Boro Park Grocery Stores vs. Newspapers and Magazines: All Out War

[Cheesecake]

And yet it's worth doing it to attract customers and not be at a competitive disadvantage.
Same reason they'll still carry the papers.

See my edit.

[Cheesecake]

I am only talking about credit. I understand the papers are for foot traffic.

[Dan]

Nobody's giving food for free.
I'm sure the vast majority pay in a timely fashion. It's not worth losing those customers for the small percentage that don't.

[ADG]

We need bingo in every Jewish city all around the world.

Whats a jewish city

[Menachem613]

Is taking credit the norm in BP? Outside BP too?

[Work-for-ur-muny]

Is taking credit the norm in BP? Outside BP too?

Yes.

[Cheesecake]

Nobody's giving food for free.
I'm sure the vast majority pay in a timely fashion. It's not worth losing those customers for the small percentage that don't.

If I owned a grocery, I would not give credit. You don't have money up front? I'll take your CC and you'll have a month and a half until you need to pay. You don't have good credit? You're not a customer worth having.

[Dan]

If I owned a grocery, I would not give credit. You don't have money up front? I'll take your CC and you'll have a month and a half until you need to pay. You don't have good credit? You're not a customer worth having.

Can say the same thing for newspapers.
No profit, takes up valuable floor space.

[Cheesecake]

If I owned a grocery, I would not give credit. You don't have money up front? I'll take your CC and you'll have a month and a half until you need to pay. You don't have good credit? You're not a customer worth having.

Meant from a pure business perspective; it might be different if I wanted to be a ba'al chessed.

[Cheesecake]

Can say the same thing for newspapers.
No profit, takes up valuable floor space.

If the floor space wasn't worth the extra foot traffic, you'd be right.

The stores are not claiming to be losing a whole lot of money on the papers.

They are claiming to be losing a boatload on delinquent accounts. If they're telling the truth (I think they are), they should stop allowing credit.

[Dan]

Nobody's giving food for free.
I'm sure the vast majority pay in a timely fashion. It's not worth losing those customers for the small percentage that don't.

[Cheesecake]

It wasn't true about a grocery I know that closed down (so I hear, you can PM me for details), so I'm assuming it's not true about others. Maybe I'm wrong, but again, my svara is that credit is a relic from before cc days, but today is not profitable.

[chff]

Nobody's giving food for free.
I'm sure the vast majority pay in a timely fashion. It's not worth losing those customers for the small percentage that don't.

Ask the vast majority of Groceries in BP/WB and they will tell you the vast majority owes in the thousands. Many have accounts in many places and have big tabs in each.  These are the local groceries, as the big (Gourmet/KRM/Bingo) don't have credit accounts.
Don't believe me? Come and stand by the registers and just watch people write up and the amount owed. See a kid shopping alone? big chance that family is way behind in payment

Is taking credit the norm in BP? Outside BP too?

In the heimesh places. I know in KJ (& I believe other are now doing the same) the computer is set that you need to have your balance cleared like once per month

[Work-for-ur-muny]

Many groceries I hear the register giving a loud aggressive beep with a big red message on the screen OVER THE LIMIT yet every cashier bypasses that and let's them put it on the account anyway. Yet I still feel that a vast majority does pay up on a somewhat decent schedule. I have my family also write up all the time, and once in a while I come with my VGCs to pay up. Are they losing out anything on me? Absolutely not!

[TimT]

Many groceries I hear the register giving a loud aggressive beep with a big red message on the screen OVER THE LIMIT yet every cashier bypasses that and let's them put it on the account anyway. Yet I still feel that a vast majority does pay up on a somewhat decent schedule. I have my family also write up all the time, and once in a while I come with my VGCs to pay up. Are they losing out anything on me? Absolutely not!

Of course they lose out. Suppliers come in every day for their money & at times won't make new deliveries till they get paid.

[Bukboy]

Of course they lose out. Suppliers come in every day for their money & at times won't make new deliveries till they get paid.

+1000!
One of the biggest sales guy in Gefen once told me that the hardest place to collect money is from the Brooklyn grocery's!! The grocery owners constant complain about customers not paying their balance, Lets not teach this OOT about it

[Moshe123]

Every business gives out credit. People buy on credit and pay later, even while constantly running up huge balances. This is how the economy works. And yes, they making a living.

[TimT]

Every business gives out credit. People buy on credit and pay later, even while constantly running up huge balances. This is how the economy works. And yes, they making a living.

When you shop in clothing/jewelry/pharmacy/restaurant etc you buy on credit ?

[Bukboy]

Every business gives out credit. People buy on credit and pay later, even while constantly running up huge balances. This is how the economy works. And yes, they making a living.

Not sure what type of business you're referring, I'm buying every month thousand of dollars in merchandise, with China its cash upfront with a new supplier its cc payment upfront old vendors net 30 and that's it!

[Moshe123]

Not sure what type of business you're referring, I'm buying every month thousand of dollars in merchandise, with China its cash upfront with a new supplier its cc payment upfront old vendors net 30 and that's it!

And everyone actually pays by the 30 days....