No reaction

All that time, all that effort into your order and no reaction whatsoever?? HUH? Not even a little, "nice!" or "cute!" or "thanks!". Do you know how many hours we spend creating these mini masterpieces for you? Do you know the underlying stress involved? Especially when you've given us less than a weeks notice? A little reaction would be nice. Just so I know I didn't royally screw up. Come on!

Tastings

I hate when clients are late or don't show up for tastings. This week, I am putting my foot down. I am testing the waters on a fee for tastings. I am telling them upfront that it takes a lot of time to prepare for a tasting, that I have to charge tasting fee. I decided on $30. There is only one other place in my area that charges for tastings, so this is risky. I am going to collect the money upfront with a paypal account too, that way if they don't show, I still get paid something for my time!!! I'll let you know how it goes. So far, of my two inquiries in the last day, one person didn't blink, the other hasn't followed up... :)
Submitted by Anonymous

Comment on "clients" posted by anonymous - Ughhhh! It's the worst when people don't show up for their tastings! I have been seriously considering charging for them as well, and telling people that if they book with us the fee will go towards their order.

Nothing Fancy...

"I LOVE it when I get a request from a client like...."I was wondering if you could make a cake for this weekend for me.  Nothing fancy, maybe just a fire breathing dragon demolishing a tiny life like village, and if you could see real flames that would be great....but nothing fancy."
OK, maybe that might be just a slight bit of an exaggeration, but REALLLLLY if you don't want to spend a lot., JUST SAY SO!  It would save me AND you a lot of time I could tell you what I can do WITHIN your budget and YOU could set your expectations properly.  I am SO tired of potential clients expecting amazing, stunningly accurate carved and sculpted cakes for the cost of a store cake.  A LOT of time, $, sweat, and sometimes even blood and tears go into these cakes and very few of us truly dedicated cake decorators and truly good bakers get paid a real hourly wage...if we did....NO ONE could afford us.  We do this because we love it and couldn't go WITHOUT doing it; but we need to make some sort of profit and let me tell you, it's not much if any.  So PLEASE for the love of cake....let us know your budget BEFORE you request a sketch and choose freakin' flavors!  THE END!" ~Submitted by Anonymous

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Comment on Nothing Fancy... - "AMEN!! I loved the fire-breathing part. Ah, it's so true! 

So is the point here to submit our stories to you, and then you will post them up for all of us bakers to read? Superb, superb. "

Bitchin Baker response to comment:  That is exactly the point!  You can email us directly or leave a comment, we will make everything anonymous unless we are asked not to :)

Wedding Planners

...I am tired of the almighty wedding planners who use their position to intimidate cake designers. I had a wedding this weekend, and the client rented a cake stand and had a deposit for my SFS cake supports. The client agreed in my contract to return them to me within a week of the wedding. I got a call from the wedding planner today, saying he was going to leave my cake stand and SFS supports at another venue he was going to be at today and I could come and pick them up there!!! What? How about returning them to me!!! This is what the client agreed to...so why should I have to go get them. When I politely questioned him, he got mean and said he was doing his clients and ME a favor by bringing them closer to me. Of course, if I objected, I would loose him for future referrals, but if I say I'll go and pick them up, then he'll do it again and again. So, I am stuck. Unless...hmmm...I could cash their security deposit, use part of it for my time to go and retrieve my items, and send them a check for what's left...hmmm... ~Submitted by Anonymous


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Comment on Wedding Planners - Keep the deposit and take the planner to the woodshed. You really want to work with a planner that has no respect for you? The client didn't do what they agreed to do, return the rental items, so they have voided the contract. Keep the deposit.

Just a simple cake

Contrary to popular belief, the "simple" fondant covered cake is not that simple.  When it is just a smooth, bare covering of fondant there is NO room for error.  The buttercream underneath MUST be mirror smooth, the fondant must be worked with quickly with immaculate hands so as not to mar the finish, you need to wear white so that there are no flecks of lint showing up on it.  The simple cake is NOT simple. It is filled with anxiety that the chocolate frosting underneath will somehow creep out the bottom and slither it's way up to your pretty white cake and make poopy splotches all over.  Or the fondant will decide it doesn't like the heat or humidity that day and bubble or tear or sag or.....the list goes on.
So contrary to popular belief, the "simple" cake....yeah, it's NOT that simple.  It is still an art form. ~Submitted by Anonymous

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Comment on Just a simple cake... - And if you try to explain this you sound incompetent. Or at least it makes me feel incompetent!  

Blog post submitted...not so Anonymous

What's this blog all about?! BITCHING! That's what!

I am a happy wife, and mother of 3 boys. I am a baker, cake designer and LOVER of desserts. I love my job. Over the past several years as I have turned baking into a profession rather than a hobby, I have discovered something. It is not all sunshine and roses. Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE baking! There are moments, however, where you want to swear, throw yourself down on the ground and have a good ol' hissy fit. (sometimes in front of the client) THIS is the blog where you can freely express this. Let it allllllll out! Not only will it be therapeutic, it will hopefully be a good lesson to future bakers and potential baker clients. This is what we as bakers go through on a day to day basis. So go ahead.....bitch away :) I'm not quite sure how to do this, so for now, send me your comments, tell me how you feel, give me your war stories and I will post them here.

LET'S VENT!!!

And thanks to Kristin for the idea and for letting me steal it ;)