I am so sick of wasting my time with "potential customers" who ordered a cake from their "cake lady" but now can't use her because she:
1) Moved out the country
2) Died (yes I actually had someone say that)
3) Canceled on them at the last minute ("You can do it this weekend can't you? You're booked? Oh, please try, there must be some way to fit in just one more cake..")

Then they feign surprise when they can't get a cake from me for 1/3 of the fair price. These "ladies" know what they're doing and I have gotten to where I can almost identify them from the first couple of words they utter because they have an falsely polite condescending tone that oozes: "I think I'm so very special and such a smart cookie and I'm so clever at controlling my myopic little world without the least thought of anyone but myself along the way". Aaaaaaaagh!


Ok Vent over

Wait - one more thing. They wouldn't be doing this if some people weren't letting them get away with it. You know who you are. If you're reading this -- these women are using you and you're hurting everyone including yourself in the long run by selling cakes for less than what a bakery with overhead would.

Ok I think I'm done now....

Right on!

You just keep setting them straight!!

Nicely said. I replied to one who was haggling prices with me and another "decorator" who quoted her a stupidly ridiculous price. I let her know why mine was more, why I wouldn't possibly match the other person's outlandishly insulting price, and I smugly inserted the email address to that other decorator so she got the reply as well. (insert devilish twisty smile here cause I forgot reply with the proper format for smilies)

One more thing. I'm thinking of donating dummies to these people so they can make cakes for their portfolio instead of jumping at every opportunity to make a cake for exposure. Maybe during that time of dummy decorating, they can come to appreciate the value of their time, see it for the art it is, and not piss the rest of us off who are charging appropriately.

I live on a 1 mile square Navy base with lots of civilians and local people working here. I can't even count the number of times I've heard "I tried to call you all week" or "I've been looking for you all week" . What a crock !! I am either in my office or my quarters, that's it, and both have answering machines. No messages means nobody tried to call me. Period. But they always insist on giving me this song and dance before ordering a cake for 50 people for the next day!! I have learned to say No, instead of staying up half the night. I would LOVE to do a cake for them, I'd just appreciate a little more notice!

Amen! I just got an email from a bride who had booked a consultation and now thinks I am too expensive - she is not sure she wants to keep the appointment anymore...it's been like this all summer! There must be new decorators in the area that are working on the cheap - I'll have to do some recon to find them out and introduce them to CC!

When I get these inquiries my response to them is always the same. "You need a cake for #of people for tomorrow......that's what BJ's/Sam's is for."



For me, it's not the price undercutting of individual home bakers...it's the big box store pricing that kills me.

I just have to keep reminding myself that the "big box" customer is NOT ever going to pay my "custom from scratch" cake price.

I guess I'm ok with that, but I know what you mean the constant inquiries from these people can get frustrating.

Right on Howsweet! I just don't understand how people are in "business" and then let their clients dictate their "business" and then get upset about how hard the client or order was! Duh. I'm going to say for all who is watching this thread and want to build their portfolio, business up, do some cake orders, etc., etc., etc. NOT every client is for every baker, just like every baker is not for every client.

You know what I want to do when I want to practice? I practice. If it's a recipe I'm wanting to try out, I just go ahead and try it out. I "donate" left overs to my DH's office or to my church for Wed night supper, cause otherwise my DH and I would be even more overweight than we already are! If it's a design, then that's what dummies are for. Orders are not for practicing or for building portfolios, they're for getting paid.

Ditto everyone! If I'm practicing a recipe, I'll make a cake and take it to work. If it's a new technique, I practice on a dummy or decide to do it for a competition. Well, it's makes me try harder and if it still doesn't work, I change my cake design.

Orders are for making money and Sam's is not my competition. My hubby and my mom say they can't afford me so they're lucky they are family (kudos to indydebi for that one )

I priced out a cake just today for one of the receptionists in my dental office. She wants a b'day cake for her DD who is turning 19 in a couple of weeks (the samed weekend my DD turns 8 ).

What did she want? Oh, I don't know.

What does she like to do? Tennis, baseball, music, dance.

Oh, she used to do ballet!

Perfect, I've got a pan that's already in the shape of ballet slippers with a banner area for her name (the Wilton one). I'll do the slippers and ribbons in fondant so the stand out from the cake.
Great! How much?

Between $40 and $50, based on a different cake I did last weekend, with the same principles.

That much?

Well, it's custom made. Fortinos (grocery store) will do it for less, but it will be the same as everyone else's cake.

Oh, you're right. Go ahead.

AND, when I told her about the other cake I did (2D football helmet - also a Wilton pan), she said she'd probably get that one for her DH on his b'day later in the year!

And my massage therapist wants me to do 2 cakes for her in October. She expected to pay more than I estimated.

When it comes to pricing, it's amazing how some people don't flinch while others skip a heartbeat with shock.

Being new to caking I think dealing with this issue has been the hardest and most uncomfortable area. I haven't done a paid job yet but whenever I've mentioned $2-$3 a servings people look like they're in shock! Honestly I don't feel like I can charge as much as other decorators and bakeries because I am so new and their skills are much more advanced then mine.
Yesterday I overheard a co-worker ordering a cake for a house warming party. She needed a cake to feed approx 45 people. She's getting one from a local grocery store for $25. That's .55 a serving!! If I charged $2 a serving that's $90 to grocery stores $25!
I have to say I am very confused with cake pricing!