... I hate getting calls on Friday for a cake on Sunday. Nothing fancy. Just enough to feed 150 and can you customise the design blah blah blah. Do they think I pull cakes out of thin air???? Sorry. Just cranky.

Some requests are not worth it! If you do it for them once then they will always expect it.

Sure! I'll just pull out a couple of frozen sheet cakes from my walk in, they were delivered last week in a case of 100, right after they dropped the order for Walmart....no problem! And you are looking to spend .50/serving too, right? Well this is the place!

I think we should get paid double time for such things as this. I mean if you call out someone to fix your furnace on the weekend or after hours they take one of our arms or legs, or both. People just don't get it.

ahhhh...... the ever famous "....just a SIMPLE cake! 4 tiers, 5 flavors, volcano at the top, a monkey band climbing up the side .... but you dont' have to make the instruments ... just keep it simple. And since you dont' have to make instruments, I get a discount, right? So .... can I pick that up in, what ... say .... an hour?"

indydebi you make me laugh.

People are just clueless sometimes... I have started making cupcakes for a local cafe (only 20 for 5 days mind you... dont even get me started on the fact he wants to serve my 5 day old cupcakes) and i didnt hear from him on monday so i assumed he didnt want any because he normally calls.

He calls me at 9.30 at night wanting cupcakes for the next day! Oh but its only 20 cupcakes whats the big deal??

I laughed so hard i nearly fell off the chair! While he was still on the phone! I told him thats fine but i want one of his famous pizzas with the home made dough, he said but that takes time...

Really wanted to say to him "HERE'S YOUR SIGN!" but i didnt. Needless to say he didnt get his cupcakes this week. Which is for the best because I dont want to sell to him anyways!

You guys are hilarious!! but it is so true! What's wrong with people!!!

Yeah. My favorite is.. If I bake a cake can you decorate it for me? hahaha... Sure it's $500.00 for my tallent alone hahaha.
I hate when they say dumb stuff like that.

Somehow I can understand this from people who have no idea.
Well, they have the idea that all food is growing on a plate and we need only to pick it and serve. You need only warm it up. As cake doesn't need warming up - what's your problem? Go pick the cake and decorate it for me!

What I cannot understand are the people who really should know better. The guy from cafe is the perfect example...

I have a high profile customer who rather flies by the seat of his pants and has the "manager" of his estate call me with his last minute requests. She apolgizes every time she callls. We usually accommodate him, but he pays a "rush" charge. Of course, they are rarely simple things. Sometimes we do have to pull him off the wall and simply say, we can do this, but we have to simplify things here.

We are lucky most times to get a weeks notice. The tree house birthday cake in my photos was for his son. We actually had about 10 days notice for that cake!

Ughh! I know wht you mean about last minute. I have a SIL who called on a monday and needed a cake for friday night, something simple for her grand daughters BDay. She says "just a sheet cake to serve about 20, ill pay $50." I say fine bring the money by tommorrow and ill have your cake ready friday." She shows up the next day with a drawing of what she wants. 2 different color basket weave on the sides, a giant gumpaste bow in one corner (each piece of ribbon done in 2 different colors) a number 12 in the other corner made of cake cut slanted so its at an angle, the sides of the number in one color, the tops in another. Just one crazy detail after another, but just a simple cake, she says "you can experiment and play around on this cake." Um yeah, b/c you want every freakin technique on it. Anyways my favorite part was when she point to the section of the picture labeled "sprinkles" and im like "you want sprinkles on the cake??" and she looks at me and said "no, you dont know how to do that, let me tell you how. You go and buy a cheap toothbrush and you dip it in food color and then you flick it all over the cake." I was like "you know i have an airbrush, right?" SHe was like "oh" but knowing i had an airbrush opened another can of worms, and designs. Long story short, her DD called as she was leaving and was like "mom, i was going to do her cake" i was thrilled. And since the cake was for her DD im guessing she got to do it the way she wanted, lucky gal. Ok sorry this is long, i love my SIL to death but i know what you mean about "something simple" at the last minute!

I was wondering where to post this! We buried DH's grandfather on Tuesday, and have been consoling our young boys AND dealing with chicken pox this week. I got this email on Wednesday.

First of all, my deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family. You are all in my prayers.
By any chance, would you have time to do a cake for T? Her 50th Birthday is Monday and we are doing something here are work for her. Gl was supposed to handle it and she just informed me that she forgot. It wouldnt have to be anything fancy, but I loved the flavor of Hs last birthday cake. I totally understand if you cant do it, due to the time frame. T does not know what we have planned for her Monday.

I get several of these "just something real simple (I'm reading:cheaper)" requests. I don't know how to nicely tell them that if they want simple, I'm not their girl. If I do simple sheet cakes, they are going to expect the prices they see at the grocery and WM. Not gonna do it. Got off easy this time, booked with family illness. Still don't have an answer ready for the next time this happens. Don't want to be ugly, these are friends I do this for and I believe they truly feel like they are making it easier for me if it is "simple".

I guess I don't get why this torques you guys so badly. Why do you expect people to know YOUR business practices...We could do a cake for 150 in two days. It would cost you, but we could do it. I can do 20 cupcakes in 20 minutes.

They are calling to ASK. They are trying to do business with you. Have you ever called your hairdresser to see if she could squeeze you in ? I have, and about 6 out of 10 times she has something in the next three days, when someone doesn't show. If I hadn't asked, I would have waited for two weeks.

If you don't ask, you don't know. An I think it's pretty smug of you all to assume that your customers are going to know your schedule.

can I............sure....I'll just go shake the cake tree out back.

Let me put it to you this way:
Nope, not going to happen, so sorry for you, good luck with that and the ever popular..............hysterical laughter followed by "that's a good one. I almost thought you were serious."


mommachris

Snarkeybaker,

The thing that drives me nuts is the customers that call who DO know my business. I don't fret about the ones who call who have no idea what we do and are calling out of ignorance.

But it really does bother me when people call who know we already have all the work we can handle (and often more) who expect us to drop what we are doing (for the customer who booked this cake last month) and do some over the top cake for them at the last minute!

From May until November we have a sign on our door telling customers what dates we can no longer take orders. I appreciate the people who honor that. ALL our regular customers know this.

One example of many: "I am sorry but we can not take your order. I don't like telling people no, but we are already booked full"

"But it is only one more cake. Are you really telling me you can not do this cake for me?"

" I am very sorry, but I can not take another order. I already am working 70 hours a week!"

As she turns to go out the door..."Well, why don't you work 80 hours?"

SERIOUSLY....people do want what they want and have no regard for the demand it puts on the other person. I am not just protecting my interests, but I am trying to protect my valued employees and not put any more strain on them than I already have. I appreciate them and understand they want to get home to their families also.