No more orders for slabs or kid's cakes. I can't take hearing the old "well-it's-only-$50-at-Costco and yours is a bit smaller/pricier". I want to tell them "then go get the Costco cake!! Real butter is $5 a pound for %$#@ sake!!"
Tomorrow's client is giving me a migraine like no other. She asked us to increase the size of her slab cake about 50% and when I mentioned the new price (only $15 more than the last price!) she gawked and said...
"I didn't think you were going to increase the price?"
I think some people are truly nuts. It's not a charity...it's a cake company for %$#@^& sake!! People truly expect that slabs/kid's cakes are easier and therefore should be cheaper. Arrrrgh!!
Nope...no more.
I need a drink...
Antonia
I have recently decided not to do any cakes for under $100(US$75). Im not saying im not doing any cakes for kids, just no more cheap cakes. I work full time and find that im spending evenings on end making cakes, for peanuts, and sometimes on smaller cakes im working for around $8.00(US$6.00) per night which is utterly ridiculous.
I had a customer once ask for another tier on her wedding cake, it was adding an extra 30 dessert serves and I told her that it would be an extra $80(US$60), and she was shocked, saying she didnt expect the price to be different at all ( 30 serves and an extra decorated cake???) Then she wanted to have another sample of my cakes and then she said she would decide then, she strung me along for about 8 weeks, in the end i told her that she had missed out because someone else had booked her date, I had told her at the start that only a paid deposit would secure her date. Anyway good riddance!!! Some ppl are impossible.
Nati
PS: Your cakes are awesome!!!
_ChristyB_ Junior Member
Joined: Aug 24, 2005
Posts: 82
Location: SE Georgia
Birthday: Aug 14
Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2005 5:23 am
I definately understand your pain also! I have really just started my cake business during the year and I do anywhere from 4-10 cakes a week and sometimes cookies. but there for a week or two it seems like everyone that called thought the price I quoted them was too high. I even had one to say that they would just go with Wal-Mart, and I said - if you want a Wal-Mart cake, that is fine, they can afford to make cheap cakes...I can't. People just don't realized the time - much less the effort ( I have two small children ages 2 & 4 that I have to take time away from to do this) I do so enjoy the cakes though...it is just hard sometimes and people don't understand that.
I hope your drink relaxed you Antonia - no more worries - well after you get the cake in the careless boy's car - that is!!!
Nati - You go girl! That was too funny about the extra cake - the bride deserved that!!!!
I just had my first experience with this on Friday...the lady calls me and asks if I still do cakes...I told her ya, absolutely...so she's like "well, I hope it's not short notice but I need a cake for Sunday.." I'm like jeeze 2 days and I have 2 exams this weekend...but I said yes...all she kept saying to me was "no, i'n not picky, It doesn't matter, but Joey really wants football" So I was asking her, well, have you seen my website, so you can get a feel of how my cakes are, and then you can decide, she's like "no, I'm not picky, just do it football..." OK...then, she asks me for the price..1/4 sheet, 3 layer double chocolate with a full FBCT i said $45 (around here when I tell ppl that, they normally say "that's it??" and I get a tip) This cheapo said, "Sorry, I'll go get it somewhere else." I didnt want to lose her business so I asked her what she was interested in paying...and of course she gave me the costco cake wiht the little football figurines for only $25.99...so I asked if she wanted me to make it one layer, with little figurines on top and filled wiht buttercream, not mousse.,.she said no, then i asked if i could accomodate her with a smaller cake...so, we decided on a 9" round...
The thing is she has a business out of her home selling party favours and (bomboniere?..I dont know if thats an english word, but that's the only word I know for it)and she talks to many ppl that are having parties...
So heres what I did..I made her the 1/4 sheet, for the same price as the 9" round, and I'm going to give her some business cards and just tell her that I made the bigger one in hopes that she could give out my card to ppl who ask if she knows a cake lady. And i live about 25 houses away, so It's very convenient for them too!
