I Am Really Sad And Disappointed

Decorating By ruty Updated 17 Feb 2006 , 3:43pm by Phoov

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ruty Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 6:59pm
post #1 of 24

Happy valentine's day to you all!!!
Sorry, I speak english really bad, but I'll try to be as clear as possible.

I don't know you but every time that I make a cake I ended up feeling sad and completely disappointed. I'm not talking about the decorations (I'm almost always happy with that part), but what I am talking about is the price and the people reactions. I am never sure about how much do I have to charge for a cake. Im feeling really insecure with the pricing because I'm affraid that people think it is too much so I give a low price, wich I realize (after that I finished my beautiful cake) it was tooooo low.
So I make a lot of promises for the next time: "I will charge the right price", but I do it wrong again and again.... I'm sick!!!!

And my other nightmare today is about the strawberry shortcake cake I made last week (it is in my gallery). I did this cake as a sample for a lady, she is a party planner for kids and wants to buy me all the cakes, but she asked me for a sample first, to see my work and to taste it. So I gave her the cake and she was really pleased with it, she told me it was perfect and pretty and bla, bla, bla.... but didn't tasted it because she wanted to show the cake to her partner. So I would expect a call from her the next few days. (The cake was lemon with lemon cream cheese filling and regular buttercream for the frosting- the only recipe I have is Wilton buttercream, which i think tastes good). Meantime I gave a cupcake to other five people including me to taste and all of them told me it was really delicious ( I think it too).
Well, the lady called me yesterday and told me: " Oh, do you know? my partner thinks the cake is beautiful and perfect, sooooo well done, BUT... the flavor wasn't what we were looking for.... but I don't think that is a problem because I have a delicious buttercream recipe that I can give you, the problem is that i found a lady that charges me .80 cents for cupcake, what do you think?..."
Of course, I felt indignated ( I was charging her a dollar per cupcake which I thought was correct or even cheap - I don't know), and my answer was:
"Well, thank you so much and good luck with the lady"


BUT, today I feel awful.... I don't know what to do... Do i have to forget about it or do I have to call her again or.... I want to cry...

Sorry this message is too long but I really need your advice, thanks for taking the time to read ...
Hugs, Natalia

23 replies
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parismom Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:02pm
post #2 of 24

I think you shouldn't feel bad. You know you do a great job and you know what you and your work is worth. Chances are she was calling your bluff to see if you would lower your price. It's ok to not want to be taken advantage of. I bet that 'other lady' didn't even exist.

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SUELA Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:03pm
post #3 of 24

Welcome to the site....

Well done for what you said! I wish I could do what you did! You know your value and stuck to it...the party planner could have been on a "fishing trip" trying to see if she could get you to lower your price. When she goes with .80 lady, and is disappointed, she will know where to turn to.

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tye Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:09pm
post #4 of 24

i love your work.. and you know thats not an issue.. i have had the same problems as i'm sure everyone has... i stress to people that i am a CAKE ARTIST.. not a decorator, not a baker.. its all done by hand and only by me.. most times this gets them to understand that i'm not the local grocery store.. i am suprised that you did such a large sample for this woman.. and that she reacted that way.. i think she wanted you to come down on your price... $1 per cupcake is nothing.. cupcakes can take more time than a full size cake... i think you did the right thing by letting her go.. and if she were to call you again i would tell her that you gave a sample and are open to other recipes but your prices cant budge. it will all come around..

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klg1152 Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:10pm
post #5 of 24

People are funny, they want something for nothing.

I had this young lady call me, she had been to a baby shower and seen my work, raved about how beautiful and delicious my cupcakes were and asked me to do the exact cupcakes for a shower she was giving her sister. I said sure and quoted her $1.50 for guava cupcake with buttercream frosting and fondant cutouts, she tried to get me to come down on the price. I stuck to my guns and told her that was the price, I make the cake from stratch using fresh ingredients and that was the price, two weeks later she called me back and booked. My point in all of this is that you have to believe in yourself, your abilities, your talent and what it is worth - if you don't nobody else will.

Keep your chin up and believe in yourself!

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smileyface Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:12pm
post #6 of 24

Hey Natalia,

First HUGS back to you, keep your chin up and I hope your Valentine's Day brightens up!!

I feel your pain, I am guilty of underpricing too. Are the cupcakes just plain swirl iced or are do they involved more decorating? I know when I make a cupcake cake or a detailed cupcake I charge $1 per cupcake and still fell like I am charging too much. But that's because I am feeling like I need to compete with Walmart when I know darn well that mine are fresh, custom and I don't deal in bulk so there isn't any way I can compete with Walmart or a bakery for that matter.

I hope that lady reconsiders you doing her cakes!!

Good Luck!!

Tonia

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kaecakes Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:13pm
post #7 of 24

I think $1.00 is a good price for cupcakes especially if you are doing a cupcake cake, the designs take time and you deserve to be paid for it. I looked at your pictures and you do a very nice job, I hope they relize they are missing a good decorator if they go with someone else

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JamesSweetie Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:15pm
post #8 of 24

Depending on how many cupcakes you were doing at a time, 80 cents per cupcake wouldn't even cover ingredients. I commend you for standing up for yourself. I think its normal to second guess yourself, but please don't feel guilty, I believe you did the right thing, you went with your gut. $1 a cupcake is still very cheap, don't let someone try to get you to undercharge. Have you tried the price matrix on the site? It really helps you figure out how much it REALLY costs you to make a cake, so that you can see point by point how much its worth. It may help to ease some of that guilt. Again, good for you standing up for yourself!

