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Pay Your Bills
August 27, 2007

"Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning." Leviticus 19:13 KJV

The layman's translation of this verse would be "Don't steal and don't hold onto money that you owe another."  When a customer leaves our stores with merchandise, we expect the merchandise to be paid for.  Why is it, then, that so many manufacturers are not getting paid for the merchandise they are shipping to us?  

Consider this scenario:  You are a small, independent furniture retailer.  When someone purchases furniture from your store, they have 30 days to pay for it.  A few of your customers pay you on time.  Most pay you for the goods within 60-90 days.  Some expect you to keep giving them merchandise when they haven't paid for any of their previous purchases.  Others expect to pay you when they feel like it but expect to receive top notch service in the mean time.  How long do you think your store would last?  Would you want to be on this end of the scenario?

Who is affected when you don't pay your bills?  
1.  The manufacturer.  Their funds are tied up in unpaid bills and cannot be used for new product production and product development.
2.  You, the retailer.  Your relationship with the respective manufacturer is hampered when you don't uphold your end of the responsibilities.
3.  Me, the retailer that pays the bills on time.  Manufacturers funds are tied up in your unpaid merchandise and I can't get them to produce what I need.

Please post your comments on this topic as it is a pressing and relevant issue in this industry.  Make sure to register with KidsTodayOnline.com and login before attempting to comment.  Only registered and logged-in comments will show.  

Posted by Kelly Nelson on August 27, 2007 | Comments (0)