Saving a Penny might cost a Dollar
I was reminded this morning of what lengths some folk will go to to save a few pence, only to find that the tables turn on them and their folly costs more than they might have saved.
I took out one of my test meters and this particular meter must be calibrated every 12 months or less. It is used to certify electrical installations and without a calibration certificate for it, then I ain’t working and earning money. My meter has a large red label attached to the strap, making it easier to identify when several of us are working together.
Several years ago, I took it into the electrical wholesalers, as in previous years, to have them send it away for calibration. It takes perhaps an hour to calibrate a meter like this, but it is always away for about three weeks.
And then, I was in the wholesalers just about three weeks later to pick up some stock.
Glancing behind the counter I could see my meter, the one with the red label, on the manager’s desk. Brilliant, its back on time and now I can certify last weeks work.
“I will take my meter with me” I declare.
“Oh, its not back yet”
“Yes it is I can see it on the manager’s desk, the meter with the red label”
That was when the manager owned up to his attempt to save a penny or two. If he could hold onto my meter until he had another customer wanting calibration, he could send both meters together and only pay one carrier charge himself, yet bill both of us for an individual carrier charge each, thereby making an extra few pounds profit.
So … after Vesuvius had erupted, I calmed down.
The embarrassed manager agreed to send it off the same day by special delivery and he agreed that I should get the calibration free of charge, otherwise I would never use that wholesaler again. The meter came back and I have never been through their doors since. He lost a good customer, I was spending £3-5k a month in his shop, every month.
I’m not sure what his profit margin is, but on my average spend of £4000 a month , it’s a lot more than the postage he would have saved.
Which brings me to the point – we’ve all seen so many occasions when the vendor, the video maker, the web entrepreneur, you, me, have gone 80% of the way to providing a good service only to throw it away on that little tiny bit at the end – called completion.
Complete each stage of your activities and don’t try to stack them all up to economise on cost or time or whatever. Finish the job, get it published and move on to the next project. There have been many times over the years when I’ve completed two videos a few days apart and thought that maybe I should have waited – and then realised that no, that first video is up and published and making money, pennies dropping into the piggy bank already.
Does anyone still use a piggy bank. The worst one I had was one with a slot for the coins and no hole at the bottom to get the coins out. My granfather actually put a One Pound paper note in the piggy bank – a fortune when I was a child, how the heck was that ever going to come out. Sorry piggy, but my need for that pound was greater than your need to remain intact.
C’est la vie.
Have a super week chaps and chapesses. The sun is out, what a great day.
Bux
Recent Comments
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Thanks for sharing this, Bux. Poor pig but I get it, that one pound paper note was a sizable amount! I once got a "piggy" bank that had no stopper in the bottom so the money ran out of it as fast as I put it in! I stuffed a paper towel in the hole, but somehow the money still always found a way out and into the hands of the store merchant for the pack of chewing gum I wanted!
Karin
Aww, that poor piggy though. Sigh.... it's sad but it's unfortunate that a lot of people are going "eco-friendly" nowadays in order to save more and do the job less which can definitely cost at an extranomical rate so I'm sorry that you had to end the relationship with that store, Bux.
It was probably for the better.
Have a great rest of your week!
Myra ♥️
Thanks Myra, I'm a great customer if we both treat each other with respect, that's all that we want.
Bux
Love it Bux! These cheap buggers know nothing at all what proper customer service is all about... and it will cost them a fortune if they continue to operate this way!
I would have done exactly the same as you did!!
Take care buddy and enjoy the rest of your day! :-)
Gently sipping a large cocoa. An early night tonight, a busy day has burnt me out. I can be a terrible customer, but if they give good service then I will always, always thank them.
I can remeber a time at Gare de Nice, the train for Monaco was just pulling in and we needed tickets. Three times I asked for tickets, until the ticket lady said, say bonjour first. A lesson in politeness that I remember to this day.
Take care Nick.
Bux
Hope you enjoyed your cocoa Bux and that is a fantastic lesson in politeness!
It costs absolutely nothing to be polite and I do it to the best of my ability each and every day... no matter who I am conversing with (well... maybe not all the time with the PSIL... but I do try)!!
👍🤣
Me too, Nick, I always say good morning in every shop I go in now. A lot of English shops are taken back, people aren’t always polite to them. Its nice, those 2 minutes of conversation, and it really pees off the folk behind in a hurry. I don’t have a PSIL but catch your emotion.
When does the diet start.
Absolutely Bux! The thing that really pisses people off here is when I look back at a queue of people behind me when it's my turn to pay and I see an elderly gentleman or woman with just an item or two and I invite them to pay for their goods before mine!!
