Small Businesses Self-Destruct

If I need milk or bread or get a sugar craving, I TRY and buy from small businesses, milkbars and the like. Without small businesses the big ones, charge whatever they want and corner the market.

Small businesses of the retail kind are dying, like moths to a flame. They are self-destructing.

The reasons for self-destruct vary, from limited opening hours, to dirtiness to (and the worst IMHO) overcharging OR in this mornings’ instance, charging without advertising a further $0.50 to use EFTPOS.

Doesn’t matter I paid the same price for the item as I would at a service station, they had the gall to charge $0.50 without ANY advertising, NOT written, NOT verbal.

I try and support small business, but how can I continue to do so, when businesses do this to you and me, the bread and butter of their business? Small business is not just about opening the doors and customers (suckers) walk in and pay elevated prices for the same thing, they can get elsewhere, it’s about a smile, not ripping your customers off and making sure the place is clean.

I’m calling out the milkbar in New Street, Reservoir, I shall never darken your doors again, I would rather travel a further 1km and buy from the milkbar in Yarra Avenue, East Reservoir, they smile, the place is clean AND lo and behold, I’m NOT penalised for using EFTPOS.

I know the rules were changed to allow you to recoup costs for the use of EFTPOS, but guess what? A smart business person would bury that cost in the product cost, NOT bury excess profit in the product cost AND THEN charge to use EFTPOS as well.

While I’m on a rant, people who have a minimum EFTPOS charge, you too are doing yourself out of business, most people have less than $30 in their pocket at any one time and this is reducing all the time.

Get with the times and learn what running a small business is all about.

Melbourne's Crazy Weather on Christmas Day 2011

Here are some photos I took near Whittlesea as the storms progressed across the city and suburbs - Noting that the sun set at 8.44pm on the 25th December 2011

Melbourne has had some pretty rough weather this last week - these are some of the shots I've managed to capture - noting that each frame is dated and timed AND in date order. just to give you an idea!

18th December 2011 - 22.09hrs - Lightning to the West of Whittlesea

24th December 2011 - 23.11hrs - Lightning to the West of Whittlesea

24th December 2011 - 23.20hrs Lightning to the South East of Whittlesea

24th December 2011 - 23.20hrs Lightning to the West of Whittlesea

24th December 2011 - 23.26hrs Lightning to the South East of Whittlesea

25th December 2011 - 18.13hrs - Now this is interesting - I posted a tweet at approx 6pm "#melbweather - cloud forming in round 'shape' over Greensborough -lightning seen 2B coming from it - Could get interesting/could be nothing" Not long after - reports started coming in of a 'tornado' in the Epping area and the BoM issuing a tornado warning for the Fiskville area!

25th December 2011 - 18.13hrs - "Tornado"

25th December 2011 - 18.13hrs - "Tornado"

25th December 2011 - 18.13hrs - "Tornado"

25th December 2011 - 18.14hrs - "Tornado"

25th December 2011 - 18.15hrs - "Tornado"

25th December 2011 - 18.15hrs - "Tornado"

25th December 2011 - 18.17hrs - "Tornado"

25th December 2011 - 19.07hrs - Lightning over the CBD - noting that it is quite hard to capture lightning on film during daylight hours - this was taken at 7.07pm and sunset was 8.44pm

25th December 2011 - 19.09hrs - Lightning over the CBD

25th December 2011 - 21.21hrs - Lightning over the South East Suburbs

25th December 2011 - 21.23hrs - Lightning over the Eastern Suburbs

25th December 2011 - 22.14hrs - Lightning over the Outer Northern Suburbs (Upper Plenty)

25th December 2011 - 22.41hrs - eastern Suburbs

25th December 2011 - 22.43hrs - eastern Suburbs

25th December 2011 - 22.53hrs - eastern Suburbs

The weather Chaser - sequence of radar images, showing the storms moving across Melbourne and Victoria http://www.theweatherchaser.com/radar-loop/IDR023-melbourne/2011-12-24-23/2011-12-25-18

Youtube - flooding in Eltham http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOqi3lH4Xzw

Fitbody Fifty Blog - Blogger lives approx 15km south of me and took a belting http://www.fitbodyfifty.com/2011/12/dear-santa-thats-not-what-i-asked-for.html and Kek's public album on facebook https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150548048993023.441440.728803022&type=3

Are you a fake?

