Baker sparks debate after asking neighbour to pay for cake: ‘I wouldn’t have charged’

Baker says they lost a loyal customer after the incident

A baker has sparked a debate after explaining why they asked their neighbour to pay for a cake that they made for a party, with viewers torn over whether they should have asked for the payment or not.

On 31 December, TikToker @randomnessthatisawesone, shared a video of themselves icing a cake with vanilla frosting. In the video, they told a story about their neighbour and customer, with the caption “How’d I lose her?????”

“My neighbor usually orders cakes from me which I discount because she’s loyal,” the text in the video reads.

The video then recounted the ordeal, which began when the neighbour invited the baker “over for coffee” on a Friday. After the TikToker said yes, their neighbour asked them to bring a vanilla cake with any design they wanted on it.

The baker then asked their neighbour if she wanted her usual cake size, to which she responded yes. The TikToker arrived at the house with the cake, which their neighbour served to her other guests. When the party came to an end, they said that the neighbour didn’t offer to pay for the cake.

“It’s time to leave but she makes no mention of payment but I make a mental note to take payment from her later,” the video reads.

According to the TikTok user, the next time they ran into their neighbour, they asked her when she was going to pay for the cake, adding that it was “no rush” because she’s a “loyal customer”.

However, the neighbour revealed that she thought that the cake was a “gift”. The response prompted the baker to explain that they had spent “two days rushing to get it done” for her, because of how much they value her as a customer and since she’d previously ordered “every two weeks”.

In the video, the baker explained that the encounter ended with the neighbour “aggressively” opening her wallet to pay.

Follwing the encounter, the baker noted that, after a few months go by, during which they didn’t receive any orders from the neighbour, they decided to give her a “small cake” as a gift.

The TikToker claimed that the neighbour asked: “How much do I need to pay for this one?” with the baker recalling how they’d assured her that it was a “gift for you”.

In the comments, the baker further explained the situation, claiming that they hadn’t known there were going to be other people at their neighbour’s house when they brought the cake.

They also noted that they always “discount her heavily,” occasionally “do free cakes for her,” and they also “brought other sweets with” them to the gathering. However, they noted that they still felt like their request for payment was justified.

“If she’s requesting the cake be done a certain way, that’s not a gift,” the baker continued. “I don’t do cakes in two days but for her I went out of my way RUSHING.”

The TikTok video has since been viewed more than 7.3m times, with viewers divided over the situation.

According to some viewers, the baker shouldn’t have expected money considering they attended the party as a guest. “Since it was a gathering you attended and ate and drank at, usually, you tend to bring food or drink item out of courtesy,” one viewer wrote. “I wouldn’t have charged.”

“Idk it feels weird that you expected a payment. Do you not ever bring food gifts to social gatherings?” someone else asked, while another person said: “I feel so much second hand embarrassment. You’re in the wrong. Definitely a misunderstanding that could’ve been handled more gracefully.”

Another viewer claimed that the mishap was simply the result of a miscommunication between the neighbour and baker. “Sounds like it was a simple misunderstanding on both parts,” they wrote. “Not worth losing a regular order out of it.”

However, others agreed with the baker, claiming that they had every right to charge for the cake.

“You don’t ask for free for something when someone does the work,” one person said. “Creative endeavours face this the most…when you go to someone’s house you bring something affordable, not a two-day cake.”

The Independent has contacted @randomnessthatisawesome for a comment.