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parismom Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:18pm
post #9 of 24

Where is the price matrix? I did a search for it and got a 'does not exist' result.

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SHenyd Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:20pm
post #10 of 24

I forget who's signature on CC says this, but I love it: Good cakes aren't cheap. Cheap cakes aren't good.
It made me smile. I often underquote and then figure out my time and it comes out to $1 an hour for my time. My DH and mom always tell me to quote higher. If they want Wal-mart, they can go out and buy Wal-mart.

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KHalstead Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:26pm
post #12 of 24

GOOD CUPCAKES/CAKES AREN'T CHEAP AND CHEAP CAKES AREN'T GOOD.............good job stickin to your guns......people don't make their own cakes because they aren't good at it, if you are, then you deserve to get paid for your time and talent

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parismom Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:28pm
post #13 of 24

The price matrix is great! This will help you feel confident in pricing when that guilty feeling starts to surface!

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sofiasmami Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:28pm
post #14 of 24

.80 is she nuts??? ... when she calls you back ... tell her it's now 1.50 for the pain and suffering she has caused you!! icon_mad.gif ...lol

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luvfondant Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 7:38pm
post #15 of 24

To stay in business, you have to make a profit..this is one of the reasons why I do cakes for hobby and fun only and not as a business, because there's always suckers (a sucker is born every minute) out there who expect more than what they bargain for. Clueless people have no idea how much work and time is spent in making a cake. Be brave, charge what you think is right ... and don't feel bad about it... icon_smile.gificon_biggrin.gif

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ruty Posted 14 Feb 2006 , 8:16pm
post #16 of 24

W-O-W !!!!!

Thanks to you all, I feel really good now, I read every message closely and all what you said made my day, every one of you are very precious.
I wanted to cry this morning (I was very sad and confused), and now I'm laughing out loud whit your comments, Sofiasmami, that was really funny, that's exactly what I want to do, (Ja, ja, ja).
And about the price matrix, I downloaded it already to my computer but I didn't understand exactly how it works, (sorry, I'm a little slow, I guess, LOL), and I left it aside, but I'm going to try again.

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stephanie214 Posted 15 Feb 2006 , 11:08am
post #17 of 24

ruty,

Good for you thumbs_up.gif people always try that "I've got another person" thing to get what they want icon_rolleyes.gif

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Cakey Posted 15 Feb 2006 , 12:09pm
post #18 of 24

Ruty,

You did the right thing!!! People try to do this type of bargaining in EVERY profession. It's like they think they're at a garage sale or something. I even get upset at my own garage sales when people ask "What's the lowest you'll go on this?" And I'll say $8.00, and they'll say, "If you would have said $5.00, I would have taken it." Gee, that's fascinating. Now get off my lawn. Even the clients I work for as a court reporter always want a bargain, like can I have this expedited but not pay expedited rates? The answer is always no. My time is worth money, and I'm not giving it to you for free!! People that whine and complain that prices are too high are going to be ROYAL pains to deal with in general, so you're better off not having them around as customers anyway. Your work is beautiful and you deserve to be paid what it's worth. Don't let one customer shake you up like that. I'm sure you'll have plenty more customers that will appreciate your time, effort, and talent, and they'll come back and order from you again and tell you how great everything was. You are talented!!

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MariaLovesCakes Posted 15 Feb 2006 , 3:02pm
post #19 of 24

ruty: There is always someone that wants to get it cheaper and take adavantage....

I may be wrong but I think the taste was not the issue here. First she says: "this lady first said that it was not the taste that she was looking for" and THEN she mentions that "this other lady" charges her .80 cent per cupcake.

You are better of.

Have you called around to see what other people charge for similar cakes? If you want for starters you can charge sligthly slower... and then go up as your clientele gets bigger... just a thought icon_smile.gif

But don't feel bad. I have people like that, although I am not a business. But there is always someone trying to get the cake cheap if not for free.

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ruty Posted 15 Feb 2006 , 4:32pm
post #20 of 24

HI,
Well, I think that you guys are all right. This "lady" just wants to take advantage.

CAKEY WROTE:
"People that whine and complain that prices are too high are going to be ROYAL pains to deal with in general, so you're better off not having them around as customers anyway."

I completely agree with this. But thank you for make me "see" that, because I was so overwhelmed to notice all the things you have been saying. Now I am totally sure that I DON"T WANT to work with people like her.

Thank every one, all your comments are very supportive, I don't feel guilty and sad anymore.

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goodcakefairy Posted 17 Feb 2006 , 3:14pm
post #21 of 24

Welcome to the site!

You're not alone. We all get a little sick about pricing sometimes. The key is understanding that sometimes passing up a sale is worth the hassle of dealing with someone who is only going to take advantage of you and cause you grief.

The great thing is you can come here to CakeCentral and get loads of support.

And your English is actually really impressive. It's way better than any "second language" I try to write in!

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goodcakefairy Posted 17 Feb 2006 , 3:15pm
post #22 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cakey



It's like they think they're at a garage sale or something. I even get upset at my own garage sales when people ask "What's the lowest you'll go on this?" And I'll say $8.00, and they'll say, "If you would have said $5.00, I would have taken it." Gee, that's fascinating. Now get off my lawn.





HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!! icon_lol.gif

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subaru Posted 17 Feb 2006 , 3:37pm
post #23 of 24

You done good, girlfriend! You would never be happy working with that "lady" anyway. She would always be trying to get something for nothing!

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Phoov Posted 17 Feb 2006 , 3:43pm
post #24 of 24

Cakey.....YOU GO GIRL!!!!

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