I know you have some. A big one at the bakery is when customer calls and wants to order a cake but they're not sure what to write on it or how to decorate it so you make some suggestions and they shoot down every one! Then they end up going with your first suggestions. Then someone else calls back about the cake and wants to change it (because they're the person it's actually for). Then the person who ordered the cake comes to pick it up and they don't like it!
Another is when the person who orders the cake sends someone else to pick it up. They show up and we ask 'What's the name on the order?' and they don't know....We ask 'was it a sheet cake?' and they don't know...We ask 'how was it decorated?' and they don't know...but the party is in a few minutes and they're in a hurry! @@ So we sweetly and calmly suggest they call the person who would know so we can get them the cake.
How about the people that know what they want but won't just leave a message saying what they want, instead they would rather call you when you say you'll be at your other job and then not answer when you call them in the time frame they say "I'll be home for sure between x
x am and xx pm"....drives me nuts, you play phone tag for a week and then 2 days before the party you find out they want a 3-D lifesize Piano or something!!!!!!
when someone mails me and say... "I want a wedding cake, please give me a price" 
thats it, nothing else, then when I mail them back with a list of questions, they will answer one and leave the rest. Those mails goes straight into a rejected folder... I dont have time to waste on idiots!
I ge tso frustrated with the customers who order a cake with absolutely no clue as to what they want. "Hi, I want to order a cake for 20 people." First question, what flavor. Then I get the deer in the headlights look ~ uhhh, du-uhhh, flavor? Does the cake HAVE to have a flavor? Why do I have to make this decision? The response I always get is, "What flavor do you think would be good?" Um, was I invited to this party? Am I the one who is going to be eating this cake? WHY CAN'T YOU MAKE A DECISION?!?!?!?! So, my most popular flavor is white almond sour cream with raspberry filling, because it's always the first one I suggest.
Oh, and by the way, YELLOW IS NOT A CAKE FLAVOR!!! IT'S A COLOR!!!
Whew, I'm going to finish my cereal now and lay off the coffee!
<S>
Starkie, I just finished a cake for a person who could not make up their mind. To top it off she is an interior decorator, so she is "artistic", and therefore wanted to design everything about the cake too. Okay, tell me what you are looking for, but give me credit for being able to design a cake, and some artistic license. When I needed to ask the important questions on size and flavor of cake, it would take at least a week for her to get back to me - I sometimes thought that the order had been canceled. I know lives are busy (mine is too), but it takes one minute to answer an email! We went on like this for a month!
[
Oh, and by the way, YELLOW IS NOT A CAKE FLAVOR!!! IT'S A COLOR!!!
Whew, I'm going to finish my cereal now and lay off the coffee!
<S>[/quote]
lol! I had to explain this to a customer. What is yellow supposed to be anyway? It's not really a vanilla cake? Yellow= lemon in my house!!
Mine pp is pricing. They ask for a cake to feed so many people, then I quote them a price and I get this look 
.... I look at them like this , I'm not Costco or a grocery store who whips out cakes on an assembly line. You want a great cake with a custom design, it's gonna cost ya. (no offense to those who work in bakery's at said places)
I hate the saying "you can't trust a skinny cook." You wouldn't believe how many time you hear that. I'm no size 6, but I sweat in the gym (that god forsaken place that is really the ninth ring of hell) often enough. I never know how to take that statement.
[
Mine pp is pricing. They ask for a cake to feed so many people, then I quote them a price and I get this look
.... I look at them like this , I'm not Costco or a grocery store who whips out cakes on an assembly line. You want a great cake with a custom design, it's gonna cost ya. (no offense to those who work in bakery's at said places)
OMG, this is the thing that drives me crazy!! You want a sheet cake that feeds 100 people and I give you a price of 95.00 (discounted), and you're stunned by that price!! It drives me crazy!!
People wanting a tasting with...oh, I don't know...20 flavors!!! Yeah, right, never gonna happen. And my all time, UNREALISTIC pricing expectations! "So I need a real simple cake. JUST 7-layers, with oh, I guess JUST 250 flowers down the side, all white. What? About $175 right?" uh, no.
My biggest pet peeve is when a client calls for a 3d carved very detailed cake for 20 people. Tell them the price and they say 'but I only need it for 20 people' . They don't understand 3d cakes being carved and detailed is gonna cost you just like a larger cake would no matter how many you plan to feed.