Have you every claimed someone else’s hard work as your own? Ever taken something and claimed it as your own? Every worked together with someone and then taken the collaborative work and claimed it as your own? Has someone ever given you something in good faith and you’ve failed to carry through with the promise you made to them?

If you’ve ever done anything like that – YOU ARE A FAKE.

I want everyone to remember, that Karma is a Bitch and she bides her time – you’ve heard that revenge is a dish best served cold, well the good girl Karma knows how to serve that dish.

My reason for writing this is because I built something, I created something and I gave it to someone in the good faith they would do what needs to be done. They have now cut me from their life, they have ceased all communication and I feel used and dirty.

I trust people – I trust that there is more good than bad in this world. I’m renowned for working solo and now I know why.

I hope that this person who is claiming to be something they are not, who is using goods that are not their own and claiming the hard work of others as their own realises before it’s too late that Karma is a Bitch, because SHE bites.

Enjoy the day and remember tomorrow may never come, or if it does, it may be totally different to what you expected yesterday.

The Police, The Public and Law and Order

Another day, another death, another story about how the police got it all wrong.

The most recent event occurred in Sydney, resulting in the death of a aggressive individual.

Aggressive, in that he was attempting to break into a house, he was carrying two knives.

The incident in police speak was a ‘domestic dispute” the man then confronted the police officers, whilst carrying two knives.

The police tasered him in an effort to control him, they had their safety, the safety of the public and the safety of the residents to consider.

From the news reports I have read, he then lost consciousness and then his life.

This is the second death in 24 hours, concerning the police and aggressive members of the public in NSW.

If the police hadn’t acted in the manner they had, and the aggressor had left the scene, still carrying the knives or acting aggressively and the offenders subsequently harmed a member of the public. Imagine the outcry.

The police are incapable, the police are useless, the police need to get tough on people like this.

So when the police DO get tough on ‘people like this’ they are then accused of murder.

I’m sorry – but you can’t have it both ways.

The police are employed to protect the law abiding public, the police are employed to stop people assaulting, harassing, or killing other people and yet when they do stop the offenders and the event ends in the death of an offender, they are the worst in the world.

The police are doing the best they can, in a society that appears to have little respect for law and order.

The police don’t use guns now unless absolutely necessary (I agree) Tasers are the next best thing. They at least don’t leave a hole in the chest of the offender the size of a small car.

Next time you call the police in your time of need, don’t be surprised when they can’t come because they are short-staffed, the job of policeman in any state as a career must take beating every time the media reports another death and flogs the members in public for the role they played in that death.

The police do a fantastic job under very hard circumstances and all anyone seems to be able to do is tell them they aren’t doing their jobs.

In my eyes they do their job and more, and yet no-one takes the time to consider they are people too, with fears and family and they too deserve the right to live without being injured on the job.

Abandonment of Employment from an Employer Perspective.

I am currently in the process of terminating an employee for abandonment of employment. I don’t like doing this, it’s not the first time I’ve had to do this and I doubt it will be the last.

But that is my job and I do my job, to ensure that the product goes out the door, that the money comes in the door and staff do what they are meant to do, including turning up to work on time and the allocated days and then everyone gets paid. That’s what I’m PAID to do.

In the 20 years that I have been doing pays/wages/salaries, whatever it is you wish to call it, I’ve also stopped people being sent to jail for failure to meet repayment plans and similar.

The most current situation involved the receipt of a garnishee order (which means that the company is now required BY LAW, to submit a certain amount of money to the claimant, which is deducted after tax from an employee’s wages)

The employee was coached and advised what was going to occur, the employee accepted that he would have to knuckle down for 12 months and then the problem would be done and dusted. It was thought that he’d accepted the consequences of his actions and was ready to deal with them.

