immediate family are the only ones that get a free cake from me, thank god it's a small one.
Hi everybody! I was reading this topic and had to comment....
I have been decorating cakes as a hobby for 20 years and have never charged for a cake, so I can't speak to my experiences with customers, but I work in retail, and this theme of "can't I get a discount" is one I hear all the time.."well, I'm buying a chair and a desk, can't I get it cheaper?" or "since I'm buying so much, can't I get a discount?" It always amazes me that people ask for a discount. Personally, I would never ask for a discount, I would wait for one to be offered to me.
i get something similar- i work at a local hotel- not one of the small run of the mill rooms with just a bed tv and bathroom- ours are upgraded, full kitchen etc.. really nice rooms- but not a best western mind you. this hotel is old lol i do mean old (1926 but obviously modernized) aaaaaaaaaanyways.. i often get people who book rooms and say "well since i'm booking several rooms can i get a discount?"
one guy tried this and he only booked two rooms.. right..
we have computer set discounts.. as the hotel gets full and closer to weekends fees go up- and discounts are less available. if there's a' discount available- it will show up wheni go to log the room rate.. if its not there- i can't give one unless its special circumstances.
the worst one was- a guy with a few others booked a couple rooms one was a 2bed room (not a 2 bedroom just two beds lol) and a single.. a second standard room wasn't available... so i told him we couldn't put a rollaway in the single (firecodes prohibit it) he wanted me to rent him a standard (the 2 bed room,has queen bed in livng room queen bed in seperate bedroom) for the price of a rollaway (thats $4.00)
i did manage to hold back the majority of a chuckle and told him that wasn't possible.. he said it was our fault we didn't have a roll away available for him.. (right i rented out all teh roll aways to every one in the hotel in anticipation he might come to our hotel on a random chance (which is what it was as he was a walk in not a reservation)
god i need to remember to do that.. rentout all the rollaways just so i can charge some one full room rate rather then four dollars the cost of a rollaway bed.. *rolls eyes*
I guess these people that think they are owed a "deal" believe cake making is all about fun and not about making some money. The expense of ingredients and supplies do add up, never mind the time involved. I already work full time. No way am I going to bake for some stranger for free after working all day.
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