Theft of a Salesman
Don't tempt your servers to become thieves
The following story is true. In fact, it happens millions of times per year. This should hopefully demonstrate why it’s 100% necessary to have wireless POS for restaurants and bars in place everywhere.
Picture this. A customer sits down for lunch at your fancy steakhouse. The server appears friendly, delivers the food promptly, and your customer leaves a nice tip when the server brings back the debit card.
Two weeks later, that customer is attempting to purchase flowers for his wife, and his card refuses to work. He calls his bank and discovers that his account has been completely emptied.
What happened? Your employee stole his debit card information and sold it to professional criminals.
That is exactly what has been occurring all over the world for quite a few years now. In New York in October, 2011, the FBI busted a massive worldwide conspiracy to steal identities and siphon money from accessible accounts. Over 100 people were involved, and authorities keep discovering more information about just how vast and devious the scheme truly was.
Customers should always see their cards
The United States Is Woefully Behind
While there are countless ways to defraud others out of their hard-earned money, the fact that the United States still hasn’t implemented the wide-scale use of handheld card swiping machines is shameful. In many European countries, such as Belgium, if your restaurant server takes your card from you and walks away, customers are appalled. Handheld swiping machines are the norm so that the cardholder can see their debit or credit card the entire time.
Giving a server complete control of bank cards opens the door to temptation. That one dangling carrot can turn an otherwise happy, productive member of society into an identity-stealing criminal.
So, what’s the solution?
Implementing the use of handheld credit card processors in your restaurant provides you with numerous benefits:
- Your customers will appreciate your concern for their safety
- Your customers will be impressed with your “high tech” service
- Your customers will wonder why your competitors aren’t using them
- Your servers won’t be tempted to become criminals
While nothing will completely stop a determined thief from stealing financial information, making use of this simple, readily available technology is a great low-cost method of adding security to your business.
Have a look at our wireless POS reviews which are all perfect for restaurants to see how they can help your business:
- Mophie Card Reader Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
- VeriFone iPhone 4S and Earlier PAYware Attachment
Stay tuned for reviews of other products and services to protect your customers and employees from debit and credit card fraud. You can never be too careful when it comes to your customers’ financial information.
A drop shipment is done when the supplier directly ships to the buyer. This means that in a drop shipment transaction, the retailer or distributor no longer has to worry about waiting for the item and then has to go through the hassle of sending it to the buyer. A drop shipment is the best way to make the lives of retailers easier. This also means they no longer have to add more fees for the shipping cost.
Dropship From China
A dropship from China is usually only advisable if the supplier is in the same country or area where the buyer is. However, if the buyer is in another country say Thailand and the supplier will be sending it from China, the buyer would have to pay for the taxes of the item getting into the country. A dropship from China using Focalprice, on the other hand, allows you to ship items directly to the buyers’ door without needing to manage inventory yourself!
Drop shipping or a drop shipment works best for retailers who do not have much time to go from their homes to the nearest post office. Apart from being convenient, a drop shipment also ensures the buyer that the product comes straight from the supplier or the warehouse itself. If the buyer and the supplier are in the same area or country, the costs will be lesser too instead of buying the item from a department store.
For those who have online businesses, choosing a drop shipper is one of the most crucial processes involved in the said business. Drop shipments are a popular option for retailers not only because it is convenient but also expands the number of products they offer. For retailers who do not have much space for inventory, it reduces their need for space.
What Is A Drop Shipment?
A drop shipment as defined in the first part of this article is the process where a retailer does the marketing of the product, gets paid for the item and then orders the said product from a wholesaler for it to be shipped directly to the particular customer who bought a particular product.
Let’s say Leslie Winkle has an online shop that sells lingerie. Ms. Winkle then advertises the lingerie items she has on her website. A buyer, we shall call Mary then order the product from Ms. Winkle and then pays for it. Once Ms. Winkle sees that a payment has been made, she will order the lingerie from her wholesaler or supplier and includes Mary’s address. Ms. Winkle has to pay for the item too but at a lower price and then once that is done, the wholesaler or the supplier then sends the lingerie to Mary. This is how a drop shipment works.
Many would ask how much Ms. Winkle would be making from such a drop shipment transaction. Well this is fairly easy to answer because in the case of Ms. Winkle, her profit would be the difference between how much she sold the lingerie to Mary and the money she spent on the wholesaler. In this scenario, no inventory is held by Ms. Winkle and she is not involved in the shipping of the item as well. Although a lingerie does not take up so much space, it is still a wonderful idea for those who do not want to bother themselves with the shipping process. However, a drop shipment is ideal for retailers who sell over-sized or heavy items. This can include furniture, home appliances or industry equipment.
Drop shipments are also great for start up shops that do not have the cash flow to stock their inventory. This means that they only get items that have already been paid by the buyer before they purchase anything.
Focalprice
Doing a drop shipment transaction may seem like the perfect scenario for retailers but the retailer must beware of companies that do not drop ship even if they say they do. There are many scammers out there and often, it’s these scammers that stop us from starting a small online business. That’s why Focalprice has spent so much time working on their customer service and infrastructure to handle customers, big and small.
The first thing one should do is to check the list of wholesalers and vendors in your area. If you have a favorite shop, might as well ask them if they drop ship. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Another thing a retailer should take into consideration is what product to sell. Choose a product that will be bought or is needed by a lot of people so that you will make money by buying in bulk and not by mark-ups. A dropship from China using Focalprice is a great way to serve your customers and yourself.
