Category: Tips

 

Running a small business, whether you are a retail outlet or other company, means dealing with a wide range of aspects, not least point of sale management. However, answer this question: do you take credit or debit card payments? If not, it is an area that you need to be looking at, for cards are fast becoming the payment source of choice, and for many reasons. Firstly, there is the convenience factor: paying by card is quicker – not just for the consumer, but for the business – hence people prefer to use them. Secondly, it means the customer does not have to carry around a lot of cash.

There are further reasons why you need to invest in a card reader – we say invest but, in fact, the outlay will be minimal. It is a fact that most people have at least one card – either credit or debit – on their person when out shopping, so if you don’t take card payments, they will most likely shop elsewhere. Furthermore, research has proven that, in fact, people are more likely to spend more when paying by card, by as much as 20%. That is potential extra business you cannot overlook.

Getting a Credit Card Reader

The leading supplier of credit card readers for small businesses is Merchant Account Solutions, a company with a wide range of options and a reputation for excellent service at sensible rates. They can help you find the best one for your needs, and they will make sure you get the best rates around. The machines they supply are the very best and most up to date available, and they can also help with point of sale equipment to make your life easier. It really is a must if you want to make sure you get all the custom you can, and with efficient point of sale machinery, you make life much easier for your clients, too.

Merchant Account Solutions have so far helped many satisfied businesses get the best out of their systems, and they will be more than happy to help you, too. You can find out more by looking at their excellent website, or you could email MerchantAccountSolutions.com for more information and one of the team will be happy to answer your questions, and point you in the right direction towards getting your payment systems into the 21st century.

Keep the Customer Happy

Brand loyalty is much enhanced by convenience and satisfaction, so it really does pay to make sure you are up to date. For example, if you have a restaurant or café, why not invest in a system that allows you to take payments at the table, so your clients don’t have to wait in a queue to pay their bill? Have a look at the Merchant Account Solutions website now, and you will soon see how they can help you get more custom, and keep the customers you have thanks to enhance loyalty.

The internet has changed the way we live in no small way; not only has it enhanced and simplified our methods of communication, and added many different channels of entertainment to our lives, it has also been central to improving our education, as we now have access to vast amounts of information at the touch of a button. We’ve reached the point, too, where internet access for everyone is a reality; the world is full of free to use, Wi-Fi hotspots, accessible by smartphones, tablets and laptops. In fact, the hand-held device sis now the most commonly used method of browsing the net, watching videos and more.

We have a great iTunes educational app to tell you about, and we reckon it’s one that will be enjoyed by young and old alike. It’s called The Great Courses Plus, and it is a very impressive learning tool that covers a lot of subjects. It features more than 8000 different courses on a wide variety of subjects, delivered by college-level lecturers, providing excellent information in a structured and informative fashion. It’s easy to use, great for youngsters to enhance their education, and we are sure you will appreciate it.

Also Available for Android

The rise in popularity of Android operated devices means that most of the popular apps are available for use on this operating system, too, and The Great Courses Plus is no exception. In fact, it is very easy to load onto your android phone or tablet, and simple to use once you are up and running. You get the option of a free trial, too, so you can find out what it’s all about before you choose to buy it, and learn about the benefits it can bring to furthering your education.

It is structured as a series of courses covering a variety of alternative subjects. For example, sign up for a course on travel, and you will get between 12 and 64 lectures and videos, all high quality, covering aspects of the subject. It’s an easy and fun way to learn, and one that you can take at your own pace. We believe there may be no better Android educational app available, so check it out now for more information and to sign up for your free trial.

The Beauty of the Internet

Contrary to popular belief, the internet is an educational tool as much as it is one for having fun, and with The Great Courses, learning new things can in fact be a lot of fun. You can use it to brush up on your language skills, to learn about the world and its many great places, to broaden your understanding of science, and much more. This is an educational app that is well worth the small outlay, and one that us being updated on a regular basis, so why not have a look now, and see how you can benefit from The Great Courses Plus on either iPhone or Android devices.

Are you in the Los Angeles area and looking to move house? Or perhaps you are moving to a new office, and need your furniture and fittings transferring? It could be that you need storage for furnishings or vehicles between moves, and require the services of a professional and reputable removals company in Hollywood? There are many companies offering removal and storage solutions in and around the area, but how do you know the one you choose will take full care of your furnishings and other belongings?

Moving is already a stressful occasion – one of the most stressful of all, in fact – without the added worry about who us carrying out the job for you, so that’s why we recommend you choose Attention to Detail Moving, the leading Hollywood moving company, and one with excellent credentials and an assured reputation. They have moved thousands of customers so far, both long-distance and local, and also offer a full range of services designed to make your life easier. With excellent rates and a professional approach, you are assured of the best service in the business.

Why Attention to Detail?

Attention to Detail Moving was formed after a group of friends discovered that existing companies were less than satisfactory. They decided that customers deserved better service than that they were offered, and set about changing the way removals companies are structured and how they operate. As many of the group were ex-military they were able to apply experience gained in military training to the moving process, thus giving customers a stress-free solution that is fast, precise and efficient. You won’t find a more professional, friendly team than those at Attention to Detail.

As a highly respected office moving company. Attention to Detail has helped with many commercial moves, relocating business in the region with their usual success. They offer excellent rates for commercial moves, and are more than happy to talk to you about any special requirements or unusual items you may need moving or storing. Talk to them now for more information, or for further advice.

