$99 wedding cakes - Page 4

While I get your point about the no-frills price, most of us have a base price for wedding cakes. Let's say you normally price your wedding cakes starting at $2 a serving.

So, by selling a basic cake at $99 is still "discounting" in a sense because it is half your normal basic price. Someone mentioned that price is cheaper than Wal Mart. How good can that be for business to be cheaper than the place KNOWN for being the cheap place?

I guess I am thinking that I have spent that past year telling folks my wedding cakes start at $xx so now to jump up with a "no frills" $99 cake seems like a bit of a disservice to my clients and myself.

I am not criticizing, just thinking out loud.

I hope I am making sense, perhaps I should ponder more tomorrow and go to bed now.

While I have no idea about the contest you are referring to I think you make a good point about someone thinking about "making it up in volume".

Ahhh.... and that's how we separate the old timers from the young whippersnappers!

I was looking at it like it was a completely different product line....say base price for one line ...the 'regular' line of wedding cakes-layers that are split and filled with a set selection of fillings and certain kind and amount of decorations...the $99 offerings would fall below that and there would be upgraded fillings and amount/kind of decorations...fondant covered for a higher price range.

Like the .99 menu at Wendy's or wherever it is.

The $99 would be for straight, two-layered cake per tier...no other filling choices, limited decorations...

"limited time only"

One could notify any previously booked customers and let them know about the discounted line to see if any were interested...

How come they can offer buy 1 get 1 free during certain times of the day? Are those items of less quality than during the rest of the day? Oh, well...it could be like ladies night at the nightclub...and watered down drinks? I was told by a friend of a friend of a second cousin that this is what happens on ladies night....I don't know that first-hand.

Hey Indydebi! This ole hen loved Dallas!! I was giving a Tupperware party the night JR got shot and we all stopped the party to watch the dirty double crossin JR get what he deserved. Really I just wanted to stare at Bobby

I am from Buffalo as well and when I saw the topic I was thinking who else is doing this. I as well saw it on WIVB the other day. I have not had Village Dessert cakes but have had their cookies many times. They are to die for! I have actually been in this shop and it is a small shop but many many options to choose from.

First Debi, yes I do remember who shot J.R.!! I just don't remember why!

I think this is the same as any other product that has a discount line. I've been shopping for wedding dresses with my daughter (VERY exciting). They have a $99 dress rack that has modest polyester dresses that are mass produced with inexpensive embellishments and stock styles. The other racks have taffeta, silk, satin, sequins, Austrian crystals, unique designs, etc., etc. Both racks offer a product that different brides need. (Of course, my daughter looked for about 5 minutes at the $99 dresses and picked one that is perfect in every way for $800... sigh.)

ANYWAY, I don't think there's a thing wrong with what this bakery is doing. It's free enterprise, folks. If they think they can offer this discount line to brides who can only afford that, then good for them. They're filling a need in the market. I think everyone knows the difference between those and their custom cakes. And if it turns out to be bad for their business, well, that's their business.

Im 26, and I remember JR!! My parents used to watch Dallas religiously when I was a kid I got hooked on the reruns at the gym a couple of years ago, I had to be at the gym at the same time every day just so I didnt miss anything

Hey Indydebi I am guessing you are talking about the show Dallas? If so I use to watch it way back then with my parents. It was one of their favorites and I think Knots Landing??

It's not an everyday price.

Rent/mortgage and all other fixed costs come due even in those months when one has very, very slow business (i'm guessing that in Buffalo, this would be January plus February except around Valentine's Day). Discounting off-season (or weekday) cakes might bring in business at an otherwise dead time.

Think about catering or banquet hall pricing-- around me they all cost more on Saturday night. Same thing.

Well most of the cakes look nice. but what the heck is wrong with the cake in the 2nd to last row 2nd from the right? That bride got the new wreckerator. I have to agree that the rounds must be smaller size. these are the style cakes that the grocery store that I work for offers. 1.50 a slice. they pick up. I actually did about 25 last year. (small town)
I am very new to wedding cakes and I work hard at them. each one better than the next.
I hope in the next year I can quit the grocery store and work ft for the real cakery I work pt at. then I will feel ligit.

...GREAT...now it's really killing me who did it and why!!! I watched it as a kid and cannot remember...was it the baby or no...that was the Simpsons one...oh man!

I think it's great! There are couples who want $800 cakes, but will never be able to afford them. It reminds me of David's Bridal $99 gown sale. If you are willing to be patient and look, you'd be amazed at some of the dresses for that price, but if you do not like any of them, they have plenty of other higher priced and more elaborate gowns.

I want to give this company the benefit of the doubt and believe that they are trying to give back, help out people in hard times. If their other items are as good as some are saying then I doubt they are too worried about going out of business. That is definitely not a decision I'm sure they made lightly. I just find it amazing that when something like this goes on, no matter how unbelievable, people tend to put a negative spin on it immediately. There's gotta be something wrong, maybe they are ugly, they don't put as much care into them, etc. Are there no good people out there anymore who just want to help others out for the sake of helping? I'd like to think they understand that whoever orders those cakes, there will be a bunch more eating them. They couldn't afford to not take care with them or they would lose a lot of business...word of mouth travels fast when you do something horribly. They are a smaller business and perhaps their other items make up for the lack of profit they would make. Then again, maybe they aren't so worried about profit on these particular cakes. They are getting great marketing and their reputation is still on the line.

I don't feel their price diminishes anyone else's hard work or sales. It's about supply and demand. As long as there are weddings and brides, there will always be a need for wedding cakes. If you are good at what you do, you shouldn't need to worry as much as those who aren't.

This is to no one post in particular...just a few of my observations.

hmmm, Dallas... I've heard of that show. Never watched it though.

Well, spread me with buttercream and call me a whippersnapper Debi!

The sizes of those cakes also look small, and according to my serving charts, they'd have to cut those pieces REALLY small to get 100 servings out of them. Even if it's a 6-9-12 they'd still be cutting little pieces.

The $99 cake bride isn't my customer anyway, but if I was in that area I'd be irritated that I'd now have brides expecting me to justify why a custom cake was more than $99. And you know that they'd expect you to justify it. I'd tell them that if they want to serve a quarter of a twinkie to their guests for dessert to go right ahead, since that's probably similar to what you'd be getting with that kind of a cake.