The Shift Manager of the fast food restaurant sat in his car, under a shade tree in a parking lot. On the floor board are unused disposable deposit bags and a used deposit bag that had been sealed with last night’s closing deposit. The manager had sliced open the deposit bag and the passenger seat is littered with the contents - ones, fives, tens, twenties, and change. He will use one of the unused bags to make a new deposit. The manager counted the funds several times, his stress level mounting. The amount is not enough to match a deposit slip for a deposit dated two days ago. Two days ago? What is going on here? Why did he open a deposit bag today for funds to match a deposit ticket that is two days old? Do you know?

Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

Do you have control of your store or restaurant?  By that I mean everyone who has keys to the building, and storage areas, codes to the POS system, and combinations to the safe are authorized.  And by authorized, I mean they have been properly screened, vetted, and have shown the appropriate responsibility to run your business.  And for every management change all those keys, codes and combinations have been changed.  If you haven’t, you do not have control of your store or restaurant.

I received an email from the IRS last week stating that I was late in filing business taxes for the previous quarter. At first glance, I was alarmed that I was late paying anyone anything, particularly a government agency with IRS in its name. I was inclined to phone my CPA right then. My heartbeat returned to a more normal level after a few seconds when I realized that the IRS does not communicate via email.

Have you ever paid cash for merchandise or food and observed the cashier place the bills into the register and there was so much cash in the till that the spring loaded clip wouldn’t close?  Or the cash drawer would hardly shut?

A headline in this week’s St. Pete Times sports section stated “The Times Forum floor is deemed too slick as officials cancel Magic-Heat game in Tampa.”  The NBA pre-season basketball game was canceled 30 minutes before game time because “playing conditions were not commensurate with NBA standards … While some felt the court was indeed playable, our sole focus was player safety and leaving nothing to risk.” 

The slip and fall claims for the fast food (QSR) restaurant had increased dramatically for both employees and customers.  The quarry tiles were in good condition and according to the management they were cleaned regularly and according to procedures.  My inspection of the tile surfaces did not show neglect or poor cleaning procedures usually indicated by a glossy sheen or greasy feel.  But when water was placed to the tiles they were indeed slippery.  So, what was going on?

“Pizza, pizza, pizza!  Everyday it’s pizza.  I get so tired of pizza that I eat free as a benefit of working here.  So, with a little ingenuity, our late night crew now gets a little variety in our diet.  We worked out a little trade with the other late night restaurants next door and across the street.  We exchange a few pizzas for chicken, tacos, burgers and fries.  Everybody’s happy!”  While investigating mysterious rising trends in food costs, I heard this kind of statement many times from employees, particularly those working the late night shifts.

You receive an email from a good friend lamenting about their misfortune of losing luggage and their phone while traveling in Europe.  They don’t want to bother you, but would you be willing to send them $940 so they can get home.   You know that they travel quite a bit, the request seems to be genuine, and you want to come to their rescue.