I wholeheartedly agree on the issue that it's fine to ask about getting a discount, but you usually have to DO something to get that discount regardless of the business.. A discount is getting the 6" or smaller top tier free with a purchase of X amount or more.. A discount is free delivery for cakes within X miles.. I've got the non-PITA discount where the more the bride is willing to work with me, the more time I'm willing to put into making the details of her cake better than she ever imagined.
Just like other industries I've been involved in, we as bakers need to stop apologizing for making a LIVING WAGE.. Think about how regulated we are as compared to other industries. We have more regulations than most states have for HOSPITALS! (keeping drugs out of the regulation discussion of course) Living wage is not minimum wage, it's about 3-4x minimum wage per hour. We aren't putting out an inferior product. When we need a plumber, yes, we call around, we scour those little add things in the paper for the guy who will knock $10 off his $250 service charge, or find the ad that says "Mention this ad and get a pipe fitting for free", etc. The plumber doesn't care that your pipe broke, he works for real wages to support his family.
I agree, this bride is nuts, and when she comes crawling back, the quote has changed to $10 per individual cake, $50 for her topper 6" hex cake, and $12 per gumpaste rose on top. She already turned your offer for $350 down, so the ball is back in your court when she finds no one else is willing to attempt her cake(s)..
Also, when asked for quotes for comperable work, my photographer, he doesn't change his rates one PENNY! Same goes for the caterers we've used from time to time for events. Their rates don't change for a Thursday-Saturday night dinner.. Other than bridal magazines which we all know spew lies (like the ones who say a bride can DIY their cake -- because in most states it's illegal to do unless the event takes place on their own property), brides don't plan enough events to know that places don't change their rates for comperable work.
There's a difference between a discount and giving away the farm... For $350 for that amount of work, that's right there with giving away the farm..
I think MaisieBake is playing devil's advocate, too much agreement going on. We all ask for discounts or try to get the most purchasing power from our dollars. But this bride is out to lunch with her thinking.
Also, I agree don't respond to her email. Remember the next one that speaks looses.
Oh goodness, I just read all 13 pages of this post, LOL. You did the right thing and the nerve of that woman.
I don't get why being *part-time* should make you cheaper! Suppliers don't give you a discount on ingrediants because you don't use much....no, they charge you MORE. The giant bakeries that order stuff by the truckloads get the discounts.
Perhaps this bride should go try bargaining with Walmart and see how far that gets her! 
I don't get why being *part-time* should make you cheaper!
Have you read the posts from home bakers who don't know whether they can/should honor their commitments (like a wedding cake) because they or their kids are sick? Who wonder whether the cake that their dog licked can be scraped off, reiced, and delivered? Who aren't terribly certain about safe food handling procedures but are sure that they're safer than inspected kitchens?
Also, no rent.
There's a long history of people doing part time work out of their homes as hobby, and being paid as hobby. This not to say that you can't charge professional prices, but some customers are likely going to be surprised to be paying what they'd pay in a shop for something out of their neighbor's kitchen.
MaisieBake wrote "also no rent" Are you kidding me? 
I don't know about anyone else but I make a house payment every month and pay utility bills to run my oven and lights just like the bakeries do. I don't have dogs or kids licking anything in my kitchen and would never try to "save" anything that wasn't clean or perfect to serve to my family or a customer. Please don't assume just because someone bakes at home that they are less then clean. A lot of home bakers have a separate kitchen. None of my baking supplies are kept in my "everyday kitchen or refrigerator". I buy everything at full retail and don't expect the grocery store to give me a discount so why sould I discount to anyone?
I don't get why being *part-time* should make you cheaper!
Have you read the posts from home bakers who don't know whether they can/should honor their commitments (like a wedding cake) because they or their kids are sick? Who wonder whether the cake that their dog licked can be scraped off, reiced, and delivered? Who aren't terribly certain about safe food handling procedures but are sure that they're safer than inspected kitchens?
Also, no rent.
There's a long history of people doing part time work out of their homes as hobby, and being paid as hobby. This not to say that you can't charge professional prices, but some customers are likely going to be surprised to be paying what they'd pay in a shop for something out of their neighbor's kitchen.
MaisieBake
I make cakes part-time, i have a full time job in IT and make a max of 4 cakes a month. I bake out of my HOME KITCHEN. I dont have pets, i have health safety training, and im fully legal.
