Mr Harvey's plea for more business

[KraftyPg]

We don't have Bing down here but the Good Guys are a joke. We get those "invite" only sales quite often where they supposedly sell at cost plus 10% to valued customers (valued just means one previous purchase usually) and show you the invoice to prove it.

Last time there was one I went in there for comical value and made myself interested in a laptop ($1850 ticketed price), the salesman knew a few things about the computer but had little idea about video capability and chipsets (but that's more than HN staff know so I give him some credit). We haggled on the price a bit then he produced his "invoice" to show me he was infact giving me cost plus 10% at which time I produced an invoice from my suppliers showing my invoice price was still $350 cheaper than his supposed invoice price. I know picking on lowly little stock boys isn't fair but I did this little stunt more to prove to myself that they weren't being honest and I could still beat their price if I had too than I did to make his day hard, he's just following orders it's the powers that be that tell him how to sell stuff whether it's honest or not.

That being said I know a guy that used to be a senior accountant for Good Guys and back from their early days as Sheedy's the business structure is a very good one and it's not just one that benefits the franchise owner, so if I needed to I'd probably shop there before the the likes of Hardly Normal.

 

[terryc]

We don't have Bing down here but the Good Guys are a joke..

We went the Domayne, Hardly norma, GeeGees and Bing Lee round about a few times and each time ended up buying from Bing. So now we just go there direct.

The other GG trick is advertising something they don't have in shop, but selling something very similar.

Caveat, except for computer gear. HN usually has the best range, so it is usually the price I take to my local computer shop for it to beat.

 

[Jason]

We don't have Bing down here but the Good Guys are a joke. We get those "invite" only sales quite often where they supposedly sell at cost plus 10% to valued customers (valued just means one previous purchase usually) and show you the invoice to prove it.

Last time there was one I went in there for comical value and made myself interested in a laptop ($1850 ticketed price), the salesman knew a few things about the computer but had little idea about video capability and chipsets (but that's more than HN staff know so I give him some credit). We haggled on the price a bit then he produced his "invoice" to show me he was infact giving me cost plus 10% at which time I produced an invoice from my suppliers showing my invoice price was still $350 cheaper than his supposed invoice price. I know picking on lowly little stock boys isn't fair but I did this little stunt more to prove to myself that they weren't being honest and I could still beat their price if I had too than I did to make his day hard, he's just following orders it's the powers that be that tell him how to sell stuff whether it's honest or not.

That being said I know a guy that used to be a senior accountant for Good Guys and back from their early days as Sheedy's the business structure is a very good one and it's not just one that benefits the franchise owner, so if I needed to I'd probably shop there before the the likes of Hardly Normal.

This is because their invoice prices don't show the volume rebates they get from distributors and manufacturers at the end of each month, it's a popular trick amongst all of the chain retailers.

 

[terryc]

Since when has Gerry Harvey been a "small business"?
Shrug, he sells crap unessential consumer goods and gee people have had to tighten their belts, so they don't buy his stuff. Fancy that.

Also, perhaps I should have a whine about the time Gerry Harvey was selling software way below the RRP. Oh wait, someone is now doing that same shit to him. Beautiful Karma.

 

[superiorcruiser]

Running a business my self I think the GST sucks.All it has done is cost me time and money with book keepers to be a f@#king tax collector and we don't get paid or any special benefits for doing the job of the government.

Good one Scotty,I actually told the guy from the tax office to go and get frkd,as i wasnt going to do their job for them..
So much cash work gets done now with no invoices,its costing them heaps..

 

[KraftyPg]

Yeah but there is also money to be made from a small business doing BAS quarterly so it goes a little each way and for those who don't have to pay an accountant to do their BAS even more money can be made.

Personally I don't give a rats about the GST because a single 10% tax on parts has made things a heap easier for me. Computers parts used to be taxed differently according to the category and that range was from 0.2% on software up to 26% on printers and adding tax on each item was annoying where as adding 10% across the board saves heaps of times when it came to writing large quotes and I'm betting the computer industry wasn't the only one like that.

 

[superiorcruiser]

who does BAS quarterly? i do mine yearly.
you can lodge a quarterly BAS as $0.00 and balance it out at the end of the year.
my tax returns are ALLWAYS 1 year behind...
stuff the ATO...wankers

 

[Dave]

I get mine done every 3 months, same my returns are a year behind.

Dave.

 

[KraftyPg]

I get mine every 3 months but I do little to have them done, the accountant rings and tells me when it's time to do something, I hand over the applicable stuff and he does the rest. I don't pretend to be an accountant just like I don't expect my accountant to pretend to be a computer guru, the relationship works for us.

However I know a few people who do their own BAS and accounts and BAS works for them just like GST works for me.

 

[Dave]

My relationship with my accountant is the same.

I hand over the reciepts and they do the rest.

Dave.

