Oh yah, I give my neighbors cake all the time but when it came time for their baby showers or birthdays they went to a grocery store or bakery and paid them first before even offering to give me the order. I dont think she meant to be mean by saying Good Luck With That. Its just the way people are. My own brother did it to my father! My father owned a meat market and my brother would go to the major grocery stores before he would give it to his own father! Its not saying that everyone is like that but most people tend to take advantage whether they know it or not. I know Ive seen on here time and time again where family members expect things from us because they figure we are in the business. Ofcourse we dont go to insurance agents and expect a deal on something, but they think cake is a non-necessity. So please, dont jump to conclusions when people give you advice. Take it with a grain of salt! 
I tell them that I have set prices, and I move the discussion on. What I want to ask them is if they are paid a regular salary, or are they made to renegotiate their pay every day for each thing they do.
I've also told a woman once (in an inappropriate fit of annoyance) that the same number of her guests would see my cake if she pays full price as would see it if she paid a discount rate. My prices are my prices. and not related to marketing trade. But I told her a bigger consideration for her was that the same number of her guests would see the beautiful, appropriately priced, cake that I would sell her as would see the sloppy looking discount cake she might find elsewhere.
I love it!! 
Haha yeah I have had a few that feel they are either a loyal customer who now should have a discount because they have ordered a few times....or that they are ordering alot of cake and so should have a bit of a discount. Mostly I've encountered, though, the "I've ordered from you several times, don't you offer a discount to return customers?"
I think it might come to the fact I'm a home baker, some people think they are doing me a huge favor by ordering from me, and then in return I think they think I should be so grateful I'll give them money off.
I'm pretty sure I get more and bigger orders than they think I do...LOL...some of them feel I am their own special discovery and nobody else knows. haha.
Lol - Apparently there are a lot of people who offer discounts to return customers.
I for one know what it is like ot have ppl say "nothing flashy...just plain and simple". I have a co worker that expects cake once a week and never wants to order his wife anything-birthday, anniver., or Mother's Day. But he's quick to ask for something free or let me know that he doesnt have any money for something.
I've gotten good at pricing high when I dont want to do a cake. I had some one want a cake with TWO diffrent themes on them. When I quoted her $50 she never responded to me.
I have a very hard time saying no and pricing high on my cakes. It takes time to get somewhere you are comfortable. But you have to decide when, who and if you want to give discounts to. If I am in need of something then I tend to but I make sure it is worth my time and equals out to the same price.
"simple and elegant" or "plain and simple" are code words for "fancy but I'll pay for cheap."
I've never had someone try to work me over like that but I had a customer play the "economy" card. She said she needed a discount because the economy so was so bad and the pony rides alone were costing her 300$....I told her sorry but I was booked for that weekend.
Maybe if she ordered smaller ponies she could get a discount? Or better yet charged the guest and entrance fee, or heres a crazy idea don't have a huge expensive party you can't afford? I know crazy but it just might work...
...they say they have bigger better cakes they'll order later. Or lots of people will see the cake so it will get you lots more business?
Oh I would love to believe that, but moreoften than not, it's just a typical scam. You probably won't ever see them again. Don't fall into it. You can offer discounts on future orders as a "frequent client" offer or something.
"simple and elegant" or "plain and simple" are code words for "fancy but I'll pay for cheap."
Bam! And just how does a non caker know the definition of simple when it comes to what is truly involved anyways?!?? 
That's it right there costumeczar...well said.
"simple and elegant" or "plain and simple" are code words for "fancy but I'll pay for cheap."
Bam! And just how does a non caker know the definition of simple when it comes to what is truly involved anyways?!??
That's it right there costumeczar...well said.
Yeah, I always like the ones who want a simple cake with no border on the top. I ALWAYS tell them, "Oh, so you want me to work harder on this one!" Then after they wipe the look of shock off of their face, I explain how much harder I have to work if there is no border to cover the seam where the top and side icing meets.
Why would you offer them a discount now, not knowing if they really will order more cakes later?
That's like I'll pay you Tuesday for a hamburger, today. Sorry, Wimpy, your promissory note is not good here. Cash in advance, please.