I use european chocolate, free range eggs, and bake everything from scratch, i also charge a lot more than bakeries. I have to buy most things retail and the things that im able to buy wholesale i end up paying more than the big companies because i never buy as much as they do.
I am also paying off a mortgage, and on top of that in order to stay registered i have to pay taxes on what i sell and a yearly registration fee.
I am trying to educate my customers as to why my cakes cost what they do and the work involved in it.
I also dont get why being part time should make you cheaper, in fact it's quite the opposite, it makes you more expensive.
cheers
Nati
I had a similar thing happen to me this week @ school (not about cake). I was rEALLY upset about it yesterday. This morning, the dear lady that I teach with (that is 83 yr. old), came to me and said that she needed to tell me something her father always told her. I think it really applies here too.
"When you get into a fight with a skunk, it matters little who wins."
Don't answer her, she doesn't deserve it & you have better things to do w/your time. (that's what I'm telling myself too)
I can only sit here and shake my head. Unbelievable. What is the thing about part-time?????????? Does that mean your time is less valuable.
What an experience. Please, be done with her. She's an Idiot.
I say we beat her up
lets dress in black....and meet up in the back alley...I'LL BRING THE NIXON MASKS!...it'll be fun!!!
after we get done with her, i got a few we can "pay a visit to as well!"
I had a similar thing happen to me this week @ school (not about cake). I was rEALLY upset about it yesterday. This morning, the dear lady that I teach with (that is 83 yr. old), came to me and said that she needed to tell me something her father always told her. I think it really applies here too.
"When you get into a fight with a skunk, it matters little who wins."
Don't answer her, she doesn't deserve it & you have better things to do w/your time. (that's what I'm telling myself too)
Jamhays Thats really good ! I will have to remember that for some of the other skunks in my life heh heh heh 
I think we should all get back at her. Do us a little favor and give us her e-mail please!!!! We promise we won't tell her who we got it from. We will all send her an estimate. Not the basement bargin. Tell her we got her e-mail from some stupid bridal.com thing. I know it's dirty but sometimes revenge just makes me feel better. Although it wasn't me, it's almost like she attacked all of us part-time decoraters. I would like to state one more time that the girl is a b@%ch!
I also dont get why being part time should make you cheaper, in fact it's quite the opposite, it makes you more expensive.
cheers
Nati
As someone who once had an illegal cake business and got legal by opening up a shop, I must politely disagree.
At one point we made 10 wedding cakes a week out of our house and now we make 10 wedding cakes a week out of our shop. We still have our house payment, and all of our home utilities (those exist whether you bake at home or not)... but on top of that we pay an additional $1700 a month for shop expenses, not to mention the $20,000 in equipment we bought to get the shop up & running. We also tacked on a $1000 a year for permits & inspections... plus the additional insurance for an entirely separate building.
The total savings from buying wholesale at our volume VS buying retail is under $300 a month, our home power bill has decreased just $30 a month. Even if our initial investment was divided up over 10 years, It will average out to cost us over $20,000 per year more to operate a legal shop than it did to work from home... and that is making the same number of cakes at the same price.
So while I agree that working from home doesn't necessarily mean that a product or service should be cheaper to the end user, the numbers prove that it is significantly more expensive to operate a small shop.
piece of cake az.
Do you have a business where you work full time, sign up on your window, cars drive by, word of mouth and so on? If you are making the same amount of cakes now that you did when you were baking out of the house, you need to close shop. Something is wrong with that.
The licensed baker operating a store and the homebaker have different expenses. The licensed backer gets wholesale cost from sysco or other suppliers. The homebaker goes to wholesale club(not that great of a deal, but helps) or to the grocery store to get supplies. The licensed baker gets tons more cakes. So lets break it down. You make more than us.
"The licensed backer gets wholesale cost from sysco or other suppliers. The homebaker goes to wholesale club(not that great of a deal, but helps) or to the grocery store to get supplies. "
actually my food distributer (dawn) was more expensive than sam's ...so i dumped them, and buy at the same places you guys buy from.
we have expenses you don't even know about....even our electric and phone are more expensive...just because we're a biz.
everyone has thier hand out for a piece of the pie.
we even have to pay personal property tax on the bakery equip.
PieceofCakeAZ is one of the smartest people on this board....with all due respect, he knows way more than you.
piece of cake az.
Do you have a business where you work full time, sign up on your window, cars drive by, word of mouth and so on? If you are making the same amount of cakes now that you did when you were baking out of the house, you need to close shop. Something is wrong with that.
