Ok so I am working with my first bride. I got all the specifics on what she wants, and she has gone over it with me 3 times since the initial. She has already signed the contract and so on. However, yesterday she called me (we are coworkers so we talk regularly), and she mentioned in random conversation that she wanted me to get receipts for everything that I purchased....just to ensure that everything is "fair". I was so in shock, as we all know, our ingredients are just a very small portion of our pricing. We are for our time than anything else. I'm afraid of how this is going to turn. I figured out my cost for ingredients and it's approx $30. So she is going to look at the reciepts for said ingredients, and wonder why she is paying $400 for her wedding cake. I'm not sure how to handle this....anyone have any suggestions?

ok lets get some things in a row first

is she paying you for this cake?
if so how much is she paying per serving??

has she given you a deposit ??

If I were you I would tell her that because you buy your ingredients in bulk, you cannot give her an itemized supply list and anyway it is very much not the norm.

I can guarantee you she doesnt go out to eat and ask the waiter to bring her an ingredients cost sheet to make sure that what they are charging you is "fair". She is off her rocker. Shes probably thinking that since your 'friends' you shouldnt be making any money off of her.

This is when I would start trying to find the quickest most politically correct exit strategy

I would tell her to look for another baker as that's not the way I do business. You have to account for you shopping time, travel time, gas expense to go to the store, wear and tear on your car, auto insurance, utilities to make the cake, clean up time, depreciation on your equipment, your hourly rate etc. You get where I'm going with this.

Ummmm, I wouldn't show her the receipts. It sounds like you may have problems with her regarding the prices even if you did. If you buy wholesale or in bulk, your prices are going to be less than what she may be used to seeing at the local store. But even if it does cost you $30 to get the ingredients to make the cake, it still is your time, skill etc to get a naked cake to look amazing.

Cake supplies: $30.00
Time & effort: $370.00

Having a fabulous wedding cake: PRICELESS~~

First of all she has no business knowing what you paid for ingredients. You quoted her a price for the cake period. She either accepts or declines based on that. If she were to go to a bakery and order a cake does she think they will provide their cost for her? I would clear this up right away so there is no question about it or tell her you cannot make her cake.

Ask her if the florist and the caterer, etc. are providing receipts!! lol

I would opt out of this one. Since you work together it may be a little awkward to tell her where to get off but I certainly wouldn't do this cake or justify my pricing. What's "fair" is that she pays and you make the cake agreed upon, end of story.

I bet she wouldn't walk into a bakery and ask for that. It is totally out of line IMO.

No cake for her!

Lol....I imagine she thinks that the cost of her cake is completely supplies only. Twit.

Have to agree with everything Auryn and Tiggy2 wrote.


Not only that but you have given her a contract - it is signed and YOUR costs are just that - YOUR costs.
She has no right to see a list of what you have paid.

Sorry to say - but i am thinking that *she* is having 2nd thoughts about the cost of her cake - even so - she has no rights to want to see your Business paperwork/invoicing/statements.

Bluehue.

Make sure to attach your electricity bill on there!

You can show her the receipts and then tell her she is paying for your time (x amount of $ per hour), skill, gas cost of getting the ingredients, and I assume delivery/set up too? There is nothing "fair" or "unfair" about the pricing of a cake in my opinion. If in the end she doesn't find it "fair", she has the choice to go elsewhere.

Hmmmm, KitchenAid 6-qt Pro, MagicLine pans, mixing bowls, spatulas ... the list goes on and on. Items that you have already purchased are still a cost of doing business. I would most definitely not give her receipts, but I think I would try to get out of doing this one.

Give her receipts? That's what you do when you are making a cake for free and want to be compensated for the ingredients. It sounds like you already gave her a regular price for the cake.

I would tell her that there is obviously a misunderstanding between you and she should probably find another place to purchase the cake.

I have found that people that only have a job mentality truly don't have a clue how business works. Unless you want to educate her about making a profit you may be better off to just cut her loose before things get really ugly.

What you have is a contract price, already negotiated. There are no receipts given on a contract price. Tell her that now-and leave no room for discussion.

Tell her to shop around for the exact same cake you are doing, then let you know if it is a fair price...............she will come back to you in a heartbeat (that is if you still want to do it)

deb

Not sure where you are but $2.00 a serving seems way low to me. I start at $3.50 for fondant and that isn't including all the little extras, thats just base. She is getting a steal of a deal. Unfortunately, you may be in for a tense work environment anyway.
If she is concerned about the receipts, give her your list of ingredients and let her go shopping.

I think I might say something like, "I can't provide receipts for every cost that goes into making a wedding cake. I am sorry, but if you need that to ensure fairness, you'll have to find someone else to make your cake. I would encourage you to call some other bakers and get pricing for the type of cake you're looking for. If you do that, I am sure you will discover that $2 a serving for a fondant covered cake with all of your details is WAY MORE than fair."

I have to be honest though. The statement from her leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I'm not sure I'd be as diplomatic as I've encouraged you to be.

Good luck and please keep us posted!

First, is she maybe under the impression that you are doing this for cost? It's crazy, but maybe she thinks that $400 is what a wedding cake costs to make and wants to make sure you come up with receipts for $400.

My other thought is that this is such a bizarre request that I can't help but wonder if perhaps she didn't communicate what she really wanted very well. Maybe she was letting you know that if you had any expenses, over and above the cake, like a fancy cake plate/base or something, she would reimburse you for that?

In either event, I would tell her that you can agree on a price for a cake. But once you agree on that price, that's what she will owe you, no matter what the flour and sugar cost. So receipts will really be irrelevant to her.

How about ask her simply...

"To ensure it's fair? To who?"

That's your price so it must be fair to you, right? Maybe suggest giving her back her deposit until she's been able to gather more quotes from other bakers...

I understand you have to work with her so just be honest. Maybe something like-

"If you are uncomfortable with the price I quoted you I am willing to let you out of the contract due to our work relationship. I am sure you can understand that due to this being a business transaction I cannot give out receipts"

or just

"I am not comfortable giving that information."

or

"If you have a lower quote on the cake I will understand if you want to get your cake from them"


Something along those lines, said really sweetly but firmly with a smile (even though you are stewing inside) and leaving no room for discussion about the receipts. She may not like it but if you are not nasty that's about the best you can do.

This could be touchy either way. Good luck with it!

She's getting a wedding cake for $2 per slice AND flowers? She's getting a bargain. I would just tell her I don't operate that way, and not show her anything. Tell her to check other bakeries and see what they charge. I would be insulted by this request.

But that's how it goes when we deal with friends. We try to give them a break and they want FREE.

How about:

I was trying to come up with receipts for you but I have a problem. I buy most of my ingredients in bulk because lots of my specialty ingredients have to be bought online. Most of the ingredients that are going into your cake are things that I have already purchased and have no way to break down the pricing because I don't save receipts. I did however check with XYZ Bakery and found out that they would charge you $X for this same cake so you could see that I was charging you fairly and even giving you a discount. *I understand if you want to go with another bakery and I will have no hard feelings if you do.

*You can edit this out if you want to.

Hope that helps!