Well I haven't given it to her yet, but we'll see her reaction...she said she's not picky, but I'm afraid she's not going to like it...
cakinqueen Regular Member
Joined: Oct 12, 2005
Posts: 155
Location: Philly,PA
Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2005 7:16 am
antonia74 wrote:
I would tell her to go somewhere else....but the cake is for tomorrow at 9am. It's in the fridge right now!
She asked me to have it ready and told me that she is sending someone to pick it up, but to help him pack it in the car because...GET THIS:
"he is somewhat careless."
This gets better and better, eh?
FROM EXPERIENCE: Take a picture of your securly placed cake in the somewhat careless persons car. If she has been acting like this before she got the cake image when the idiot destroys it on his way. Your but is covered. Good luck enjoy your hubbys treat and thank your lucky stars you have him to keep you calm
MelC Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 24, 2005
Posts: 675
Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2005 7:22 am
And tell her (in writing if necessary) that you'll do your best to secure it, but that you are not responsible for it after it leaves your premesis!
Ok, so now it's 4:10..she was supposed to be her at 4 to pick up this nightmare cake...she lives a street over (so it's not traffic) and she hasnt even called...oh brother
antonia74 Forum Fanatic
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 1989
Location: Toronto/Kingston, CANADA
Birthday: Aug 08
Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2005 2:45 pm
Well, at 10am (the ungodly hour she begged me to have this cake ready for!) nobody had shown up...no surprise!
I called at 10:30am and asked if someone was on their way over? (She lives about a 45 minute drive from me).
She said..."Oh, we decided to come in the afternoon for it, okay?"
Well NO...it's not okay. I had a wedding delivery! She got huffy and said "You never told me that!" and I said "You were supposed to be here at 10am...why would I warn you about my afternoon plans?!"
So then I start pacing the place, waiting for the inevitable tension when she gets here...but she's sweet as pie when she arrives.
Loved everything, paid me cash and had a huge van for easy packing!
Crisis averted!!! NO MORE SLABS OR KID'S CAKES THOUGH!!!
My lady showed up to...10 mins after my post...said thanks a lot for the bigger cake and "her husband is turning 40 soon, so she'll call me.." i guess she liked it..
antonia74 Forum Fanatic
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 1989
Location: Toronto/Kingston, CANADA
Birthday: Aug 08
Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2005 8:39 pm
well THAT'S good news...at least you'll get another order out of it then!
I hope my client loses my number!
LetThemEatCake Junior Member
Joined: Nov 08, 2005
Posts: 34
Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2005 9:14 pm
I can feel your pain, although I'm going to hijack the thread for a moment to vent my own frustrations.
I recently started working for a huge company. Our site has over 500 people and that's only one of our sites in town. My husband and I both work there and several of our coworkers have spouses who work at the other sites in town. I make tons of deserts for his group and his boss specifically requested that I make the birthday cake for the birthdays and that they start paying me (who am I to argue???)
So, I've brought several cakes for the holidays and quite a few people have been impressed. One lady came and ordered two graduation cakes from me. (Ones in the oven now.) She then brought over another woman who needed something in a rush.
This was the Thursday before last. Her twins were turning 7 on Friday and could I make a cookie cake for each of their classes? Since I'm trying to drum up more business, I said sure and only charged her slightly above cost. I made the cookie cakes that night and delivered them the next morning.
The same afternoon that she ordered the cookie cakes, she came back and asked if there was anyway that I could do a cake for 50 people, whipped cream icing, pineapple/vanilla flavoring for Sunday afternoon. I said okay and gave her a really amazing price.... she asked when she could pick it up, I told her about 1pm, she said she couldn't because she needed to take her kids to something at 2pm, could she pick it up at 4pm. I said, "No, I'm sorry but I have a baby shower to go to at 2pm." So we settle for Noon and I told her should would have to take it home and put it in the fridge since she wasn't planning to serve it until almost 7pm.
