AA bit of a rant, sorry! I've spent the last couple of years saving up and buying my cake tins and making cakes for family and close friends. Today I got a Facebook message off another parent in my childrens school, her little boy is in my sons class. We don't really talk to each other, apart from maybe a hello in passing. She messaged me saying that it is her sons birthday on Saturday and she's decided to bake him a cake but hasn't got a square or rectangle tin and could I lend her my tin. When I politely told her no she started to try the guilt trip about how he wouldn't have a cake if she couldn't borrow a cake tin. I had to just walk away! Even my mum knows not to ask to borrow my cake things, I'm very protective of them all! Grrrr!

ANo way. What a manipulative cow. Of course she csn make a different cake. Besides - how can you possibly be responsible for her brat not getting a cske at all? It's her choice to either make a cake or not make a cake.

Damn - crap like this really chaps my @$$.

Don't you DARE lend her your tin.

Good for you!! I wouldn't loan my pans out either; never know the condition they might be in when returned...or if they were returned. 

Her son having a b-day cake doesn't depend on you loaning a cake pan, it depends on her being a parent and planning ahead...certainly she knew her son was having a b-day long before this week.  She has had plenty of time to purchase her own pan...after all, he will have a b-day again next year! 

She should buy her own darn cake pan, especially since you don't really know her!  I can't believe she had the nerve to ask, as you have made it known you do not lend out your cake tins.  Perhaps you should ask to borrow something of hers.    Or, you could offer to rent the tin to her.

Our neighbors used to borrow our garage tools and they were either never returned or brought back to us in broken condition.  We stopped lending them things very quickly!

AThere's no way she's borrowing it. It cost me £20! Just really annoyed me how people assume they can borrow things. After I'd calmed down I told her where she could buy one, and she made an excuse of not being able to get into town. Hopefully she'll know not to ask me again!

My  decorating supplies are off limits to everyone,  over the years I've gotten requests to borrow, things such as bags, tips, pans, "oh can I borrow these colors" my standard reply is sorry I don't lend my things.   I always find it interesting that someone would even have the nerve to ask.  

Her child will have a cake-- not your problem.

Pfft, "her child won't have a cake"... What sort of mother wouldn't bake her son a birthday cake in a round pan, simply because she wanted a rectangle?

I almost never get requests like that, usually only form people who barely know me. I always politely direct them to a local shop that rents tins out.

Then unpolitely call them names to myself :)

If you have a business, I also want to know why she didn't ask you to bake the cake for her child.  That's what a considerate person would have done!  

Wow...( I agree with everyone else, and have nothing to add)

A

Ha! She did get called quite a few rude names in my head! :-)

ARant away! Maybe I'm a little twisted, but I like hearing that other people experience the same kind of outrageous requests all over the place. It makes me feel better about how annoyed I get with people sometimes. Oh, and I totally agree with what others have said here. The lady is out of her tree.

Tell her you'll lend it her for a £30 deposit and a £X per day charge, if she doesn't return it you're quids in and if she does you could make a little bit out of her. If she quibbles over the £, tell her you're running a business and if you get a last minute order for that pan, you will lose money. 

Or just tell her to f off and stop being so tight, either buy a cake or plan ahead... there is such a thing as internet ordering!! 

A

I like hearing them too, so thought it would be good to share and let a bit of my annoyance out! :-)

Advertising slogan for a well-known manufacturer of socket wrenches and other mechanics' tools, that normally sells through dealers who drive around in company trucks:

Perhaps what you need is a sign that says something to the effect of "I make my living with {Magic Line|Fat Daddio|Chicago Metallic|Nordic Ware|Wilton|Calphalon|Ecko} pans; please don't ask to borrow them."

(And while I most definitely do not make my living with my pans, and even though I freely loan out the fountain pens in my pocket, I suspect that I'd be a bit miffed at the idea of somebody borrowing my expensive Nordic Ware 9x13 with the plastic cover, or the Wilton bare metal 8x8 that I had to look all over Helengon [say it aloud, and you'll get the pun] to find, or even my relatively cheap [at least compared to genuine Nordic Ware] Calphalon Bundt mold.)

Hmm. Managed to use parentheses, square brackets, and curly braces all in the same post!

AYes, ask her if you could borrow her wedding ring or her car while she borrows your pan. I can't believe she is trying to guilt you into borrowing a pan. Tell her to go buy an aluminum one from Kroger! If she wants a nice quality pan she should buy one or pay you to make one. People like this will never give you your things back! And our supplies are expensive! To follow up with it being your fault that her son isn't going to have a birthday cake, she's a nutter butter! The worst part is if your kids are in the same class you could end up crossing paths for years to come, yikes!

over the years my list of things I did not lend out grew, starting with, first and foremost, my husband, my kids , my sewing machine, cake things, my husbands tools, my car, and so on, it grew to the point where I just didn't lend any thing out, I will give something away, but I do not lend, I would probably lend a cup of sugar, of an egg, but nothing that  could get broken, dented, or mad because I said Oh my DH  can do that for you.

Last year a lady asked me to make her twins their birthday cakes. I did, and they looked and tasted great - I know, because she said so. This year, I got a cheeky email from her asking if she could borrow a "number 7" tin. When I finally realised that she wanted a tin in the shape of a number 7 - not a 7" round or square - I sent her the address of a shop that might have one she could buy, and instructions found on internet about how to make numbers out of round or square cakes just in case. I probably shouldn't have replied at all but at least I got rid of her. Cheek of it!!

One thing I will say though, is that I might consider lending my pans and equipment depending upon who is doing the asking.  I have friends I would lend things to in a heartbeat, but they are people who would replace something if it were to break and not take advantage of me.

My husband's co-worker, whom I have met twice, has dozens of pans from her grandmother in all shapes and sizes.  She has offered them up to me anytime .  I have not yet taken up the offer and I cannot believe her incredible generosity.  It's just not to be expected!  

I have a friend with a swimming pool and her neighbors and their 5 kids are in it everyday...!  I simply cannot get over how some take advantage of generosity.

AI'd love to see these people try going to the salon and asking to borrow the scissors. Or pulling into a garage and asking the mechanic if they can borrow his tools. Maybe pop by the doctors office and ask to borrow the prescription pad.

I don't get it, imagine someone going to Carlos bakery and saying "Oh I was just wondering if you would lend me a pan? without it my child will not have a cake and it is all your fault" 

I have the set rule that anything that I use in my business is not to be used by others, it's all covered by my insurance and I have had to go out and buy each thing when the need for it has come around, so why shouldn't they!
 

I only lend things that I would be willing to part with forever.  

I some times wonder how these people have the cheek!! They go about life asking for things for free, yet I bet they have more money and things then everyone else as they just go about getting things for free!!!

I can see why you are angry.

Tell her to go to asda and buy a £5 cake!!!

AI have lent stuff to certain friends, but it's not an open invitation. People who have that sense of entitlement get that way because nobody ever says no, so good on you for giving her a shock!

ADon't do it! I let my sister in law use one and she give me back a yellow cake pan, I don't know how she manage to grease the autside of the pan but she did. :-t

A

That is my rule of thumb as well.

A