I guess we need a "this makes me mad" section..........

Would someone please explain to me why when you work it is expected you will provide for the office party cake.......FOR FREE........yet they will go out to the grocery and spend money for those things they call "freshly baked cakes" from the bakery section.....go back to the office and collect money to pay for the cake?!!!!!

I get so frustrated with this crap!!!!!!!!!!!!

No kidding.... maybe we need a "everybody wants cake for free" section. There are certain times I will do a cake for free.... church, my little boy's t-ball team, ect... But unless I offer, don't come to me looking for free cake! If you do a "just this once" cake for the office... you better believe everyone else there will want one for free too!

Hi, I bring cake to work almost every week because I like to and I'm always volunteering to do it. Do they ask you to bring cake then not pay you ? If that's the case, then don't do it anymore. If they end up not having a cake, that's their problem. I do my cakes for fun, that's I don't want to get paid to do it. I do it as a hobby. I give wedding cakes as Wedding Presents to friends.. Unfortunately a sucker is born every minute !!

I get the same here .. everyone's birthday, I'm expected to do a cake... thank goodness we only have 6 in our office! My sister works for an agency that has approximately 50+ employees.... they're always asking her to make cakes for b-days etc... she does them for nothing! I told her she's crazy ... they'd pay and buy on if she wasn't there!! I think its just so wrong for people to impose on your kindness and assume you'll do it for free just because you know how to decorate cakes... I get so upset with my sister because she's always calling and asking to borrow my pans, etc. I'll ask her how much is she getting for the cakes.. only one lady in that entire business pays her and she only pays her for the amount she has in the cakes... nothing extra... ok, I'm finished venting now lol

I'd have to agree with everyone!It is very frustrating when people ask for cakes then don't pay or just expect you to make a cake because you know
how.

I have several people that I will do cakes for free. However, in return, my daughter's friends moms have given me some excellent referrals! And they never ask me to do it for free...I will offer it to them as part of the gift! I have been really lucky!
traci

I appreciate hearing others experience the same situations. It really hurts too when co-workers don't seem to have a problem paying for the junk you buy at a grocery.......but they won't pay you a little bit more to get something good.........

My goal: Get over it!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the support friends

I too feel everyone's pain. I use to bake a lot of cakes for my co-workers for free. I have this one female that would ask me the day before an employees birthday to make a cake. She never volunteered to pay me so I stop doing it. I told her that she can't order cakes from me at the last minute. Every now and then someone will mention my cakes when were joking thinking that I'll bring one.

This hasn't happened since I started selling them for money, however I have told brides that are my friends and people at work that cakes cost money and they have to at least pay me for the "stuff." This usually leads them to say, "Of course, what do you need?" I always say at least $20.00. My new policy tho, since I make $ is 50% off. It's been working really well for me. That way if they want super cheap, they get "ugly" cake. If they want complex or cool, they pay more. And there are no hurt feelings.

I have been getting this same stuff lately to. I work at the V.A. Medical Center in Food Svc, and I have sold some cakes to my co-workers. One of the ladies has bought quite a few, so I didn't know it was her birthday until the day before and everyone wanted to know if I would make her a cake and they would chip in and help on whatever it costed to make it, so I agreed. So I made a 14 inch double layered heart shape cake, the bottom was chocolate with chocolate buttercream in the middle and the top layer was white with white buttercream on top and sides with a drop flower border on top and bottom and roses for decoration. So the lady I made the cake for was working in one kitchen and I was working on the other side of the building in another kitchen, so long and short of this is I didn't get to attend her birthday party and I didn't get a thank you or anything for the cake, as a matter of fact some of my co-workers thought it came from a bakery, and I have been stewing over this ever since. So lesson learned NO MORE CAKES for free. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

I forgot to mention that my co-workers always say my cakes are better than the grocery store cakes but if I don't make one they go buy those cakes anyway. Go figure!

My daughter "bought" a cake from me for her office birthday-other started asking her to bring one in every month so she set it up that they each would pay xamount of $ a month and I would make a monthly birthday cake-they were all happy to do so because noone would have to remember to bring it in but her-she sent me a calander of the dates for the year and I have it ready every month-same with work-when they found out I did cakes I took x$ every month from the kitty for the cake-no $ in the kitty-no cake! Don't get me wrong-I do them free for special situations-sisterinlaws baby shower, nephews grad from basic training gettogether, etc. but it cuts down on the "crap"-but since there is another friend in the building that does cakes, if they don't like the way I set it up they can get them from her-she charges alot more!!

I too bring alot of "free" cake to work for everyone to eat and I was doing the b-day cakes for free until I had enough. they would being going to the grocery store to buy one if it wasn't me doing them so I now charge $10 per cake to cover my costs but everyone knows my real prices too!!

