Bride's Request, Not Sure How To Answer!

Business By ravnmommy Updated 1 Aug 2009 , 10:00pm by MamaMayhem

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ravnmommy Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 5:38pm
post #31 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by jadak

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. icon_lol.gif

Good luck and please keep us posted!




Thank you! That really helps a lot! Yes the $2 per serving is VERY CHEAP for what she is asking! When I talked to her last night, I had to keep my temperment in check because I just about flew off the handle. Glad I waited and found everyone here to get a better idea of what to say. Thanks to everyone!

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Auryn Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 5:41pm
post #32 of 126

please let us know what you say to her and her response

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ravnmommy Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 5:43pm
post #33 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by Auryn

please let us know what you say to her and her response




Will do! Hopefully it goes halfway well!

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mbelgard Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 6:04pm
post #34 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by all4cake

Quote:
Originally Posted by __Jamie__

Lol.... Twit.



LOL


Why shouldn't she divulge her costs??? The mechanic does and does it so proudly too! (I was being sarcastic with this comment if anyone couldn't tell)

Light bulb- .95
Labor- 35.95
tax on part .10
tax on labor 5.00
_____________
total....costs more than the price of the whole car!





The only difference is the mechanics aren't showing your THEIR cost for that light bulb. icon_lol.gif Standard markups on car parts are up to double what the shop pays their suppliers, it depends on the part exactly how much.

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tinygoose Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 6:21pm
post #35 of 126

Not that she needs to know what you spent by any means, but this cake is going to cost way more than $30 to make. I spend $70 for a 20lb bucket of Satin Ice, and I used about 1/2 a bucket on the last cake I made for 75 people. Not to mention cake board, butter, vanilla, cutters, wire, shortening, babysitter, gumpaste....oh my....it gets up there quickly.

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costumeczar Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 6:22pm
post #36 of 126

Oh, my God, you are so undercharging for that cake...If she has any complaints cut her loose, then DON'T let her rehire you without raising your price! If she shops around she'll be horrified if she thinks that $400 for what you're describing is "fair." I'd charge a heck of a lot more than $2 a serving! At a MINIMUM, 200 servings for fondant would be $900, and that's without the flowers and branches!

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alvarezmom Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 6:50pm
post #37 of 126

I'd have to agree with the other posters. I'm not sure how I would price the wedding cake since I have yet to do one, but $400 for a wedding cake for 200people seems a bit on the low side to me.

Now I know you want to be calm when talking to her since she is a coworker but what you have o remember is this is not a "work" transaction. She went to you for a cake not to make a report for her.

The advise to cut her loose is well indeed, but that is realy up to you. Do you really want her as a customer? Some ppl, think that because you are their friend/family that they have the right to ask for things they normally wouldnt ask for from other vendors.

If you do decide to do the cake make sure you let her know the transaction with the cake needs to stay out side of the wk place.

Good luck to you and please let us know if you decide to do the cake what she says.

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kamikaze_fish Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:06pm
post #38 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimandmollie

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! icon_smile.gif




This is the best option in my opinion. Another thing you could consider is be up front with her and tell her the ingredients cost $30 but the supplies would have cost a lot more and she's getting a discount as it is. If it's still not "fair" then tell her you'll go ahead and provide her with the ingredients for $30 so she has exactly what she needs, and she can make it herself. This doesn't exactly convey my opinions on it but it's a pretty good reflection of them. I'm trying to be "fair" in how I speak about it. icon_biggrin.gif

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indydebi Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:06pm
post #39 of 126

She is so fulla sh*t her eyes are brown!

I'll show her receipts alright ... receipts for the loan payment that enabled me to buy my stove and oven to make her cake; receipt for my rent to have a kitchen to make her cake; receipts for my commercial veh insurance so I can deliver her cake. icon_mad.gif

How DARE she. icon_mad.gificon_mad.gif

Her: I need to see your receipts.
Me: What makes you think it's any of your business?

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Deb_ Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:17pm
post #40 of 126

Post her e-mail address so we can all quote her the REAL price she should be paying you for that cake.


My response to her when she asked for all the receipts would have been "sorry, I'm not required to share my business expenses with anyone but my accountant."

I mean, who the hell does this woman think she is? icon_mad.gif

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ravnmommy Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:26pm
post #41 of 126

In response to my ingredients costing approx $30, I just want to state that my grandmother was a cake decorator and she passed a month ago. She literally had 2 big pantries full of her ingredients, which were obviously all given to me. The only things I am buying is the ingredients for the filling, dowel rods and cake board. Everything else I either had, or obtained from my grandmother's death. So really my only cost is those said ingredients, as well as a LOT of my time into this cake. I am meeting with this bride on Wed and will let you all know how it goes! Thanks so much for all of your responses, they have all been making me think and some making me laugh!

