I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
"[email hidden]" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:[email hidden]:
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I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
add (minimum)$10/hour for the time you are actually mixing or working with the dough/fillings, & don't forget to add some overhead charges for electricity and/or gas (refrigeration & baking). as an alternative, check the prices that really good bakeries are selling similar products for & use those prices. you are doing yourself & other home bakers a huge disservice if you underprice your product. i know this is a bigger issue in crafting, but it does apply to baking also. lee <yes, i know you can buy that mass produced in China teddy bear for $10, but it costs *me* $50 in materials & time to make this unique bear to order... so no, i *won't* sell it for $10)
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Thanks
What would a real bakery that makes a quality product charge? Use a slightly less percentage of that.
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. [snip[
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
How to establish prices is one of the more interesting topics in business school. Cost of materials and time alone seldom lead to a good answer. In this case, it doesn't sound as though you're starting a business or generating a second income, so costs and time don't really matter. You're doing a favor for a friend, so cloaking it as a business transaction doesn't really make sense. Just bring them in and tell her to figure out a compensating favor she can do for you sometime. Maybe she makes good sandwiches or burritos or lasagna. Or can make a beautiful flower arrangement. -aem
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Sounds like you're heading into a disaster.
a) Costs have nothing to do with pricing. Pricing is based on what the market will bear. Costs only help determine whether it's profitable.
b) This may not be legal. It's illegal where I live to make food items for sale in a home kitchen. If you own your own home, be sure you aren't voiding your insurance policy by operating a commercial kitchen in your home.
c) You don't seem to have much business background. I predict you'll seriously underestimate the value of your labor. This won't be fun.
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Thanks
I would add the cost of whatever hourly rate you think is reasonable for your time and effort onto the cost of the ingredients, then charge accordingly.
You're doing a favor for a friend, so cloaking it as a business transaction doesn't really make sense. Just bring them in and tell her to figure out a compensating favor she can do for you sometime. Maybe she makes good sandwiches or burritos or lasagna. Or can make a beautiful flower arrangement. -aem
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Truthfully, if it were me I would never go near this with a ten food twisty bread. I have seen this kind of thing in the workplace and it seems to just bring out the worst in people. Hurt feelings complicated by "I paid you good money" "you did it for her why not me?" bosses that get riled over cash transactions in the workplace etc etc etc. If it were me I would tell her you'll make some for free the next time you make some for yourself. If she reciprocates some day, great, otherwise forget it.
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
Quoted message said:
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Thanks
My advice is to forget about it. Making pastries as a kindness to your coworkers is great, but when money gets involved you are asking for trouble. Too expensive and there will be resentment. If your price is a great deal, others will want them too and when you can't make them for everyone there will be resentment.
"Peter A" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
Quoted message said:
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Thanks
My advice is to forget about it. Making pastries as a kindness to your coworkers is great, but when money gets involved you are asking for trouble. Too expensive and there will be resentment. If your price is a great deal, others will want them too and when you can't make them for everyone there will be resentment.
Ayup - I seen it myself over homemade tamales. It turned ugly and fast. Great tamales, I must admit.
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
Quoted message said:
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
Quoted message said:
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Quoted message said:
Thanks
My advice is to forget about it. Making pastries as a kindness to your coworkers is great, but when money gets involved you are asking for trouble. Too expensive and there will be resentment. If your price is a great deal, others will want them too and when you can't make them for everyone there will be resentment.
-- Peter Aitken
I couldn't have said it better than Peter A. except for this: "No good deed goes unpunished" Tell your friend that you made them as a gift and that doing it for profit would spoil the fun.
If your friend objects, look her straight in the eye, hold up your open palm, smile sweetly, and keep repeating, "No way, no how, case closed".
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Either $100 or $0.
You cannot apply the cost of 38¢ and expect to do anything more than recoup your material cost on a small quantity. Count in your time (even if you are able to multi-task) and you are easily in the $100 range for the day.
This is a no win situation. Next time you make the treats, give her three or four. Do this a few times and she may give you a nice gift at Christmas or your Birthday. Or she may not. Remember, if you sell them, she also has the right to complain.
