Take My Money, Please.

When you get right down to it, the basic purpose of a business, any business, be it manufacturing, retail or even a service provider, is to take your money. While with some businesses it may seem more obvious than others, witness the cash register, they all do it in some fashion. In fact, it seems to me, that the ability to relieve cash from the pockets of their customers is what separates a good business from a poor one: certainly it separates a successful one from a failed one.

Having run several small businesses myself and consulted on many others, I can’t help but notice when I am shopping or having a meal in a restaurant or doing just about anything else as a consumer, how poorly most businesses are at taking my money. Many people see a long queue at a store as a sign of a successful business. After all, look at all these people waiting on line to buy something from this establishment. I see failure. A queue almost always means that this business cannot efficiently take your money.

The reasons for this failure are legion: under-paid, under-trained employees manning the cash register, poorly designed computers or software to process transactions, incorrect SKU numbers, out-dated inventory programs, redundant systems to help reduce employee theft. Whatever the reason, mastering the very basic function of the business has be neglected.

How many times have you walked up to a long line with your intended purchase and said, “I am not going to wait in that line to buy this.” And then left the store. The business had the merchandise. Apparently the price of the merchandise was fine, you were, after all, about to buy it. They accepted the form of payment you intended to use. Yet, they lost your business. And not necessarily to a competitor; they simply lost it. On the other hand, these millions and millions of dollars worth of “I-ain’t-waiting” decisions are no doubt ending up on the internet. No lines, no waiting and, generally, better money taking designs. One of the best businesses I have ever come across at severing your money from you fast is Amazon.com. I made a purchase five or six years ago, went through a reasonably quick “check out” process, during which I gave them my credit card information, and the merchandise arrived three days later (with no cost to me for shipping and completely tax-free). Fast forward to earlier this year, over five years later, and I keyed in my e-mail address, clicked on the item I wanted to buy and it was over. They had remembered all my contact information, my payment information and shipping instructions. The transaction took less than 30 seconds. And even if I had to have up-dated some or all of the information, or change credit cards, I still would have been out of the Amazon “store” in under two minutes. Now this is not to suggest that all internet purchases will be this easy or this risk free, but compared to the average brick and mortar check-out experience, there is no comparison. And it not just retail.

Consider this: how many times have you had to hunt down your server at a restaurant to get your check? Then you have to wait for him or her to come collect the payment and then you have to wait for them to bring your change or credit card receipt. Restaurants are notorious for failing at that one last little extra bit of excellent service they could offer. As far as they are concerned, most restaurants treat you as though once the meal is over their commitment to you ends.

Has your opinion ever changed after having a deliciously prepared meal at a restaurant, served efficiently by an attentive wait staff, only to be completely disappointed at the end when you had to wait an exceedingly long time for your bill so you could leave? And the irony for these businesses is this: the customer wants to give you his or her money! And you are making them take additional steps to give it to you. It is completely ridiculous.

I suspect that millions of dollars worth of well-placed advertising is wasted every year, simply because the business failed to consider the fundamental purpose for which they exist: taking your money.