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soobsessedwithcake Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:37pm
post #42 of 126

I got to thinking that maybe what she meant by "fair" could mean she wants to be "fair" to the OP and make sure she is paying her a proper amount? Maybe she knows that what she is asking for is a lot more expensive if she were to ask someone else to do it? So in knowing she is getting a great deal, still wants to make sure that she isn't taking too much advantage of this nice offer?

Just a thought...most likely a wrong thought but I like to give the benefit of the doubt sometimes.

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artscallion Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:37pm
post #43 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by kamikaze_fish

Quote:
Originally Posted by jimandmollie

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! icon_smile.gif



This is the best option in my opinion. Another thing you could consider is be up front with her and tell her the ingredients cost $30 but the supplies would have cost a lot more and she's getting a discount as it is. If it's still not "fair" then tell her you'll go ahead and provide her with the ingredients for $30 so she has exactly what she needs, and she can make it herself. This doesn't exactly convey my opinions on it but it's a pretty good reflection of them. I'm trying to be "fair" in how I speak about it. icon_biggrin.gif




I think giving 'reasons' for why it's too difficult to break it down for her only validates her false impression that this is even a reasonable request to begin with. She then leaves with the assumption that if you hadn't bought bulk, she'd be able to get receipts from you. What if she turns around and says, "oh, could you not use those bulk ingredients and buy my ingredients separately so I can get receipts?"

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tiggy2 Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:38pm
post #44 of 126

Just because you aren't buying everything doesn't mean they should be free to her. Someone had to pay for them and I'll be damned if I'd give them away to this little twit...............

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all4cake Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:45pm
post #45 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by soobsessedwithcake

I got to thinking that maybe what she meant by "fair" could mean she wants to be "fair" to the OP and make sure she is paying her a proper amount? Maybe she knows that what she is asking for is a lot more expensive if she were to ask someone else to do it? So in knowing she is getting a great deal, still wants to make sure that she isn't taking too much advantage of this nice offer?

Just a thought...most likely a wrong thought but I like to give the benefit of the doubt sometimes.




I pondered that notion briefly...then I thought well the OP quoted her the price which would be understood by most shopping any other place to be fair otherwise why would she have given her that price...and if the customer thought that the price was too little could very well "tip" or pay extra or send her extra with an explanation like..."I know how much time and effort went into making my wedding cake. Please, accept this as appreciation for everything you did to make my cake perfect"

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laneysmom Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 7:58pm
post #46 of 126

My advice? Find the nearest exit and run like H$ll!! This can only get worse if she's already concerned you aren't giving her a fair price. Have you read any of the bridezilla threads on this board? icon_cry.gif Go with your gut instinct. Run. Run now.

Seriously, though, I would encourage her to get pricing from other bakers if she's worried about her budget. If for no other reason than to put things in perspective for her.

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alvarezmom Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 8:09pm
post #47 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by tiggy2

Just because you aren't buying everything doesn't mean they should be free to her. Someone had to pay for them and I'll be damned if I'd give them away to this little twit...............




You make me laugh!

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mombabytiger Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 10:07pm
post #48 of 126

I would ignore her. If she mentions it again, tell her you thought she was kidding. Laugh like you just heard a great joke. Then ignore her again. If you have a signed contract, do the cake and get the money. I'm pretty sure you don't have an ingredients costs clause in your contract. So you fulfill your contracted obligation, she fulfills hers. BTW,I'd take lots of pictures if I were you!

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hammer1 Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 10:20pm
post #49 of 126

explain that you quote cake per number of servings and she can shop around for a cheaper or more expensive baker.
most people have no idea how long it takes to shop, bake decorate and deliver a cake, you might explain to her how long it takes.

needless to say, most of us don't earn what we should if you break our time down...the wedding cake i just posed plus the 2 full stacked sheets that went with this cake took 2 of us 24 hours to complete(over a 3 day period of time). we figured we made 11 dollars per hours minus the 100 for ingredients.

I am a professional and i make a lot more that that per hour at my real job, i do this for fun...good thing they don't have to pay what i get per hour at my real job.

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Melnick Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 10:53pm
post #50 of 126

I'm with mombabytiger. Just ignore it. If she brings it up again have a good giggle and say something like "How did it go down at the reception centre when you asked for receipts?" and if she says that she didn't you can say "Mmmm. Interesting. Why would you ask for them from me when I'm already doing you a favour? I don't mean to be rude, but I won't be giving you any receipts and to be honest, I'm offended that you would ask that of me"

Or ignore it and if she brings it up again, say "Why do you want that? Seriously don't worry about it, this price is my gift to you I don't want you to reimburse me any more than what I've asked". That's where you pretend you think that's she's asking because she's trying to do the right thing by you. It'll show you something if she is able to turn around from that and say no she's worried you are ripping her off. And unless there's some reason you really want to do this cake, if she does say that she's worried you are going to rip her off, just say "You have really hurt me with that insuation. I think you should find another decorator".

