What to write down from every invoice
- The item exactly as it's printed, with the size.
- The price per bottle, or the case price and how many bottles are in the case.
- Any deposit, delivery charge or discount on that line.
- The date and the distributor.
Keep one row for each bottle size from each distributor. A 750 ml and a 1 liter of the same brand are two different items.
How to spot a price increase
Every time an invoice comes in, put the new price next to last time's price for the same item. Anything that went up gets a circle.
Example, with made-up round numbers. Say a 750 ml bottle went from $22 to $24. That's $2 more a bottle, about 9% more. If you go through 3 a week, that's $6 a week, or $312 over a year, for one bottle.
It hits your drinks too. A 750 ml bottle is about 25.4 oz, or about 16.9 pours at 1.5 oz. At $22 a shot costs you about $1.30. At $24 it's about $1.42.
Check the price per bottle, not the case
When a distributor changes the case size or adds a case discount, the case price can look the same or lower while the bottle price goes up. Divide the case price by the bottles in the case every time.
Example, with made-up round numbers. $264 for a case of 12 is $22 a bottle. $240 for a case of 10 looks cheaper, but it's $24 a bottle.
A quick weekly routine
- Keep every invoice in one place the day it comes in.
- Once a week, compare each line to last time's price.
- Circle anything that went up, and anything you didn't order.
- Call your rep about anything you don't understand, before you pay.
- If a new price is going to stick, check your drink prices.
Watch for these
- Credits you were promised that never showed up.
- Short deliveries billed in full.
- A different brand sent in place of yours, at a higher price.
- Prices that went up and never came back down after a sale ended.