The deductions started, leaving a very basic wage for the employee to live with for 12 months. Four (4) payments were made on his behalf, over a period of 8 weeks, then without notice the employee failed to turn up to work on Wednesday. Nothing was thought of it, he’s 22 years old and can sometimes be a little unreliable, that is what employers of today have to put up with and accept.

Wednesday, Thursday, no contact, no show, no communication. On Friday, a phone call was made, the mobile phone was switched off, the employees’ file was dug out and the emergency contact called. The emergency contact advised that the employee was locked in his bedroom and wouldn’t come out. Message left get him to call us as soon as possible.

Pay fortnight comes around – it is decided to try and flush him out by not paying, under abandonment of employment clause. Three (3) weeks later, still no show. Registered mail has been sent and returned, further calls made to the emergency contact. All to no avail.

By the 5th week, we still have not heard anything, so make an internal decision to terminate employment officially under abandonment of employment. The decision came through just after the closing of the pay period, so the decision was held over for a further 2 weeks. In the meantime the employee turns up at the nearest Centrelink office, to claim benefits. A call was made to the manager of the branch, the story as it stood was told. The manager was told that the employee would be unable to claim benefits until a separation certificate has been supplied. The employees’ reason for leaving his place of employment, a disagreement with management.

This is the first we have heard about a disagreement, this is the first we have heard about any problems relating to us.

The decision is now set in concrete, abandonment of employment, reason unknown. With this it is believed that a waiting period of 8 weeks will occur before benefits are payable. Something we wanted to avoid, but unavoidable given the circumstances.

Noting that the employee has yet to contact or respond to any communication sent by said employer!

Go figure.

Post Script - for those of you reading this and considering doing the same, please read Part 1 - Financial Woes and part 2 - Financial Woes

Working the Ethical way

Once upon a time I worked for a large organization, so large that there were departments and each department was responsible for its own budgeting and expenditure.

My job was to invoice out existing and new clients for equipment hired. The turn-over of the equipment was quite high with the clients. They may only hire for 1,2,3 weeks, sometimes a lot longer, but generally no longer than 1-2 months.

There was also an option to purchase the equipment, which was rarely taken up by the client as they didn’t anticipate the long-term need or the overall cost.

After about 6 months, it became apparent that for some people in some instances it was cheaper for the client to purchase the equipment, so a decision was made for those clients, where it became economically viable to purchase, a note of sale was sent instead of an invoice.

This suited both parties, and allowed for more stock to be purchased and it was also found that equipment when purchased by the client, was returned to us, rather than being dumped somewhere. This was a win win for all parties concerned.

The long term effect was that this department became the most profitable, simply because they looked after the clients needs and not the needs of the business formula.

Equipment turn-over although increased, allowed for better quality equipment and equipment previously sold was returned more frequently and in better condition than hired equipment, which in turn allowed for it to be put back into circulation for new clients. Profit for that department increased by 25% in one 12 month period and grew every year I was there.

This policy is still in place today, some 5 years down the track. Due to unionisation within the site, my presence was detected and because I was contract and not a full-time employee, I was given the boot, not by my department head but by the union.

The decision to bill the client for equipment sold rather than hired, appears at first, to be cutting the profits, because you are actually reducing the income. Hire equipment is generally not treated as well, than if sold. People have an attitude. Oh well, it’s only hired, so it doesn’t matter. Whereas if they purchase an item, the attitude changes completely.

By turning over the older stock and selling it (it would have been hired anyway) the department was able to increase the quality of the stock on hand and thus please the client. By turning the stock over, we were able to buy more stock, more often and thus receive quantity discounts.

By selling stock instead of hiring it – the admin charges were reduced and then to top off all these benefits, in appreciation of the reducing the cost to the client, the client returned the favour, by returning the stock and thus saving more money again!

A win win for ALL involved!