Or you could say when she next brings it up "Sure! I'll provide you receipts and you give me receipts for all the parts of your wedding and your bank balance just so everything is fair - I'd hate to think you could have easily afforded my real price when I did you such a good deal!" Ok - you aren't going to say that, but don't you wish you could?!

As for making a tense work environment, I totally get where you are coming from but remember she is the one who has made it awkward by asking in the first place - something she wouldn't be doing to anyone else.

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kearniesue Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 10:55pm
post #51 of 126

Wow, what a tight wad!!! How dare she ask that. Don't worry about ruinning your work relationship, cuz she's already done that!

Run, Forest, Run!

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mareg Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 11:04pm
post #52 of 126

Wow! Yes I too agree you are way undercharging for your cake. Your time alone is worth more than that!

Good luck with this. Keep us posted.

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Cakeonista Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 11:13pm
post #53 of 126

Ravenmommy, honestly I have to say that I am surprised that you would even do a cake for $2.00 a serving. Yes, I understand she is your co worker but that has nothing to do with you making her cake for practically free. I also bet your grandmother didn't steal those supplies. I'm sure she paid for them and if they were left to you they shouldn't be given away to someone who clearly doesn't appreciate it. If she did appreciate it she would have never asked you for receipts. Please tell her in no way will you provide her with receipts and if she wants to go elsewhere to go with your blessing. She will be back....and when she does I would nicely say I realized it was not to my advantage to make this cake for you at that price, my price now is $800.00. Please don't make her take you for a fool.

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countrycakes Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 11:14pm
post #54 of 126

thumbs_up.gificon_biggrin.gif As usual, indydebi, said it to a T. icon_lol.gif

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playingwithsugar Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 11:19pm
post #55 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by ravnmommy

In response to my ingredients costing approx $30, I just want to state that my grandmother was a cake decorator and she passed a month ago. She literally had 2 big pantries full of her ingredients, which were obviously all given to me. The only things I am buying is the ingredients for the filling, dowel rods and cake board. Everything else I either had, or obtained from my grandmother's death. So really my only cost is those said ingredients, as well as a LOT of my time into this cake. I am meeting with this bride on Wed and will let you all know how it goes!




Sorry, Darlin', but even if you win a truck-load of ingredients in the baker's lottery, you still charge according to what it would cost if you bought the ingredients. Should you decide to do this cake anyway, you will build a reputationfor under-pricing yourself. Yeah, you'll get a lot of business out of it, but you won't make any money.

Heck, for $2 per serve, it would be cheaper for me to order from you and have you ship it to me here in PA.

Give her money back.

JMHO -

Theresa icon_smile.gif

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txnonnie Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 11:49pm
post #56 of 126

I empathize with your circumstance. I too have had a hard time in charging what I should for friends. People seem to think because it is not from a 'professional bakery' that it should be much cheaper. We do the same work as the ones who are in business full-time.

Hope it all works out for the best.

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summernoelle Posted 15 Jun 2009 , 11:58pm
post #57 of 126

This is why when friends ask me to do a cake, I send them a little invoice with my prices, blah blah blah, and then at the bottom something like "Friend and Family Discount" subtracted, then the total. I want my friends to know what my cakes and time are worth, and that I am giving them a price break.

Your costs=none of her business.

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icer101 Posted 16 Jun 2009 , 12:10am
post #58 of 126

you owe her no explanations of any kind.. no showing receipts.. nothing.... only thing i would say is ... i think it best that you get another decorator.. i feel like you don,t trust me.. and it would make me feel better if you would... that way ...no problems down the road.. if she has already started getting to you.. she will do that the whole time of you baking. etc.. she will never be happy.. so that is a good way to save your reputation.. is to leave her alone.. hth... and RUN!

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KathysCC Posted 16 Jun 2009 , 12:18am
post #59 of 126
Quote:
Originally Posted by indydebi

Her: I need to see your receipts.
Me: What makes you think it's any of your business?




Nuf Said! thumbs_up.gif

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maryjsgirl Posted 16 Jun 2009 , 12:23am
post #60 of 126

I would ask her to send her and her fiance's W-2s for last year so YOU can also make sure the price is "fair".


Your cost is not $30, just because you inherited cake supplies. No they didn't cost you, but they will bring a PROFIT. You need to take into account the profit these items you are giving away would bring you if you used them on a customer paying full price.

If she wants to make sure the price is fair all she needs to do is do a little price comparison with other bakeries.

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