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Great article on why cakes shouldn't be free

post #1 of 14
1/4/12 at 6:02am
Thread Starter 
Talks about all the labor and love put into a cake:
http://www.motherofcakes.net/2012/01/03/free-cakes/
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post #2 of 14
1/4/12 at 6:05am
I understand the sentiment, but I think the message is somewhat flawed. The most rewarding cakes I've done have been the free ones.
How to Price Your Cakes
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How to Price Your Cakes
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post #3 of 14
1/4/12 at 6:49am
Thread Starter 
Maybe. But I think it puts into perspective that it's more than just "flour, sugar, and eggs" that go into a cake.
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post #4 of 14
1/4/12 at 8:29am
There are a lot of good articles, some by CC'ers (costumeczar and indydebi to name a couple) that make the same point without making the customer sound like an a**hole because the cake maker couldn't say no or wasn't able to price their cake appropriately. This article obviously speaks to a lot of people, judging from the amount of times that it's showed up on my Facebook feed the past few days, but I really don't care for it. Just my opinion.
How to Price Your Cakes
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How to Price Your Cakes
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post #5 of 14
1/4/12 at 8:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kelleym

There are a lot of good articles, some by CC'ers (costumeczar and indydebi to name a couple) that make the same point without making the customer sound like an a**hole because the cake maker couldn't say no or wasn't able to price their cake appropriately. This article obviously speaks to a lot of people, judging from the amount of times that it's showed up on my Facebook feed the past few days, but I really don't care for it. Just my opinion.

I reposted on my FB page, BUT I made the point that I don't blame people for not knowing any better. Another thing that makes it hard is the decorators who DO sell cheap on purpose to undercut. They hurt the public's perception as well. Kelley, I can't count the times I have pasted a link to your article to decorators who obviously have not the first clue about pricing.

On the topic of this article, there was one a few months back that went viral among decorators. It was so insulting to customers, I couldn't believe it. I can't remember who wrote it, but it seemed like every decorator in the world was cheering it on, except for a couple of people, including myself.
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post #6 of 14
1/4/12 at 8:41am
And I understand the frustration, I do. It's a delicate thing to discuss and it's hard not to be stand offish.
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post #7 of 14
1/4/12 at 9:21am
I agree with the message of the article. a friend just got engaged, not a very close friend, and I was thinking of doing her wedding cake as a gift, then something stopped me. (this was last night). If she pays tons for crafts and hair ornaments and $200. plus for hairstyles (I could go on forever), then why would I simply give such a large present for free especially since I', not employed right now. DUH, Anyway I had decided to make a mini 3 tier cake with a gumpaste/ fondant peacock (this will be her theme) as an engagement gift. she has another baker friend and in all probability she will go with her paying full price. If she were a very close friend who also loved my cakes, then I would not hesitate. sorry long post, lol
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post #8 of 14
1/4/12 at 9:22am
Interesting blog post, but it does read a bit harsh if I were just reading it off the street and didn't make cake.

But if you change the wording from "customers that want free cake" to "all the calls I get from deal-of-the-day companies" maybe it would resonate with me more. I swear, I get a call from some new company at least twice a week, all promising that they are "different from Groupon", yet all wanting to sell my cake at a discount and keep the profit for themselves. GRRRRRRRR. At least those jackholes know they are trying to screw me. Customers are only looking to not get screwed and don't understand the impact of what they ask.

Sorry, personal rant. icon_biggrin.gif
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post #9 of 14
1/4/12 at 10:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kelleym

This article obviously speaks to a lot of people, judging from the amount of times that it's showed up on my Facebook feed the past few days, but I really don't care for it. Just my opinion.


Agreed...when the author says things like "cake artists...usually put in about 300% more work than most people" it's tough to take them seriously. Sounded to me like the author is bitter and resentful about not being able to say "no" to people asking for discounts and freebies.
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The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
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post #10 of 14
1/4/12 at 10:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft

Agreed...when the author says things like "cake artists...usually put in about 300% more work than most people" it's tough to take them seriously.

icon_confused.gif Guess I missed that part. That is crappy. I withdraw my previous support of the article.
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post #11 of 14
1/4/12 at 12:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft

Quote:
Originally Posted by kelleym

This article obviously speaks to a lot of people, judging from the amount of times that it's showed up on my Facebook feed the past few days, but I really don't care for it. Just my opinion.


Agreed...when the author says things like "cake artists...usually put in about 300% more work than most people" it's tough to take them seriously. Sounded to me like the author is bitter and resentful about not being able to say "no" to people asking for discounts and freebies.



I reacted to that part too. I find this article very close minded and judgemental, assuming people who would be happy to receive a free cake have no respect for cake artists. (If I understand the article correctly). No body is forced to offer anything for free. I guess I don't get her (?) point...

PS. Most people I know work very hard, miss out on sleep, have passion but wants to pay bills and are no cake decorators.
Sofia
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Sofia
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post #12 of 14
1/4/12 at 1:43pm
I didn't like the article. Possibly it was written with the best of intentions, but it made the author seem very conceited.

To me, cake decorating is a skill and a craft, like any other. I don't think I'm any more special than a mechanic because he fixes cars and I bake cakes. I don't think I work any harder than my husband, who puts in 15 hour days and loads and unloads about 12,000 lbs of coin by the time his day is done.

If the article was aimed at people asking for donated wedding cakes, then I might agree more with it.
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post #13 of 14
1/4/12 at 5:12pm
That kind of article makes me roll my eyes...it has some serious anger flowing through it. I'd recommend that the author learn the word "no." It will lessen her obviously heavy load.

I have people ask me about discounts all the time. So what? It's called life, suck it up. I had one girl today ask me whether I'd give a discount if she ordered a lot of custom cookies. I said no, because they're a pain in the butt to do, and she said "Yeah, I know!" People realize that it's a lot of work, but if you choose to say yes to a free cake or a discount you have nobody to blame but yourself. Go get mad at the mirror if you resent it so much.
http://www.acaketorememberva.blogspot.com
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http://www.acaketorememberva.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/acaketoremember
http://www.youtube.com/karabuntin
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post #14 of 14
1/4/12 at 7:36pm
Seems a bit mean-spirited to me. People ask for discounts on all kinds of services, It doesn't make them rude or disrespectful of the person doing the work. Sometimes that's the case, but not always. It also drives me nuts to see so many fragment sentences and bad punctuation in one place! Ugh!
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