 

[Old.Tony]

I used to deal with an accountant, but decided that since I know a little about Lotus Notes, I whacked together an invoicing/stock/sales/expenses/BAS/Tax Return application. It does the work for me, all I have to do is key in the receipts and invoices and it works everything out, even gives me the labels that I have to put the numbers against AND estimates how much tax I'm going to pay as well.

Then again, that's what I get paid to do.

 

[superiorcruiser]

i used to deal with an accountant, but decided that since i know a little about lotus notes, i whacked together an invoicing/stock/sales/expenses/bas/tax return application. It does the work for me, all i have to do is key in the receipts and invoices and it works everything out, even gives me the labels that i have to put the numbers against and estimates how much tax i'm going to pay as well.

Then again, that's what i get paid to do.

do you have these available to members here?how much would you charge for a copy?

 

[terryc]

Few bits on GST

1.The now retired butcher across the road paid off an investment property wih GST collections. Each week he would deposit the GST collected into the loan account for the investment property and each quarter, write a cheque to ATO for the nett amount he had to forward to them. So instead of getting lousy/no bank interest he saved on loan interest for a few months.

2. Agree with Krafty that it certainly made quoting far easer. Didn't take too many 26% Sales Tax knocks to screw jobs/quotes.

3. Do my own books. Aced accounting 101 at uni. 1st accountant was into dodgy schemes. Thank goodness we were well and truly past customers before ATO checked his books. 2nd accountant had absolutely no clue on computer depreciation(15 yr depreciation on IT HW).

4. Collecting GST is offset by GST paid if you onsell a lot of stuff or "consume" stuff wih GST on it.

 

[Old.Tony]

do you have these available to members here?how much would you charge for a copy?

Apart from you needing Lotus Notes to drive it, it's missing some important things like depreciation. It's not easy to do at all, to create a calculation that spans years and isn't going to morph on you like lots of Notes things do. There are still some things that have to be done manually.

 

[KraftyPg]

GST or no GST, BAS or no BAS it's plainly obvious that we are all doing the wrong thing. I see again last night that Gezza was in the news suggesting that tv's are so cheap now that they are selling for cheaper than the manufacturers can make them for. Forget just selling them at below cost price Hardly Normal are now selling them at below manufacturers price.

Obviously if any of us had an ounce of knowledge about how to run a business we'd all be manufacturing $300 items and selling then for $100 then crying to the media from our million dollar mansions that we aren't making money.

 

[Old.Tony]

You could run a protest rally outside his stores to support him. It'd be bloody confusing for Americans and anyone with satellite TV ...

Gerry! Gerry! Gerry!

Prepare to be hounded by six-fingered cousins who are jealous of their grandmother's attentions of their siblings.

 

[WoodyD40]

I get mine every 3 months but I do little to have them done, the accountant rings and tells me when it's time to do something, I hand over the applicable stuff and he does the rest. I don't pretend to be an accountant just like I don't expect my accountant to pretend to be a computer guru, the relationship works for us.

However I know a few people who do their own BAS and accounts and BAS works for them just like GST works for me.

same here.

I only pay the GST part of the BAS statement. I balance the PAYG at the end of the year, and its done as late as possible - so i can use the money in the business for a long time first.

Going to do things a bit different with the Super payments though. Going to estimate what my projected income is, and make qtrly payments to super so that the SUPER will earn me money towards my RETIREMENT.

I agree with the sentiment of this thread - what a waste of time demanding 10% gst on all imports of items under 1000. I very much doubt it will stop people buying from overseas - all it will do is create a lot more hassle for customs to verify the ACTUAL purchase price (read Tony's wonderful price'ing fix's for that) and then to charge the consumer prior to picking up (or releasing/sending) their purchase to them.

Maybe that is the idea. Turn it into a hassle, to reduce the benefit of ordering from overseas.

 

[KraftyPg]

Less benefit from ordering overseas means your smuggling business will take off again Woody...I'm on to you

 

[ljacko78]

+1 to Dion:

If Harvey Norman weren't so f****** over priced for no reason whatsoever it wouldn't be an issue.

Anyone walking into one of these shops and not getting at least 20% off their marked price is not trying hard enough. Walk away and try somewhere else Guaranteed there is a huge percentage of people who just walk in off the street and pay exactly what is ticketed and is helping Harvey Rorter to continue to whinge about his huge profit line.

 

[KraftyPg]

So did anyone hear Gerry on the radio this morning?

Online here
Retailers have ignored internet: Shorten - ABC Melbourne - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Gerry's rant starts at about 7:00 and falls in a heap not long after. As much as Matt Parkinson isn't a bad bloke it's not his wit or expert interviewing that digs the hole, good ol Gerry not just digs his own hole he fills the damn thing as well.

Congratulations to Gerry and perhaps next time his missus goes to New York for some shopping she can take him with her.