I do not have a business but I do make and sell cakes to just friends. So my daughters friend is having a 16th Birthday tonight. The girls cheer on the same squad for the last 4 years and we have been at many different social events together. She asked me to make the cake so I agreed. She asked for a 4 tiered cake with lavender accents. I have always wanted to make a topsy turvy cake and this gave me the perfect opportunity. They have money and she never once asked me the price all the times we talked. So this morning she called me on her cell phone to ask the price. I spent 100.00 on supplies so I charged her 260.00. I know way under priced but it is what it is. So after we hung up she called me back but it was a pocket call and I can here her and her husband speaking about the price and how it was way more then they thought and next time they should get it from WAL-MART. I so wish I could call her back and tell her to keep her money and get the cake from WAL-MART.
I totally understand what you mean, I also do for family and friends mostly, I had a lady from my church call me and wants a 3 tier baby shower cake, really??, 3 tiers, but ok I said, she showed me a couple of pictures she found online of some cakes, it would need to feed atleast 80 people, it's mainly in buttercream, but it does have fondant accents, and about 4 fondant figures, so I gave her what I thought was a great price of 125.00, her reply was "I was thinking more along the line of 40.00, thats normally what we pay for shower shee cakes we get from walmart" Really 40.00 that wont cover the ingredients, much less the time, so I told her she would probably have to order from Wal-Mart!!!!
I'm sure once she sees the cake, she'll realize that the quality is much, much better than she could have gotten from Walmart. Right now she's probably having sticker shock from all the party expenses.
Personally, I always manage to get the price out there before I start buying supplies or baking...it's awkward to talk money with friends, but it's better to get it out and make sure they're on the same page than to wait until the day they need the cake to mention it.
even if you're having a friend purchase from you you should always establish a price and/or a verbal agreement about what should be made before you even turn on your oven. live and learn!
I completely agree with Texas_Rose. Your not running your own business, but there's still a huge money and time investment into the cake. Make sure that price is discussed before you crack (or buy) the first egg.
I'm sure when they see the cake (if they get to see it) that they will wholeheartedly agree that it doesn't look or taste like a $40 sheet cake!
Well I think I might have had to ask if they wanted a $40 sheet cake from Walmart why was she wasting your time ?
People who have paid $40 for a.sheet cake know that an extravagant work of art is going to cost a lot more.
I had a neighbor do that to me once. Begged me to make a cake, spent hours going over the plans and adding more and more on (she wanted a stage with instruments, then a full band....and how about lighting...) I kept telling her that it would be very time consuming and I would have a LOT of hours in it. Then about 2 weeks before she told me they overbudgeted the party and would have to just have a sheet cake. Thank God I didn't start making all those gumpaste figures yet. I told her Walmart makes the cheapest around, go for it. It ended up being a huge relief to get that monkey off my back.
Budget should be covered up front before the design. The only reason a baker puts off the issue is she is afraid to discuss the price. This puts everyone in a bad position. If you are going to charge, be up front.
And if you are going to charge, check with your local HD to find out if you even can charge. You may find that the cake should be free due to local laws.
Yes, it's tricky to discuss price if you're a hobbyist. This is where running a business is helpful. I itemize my cake projects for my clients, so there's none of this BS stcker shock activity going on. And for the tyre-kickers out there just wanting to know a ballpark price range for their next cake, I'm always careful to quote the upper limits for what they want, bc people are notorious for remembering the one figure you quote them, thus making it hard to adjust upwards when they want to add the extra fillings, most expensive cake flavours and all that jazz.
Hey there Texas Rose are you talking about Wildgirls cake from yesterday ? .This is a different thread . I cant remember the name of it but she said it went great .You'll have to look it up.
even if you're having a friend purchase from you you should always establish a price and/or a verbal agreement about what should be made before you even turn on your oven. live and learn!
Ditto. This is probably one of the most difficult things a non-professional cake decorator has to learn. Unfortunately, it seems that most learn the hard way. If you were doing this as a business, pricing would have been discussed prior to any other commitment on your part. Just because people have money doesn't mean they want to spend it. Hopefully, this will work out and you will not have this situation happen again.
Here's is a superb article I refer all people to read when they have pricing issues:
http://www.cakeboss.com/PricingGuideline.aspx
p.s. Your Wrapped Cake in your Gallery is STUNNING!
I do cakes for family and friends. I always get a idea of what they want, how many servings they need, then I give them a few cake size options that will fit their servings, and how much for each of them. That way they can pick. They may think they want a bigger or more cake, until they find out the price, then they may decide that a smaller cake really is plenty.
I wouldn't even say anything about hearing the discussion on the Walmart cakes. They thought they were discussing that in private, and we are allowed to express our personal opinion in private.
I totally understand how much work goes in a cake. I get it. But even I would have a hard time paying several hundred dollars for a cake. It doesn't mean it isn't worth it, it just means it may not be in my budget. Of course I have a hard time paying several hundred dollars for alot of things.
@Apti:
You said "p.s. Your Wrapped Cake in your Gallery is STUNNING!"
Whose wrapped cake are you talking about?
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