OH and then there are the 'friends' from my daughters school and they want a sheet cake for a birthday. I tell them my minium price for ANY cake is $50 and they say 'but it's just a sheet cake'. Well then go to WM and get your it's 'just a sheet cake, cake'. 
I had someone call recently who needed a sheet cake for 100. She had called Publix who quoted her $75. She wanted to know if I could beat that. Huh???
I can beat that one!! I did a hockey jersey cake for my son's year end hockey team party. I would have charged maybe $100 cause of the detail (fondant, custom design, 3 layers etc..). Well a parent who coaches another team saw a picture of the cake, and asked if I would make one for his team, exact cake, nothing different. I told him the price, and he says"wow.....but it's just cake, I thought maybe $40.00" Ugh! and my time means nothing? It was an 11x15 so right there your way over $40.00
This is why I am self-employed. My tolerance for stupidity is slim!! 
I had someone call recently who needed a sheet cake for 100. She had called Publix who quoted her $75. She wanted to know if I could beat that. Huh???
ME: "Why would I WANT to?"
I don't get them anymore, but when I first started out, I'd get the "how much for a 3 tiered cake?" to which I'd reply, "A 3-tiered cake to serve 20 or a 3-tiered cake to serve 300?"
Had one who, after being told my price per person, gave a big exasperated sigh and asked, "Does EVERYONE charge per person?" I said, "Well YEAH!!!! How else would we do it?" She said, "I just need a price for a cake!" I said, "Ok, but if I give you a price for "a cake", the first thing you're going to ask me is how many people does that serve? The number of servings is how we measure cake so of COURSE that's how we charge it."
It was then that I coined my phrase of "Paint is sold by the gallon, bread is sold by the loaf, carpet is sold by the yard, and cake is sold by the serving."
It was then that I coined my phrase of "Paint is sold by the gallon, bread is sold by the loaf, carpet is sold by the yard, and cake is sold by the serving."
indydebi: you could put that on a t-shirt and make a fortune!! That's going to become my motto, when I get stressed about pricing I'm going to repeat that in my head, sitting in the lotus position with Yanni in the background!!
It was then that I coined my phrase of "Paint is sold by the gallon, bread is sold by the loaf, carpet is sold by the yard, and cake is sold by the serving."
indydebi: you could put that on a t-shirt and make a fortune!! That's going to become my motto, when I get stressed about pricing I'm going to repeat that in my head, sitting in the lotus position with Yanni in the background!!
LMAOROTF!!! 
You gals crack me up!! 
I'm sitting here eating lunch and thinking are customers really this naive. My recent thing was I need the cake for this day and then when I send a confirmation (email) she calls two days later and says oh did I forget to tell you, the party is in another two weeks.
You'll like this one. I have a cheesecake tasting tomorrow for a wedding cake. But they "don't like very sweet things".
Mkay, cheesecake is not sweet at all?? They specifically want cheesecakes, but don't like them sweet. How about a cake made out of cheese. That won't be sweet.
Gawd, now I'm craving cheese! Gaaaa!! (Homer drooling here!)
Mine is really when people don't show up and/or are several hours late picking up their orders. I am very punctual, so that one drive me craaaazy!
Oh...got it!
I got this one about a month ago "Could you please take on another wedding cake that week, its a VERY simple cake" Get a email picture of the cake they want...5 tiers, white on white, each tier a different piping design, luster dusted everywhere and approx 50 gumpaste flowers...ya, simple...guess they think because its ALL white its simple...and oh ya that 5 tier cake only needs to feed 75 people...so $2.00 a serving = $150 for that cake sound about right? Ughhhh!
It just bugs me that everyone who doesn't do cakes think they know what a simple cake is!!!
"Could you please take on another wedding cake that week, its a VERY simple cake" Get a email picture of the cake they want...5 tiers, white on white, each tier a different piping design, luster dusted everywhere and approx 50 gumpaste flowers...
"Um .... could you show me the SIMPLE part, please?"
It just bugs me that everyone who doesn't do cakes think they know what a simple cake is!!!