OK, you guys got me started! LOL. < Rolling up sleeves> I think I have been taken advantage of so much I am used to it. EVERYONE in my family will plan a function then say and we KNOW who will donate the cake! Not to mention I do tastings at my shop and I think some people who aren't even planning anything just stop by to eat cake..lol. I recently donated 3 HUGE cakes for Mothers day to a local church for a Mothers Day program they were having. I thought it was a great idea and don't regret it. But then I talked to my cuz the other day (who is the one who got me to donate them) and she let it slip that they were ordering a cake from somewhere for an elderly woman they are giving a going away party for. She has been a key member of the church, teacher etc. And they are going all out. They mentioned buying a tiara for her from my shop as they are doing a little ceremony.

I simmered for a few moments then finally got a little irritated and looked at said cousin and said. "Well I guess my cakes are only good enough when they are FREE, huh?" She started rambling something about they were just getting a cheapo grocery store sheet cake and other excuses. I just thought to myself...Hmm..things are going to change.

Gee, I guess so far I am very lucky. No one has asked me to do a cake for free, but the ones I did for free was all on a voluntary basis just for the practice. I've sent cakes and candy into my husbands work and I ALWAYS get thank yous.

Debbi

When I started out (just a few months ago), I told coworkers that I would start by doing the cakes for cost (~50c/slice) to build up my portfolio and get some practice. I had a bunch of people ordering cakes.

Now I am starting to charge normal price (not less than $20, but about $1/slice). We'll see if I still have people asking. I just gave someone some ideas I had for a birthday cake, and she seemed a little surprised as I wrote the cost on the sheets for her. I think I will be surprised if she still wants me to make it.

But there is NO WAY $1/slice is charging too much. I also live in central NJ and the prices here are not cheap.

Speaking of cake prices, how do you determine what to charge? I'm new to this cake game and I make pound cakes as well as frosted cakes. I set a $20 charge for pound cakes and $30 for layer cakes, and they almost always have 3 layers.

a few years ago i made a gorgeous barbie-doll cake (doll pan set atop a large oval cake) for a co-worker, with the agreement that she'd pay $30 for supplies and labour, and provide me with photos of the cake taken at the outside venue. she paid for the cake up-front, but never gave me pictures, and about 2 weeks later i was sacked and then about a week later she was fired too! live and learn...and now i know to take all my pictures.

you should never feel as though you're required to bake or decorate for free, unless you're doing it for some sort of fundraising. getting good at saying no is an important skill, and it's important to communicate to people that your time and effort, as well as the investments you've made to set up your kitchen, buy tools, etc., are valuable.

Thank you everyone for your support/advice.

I had this friend ask me if I would make a cake for her cook-out on Memorial Day for free. She always purchase her cakes from Food Lion and not from me. So I told her to go and get Food Lion to give her a cake for free because I was not doing it. She didn't have a cake for Memorial Day.

It's because people think they are getting a cheaper made and a less then skilled decorator decorated cake so why should they pay the same price as a bakery charges.... I havent had a unsatisfied customer and so far everyone I have made a cake for has suggested me to other people.... but if you have read my post about this one lady here, then you know what I said above is true.. unless its a mom and pop bakery (and even those sometimes) the bakery has sacks of cake mix that they measure out, its not really any different then what you make at home!

$1 per piece is a donation, not a payment!

seriously, if you're baking cakes or pastries for "fun" and you're bringing it in for co-workers to enjoy, it's not unreasonable at all to request that those enjoying the treats you have both paid for and spent time creating, make a small donation to the charity of your choice. i specifically did fundraising in my office (of about 80 people) with truffles and squares and other pastries offered at low cost, and raised over $600 for a brain cancer support centre here in Toronto.

My motto is - if I offer to do an office cake assume it's free - If you approach me about doing a cake be prepared to pay (and I consider myself waaaay above grocery store cakes)

I'm always doing cakes for free out of my home! I just love to decorate them, and since I still consider myself a student of different techniques, I don't charge people, that way I can consider it practice and if it's not "spot on" perfect, then oh well! It was free. So long as it's not horribly ugly, I don't have to live with any guilt. If you want spot on perfect, catch me at the bakery, where it's my job to make them look perfect.

I figure I'll start charging once I feel more confident in my abilities to do the more advance "moves".

Hey Ya'll,
I have a Neighbor that asks me to do birthday cakes and then never asks how much they will be. but Most of the time its What Ever you want to do to them is fine,So I finally go over it ~kinda sorta~ But,, its just the fact that She thinks that they should be FREE! I should call her up and tell her I would love for her to come mow & WEED EAT my yard. then say o that looks really Great! and keep walking.. Would she be a lil tiffed? hmmm Probally so..
I went to Wal Mart, got some 2"x4" mailing lables to print on there with all my info on it. & I stick it Straight in the middle of the top of the box (and have tried really hard to get my cute lil flower pic For Some reason I cant get the flowers and the Typing on there at the same dern Time. .) but as long as I get my name and # on there I can live with out the flowers for now. I think my Hubby is working on figuring it out for me,, hehehe..(still not holding my breath that it will work..) omg, its like ya'll wond me up to tight and i cant stop.. lmao. I am just glad that I love my cake days
~Sweet~