More of a moan than anything else... - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

DeanoFTM · Veteran Member

More of a moan than anything else...

Peasie · Expert

You can work out quite a lot from that receipt.
On the 14th May 2011 someone went into a shop and chose an item valued at £2.99.
They handed over 2 - £2 coins to pay for the item. They left with £1.01 in change. Maybe they were wanting the £1 in the change to use in a supermarket trolley.

I still keep all my shopping receipts and occasionally look back to see how much things are. Lucky I shop weekly now. When I didn't drive years ago I'd do a mass shop. The receipt would be about a metre long. Now every three months they are staple together and archived.

DeanoFTM · Veteran Member

Peasie wrote:

They handed over 2 - £2 coins to pay for the item. They left with £1.01 in change. Maybe they were wanting the £1 in the change to use in a supermarket trolley.

What would your bookkeeping postings be?

-- Edited by DeanoFTM on Saturday 18th of June 2011 08:44:53 AM

Mad Liz · Senior Member

DeanoFTM wrote:
What would your bookkeeping postings be?

Dr Miscellaneous Expenses £2.99

Cr Petty Cash (or Director's Current Account/Sole Trader Drawings possibly) £2.99

gbm · Guru

The worse thing about till receipts is the lack of description. If the client doesn't write anything down, it leaves you in a position of either making an assumption (more often than not - sundries) or having to ask - quite daft for a £2.99 receipt!

ADAS · Guru

A not disimilar pet hate of mine is the way Credit Card / Till receipts fade really badly, really quickly. Drives me mad when you can't read the date. This is a particular problem with one client who delivers fresh fruit for vending machines - don't know if its connected

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

know completely what you mean Tony.

How about the receipts from PC world for quite substantial purchases such as a new computer where the ink disappears on contact with light so you have no idea what else the client snook into the purchase. (games, can of coke... Plasma TV!)

mushroom · Senior Member

If it is only a few transactions, I would usually just mark down small items as sundries, but this isn't good enough when the client has to undergo an audit. I always get my clients to write on these types of receipts what it is they have bought, even if they just scribble 'cleaning' or 'stationery' or something. Some don't bother but I have to say after getting a couple of my evil glares and pestering phone calls they normally get into the habit!

DeanoFTM · Veteran Member

mushroom wrote:
If it is only a few transactions, I would usually just mark down small items as sundries, but this isn't good enough when the client has to undergo an audit. I always get my clients to write on these types of receipts what it is they have bought, even if they just scribble 'cleaning' or 'stationery' or something. Some don't bother but I have to say after getting a couple of my evil glares and pestering phone calls they normally get into the habit!

I have got this particular client to mark on these what they are as you mention, as most of them turned out to be drawings for lunch and magazines as the client thought they were business expenses as they were spent during the working day. If I have a few unknowns I normally reference them, scan them at the end of the month and ask the client to email me back what each one is and that takes care of them all in an email.

PS Peasie, out of interest, how far do your supermarket receipts archive go? Do you keep them for 6 years or do you be extra cautious and keep them for 7?

Miss B · Member

ADAS wrote:
A not disimilar pet hate of mine is the way Credit Card / Till receipts fade really badly, really quickly. Drives me mad when you can't read the date. This is a particular problem with one client who delivers fresh fruit for vending machines - don't know if its connected

My first (and only at the moment!) client thought it would be really helpful to highlight the date and amount on all of her reciepts, probably would have been, but for some reason highlighter clears the print on thermal printed receipts...

BudgetB · Guru

Brilliant! Did she also staple them all together with 5000 staples. I don't think the public should be allowed to own staplers.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

I had a client that highlighted some important information and then faxed it to me!

The effect looked like one of those parlaimentary expenses sheets with long black blocks over anything important!

I like the idea of licencing the use of staplers.

Also maybe compulsary training courses in the use of hole punches. How many times have you come accross a hole straight through one of the figures that you need!

gbm · Guru

Shamus wrote:
Also maybe compulsary training courses in the use of hole punches. How many times have you come accross a hole straight through one of the figures that you need!

This is going to sound REALLY petty, but why can't people punch holes in a sheet of paper so that it's in the right place? If you haven't got a paper size indicator on your hole punch, it's easy enough to fold the paper in two, giving a little crease that can be lined up on a hole punch. Isn't it? Perhaps it's just my OCD kicking in, but when you have a file full of papers and half of them stick up at the top, it just looks crappy!

BudgetB · Guru

Nick, I am also slightly obsessive over my filing, so understand totally!