Whenever I hear the word "simple" from someone, I take a step back and think 'Uh-Oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Ahhh- these are all good ones, I agree with them ALL!!! I hate when people ask me for a price of a cake also and have given me zero information on servings, design, etc and then have no clue what they want still after I've asked a zillion questions. I just had someone email me on Friday at 12:30p in the afternoon for a Saturday party.....hello, I don't have a room full of cakes for you to chose from that are decorated EXACTLY how you would want them. And these people know I have a full time job and this is just something I do in my "spare" time!! I'm not a mind reader......wish I was at times, save me lots of aspirin I'm starting to explain myself and my questions less and less b/c my tolerance with people is not what it used to be. Then when I give them a run down of everything I need to know from them and give all the explanations of why I need that info they look at me like I'm the crazy one! Ahhhhh people...... crazy I tell ya!
I work at a family owned bakery, I only make the cakes that are special ordered such as fondant and or carved cakes. Anyways I work in the front also bagging bread and taking regular cake orders (sheet cakes). My PP are as follows:
1. There are other flavors in this world other than tres leches (this is a hispanic bakery)
2. If you order a cake for 11 am I expect you to pick it up at that time. Not 6 pm.
3. Each customer is given a copy of their receipt so that they can bring it for whenver they pick up their cake. BRING IT!!!!! You are not the only one who ordered a cake for that day.
4. On this receipt is states exactly what kind of cake you ordered and how it will be decorated. If you come pick up your cake and "think" that you ordered it a different way look at your receipt. READ IT!!!!
5. Fondant is expensive!!!!!!!!
6. NO I cant do a tres leches fondant cake.
7. If you dont know what you want neither do I.
8. There is nothing in this world that is good, pretty, and cheap. So if you want something spectacular get ready to hand over a good chunk of change.
I think I finished my venting.... Have a good Day!!!!
i think i said this before but my version of simple is completely different-and their version is almost always more costly and time consuming. like you can just pull that out of your a$$!! mine seems to be the "advanced" notice. goes hand in hand with the "simple" theory i think. oh it's just a simple cake...for this weekend (and today is wednesday but more likely thursday or friday) ha sure (cuz i don't have another job either)
7. If you dont know what you want neither do I.
I luv this!
When I run into this, I tell them, "Oh good! That means I get to decide and you don't get to complain about it!"
I need to remember this one 
Since it's a simple cake, DO IT YOURSELF THEN.
I really hate when like elderly people come to order a cake and you give them a quote and they look shocked like you're about to rob them of their pension . I have a particular grandma customer that I looove,but don't like her very much.
She always comes like 3 days to her grand kids parties,i'm starting to feel grandma is taking advantage or you guys please tell me i'm i just evil 
.
(I'm a softie for grannies).
Indydebi rescue me out here.
Since it's a simple cake, DO IT YOURSELF THEN.
I really hate when like elderly people come to order a cake and you give them a quote and they look shocked like you're about to rob them of their pension
Since I share the gray hair with them, it's easy for me to kinda laugh and say, "Yeah, nothing like when you and I got married, huh?"
One of my favorite stories is when my Mother-in-Law was complaining how she and FIL went to dinner and it cost them FIFTEEN DOLLARS! I went out to dinner Tuesday night and left a tip bigger than that! God luv 'em!
People that call 5 or 6 times to talk about a SHEET cake order... sigh...
Jen
Since it's a simple cake, DO IT YOURSELF THEN.
I really hate when like elderly people come to order a cake and you give them a quote and they look shocked like you're about to rob them of their pension
. I have a particular grandma customer that I looove,but don't like her very much.She always comes like 3 days to her grand kids parties,i'm starting to feel grandma is taking advantage or you guys please tell me i'm i just evil
.(I'm a softie for grannies).
Indydebi rescue me out here.
I used to get a LOT of people that would call the day before for a cake, they'd say...well it's just a sheet cake!! So now I have a "disclaimer" on my site that states " any orders with less than 48 hrs. notice will incur a "rush fee" (minimum of $20.00).
Since I put that on my site I have not had ONE person try to get a cake with less than 4 days notice. I am contemplating stretching it to like 3 or 5 days notice too...just for fun! LOL
[
Oh, and by the way, YELLOW IS NOT A CAKE FLAVOR!!! IT'S A COLOR!!!
<S>
)[/quote]
really I thought it was a flavor Grandma always made the best Yellow cake.
Lemon cake is not a yellow cake... vanilla cake is not a yellow cake yellow cake is yellow cake. sometime a butter cake but not always.
Guess I would drive you crazy also LOL
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%