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
You have three choices... bake her a dozen next time you bake and tell her to pay what she thinks they're worth... or charge the same as your local bakery plus 25pct more because you use better ingredients and yours are so much better (if she could get better from the local bakery she wouldn't want yours), or do what I'd do, have your coworker come over for a day so you can teach her how so she can make her own, and charge nothing... once money changes hands you won't be friends anymore.
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. [snip[
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
How to establish prices is one of the more interesting topics in business school. Cost of materials and time alone seldom lead to a good answer. In this case, it doesn't sound as though you're starting a business or generating a second income, so costs and time don't really matter. You're doing a favor for a friend, so cloaking it as a business transaction doesn't really make sense. Just bring them in and tell her to figure out a compensating favor she can do for you sometime. Maybe she makes good sandwiches or burritos or lasagna. Or can make a beautiful flower arrangement. -aem
I don't agree at all. Things that are provided "for free" or for a future favor are not valued by the recipient. What happens if the co-worker decides she wants djs to bake for her once a week or twice a month? Baking can be an expensive, tedious procedure that djs may not want to take on frequently for others. Additionally, there are people who pride themselves on taking advantage of others
I'd look around at what a good quality bakery charges and let that help with the decision, and of course let the co-worker know the price BEFORE she commits to purchase. $1 to $1.25 apiece for the Danish and $1 for the croissants (or even more for each) doesn't seem outrageous to me.
How to establish prices is one of the more interesting topics in business school. Cost of materials and time alone seldom lead to a good answer. In this case, it doesn't sound as though you're starting a business or generating a second income, so costs and time don't really matter. You're doing a favor for a friend, so cloaking it as a business transaction doesn't really make sense. Just bring them in and tell her to figure out a compensating favor she can do for you sometime. Maybe she makes good sandwiches or burritos or lasagna. Or can make a beautiful flower arrangement. -aem
I don't agree at all. Things that are provided "for free" or for a future favor are not valued by the recipient. What happens if the co-worker decides she wants djs to bake for her once a week or twice a month? Baking can be an expensive, tedious procedure that djs may not want to take on frequently for others. Additionally, there are people who pride themselves on taking advantage of others
I agree with your disagreement...
I am not sure what or why it is but way too many people seem to want to take advantage of others. I sometimes think it is the "Walmart syndrome" where they think everything should be cheap and labor has minimal value (except their own).
I have a few friends who I will do anything for without keeping a score sheet. And too many others who have tried to take advantage and get things for free.
Quoted message said:
I'd look around at what a good quality bakery charges and let that help with the decision, and of course let the co-worker know the price BEFORE she commits to purchase. $1 to $1.25 apiece for the Danish and $1 for the croissants (or even more for each) doesn't seem outrageous to me.
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Do yourself a favour. Either charge enough to make it pay for you...... ingredients, energy costs, cost of equipment plus your time..... or give your co-worker the recipe.
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
Thanks
Caterers now usually charge 4 or 5 times the cost of the ingredients.
I took some homemade Danish pastries and croissants into work the other day and now a co-worker wants me to make some for her. She said she's willing to pay whatever I think they're worth but I'm not sure what to charge her. I don't want to appear greedy but then I don't want to cheat myself either. I figured up the cost of the ingredients and it breaks down into this. The cinnamon pecan Danish cost me between $.33 and $.38 a piece to make. The range is due to the fact that some of the ingredients were on sale. The fruit Danish cost between $.33 and $.50 a piece to make depending on what fruit I use. I make my fillings from scratch. The croissants cost between $.19 and $.24 a piece to make.
These take all day to make but I'm not actually working with the dough all day. Most of the time the dough is resting in the refrigerator or the formed pastries are rising. How much do you all think I should charge her?
You're not running a business... I'd sit down and work out exactly how much all the ingredients cost (including electricity for baking!) and tell her you'll make her however many you're willing to (say 2 dozen) for the cost of the ingredients.
You're not running a business... I'd sit down and work out exactly how much all the ingredients cost (including electricity for baking!) and tell her you'll make her however many you're willing to (say 2 dozen) for the cost of the ingredients.
...... the *next* time you make them for yourself. 😉
