Ken Burgin

7 Small Ways You Could Be Leaking Money

None of these is major, but each week they soak up cash and cut into profits. Part of the fix is showing staff that every cent counts and you do watch the cents! They can be an active part of the solution, not standing on the side watching. Every single member of your staff could point out something that’s ‘leaky’ and wasteful – do they tell you? Do you ask?

  1. Late to Arrive and Early to Leave. You know who they are – the commitment of these employees is questionable. Other staff notice, and watch if you do anything about it. Finger or facial recognition clocking on and off is inexpensive to set up and integrates with payroll – if you haven’t done this already, it’s time.
  2. Dripping Taps and Running Water. In many venues, water down the toilet is more than half of the total consumption. Plus spray arms in the kitchen that use way too much and cleaning routines that use it like it’s free. Work out your water bill per day to show staff the real cost . Energy use consultants can be very useful to check this and other utility costs, and always pay for themselves.
  3. Coffee and Milk Waste. A few grams of lost coffee every time the dose is done – it adds up to big money each week. Plus all the milk that’s been overheated and can’t be used again for coffee – does it go down the sink? Ben Armstrong, the smart operator at Three Bean Espresso in Newcastle collects it to make their own yoghurt – they are now self-sufficient. Clever!
  4. Colour Printers – they’re money pits if you are still using a ‘cheap’ ink-jet printer. Really, do you need to print in colour, or would a low-cost black & white laser printer do for 95% of the printing? Or have both and set the default to the laser printer. Add up your ink cartridge purchases and divide by the number of days – the figures can be scary.
  5. Credit for Goods You Returned – this is one of the first things I look for when I’m doing a ‘costing blitz’ in a business. It’s not uncommon to return goods that are the wrong brand, size or not needed, but has the credit appeared on your statement? What’s the process to ensure this happens every time? Easy to overlook.
  6. Credit Card Fees. What’s the ‘effective rate’ your provider is charging? They create confusion with base rates and extra rates for different types of cards. Add up a month of charges and divide by a month of card sales – if it’s above 1.2% it’s time to talk with the bank manager.
  7. Back Door Dealing. In the rush of deliveries and a busy kitchen, it’s easy for delivery people to be unsupervised and cages left unlocked. Food and alcohol is as good as currency for many people – it needs a range of measures to control this including patient checking (you need the right person for this), cameras, tighter key access and storage routines. When did you last catch a thief?

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