Theresa
Why would you offer them a discount now, not knowing if they really will order more cakes later?
That's like I'll pay you Tuesday for a hamburger, today. Sorry, Wimpy, your promissory note is not good here. Cash in advance, please.
Theresa
Hmmm.... You know I thought about this op and came to the conclusion that many people are being advised to CONSTANTLY ask for discounts in this economy. You hear about it on the news/radio programs on handling the recession and how to save money. Dave Ramsey has it in his financial program. You've got to consider that many people ask because they've been told that it doesn't hurt to ask, you can only be told no. So, it may help to see it from the client's perspective..... not that I'm giving any discounts lol
This comment doesn't apply to the family/friend "discount", I think most of us on here have "been there, done that"
I am just starting out with cake decorating. I do get annoyed that friends are asking me to "practice" on them and do a cake for free. I would rather get paid, but for me since I am just starting out I look at it as a way to add another picture to my portfolio and to truly practice. I will only do this the first year and I do have some paying customers as well but for friends and family, I used to do cakes for them for free before I offically opened my business this year so it's nothing new for me. I have developed new recipes and want them to taste my cakes and spread the word how good they are and show their friends and coworkers how pretty it was when I upload a pic to my website. I feel it will help me in the future getting orders. I need them to spread the word. This is only appropriate because I do not have a customer base yet but once I get regular orders you can be sure the only free cake I will bake is for my immediate family only.
Yea, good luck with that.
Start warning them now, because the first time you tell them they are going to have to pay for a cake they are going to whine "but you always did it for free before!"
And even warning them is not going to work. Sorry, but you should expect that these so-called friends are not going to purchase their cake from you. Or they will try and talk you down in price. Have a price list ready to hand them.
They might "talk up" your product to others ("Oh my friend makes really great cakes"), but I would not plan on these people becoming regular customers.
Amen Cathy! If they were true friends, they would have been paying you this whole time! I have family trying t get free cakes, but my friends have always paid me!
yourstrulytx: you are so right. If the economy is affecting your budget, then you have no business hiring ponies for your child's birthday. What are you teaching your child? This is the perfect time to show children that just having their friends over for hotdogs and soda and a nice cake will be fun anyway. And a fancy cake is more for the grownups to ooh and ahh over. The kids enjoy cupcakes just the same as a fancy cake.
I've always made cakes for my friends' special occasions with the understanding that the cake was my gift. I had one friend who's special occasions always included my cakes and got rave reviews from her guests. Eventually, she got jealous of the attention being taken away from her during the parties so she stopped having me bake cakes for her. The last time I went to a b-day party there, she had ordered a cake from Publix. At first, the usual guests thought I had made it but I made sure to point out that I had nothing to do with that cake. Everybody's lips turned colors from the icing!
Back to the point of the thread, bake and "gift" the cake to those who appreciate it and everybody else... cash please or no cake for you!
MMdiaz...we are on the same wavelength....I feel your pain. I used to always donate my cakes as my contribution to an event or as PART of my gift for baby showers, bridal showers, and birthday parties. Once, for my god-daughter..who happens to also be my cousin, I worked all morning on a Blues Clues cake and lo and behold when I got to the party, her mother had gotten a cake from Giant. 
. They knew that I was coming with the cake and out of jealousy (by this time everyone in town and in my family knew I made good cakes (not to toot my own horn)) so she got a cake elsewhere to be a smart aleck. She even had that snide, satisfied yet resentful look on her face when I got there with the cake.
As far as discounting goes...I don't mind giving small discounts to family and friends, or event organizations that I am affilitated with.
. Hmmm.... You know I thought about this op and came to the conclusion that many people are being advised to CONSTANTLY ask for discounts in this economy. You hear about it on the news/radio programs on handling the recession and how to save money. Dave Ramsey has it in his financial program. You've got to consider that many people ask because they've been told that it doesn't hurt to ask, you can only be told no. So, it may help to see it from the client's perspective..... not that I'm giving any discounts lol
This comment doesn't apply to the family/friend "discount", I think most of us on here have "been there, done that"
You have a point but when I think about how hard I work on a cake and they want me to slave away for next to nothing it's hard not to be irritated. One woman in particular was extremely pushy, she wanted a pink convertible with her daughter in it driving AND her dog in an action pose catching a bag that was flying out AND packages, cell phones etc. AND she wanted it to be very large. At first she wanted it the size of a half sheet. She haggled and haggled and I gave her the lowest price I possibly could and it still was too high for her. If I remember right she wanted the cake for $200. Eventually I told her I didn't work for nothing and she said with the economy so bad I would HAVE to lower my prices and I should be grateful to get $200.