Susie Sue · Senior Member

Oooh - me too! We are all very anal - but who cares! biggrin

Wella · Expert

gbm wrote:
This is going to sound REALLY petty, but why can't people punch holes in a sheet of paper so that it's in the right place? If you haven't got a paper size indicator on your hole punch, it's easy enough to fold the paper in two, giving a little crease that can be lined up on a hole punch. Isn't it? Perhaps it's just my OCD kicking in, but when you have a file full of papers and half of them stick up at the top, it just looks crappy!

It's even more frustrating when they hang out the bottom, and get all screwed up

Shaun, I hope you are going to leave some room for your ACCA logo when the time comes. Glad to see you still manage to incorporate Mutley. smile

ADAS · Guru

lol.. it's like a support group for bookkeepers foibles /pet hates. I completely agree about hole punchers and staples.

A client of mine will staple each receipt relating to a days expenses, independently on an A4 piece of paper..

Tickled me this thread.

Wella · Expert

I want to know how van driver clients manage to fit a carrier bag full of fuel receipts into the ash tray of a Transit. Is it a special skill they develop?

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Wonder if a van drivers ash tray is where the idea of the TARDIS came from?

We should incorporate the contents of this thread into our engagement letters!

A few for starters then :

Thou shalt not staple... Ever

Thou shalt not use a hole punch unless under the direct supervision of s suitably qualified accountant.

Highlighters must not be allowed within the same postcode as a fax machine.

All receipts must actually have writing on them.

42" Plasma TV's are NOT computer monitors.

Peasie · Expert

gbm wrote:
This is going to sound REALLY petty, but why can't people punch holes in a sheet of paper so that it's in the right place? If you haven't got a paper size indicator on your hole punch, it's easy enough to fold the paper in two, giving a little crease that can be lined up on a hole punch. Isn't it? Perhaps it's just my OCD kicking in, but when you have a file full of papers and half of them stick up at the top, it just looks crappy!

That drives me nuts. I do tend to get weird looks when someone sees me creasing the paper before folding.

Peasie · Expert

Just to add another pet hate. (I only have two clients and they are both family) - when the invoice they receive is prepared by a van driver that tears it out a book yet ignores the perforated strip and sometimes half the information is left in his/her book.

EDIT : This is going to sound disgusting - but I did have a restaurant as a client some years back and the invoices would sometimes have samples of the food being delivered left on the invoice as a sample. The owner also used one of those spike things to file his invoices and he sometimes tore half the page trying to ping it o the spike.

-- Edited by Peasie on Monday 20th of June 2011 01:47:25 PM

BudgetB · Guru

Yes, those spikes are another thing that needs banning.

Amanda · Expert

I couldn't agree more with you Jenny, fortunately the client of mine that did use them is no longer a client of mine!

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Hi Amanda,

don't suppose that's due to septesemia caused by a spike through their hand is it? (lol)

ADAS · Guru

Shamus wrote:
42" Plasma TV's are NOT computer monitors.

Is that based on experience Shaun? Had a client once who tried to claim the Vat back on a large plasma he bought at Costco.

I'm sure everyone has come across similar, but a former employer tried to claim for a pair of Armani sunglasses he bought on a business trip to HK, 'cause it was sunny. Not to mention his choice of after-hours tele-viewing, in his hotel room.

ADAS · Guru

BudgetB wrote:
Yes, those spikes are another thing that needs banning.

Cant see the point of those things biggrin

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

ADAS wrote:
Shamus wrote:
42" Plasma TV's are NOT computer monitors.
Is that based on experience Shaun?

Oh yes,

the receipt from PC world was still just about readable (I'm sure that selling non business items is why they make the writing disappear on contact with the light).

Ended up dumped in the DLA.

semsley · Guru

Similar to Tony I had a client (care home) who used to get her care assistants to stick (pritt stick or glue) receipts on sheets on A4 on both sides. No date or any other type of order. Stopped that and kicked client in to touch as she was always trying to stick personal stuff through as business - best one was a lawn mower and the home had no grass!!!!! Oh and the 42" TV and Blue Ray player - yeh right.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Hi Sheila,

Yours tried to put through a TV as well! Maybe we're all wrong and it really is a legitimate expense! At least mine didn't include a Blu ray player as icing on the cake though.

Have you noticed that PC world also sells a large number of projectors? I'm really sure that all of those end up doing Powerpoint presentations! Again, Yer right.

semsley · Guru

Well the Home did have two flat screen TVs but not that one and certainly no Blue Ray, particularly as it was about 2 years ago when Blue Rays were really new and really expensive.