Ok, this "friend" of mine decided a year ago to get into cakes 'cuz it is so easy and she can make the bucks doing it. She took some classes and decided to open shop. She does things "only" the way they do in class. I am not sure what classes she took, but, I see she could do some more learning and is getting in over her head. She is beginning to realize this as well. She offered me a job to come work for her. But get this, she will only pay me a percentage of the cakes I make and only if she does not have to touch them up. She is the owner and I have to understand it is her name on it, yada yada yada. I went and helped make a cake. She is totally unorganized. The cakes were still warm so just take your time. I ended up helping her fix her cake, and 1 other. The cake I made took less than 1 1/2 hours. She came over and said the border wasn't what she had in mind. Took off the border and put a much uglier border on it, very uneven. I basically did 3 cakes while I was there for 6 hours. She offered me $15 as she had to "fix" the cake. I am PO and then some. Do people really hire decorators to work on percentages? It took me a few days to calm down and talk things over with DH. He thinks she took the border as an excuse not to pay. I was over it. She just called and "needs" help this weekend. I told her I am busy (lied) and she is ranting and raving about what kind of friend I am. She is trying to help me, better job, one I would like, close to home, and this is how I thank her! Am i flipping nuts or what?

No, you aren't flipping nuts, but IMHO you would be to go back and work with/for her under this arrangement.

repeat what you mean to say, I think there is a typo in there

She is saying you aren't nuts for thinking like this, but you would be nuts to go back and work for her or with her under this type of arrangement. I have to agree with Veejaytw too!

Thanks guys, DH thinks she may have felt like she owed me something and that IT WAS an interview I just think the rant and rave with the words she used trying to get me in to help just is a forcast of what is to come. Thanks for your thoughts!

SHe's trying to "help" you by paying you fifteen bucks for the work you did? She really thinks $2.50 and hour is FAIR and HELPING you????

And how come her "fixing" your cake isn't canceled out by you "Fixing" her cake?

With friends like that, you sure don't need any enemies.

I would have nothing else to do with this situation. She's totally out of line with her comp plan.

Tell her you will help her out for $15/hour plus a percentage of each cake.

I would agree with $15 an hour but the bullshit meter is stinking off the chart so I'd say no less than $18.

Oh. the. nerve.

Now there are situations where people do stage (pronounced stahj) where you work there first to see if everything jives. But it's mostly done in restaurants & in finer dining.

However, your little chickie here can't have it both ways~~She wants to know what kind of friend are you? And she wants to provide you with a great gig. I mean which way is she going? Pulling a favor or providing employment?

There's room for her in the jar.
(see signature line)

Let me add, I'd be a rich woman if I could not pay an employee every time they did something that wasn't quite right.

Thanks, michellenj, for clarifying what I'd posted earlier...guess I wasn't very clear.

Definitely do not work/with for this person unless she is willing to pay you, not charge you! She doesn't sound like much of a friend to me.

thanks for all your support. I was really beginning to think I had some issues going on for me. I have never in my life been hired to work percents. It really peeved me to no end that I showed up exactly when asked and the cakes weren't even ready. Then she was have probs with her other orders would you mind helping while you wait. I guess I am still not over it. She called and left a message and said she was able to go up to 35% but no more. No hourly rate what so ever. I would be a contract labor and that is it. She refuses to have employees and all that hassle. I want to scream, then why open up a business? If it is too much for just you, then stop taking orders! She has 3 wedding cakes for tomorrow and they are just now going in the ovens! She has one out at 10 a.m. and they are not baked! If I am not in tonight, then she knows where "our friendship" lies.

I think I must be the one who is flipping! Thanks jen1977 for 'splaining what I posted...I must have had michellenj on my mind for some reason.

Guess this is what I get for spending so much time here on CC, my "addiction" is getting out of control.

The only reason she is mad and ticked off is because you told her no to basically using you. She wants you to work for free pretty much and fix all of her problems because she's stuck in the weeds. She's in trouble and needs help and sees you as her meal ticket (aka -sucker) to pull her out.

I would have put her in her place when she tried to pay me the $15 for 6 hours worth of work.

This is not a job offer. It is, however, an insult.

I'd stay away. I've seen scenarios like this before. If you do go and help her and the bride hates the cake I can bet the first words out of her mouth would be "I hired a decorator named *****(you) and expected better from her" and you wind up getting throw under the bus for her bad business practices, this would be especially harmful if you sell cakes on your own.

Is there any chance she will see this thread?

possibly, but then maybe she can see where I am comming from and others thoughts. Give her the opportunity to play the devil's advocate without letting it out of the bag it's her, and she can state her side of the story.

I really don't have any different to add, but wow. That's crazy!

She pretty much just needs your help, but doesn't want to pay you so thinks that offering you a something - anything - will smooth it over.

As for her wanting to know where your friendship lies - she's proving it right now. She's showing you what kind of friend she is.

wow....unbelievable....

I had a friend who wanted to learn to decorate cakes, I said sure I've got a ton of business this weekend, if you want to learn head on over. We had a great time and she learned a lot. She took one of the cakes for delivery because I was running behind after having to fix something she did(no bigge, just didn't like the way it looked) She didn't come back. So I called and asked if the cake had been delivered, the customer said yes but my "assistant" had insisted on cash. I told I was sorry and I hoped it hadn't been a problem. She laughed and said no. Okay I thought I'll deal with it later. Finished my last two cakes headed for the door.
Got home and she hadn't shown up or left a message. I didn't see this girl for two weeks (we live in a small area, this is hard to accomplish) Finally I saw her and asked her where my money was she had collected(I had planned to give her the whole $20 from the delivery fee because she I felt she deserved it and would be cheap to keep any of it since she delivered the cake by herself). She breezily told me,"well I kept it because you have to pay someone minimum wage when they work for you. You make so much money doing this don't be selfish." I nearly lost it! She wanted to keep the delivery fee in addition to the $65 cake fee and the $20 cake board deposit. I told her to give me back the $85 dollars and we could just walk away and still be friends, she pulls out $30 and hands it to me, "this is all I have left" and walks away.

Weeks later I hear rumors that this girl is telling everyone I made her work for me then I forced her to give me money for "lessons". It takes everything inside of me not to slap this woman every time I see her.

OP -- did you hear what happened with the wedding cakes? I would have been tempted to show up and say, "Here I am. Now first, I need the other [5x15] $75 for the work I did last weekend." Then, if I was still around, after each hour of work stop and wait for her to give me $15 cash.

Some people have a brain malfunction where they CANNOT see what an a** they are.

she told one of the brides she is sorry her cake did not get the attention it deserved her employee did not show up for work. She gave them my name. She just made basic cakes in bc with very little detail. The one cake tasted like saw dust from someone who was there. They said the cakes were awful and she knew the story and let the bride know. The brides family went to shop DURING the wedding with the cake and asked for a full refund. They took every last bit in except the bride and groom's bite. I dunno about the other 2.

well, we're always saying "if they want a full refund, they should bring in the full cake" .... so kudos to this family for doing it right!

Karma, baby! Karma!

I was so proud that they did it. They even took pictures and have the video of them spitting out the cake. I understand it was quite the scene. The family did the Sam's sheet cake spur the moment. They told them what happened and got a "deal". I was so mad she gave them my name! I really would like to know about the other 2. I would love to see her and say have you ever heard of SLANDER or DEFAMATION OF CHARACTER??? I just could not begin to think about the whole thing and then to find out the cake got returned. I do feel for her, just not the feeling she is looking for.