The looks (and sometimes abuse) I get from the younger generation on the run are priceless!!
I just tell them to wait and have respect in my best French (this can sometimes lead to unnecessary confrontations) but I always stand my ground!!
Diet is planned for Monday... let's see!!
It's nearly 11pm here and still 30 plus... personally I can't wait for winter to get here....
I'm off to my aircon for some sleep hopefully...
Take care buddy!! :-)
Yes, I did that at a french airport. We were close to the front of the queue when some one said, mockingly, that the old chap at the end of the long long queue was going to miss his flight because he came on the bus and not a taxi. His checkout closed in 5 minutes. they were laughing at him.
I left Sami with the bags, went and fetched him and took him to the front of the queue, he was now on time.
The verbals we got were horrendous, until I said in my best loud British voice, Very sorry everybody, I don't speak a word of French - and then shut my ears to the rest of it.
Eat well this weekend Nick. 3 inch plates next week.
Bux
Hahaha! Love it Bux!
It's still too bloody hot to eat well but... the 3 inch plates will still be in use on Monday!
Have a wonderful weekend buddy! :-)
I intend to sit in the Abbey Park for most of Saturday and read a book, maybe doze a little. Fish and chips for lunch, get back home before dark.
Warm here but not your temperatures. Air con rules I guess. What temperature are you getting in the afternoons.
And do keep me posted about pup.
Bux
Sounds like an excellent plan Bux!!
I think we only hit 36 degrees in the afternoon here today... problem is at just after 11pm it's still 32!!!
Took the pup to the vet today as her paw is not looking better....
A severe infection though, so she is on yet another course of antibiotics and the cone of shame needs to stay for at least the next 5 days.....
The wife refuses to put it on her because " she doesn't like it".... you can imagine my response to that, so it's separate bedrooms for a while!!!
My pup is more important....
Enjoy your day tomorrow buddy and catch up again soon ok! :-)
Who are you putting the cone on, I ask.
I'm the same Nick, my cat always came first, not negotiable. The best food, best spot in front of the fire.
If I wanted a lie in on a Sunday and Yoey wanted his breakfast, he would lie on my stomach so that he compressed my bladder. he was a big cat, weighed over 20 pounds, so it wasn't long before I needed to get up to pee.
And while your up, how about fixing me something to eat .
Failing that he would dig his claws into my neck and pretend he was being loving. Either way, he got fed.
Catch you later Nick, take care.
Bux
Wish putting the cone on the wife would work, but....
Yoey certainly sounds like he/she enjoyed their food... and knew how to get it!!
My pups only 13-14 pounds in weight!!
Hope your day went well buddy... it's still way too hot here for my liking, but hopefully by Tuesday things will improve!!
Take care as well ok! :-)
He was a big cat, I've seen him bring home a rabbit and eat the lot. He never moved for 3 days. He's been chasing rabbits in the sky for 15 years now. Miss him every day.
Nice and pleasant here in Somerset. They do say we will have a heat spike followed by thunderstorms, wait and see.
Catch you later.
Bux
I do remember our cats bringing home rats, rabbits and even pheasants on occasion and leaving them as presents at the front door!
Doubt you will have a heat spike like we have here.....
But.... this evening is much more pleasant... it's looking stormy and rain is certainly in the air!!
Bring in on I say... not great for my pup though...
Enjoy the rest of your weekend buddy! :-)
Thundery rain this afternoon.
Pigged out at tea time. Don’t want to move now.
You too, have a great Sunday evening and make the most of the new week.
Bux.
Haha! Take it easy on those cakes Bux!
I'm going to pig out on the remainder of yesterday's kebab soon... then sleep... then diet and exercise tomorrow!!!
That's the plan anyway!!
Rest well buddy! :-)
Trying my best Bux, but things haven't quite gone to plan today!!
I'll try again tomorrow!! :-)
There we go, saved your bacon - put it on a chip butty.
How is that little pup coming along.
Take care.
Bux
Her foot is marginally better with the antibiotics, but every time I put the cone on to stop her licking it... the wife takes it off again!
She is going to Geneva again on Saturday so I will be able to look after my pup properly without her interfering! :-)
A one way ticket I assume. The poor animal will be totally confused, is it on, is it off.
Enjoy your freedom slot.
Bux
I wish!!! She should be gone Saturday morning and will return Wednesday evening!
Pop over for a few days if you like buddy!! :-)
I wish. My life is controlled by medical appointments at the moment. I’m hoping to be given a treatment start date nextcweek, but I’m actually feeling very good, so they might delay it again. It must be the chip butties.
