looking for diplimatic wording

"No I don't give discounts." Just say it nicely with a little professional smile in your voice. done.

 

She thinks this is a large order?

LOL....tell her 20 dozen is a large order, and you'll start giving her a discount after she commits to buying this many each week.

 

Think about it - discounts are for regular orders of significant quanitities, so you can plan ahead, buy stock in bulk and add in the economies of scale into your process.

 

What she has asked for is a CUSTOM order. CUSTOM work commands a HIGHER price, not a discount.

 

If she is short on funds, recommend she opt for a plainer cookie/cake pop design, or simply order LESS.

 

Just because our customers are wanting to spend less, does not mean we subsidize them out of our profit margins.

 

Speaking of which - have you done a full cost analysis on your product range? At the hourly rate I pay myself, I would be donating those cake pops and cookies to the client.

 

Seriously, please don't take this the wrong way, but your prices are way too low. You will get plenty of costomers with your pricing structure, no profits (ie AFTER paying yourself and your bills) and eventually burn out and feel resentful of working so hard for no return. Also, you hurt the entire industry by pricing too low. Please consider pricing very carefully!!

 

I know my cookie and cake pop prices are high compared to many, but that's becase they take me so long to make and decorate to my standards. So I charge a minimum of $4 per cookie, and $5 per cake pop. I still get orders and requests all the time.

I just chuckle and say, "Nope.  It doesn't cost me any less to make more of them."  Works every time.

 

And agreed, that is NOT a large order.  When someone wanted a discount for 80 cookies, I said, "Oh I did 800 for an event last year.  Now that was almost a big order."

Cake pops?  Yeah, I did 750 for a wedding one time.  That was also getting close to a big order.  Heck I've been know to charge MORE for big orders because they eat up all my time to the point they have to cover expenses for the entire week.

Dear Client,

 

Unlike some of the bakeries in the area, who have regular orders for hundreds of cookies each week and can therefore offer a bulk pricing structure, I am unable to discount my services. Each cookie is made with the utmost care and therefore my price reflects that. 

 

Good grief. 4 dozen cookies, are you friggin kidding me? I could eat that many on a Saturday night! (but I won't....)

It's my personal opinion that friends of friends shouldn't even think about getting friend and family discounts let alone asking for one. And if she wants them really soon then the price could be more because she ordered so late.

Just write "I'm sorry, but I don't offer discounts on custom work."

I always try to phrase things in a positive way.  My that I mean I'm always trying to say yes to SOMEthing and then let the customer decide "no".  Basically I would say "the minimum order to begin discounting will be X cookies" (obviously this would be a large number.

THIS ^ SAYS IT ALL!!!!

I do offer a "friends and family" discount that is 15%. But I really limit who are my friends and family. For instance, one of my best friends has been a great support and is always willing to come lend me a hand when I am swamped with orders. So of course I offer her the discount. Then again, she is also the type of friend to never ask for it. My family is just my immediate family; any third-cousins twice removed wouldn't qualify. :P 

 

I agree with everyone else-that is not a large order!

I must be mean because i do not even offer a discount to family lol.. I would just simply put that your prices are very good and ask her how much she was hoping to spend.Then maybe suggest something in her price range.

I don't think there's any need to be offended. She asked if you offer a discount, either you don't at all, or her order is too small to qualify, so you just answer the question. People ask businesses about their policies all the time.

 

Just answer giving whatever information, then "unfortunately, I don't offer discounts/I don't offer large order discounts for amounts under x number of cookies." She asked, you answer, easy!