Cakes too cheap at school fair?

[Clary]

It was our school fair this afternoon; I went to help as requested on refreshments, carrying cakes I had made (big chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate buttercream).

Got there only to see a notice advertising cakes on sale at 20p. Surely that's ridiculous? It wouldn't have covered the cost of the ingredients in the cakes I made. Now I know people donate the cakes, but surely no-one objects to paying 50p a cake at a school fair, do they, even if it's just for a glace-iced bun?

The cost of ingredients has risen hugely in the last couple of years (a dozen eggs is £3 up from £2 a year or two ago, the butter I use is now £1.40 where it was 90p two years ago, etc) and don't PTAs need to bear that in mind? Or AIBU?

(BTW I am on the PTA and will be putting some of this to the chair).

Yep, what beertricks said here too. What a strange way to look at things - I've never added up the cost of ingredients for things I've baked for school to assess a price to sell them at.

Do you only post on "burning issue" threads Curry?
Some of us like to chat/debate the smaller, inconsequential issues. You don't have to join in if it's beneath you.

And stealthpolar bear. The "basic economics" is not for the cake baker to make money. It's for the school to make money

The basic economics for the school is

Purchase price: £0.00
Staff costs: £0.00
Other ovearheads: £0.00

TOTAL COSTS: £0.00

Sale price: £0.20

TOTAL PROFIT: £0.20

:o

"follyfoot Sat 09-Jul-11 08:39:02
Yep, what beertricks said here too. What a strange way to look at things - I've never added up the cost of ingredients for things I've baked for school to assess a price to sell them at."

But if the point is for the PTA to make money then maybe you should! Look at it logically!

Stealth - I was joking. Clearly. Hence the :o hth

Cake baker can make a donation to school, either of cost of raw ingredients, or of the resultant cakes

Which makes more economic sense?

the was attached to another comment, the one about burning issues had a . Look back and you will see

Tbh, if someone suggested to me that I was selling stock too cheaply I would have told them to do it instead. Its not the apprentice

If the agenda is fundraising for the school can anyone tell me why it makes more sense for the baker to donate
a) cost of raw ingredients
b) time taken baking and cleaning up
c) energy to cook
when (a), (b) and (c) actually amount to less money for the PTA/charity than (a) alone.
The only people profiting from the difference are the supermarkets.

I didn't separate the two in my mind stealth. I'm sorry if it came across as arsey because it wasn't meant to be and after all the only other thread I have posted on today is my considered opinion on the appropriate temperateure of custard on bananas so chit chat is not beneath me

:o

so you just chose this thread to post the burning issues comment?

Sorry but this is one of my pet hates - people coming on saying "what a non issue", "I wish this was my biggest problem" so rude and condescending.

Looking at it another day, if you bought pre-made cakes for 50 p each to "make money for the school",, how would you then feel if they sold each for 20p? Principle is the same.

Curry - any thoughts on my response to your basic economics post? I realise the cake maker is not out to make money but the school is. And presumably they should be employing logic in doing this. Otherwise they are partially donating cakes to the buyers.

If you are not interested in the topic, why post in this thread?

We had our summer fete last week. Cakes were marked up indiviudually from 15p each to £4 for a big cake etc.

Agree 20p can be too cheap for parents who have spent time making them etc but some people just get value pack of fairy cakes from a supermarket for about 50p. I would not be happy paying 50p a cake for one of them!!

If it's such an issue for people the should join the PTA and exert some control over the pricing of items for fetes

I'd pay 50p. And btw they sound absolutely delicious.

FFS stealth. I was joking. And apologised for the misunderstanding? What do you want? Jam on it?

Re your economics argument - the issue about the supermarkets confused me because they are making profit on it all, not just the difference. And that transaction is not between the school and the supermarket, but the cake maker and the supermarket. The PTA wouldn't make more money if the supermarket put its prices down iyswim

I think the crux of the matter is that the PTA made profit (because the cakes cost them nothing), having a cake sale is much more fun than just putting money in an envelope, and the OP enjoyed it, as did the kids I assume. All of which doesn't have a monetary value obv

But as a businesswomen, of course you should try and maximise revenue and profit.

Perhaps charge less for the pathetic offerings I make smaller cakes and more for --fancy schmancy show off- bigger ones? :o

I agree with the OP and StealthPolarBear.

Otherwise, what happens is:

Baker donates £20 worth of ingredients (plus time);

School gets £10 from sales of goods sold at an undervalue;

People with Tupperware who spot cake bargains make £10 in savings.

I'm sure the OP isn't giving up her evenings so other people can save cash on cake - she's doing it to help the school. Well, she'd help the school MORE and get her evenings back by just donating the £20, if they aren't priced properly. They should tell people about the pricing before they do all the work of the baking.

at the nursery fayre they ha beatiful cakes.. shaped like butterlies, decorated with litter, neatly iced...for a £1.

the glitter probably cost £5.

I'm not sure I'd like a cake decorated with litter eggy!!

"The PTA wouldn't make more money if the supermarket put its prices down iyswim"

Well it would because it would then become profitable for the PTA to sell the cakes at a lower price (maybe 20p).

I take your point about the enjoyment factor, which is why I said before about "if the primary aim is to make money". Of course if the primary aim is for the children to have a fun day then it becomes different, then baking cakes and selling them at a loss becomes a logical option. If the primary aim is to make money then you would be better off asking each potential cake make to donate the costs of the ingredients and then for each family to buy cakes from a (profit making) shop and turn up and eat them together.

Just the thread I need as apparently am going to have to be Treasurer of PTA in the Autumn.

I'm one of those people who mutter under my breath about cakes for selling for less than I bought them (don't do baking) so an interesting read. I'd very much lime to have an option for people to make a donation rather than bring stuff if that's what they would prefer, I think we'd be able to get Gift Aid from it if they did. But I've been very worried suggesting it up until now.

I appreciate that the events are supposed to be fun but think the PTA have a responsibility to also keep an eye on profit. At our summer fair we had prizes that cost 90p on a stall that cost £1 a go and you were guaranteed to get one in each go, that seemed pretty ridiculous and I think there has to be a sensible balance. Our LEA has pretty much the lowest funding per head in the country and loads of stuff has already been axed due to the cuts so we really do have to up our game next year.

yes, squashed coke cans and fag ends do not appeal to me :o

Lots of the parents at our school at clearly only just remembered they needed a donation for mufti when they had seen the other children wearing mufti holding cakes and had bought Tesco value ones from the Tesco 2 mins down the road.
I am able to be smug about this as I remembered (I won't mention this is the first year I did after about 6 years of being crap)

Strangely the school sold them for more than Tesco did?!