The licensed baker operating a store and the homebaker have different expenses. The licensed backer gets wholesale cost from sysco or other suppliers. The homebaker goes to wholesale club(not that great of a deal, but helps) or to the grocery store to get supplies. The licensed baker gets tons more cakes. So lets break it down. You make more than us.
Yes I do have a shop, not a "retail" shop but a wedding cake specialty shop... and yes at one point we produced 40 weddings cakes in a month from our home and we still produce 40 wedding cakes in a big month from our shop... the staff has not increased therefore production has not increased (I sleep better though, knowing that the knock at the door isn't the health department 
)
I agree, a licensed shop & a homebaker have different expenses, and the licensed shop has greater expenses than a homebaker. I can't even believe that the contrary is being argued.
If your job is working at a car wash, you still have a mortgage & utilities to pay every single month if you want a place to live... right? The mortgage payment doesn't double because you choose to have a home business. Utilities increase, but they don't double... unlike if you have a stand alone shop. Then you have your mortgage payment, utilities, etc for your home and you have many of those same payments again for your shop.
Trust me, the difference between Walmart prices and wholesale prices are very little. Having been on both ends... I know this for a fact. Walmart sells cake mix for $0.87 a box, 5 dozen eggs for $4.28, a gallon of oil for $4.89... you are kidding yourself if you think that wholesale cake mix and supplies are much cheaper than that... sometimes they are actually more expensive than paying retail.
I find this arguement like saying "if you have one car payment of $500 and someone else has 2 car payments of $500 each, the person with 2 car payments has it easier because their cars get 3MPG better gas mileage.
PieceofCakeAZ is one of the smartest people on this board....with all due respect, he knows way more than you.
Now why did you go & do that? You know that you just blew all of the credibility that you had earned on CC by stating perhaps the 2nd craziest thing I have ever read on here. 
I also dont get why being part time should make you cheaper, in fact it's quite the opposite, it makes you more expensive.
cheers
Nati
As someone who once had an illegal cake business and got legal by opening up a shop, I must politely disagree.
As you said, you were working illegally, making 10 cakes a week, im doing it legally making 4 a month.
apples and oranges
apples and oranges
I also dont get why being part time should make you cheaper, in fact it's quite the opposite, it makes you more expensive.
cheers
Nati
As someone who once had an illegal cake business and got legal by opening up a shop, I must politely disagree.
As you said, you were working illegally, making 10 cakes a week, im doing it legally making 4 a month.
apples and orange
apples and oranges
Nati-
I hope you know that I wasn't picking you out intentionally, I just wanted to make sure that it was known that the grass isn't necessarily as green as some might think just because someone has a stand alone shop. I just got the feeling that some people think that just because you have a shop, now every cake costs you just a nickel to make.
This topic may have come at a bad time too... I was paying all of our bills, home and shop earlier this evening, and after watching thousands of dollars leave the bank accounts I read how much cheaper it is to own a shop than to work from home and I was like... "Oh no you diiiiiiin't"
My point was that if you are at comfortable capacity working from home like we were and you don't add any staff when you get a shop... the capacity remains the same but the bills double. Fortunately we can make a decent living off of it even with the extra bills... but I can't wait to add more people.
I think the point is that just because you do cakes at home,part-time , people shouldn't presume that your time & effort isn't worth the same as someone working in a shop - especially when your cakes are as gorgeous as all the cakes I've seen here on CC
julie
Back to didi5
I think your response was very polite, collected and professional and left no room for doubt.
Well done!
I hope she doesn't email you again, but if she does, like so many have suggested, ignore her.
Karen
I think the point is that just because you do cakes at home,part-time , people shouldn't presume that your time & effort isn't worth the same as someone working in a shop - especially when your cakes are as gorgeous as all the cakes I've seen here on CC
julie
I wholeheartedly agree!
i would not budge...she's looking for a bargain and that's it...she's seeming like trouble...good luck on the monster bride...
I think the main key to doing the best job a person can do, especially in this field. Is being happy and excited about the project at hand. So I would not do that cake. There already is burnt cake in the air. Creativity can't be aquired while a person is sulking over something. And I personally would have hurt feelings over this ladies disrespestful approach. It is obviouse she is trying to get champaign for the cost of beer. I personally would not do the cakes, and would tell her I was happy she was able to find someone who would do it at that price.
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