Wow! - I didn't realize just how unreasonable she was until I wrote this down. I can't believe I wasted all that time on the phone with her.
What's up with having a cake made to brag about how much shopping you do, but you have to steal it?
And whomever up there that said the stuff about "simple and elegant" being code for awesome but I'm not going to pay you anything, you are spot on!!! It's funny--- these people know what they're doing but they don't have a clue how selfish they sound.
All these posts are so true! You cannot let people run you over! I've had people ask me to do a big 3D cake, or something really cool, but they want to pay what they'd pay for a wal-mart cake! I explain to them how expensive it will be, and that there's no way I can do it cheaper - that usually sends them running! People around here don't value cake.
I do free cakes for my nieces and nephews, it's part of their gift, AND my family is very close - we do things for each other all the time and are very supportive, so I can do this. Sometimes I do make cakes for showers, etc, for free - but only if they are a friend and it's in lieu of a bought gift - I tell the people throwing the shower (if I'm not already one of them - lol) to use the money to get a bigger gift. I don't have a business, I just get a few word of mouth orders every once in a while that pay - maybe someday I'll have a real business, though!
....and she said with the economy so bad I would HAVE to lower my prices and I should be grateful to get $200.
What a freakin' b*tch! You HAVE to lower your prices because she's too important to lower her standards? You HAVE to lower your prices because she's part of the entitlement problem out there?
Yeah, because of the economy, I find it harder to buy food for my family so the price of my cakes have to keep up with the price of my ingredients and my rent and my insurance.
I shoudn't have put that quote at the top of this post because I'm getting madder and madder every time I look at it!
You can't even know how bad I want to add my REAL description of what I think of her, but it would be my last post because I'd be kicked off of here in nothing flat!
AND ANOTHER THING .......! (with mom finger going at record speed!)
Why should you be "grateful" for $200 for a cake like this? Does she think $199 of it is pure profit?
Why should any of us be "grateful" to take an order that loses us money?
Man, I can feel my blood pressure going up every second!!
I think we should put together a punching bag, where upon we all write the dumba$$ things people say about our pricing, or complain about not being able to afford us, or comments about Walmart being cheaper, etc., etc., and send it along to each other. Debi, you can have first blow at it...but I think you would probably need to replace it the first go round!
Yeah, because of the economy, I find it harder to buy food for my family so the price of my cakes have to keep up with the price of my ingredients and my rent and my insurance.
That's very well put I wish I'd thought of saying that to her. She also kept dangling 2 future cakes in front of me and I wasn't falling for it.
The ones I have the least patience for are the ones who act shocked at the quote and bring up how their last cake lady never charged anything like that. I say did your cake lady have a shop and overhead? And I've suggested more than once they should use her if she's so talented and so cheap.... but of course she's moved to Alaska or been run over by a truck or something More likely she's wised up.
...they say they have bigger better cakes they'll order later. Or lots of people will see the cake so it will get you lots more business?
So far I just turn them away if they don't want to pay full price. But I have so many people who try that I'm starting to wonder if I'm the only one.
back in the beginning, I did cakes for scout troups and things like that, and they never ever ordered a cake. I don't do sheet cakes or cakes with just roses on them and things like that, so most of the time they just cant afford to order from me. That is why Walmart/BJs, etc etc aren't compition for me since I just do those kinds of cakes!
I have donated cakes to charities I beleive in. I had a friend who passed away a couple of years ago from cancer and the hospital that treated him gave him 3 years he wouldn't have had. So whenver they have an event, I donate to them. because I want to help, not because I want business. But the random phone call? Nope, I turn them away.
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