Chip butty's can have that effect Bux!
She's not going until next weekend now.... the company keeps postponing here meetings...
Take care buddy! :-)
I'm sure you can survive another week, but can my dear friend Pup.
I was pleased that my weight had stabilised over the last two weeks or so, and then I had a box of chips from Knights Chippy in Glastonbury.
How can a little tiny, miniscule box of chips put 1.3 kg of weight on overnight.
£3.50 for chips now. £8.50 with cod. Their fish really is something to die for, so, so, fresh and delicious. there was a couple there last week, all the way from Plymouth and they had been told by friends not to miss the opportunity of having a Knights fish and chip supper.
It won't be long now Nick, soon be next weekend and then in a flash - hello darling, I'm home.
Bux
What!!! That's crazy that a little box of fish and chips could add over two lbs of weight overnight... are you sure there weren't many ales involved??
The best fish and chips restaurant I know is in Braunton.....
They won the title of best chippy in England for so many consecutive years back in the day...
I took my Mother there last year when I was back... still very good but far too commercialsed now!!
Great fish though!! :-)
There is a good chippy in Oban, Scotland if I catch the Lochboisdale ferry to see the kids.
It must have been the chips, all I had the rest of the day was chicken fried rice and a couple of cakes. Oh and a bowl of fruit and cream. And a bar of chocolate.
The likely culprits. I'll test them again on Saturday, just to be sure. I might even be buying for two, wait and see.
Question. How have you got on with the heavy rains in France that our TVs have reported. They say parts of la belle France had over an inch of rain in an hour earlier today.
Hope you are keeping safe.
Bux
Buying for two??? Will it finally be the time to crack open that bottle of Dom Perignon??
We had a few thunderstorms on Wednesday night which seriously dropped the temperatures here... now it's perfect for me!
But no serious rainfall though!
All good here buddy and take care as well!
👍🥂
Wait and see, I doubt it but what the heck. just having an afternoon out is ok, as long as the rain keeps off, which the forecast says it will.
Catch you soon my friend. Enjoy your quiet time.
Bux
Enjoy yourself buddy and report back if there is anything significant.... to well report back!!
Quiet film time and sleep for me here soon! :-)
Hey Bux
I've seen people trip over dollars while chasing pennies, many times. You've got to keep the "big picture" in your sights at all times.
That poor pig sacrificed himself for you!! 🤣🐖
Have a great week(end)!!
Tim 🎼
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Hello David,
I totally love this blog of yours, it gives me so many memories flashback :)
My mum would quote this !
Eileen would often say do not penny pinch to save on a major breakthrough in your life ♨️✌️🔥She would further say money makes money so use it wisely hahah and I have always tried to do this to grow businesses.
The only thing we face now in business is that we are attacked from all angle with the amount of fraudulent activity trying to break everything we are building 🥹😿
I can only hope our security gets stronger and stronger for our sake.
Wishing you a wonderful end to the week :)
Kind regards
Erica
Thanks Erica.
The great pity is that if those scammers turned their very obvious skills to honest work then how much better would every business be.
The same with shoplifters, less than £200 taken from a shop and the police actually say that they are not interested. Just let them go, take what they want.
Anyway, you have a super weekend.
Bux
Hello Bux,
You have it so right, if they just turned the scamming fraud skills into honest work they would profit in much better businesses.
I know right the Police have it all wrong, we should not be made to just let thieves take what they want, it is illegal activity and they should be punished.
When the thieves come in droves to my mum Eileen and our Silver Shop to flog what they could at every chance we turned our back, haha we would chase them down the street to get our stock back haha they never seen a business defending themselves like me my mum and my dad Charlie did.
I mean they would sneak their slippery fingers into small cracks in our glass cabinets, that literally were only 4 mm gap opening. Because we had our glass display cabinets hand made and they were not exactly perfect closed.
I honestly think that shops should be given the right to give on the Spot Fines for the thief they catch to pay up a money fine right there and then when they are caught.
#Give the power back to the Victims.
Good to hear from you Bux :)
Take good care.
Erica
100% in agreement with you Erica. Put the victims first, make the offenders pay - big style. Every time that a petty criminal gets away with a small misdemeanor, it gives them the confidence for something bigger. Eventually that little hood becomes a big time player.
Look after yourselves. You chasing the thieves made me smile, well done.
Bux 🌹
💯Yes for sure Bux, it is why we have so much violence now, it really is a scary world for kids, I feel so sad for them 🥹😿💚
It is a whole new world that is true and we must support each other as much as possible .
That is why I stick around WA community.
Take good care :)
Until your next blog 🌹
Erica