So, Sunday rolls around and I screw myself on the money I'm getting out of it and Noon comes and she's not here. About 12:15 she calls and says she has a question, she wants to know if it can sit in her car for about 4 hours. I'm like, um, no. I told you it had to be in the fridge. She's like well then can I pick it up at 4pm? I'm like, No, I told you I had shower to go to." So, then she says, well I just don't know what I'm going to do and I'm thinking lady, you're going to get your #$@ over her and pick up this cake. So, I end up meeting her at a mall about 1/2 way between our houses (about 20 minutes in a direction I shouldn't have been going!) I give it to her, she introduces me to her kids and they say thanks for the cookie cakes, they loved them. I'm thinking, great, this should be good.
So, I run into her in the hallway the next day and I ask her how was the filling (new recipe) and she says it was perfect and I ask if the kids liked the cake and she says, No it was burnt when she cut through the cake and that she had meant to check it when she got it home but she'd forgotten. Then she says, but the kids had a good time so that's what's important. I wanted to call the woman a liar right there because there is NO way that I would give her a burnt cake and there is no way I would not have known it was burnt, besides the fact that it smelled heavenly and I didn't want to give her the cake for what she paid, I wanted to eat it, but I definately shouldn't eat a cake for 50 right?!
I was so upset. Now I'm pretty much caked out. I'm finishing this cake tonight and I'm not making another cake until my little sisters wedding at the end of January. Her cake will be a gift for them and my sister is one of those people who just loves it when you think of her. I could give her a stick of gum and she would be delighted.
Moral of the story. My mother was right. She's always said that when people get something for nothing or close to nothing, they are always the most ungrateful and always the biggest pains.
I'm done with doing cakes for cost (or less as it generally works out because I'm a perfectionist). At this point, I may be done with cakes outside of my family.
Anyway, thanks for letting me jump in here.
antonia74 Forum Fanatic
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 1989
Location: Toronto/Kingston, CANADA
Birthday: Aug 08
Posted:
Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:10 am
Good points LetThemEatCake!
I think your mother has put it most eloquently. Smart lady!
bakers2 Junior Member
Joined: Oct 29, 2005
Posts: 74
Posted:
Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:42 am
when the phone conversation starts out with "I just want something really simple..." I know I'm in trouble!
I have chosen not to do sheet cake style cakes - I tell people that I simply cannot compete with the Costco - grocery store cakes - everything I do is scratch baked - I don't do shortening based frostings - store cakes are frozen and they get their frosting out of a five gallon bucket - there's no way a one-woman business can compete price-wise with corporate!
Best advice on this thread~~~~~ NATI'S!!! Go Nati go!!!! I'm with you 100%!
MariaLovesCakes Moderator Espaņol
Joined: Jun 29, 2005
Posts: 4598
Location: Orlando, FL
Posted:
Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:15 am
antonia74 wrote:
(Tomorrow's client is giving me a migraine like no other. She asked us to increase the size of her slab cake about 50% and when I mentioned the new price (only $15 more than the last price!) she gawked and said...
"I didn't think you were going to increase the price?"
Nope...no more.
I need a drink...
Oh, Antonia, I am so sorry to hear that, but it is so true for many of us....
The recipes I use for my cakes call for margarine which is much cheaper than butter but still, other ingredients such as the Crisco I use and all that powdered sugar can amount to a lot, especially when the cake is detailed and/or large...
But, hey, if they want to go to Costco, so be it!!! Let them taste the difference for a while and see what they think!!!!
Cakeman66 Frequent Member
Joined: Nov 24, 2004
Posts: 465
Birthday: Aug 04
Posted:
Mon Dec 12, 2005 1:11 pm
The best thing you can do is have the person picking it up sign that the cake left in good shape, to cover your tail.
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It's not a charity...it's a cake company for %$#@^& sake!! 
People truly expect that slabs/kid's cakes are easier and therefore should be cheaper. Arrrrgh!!
