You may have one, two or even three locations and still not qualify for discounts when you purchase food and supplies. And no one wants to buy in bulk just to save a few pennies. Save money on center food costs by working with a purchasing group or childcare specific program to receive discounts on the items you order all the time.We show you how to avoid street pricing and get your time back by no longer spending your time comparing costs locally or online.
Save Money on Center Food Costs
In addition to shopping for the very best price for food or catering, putting together your meal plans is critical to understand what your annual costs are and how to best manage those costs. Food can be 10{448d6524e3fb56a7c8bf881820987144a5a9a3083f5d48f1c18b4a9f676d4efd}-20{448d6524e3fb56a7c8bf881820987144a5a9a3083f5d48f1c18b4a9f676d4efd} of your overall expenses if you serve breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks. You will be in a better place if you can reduce your purchase expenses and acquisition costs.
First, negotiate the best rate with your drop-off provider (US Foods, Cisco, JFS). If you have not negotiated a rate for yourself, you are receiving “street price,” which is like the suggested manufacturer’s price on a car. You could save five to eight percent from this negotiation alone.
Second, if you are driving to Aldi’s and then to the local grocery store, and then to a warehouse club… you may want to consider the value of your time as well. Can this time be put towards much more purposeful tasks? Your time is worth money, so be sure not to squander it on activities that don’t grow the business. Yes, you may have to meet delivery minimums, but those can also be negotiated.
Anthony A. D’Agostino, Founder and CEO of Inspire! Care 360, is also the owner and operator of Inspire! Learning and Childcare and Crayon Campus in Western NY. Anthony has also been a leading principal with companies such as Ernst and Young, Pearson Education and Xerox Corporation, implementing practices in areas of Human Resources, Adult Training and Development as well as Employee Engagement and Communication.
