Customer Questioning my Price!!!!! HELP!!!!!

They don't want a huge cake but they want three tiers?

Champagne taste on a pond water budget. Give 'em the number to Wal-Mart.

Seriously, why would you even consider reducing your price on this? Because they want you to? Not good enough - if you don't value your work no one else will, either. Buck up!

I can't see how you can make a 3 tier cake for only 25 people. How small would your tiers be?

Really? They don't want a "big cake" - yet they ask for three tiers? Honestly, this kind of customer is not worth the hassel. Over the pricing, OR the clear annoyance it'll be that they don't understand what they want.

And, for wanting a cake this short notice (a week ahead of the party? For custom work? Sheesh.) - NEVER lower your price. It cheapens your work. Your cakes are valuable because of the work you put in them. If you do the same work, for less - it says your work isn't worth that much.

And; if you do it once, if they're a repeat customer
A) They'll always be last-minute orderers. (Frustrating and rude)
B) They'll always expect a lower "more manageable" price.

I agree with the poster before me. They want caviar but expect to pay for sardines. Give them the number to a grocery store; there's nothing wrong with going to where you can afford if that's your budget. Don't sell yourself short.

I thought the same thing. Customers rarely know what cakes serve. O_O Either they'd have to make a miniature tiered cake (like, 4,6,8) or - if they do decide to pay - I usually recommend dummy-ing a layer. If they're set on the look of three tiers but don't need that much cake, instead of throwing away good ake, I just say to dummy one of the tiers. But - clients usually don't know what they're really wanting. They see a big pretty/cute cake and think that exact style/size is what will work for them. *shrug* part of the business. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken 

I have a customer who just asked me to make a cake this saturday for a 1 yr old party. They want a 3 tier cake for about 25 people. The cake is to be designed as 1/2 Mickey Mouse 1/2 Minnie Mouse with the hat on top as the 3rd tier. I told them $150. And now they are having a heart attack over it because they don't want it to be a big cake. What should I do? Reduce my price or let them decide or not if they want to take my $150 price?!

Reduce your price? REALLY? What are you running? A charity? How about you pay them to take the cake too. Does your doctor reduce your bill because you threw a hissy fit? Does the utility company drop their prices because you don't want your bill to be a big one? Does your land lord/mortgage company drop your mortgage cost because you cried foul? But, but, you wanted a 5 bedroom house but you didn't want it to be a big house. GTHOOHWT.

And they need to do the same.

If they want three tiers, they pay for three tiers, regardless of if they need that much cake or not.   You tell them I can do it in this size, it will feed this may epopel this is the price,  if you only need it to feed 25 we can go with another design that better fits your budget.  Personally I think 150 is a little low for a three tier, i assuming from the cake discription you would be doing 10 8 6, don't know that a 8 6 4  would work well for the concept they are going for.   Anyways, stick to your guns, tell them this is what you want, this is the price if you are really wanting to mess with a short notcie order.   Never compromise your price because they will expect it and tell their friends then you will spend too much time haggling with people on your price.

oh good lord, just reviewed after posting, sorry for my bad spelling/grammar,mommy brain is on full drive today.  lol

4-6-8 serves 35, almost what they need. I do little tiered cakes like this all the time, they're adorable. But they aren't cheap. 

I tried covering a 4 inch round with fondant the other day. Very frustrating. It seemed to be much more work than the larger tiers.

I tell clients all the time that just bc the cake is smaller does not make it easier to decorate & therefore half (or even less) the price of a big one (obviously a smaller cake is cheaper but in terms of decorating it's not easier at all), au contraire it is usually harder bc of all the finicky bits.

They can be a bit more work for sure.

I had a similar situation, anytime a customer balks at the prices that I charge for my cakes, I advise them to get what you can afford, they have affordable sheet cakes at Wal-Mart in the freezer.
I actually had a customer want me to decorate a sheet cake they bought from somewhere else.
Some people are just ridiculous with their requests. They want large cakes and have no idea what it takes to create them or 3-D cakes
I don't get angry or anxious, I merely explain that is the cost, it covers my costs and materials and the time required to decorate the cake.
If they want a cake to fit their $80 budget, let them find it...If it's within your comfort range, then make it.
Have you ever heard the expression" fire a customer" If I were you, I wouldn't do a cake for them, they've already shown you they don't value your work or time; they'll never be satisfied and it's not worth the aggravation.
It's Ok to say No sometimes,

Its funny they knew $80.00 is what they could afford but yet requested a 3tiered cake! Wow.