| Once your place of business has in place the | | | | intentions, but they may be over buying and your |
| proper purchasing procedures, you want to create | | | | cash position may not allow for it. In other |
| the proper paper trails to assure you are paying | | | | situations, buyers can be easily influenced by |
| exactly for what you are receiving and you are | | | | vendors and spending your money a bit too |
| not hurting your business with short orders and | | | | freely. In rare, yet seen occasions, buyers and |
| back orders. All orders, even the verbal ones | | | | resellers may have side agreements as to reach |
| should have a paper record including the following | | | | certain sales quotas and inflate purchases and |
| information: | | | | create side deals. Although these are not |
| Date of the order, name of the supplier, name of | | | | frequent, they certainly can happen. |
| the salesperson, supplier phone number, | | | | To help minimize risks, good inventory control |
| anticipated date and time of delivery, items, | | | | software can help you better manage your |
| brands and vintages ordered, sizes of the | | | | purchases and go to the extent of actually |
| containers (bottle and case) , number of bottles | | | | preparing your order for you electronically thus |
| or cases, unit prices (price per bottle for each | | | | reducing the opportunity for error and saving you |
| item) and name of the person placing the order. | | | | time and money. Whatever your means of placing |
| Why do we need this information? When your | | | | an order, small or large, assure yourself each |
| liquor, beer and wine inventory is due to be | | | | order sent to your supplier has a PO # (purchase |
| delivered, you can schedule the right people in | | | | order number) that can you can you can use to |
| place to properly receive, verify and place the | | | | cross reference a packing slip, invoice and |
| order into inventory. Once the order has been | | | | receiving report generated by your liquor, beer |
| stored, accounting can verify if what they agreed | | | | and wine software management system if you |
| on and what was delivered are in line, key | | | | have one in place. |
| members of the management team (banquet, bar | | | | By following the above steps, you will help your |
| & store room managers) have access to | | | | business in its efforts to control costs. Controlled |
| data they may need to better manage their | | | | purchasing procedures will also satisfy your |
| respective departments. | | | | customer's need for a quality product, served by |
| I suggest that orders be placed in this fashion and | | | | a qualified staff in an enjoyable drinking |
| before they are sent off to the reseller, | | | | environment. With today's technology, a task that |
| ownership or top management is made aware of | | | | may have been time and money consuming in the |
| the size of the order and dollar value. In many | | | | past can be easily and quickly generated in |
| cases, those who place orders have good | | | | minutes versus hours with superior results. |