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Can't do business with friends

post #1 of 13
12/14/11 at 9:00am
Thread Starter 
So a close friend of mine is getting married in Jan. Since she doesn't want to have a cake i volunteer to make cupcakes for her. Here come the problem she having a small wedding for about 50people i volunteer to make her 110 cupcakes for $55 i am hobby baker so i figure that will be fine. Nope she wants 200 cupcakes for $20. Now i am icon_eek.gif seriously!!! she have a small wedding what do you need 200 cupcakes for. I was been nice with $55 because there in debt with hostipal bills. This is why you can't do business with friends I was going to tell her to take the offer i said or have someone else make her a cake or cupcakes. What do you think about it?
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post #2 of 13
12/14/11 at 9:05am
I think she is taking advantage of you as a friend. 200 cupcakes is way to many for that size wedding, was she planning on giving them a gifts? Also what about the display and cost of that?
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post #3 of 13
12/14/11 at 9:07am
If she was 'this type of friend' - as you described, I'd do 50 cupcakes for $150 for her icon_lol.gif. If she was my good 'real' friend, first: she would have never suddenly asked for 200 cupcakes for $ 20 after an offer as yours, second: I'd do 100 cupcakes free for her.
Paula
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Paula
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post #4 of 13
12/14/11 at 9:10am
Thread Starter 
her mom is doing the cupcake display but when i talk to her later i'm see if you wants to take my first offer
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post #5 of 13
12/14/11 at 9:15am
You shouldnt be making her the cupcakes. If she cant afford yours, let her go to a bakery...
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post #6 of 13
12/14/11 at 9:21am
Tell her your original offer was for 50 cupcakes for free. Anything after that will have to be charged.
There is no reason to have 200 cupcakes for that small of a wedding. And good luck finding someone else who will charge 10 cents a cupcake! A real friend would not ask you to do this.
A closed mouth gathers no feet.
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A closed mouth gathers no feet.
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post #7 of 13
12/14/11 at 10:29am
That does take a lot of nerve of your "friend" to counter your more than generous offer with that ridiculous one. I would say I'm sorry I can't afford to lose that much money and time to make 4 cupcakes for each of your guests.

I would restate your original offer, and if that isn't good enough than I would politely tell her that you are sorry that your offer doesn't work for her and hopefully a local bakery can accommodate her requests (which of course we all know they won't). I think she is just trying to take advantage of your generosity, and if you give in you will just be upset with yourself over it later. Stick to you guns! Good luck! Let us know how it all works out!
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post #8 of 13
12/14/11 at 11:06am
I have had that experience before. It makes friendships bad. I just had to say that I did not have time for that amount but would be more than happy to do what I offered to do begin with. Even 110 is more than enough for 50 people. When it is gone, it is gone........
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post #9 of 13
12/14/11 at 11:14am
Sadly, I've read similar stories on threads here before. I guess what you said about "you can't do business with friends" could also be "doing business with friends will show you who your "close" friends really are."

If this happened to me, I would no longer refer this person as a "close friend." This is an unfriendly and greedy act of taking advantage of a nice person. No, she does not deserve your cupcakes. Let her have a cake free wedding and give your time and talent to someone else who will appreciate it! thumbs_up.gif
Sofia
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Sofia
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post #10 of 13
12/14/11 at 11:29am
Stand your ground and don't feel guilty. thumbs_up.gif
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post #11 of 13
12/14/11 at 11:39am
Hold your ground. You were giving her a very good deal , she is taking advantage of that.
I have a tough time making cakes for friends. Usually I only charge them the cost of the materials and a few extra $$ for my time.
I made an exception for my neighbor/ friend/ and sometimes babysitter as she was very low on money , going through a divorce..yada yada yada and it was her daughters 18th B-day. I only charged her for the materials. I told her it would be $20.00...thats' it...she came to pick up the cake and only had $16.00 . Sooooo, if you don't hold your ground and set a firm price, you will get taken advantage of. If your friend isn't happy with what you are willing to provide for the price, then direct her to a bakery and see how she feels about their pricing. icon_twisted.gif
http://peace-love-cakes.blogspot.com/
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http://peace-love-cakes.blogspot.com/
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post #12 of 13
12/14/11 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by petiterouge42

That does take a lot of nerve of your "friend" to counter your more than generous offer with that ridiculous one. I would say I'm sorry I can't afford to lose that much money and time to make 4 cupcakes for each of your guests.

I would restate your original offer, and if that isn't good enough than I would politely tell her that you are sorry that your offer doesn't work for her and hopefully a local bakery can accommodate her requests (which of course we all know they won't). I think she is just trying to take advantage of your generosity, and if you give in you will just be upset with yourself over it later. Stick to you guns! Good luck! Let us know how it all works out!



thumbs_up.gif - Ditto! When I do things like this for friends and family and offer discounts or offer to do it for free, then I provide them with an invoice for how much it would REALLY have cost if they were a regular customer so they can understand how generous a gift their discount/free item is. Be polite, but firm - say the price is $55 for 110 cupcakes. If you want additional cupcakes you can pay x amount which is the regular cost of cupcakes that I sell. $20 for 200 cupcakes barely covers the cost of the wrappers alone - she is totally trying to take advantage of you.

If you really want to do this for her - then do the work for free, and ask her to purchase ALL of the ingredients and supplies you will need. Give her a list of ingredients and say "feel free to purchase these ingredients and supplies for your cupcakes and I'll donate my time to do them for free". After that, she'll probably take you up on your original offer!

Good luck - it is always difficult to stick to pricing when doing cakes for close friends and family!
Sunny Smiles from the Cayman Isles!
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Sunny Smiles from the Cayman Isles!
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post #13 of 13
12/14/11 at 12:31pm
Stand your ground and don't budge!
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