Packing and Storage Experts

Attention to Detail Moving Company also offers a range of services for efficient performance, including packing and storage solutions. They will offer you consultancy on the best way to pack certain items, and help you ensure everything is secure and protected for the journey, no matter how long or short it may be. If it’s storage you need, they have safe and secure storage facilities in Los Angeles and the Simi Valley, with a variety of options including portable storage, and they offer free storage deals if you enlist them to handle your move. Have a look at the website now and see how Attention to Detail Moving can help your move go smoothly and provide you with a friendly, professional service that you will find a lot different to any you may have experienced before.

 

 

The traditional, handmade pie is something of a British icon – it must be, in order to achieve the £1 billion in pie sales referenced by the Express newspaper on the 7th of March 2016. It is such an icon that it merits not just a day, but a whole British Pie Week in the spring of every year.

Writing in the middle of the 2016 British Pie Week, the online version of British Baker magazine also revealed that:

• 75% of the population eats a pie of some sort at least once a month;
• 79% of those customers are prepared to pay more for a traditional handmade pie.

There are significant regional differences too whilst only 8% of people in the south of the country eat more than 4 pies in a month, when you get to Northern Ireland that proportion rises to 33%.

There also seems to be a slight gender divide, with 37% of men surveyed expressing a preference for steak and kidney pies, whilst 27% of women said they would prefer to choose a somewhat lighter chicken and mushroom pie.

 

Buying pies online

The manufacture, sale and consumption of the great British pie, in other words, is pretty big business.

It is business that has received a further major boost by the customer’s ability to buy pies online.

 

In an age when practically every consumer has become accustomed to buying just about any product online, the growth of the market in online ordering of pies is perhaps to be expected.

 

The difference with freshly baked pies, however, is the extra care which needs to be taken when despatching any order that has been made online. To ensure that pies arrive fresh from the baker’s oven – and are in the peak of condition – most suppliers engage their own private courier service to deliver the products to customers’ doors.

 

By choosing just one day a week for such deliveries to be made, newly baked pies may be despatched straight to the courier, ready for delivery to the customer the following day. By using special, thermally insulated packaging, the chilled pies may be taken straight from their wrapping and put in the fridge until the moment before warming and eating – typically within a period of 4 days or so.

 

If you want to save them for later, the pies may just as easily be put in the freezer – to store for up to about six months – before taking them out, thoroughly defrosting them and preparing to serve them.

Ordering pies online is made all the more attractive and appealing by those bakers who have a website that illustrates every type of pie they make with professionally taken photographs – photographs that are likely to set the mouth watering just at the sight of the pies. An accompanying text then typically describes the quality ingredients that go into making each pie, the traditional handmade methods used to craft them, and even some serving suggestions.

If you buy pies online, of course, any pie maker worth its salt is going to ensure that all payments you make are done in a safely and securely encrypted manner.

Do you despair of the low interest rates your savings are attracting and wish you could put them somewhere where they will work harder for you? Then offset mortgages may be a consideration.

What are offset mortgages?

This is a mortgage product which is unlike the more traditional home loans, as any savings you have can be used to offset the mortgage balance – thereby saving you on mortgage interest charges.

For example, if you have a mortgage of £250,000 and savings of £60,000 (which, with some providers, can include any ISAs you have), the actual mortgage balance that you may typically be charged interest on will be £190,000 – giving you the chance to potentially save thousands of pounds over the mortgage term.

Benefits

Apart from the obvious interest-saving benefits on your mortgage, there are additional benefits associated with your savings themselves:

• Rather than your monies earning a relatively low rate of interest in a savings account, they are working harder for you by helping reduce your mortgage balance
• You are making yet more savings, as you are not paying income tax on your savings. This could be a lot, with tax on savings interest (outside an ISA) paid at 20% for a basic rate taxpayer or 40% if you are a higher rate taxpayer.

Not only this, but your savings are not locked in to your mortgage account. If you make overpayments on a traditional mortgage, you are not always able to get the money back if you need it.

With offset mortgage accounts, you can access your savings anytime you want, without restriction.

The need to knows

• All your savings accounts and the offset mortgage need to be with the same provider
• Some providers will take in to account your current bank account balance, too (as long as the bank account is with them)
• Offset mortgages can either be fixed rate or variable rate – the standard variable rate on an offset mortgage tends to be slightly higher than it would be if you had a traditional mortgage. This means you need to make sure that, overall, having an offset mortgage is still the most cost-effective option for you, by looking at how much your savings would earn away from an offset mortgage etc.

How is my monthly repayment amount calculated?

The monthly repayment amount will either be based on the outstanding balance as it is (so, in effect, you are overpaying each month, allowing you to repay your mortgage quicker).

OR

It will be based on the outstanding mortgage balance less the savings amount – thereby giving you lower monthly repayments.

Are offset mortgages for everyone?

While anyone can apply for an offset mortgage, they may not always offer the most appropriate mortgage solution. That is why it is important to seek specialist advice from a mortgage expert who can look at your own unique financial circumstances and see what mortgage product most suits your requirements.

With so many appliances likely to be installed and in more or less constant use in the majority of homes, it is clearly important to protect the ones on which normal domestic life depends.

One of the popular defences against breakdowns, for instance, is appliance insurance – supplied by the likes of KAPUT and others.

But there is still a lot you might do to head off those break downs in the first place.

Let’s take the humble fridge as an example. Most homes will have one and some householders may have had the foresight of arranging fridge insurance, but there are still many ways you might help to look after it so that it gives you trouble-free service:

Thermostat

• the thermostat keeps your fridge working at the correct temperature – too cold and things will start to freeze, too warm and food starts to go off;

• make sure to keep it at the right setting, if necessary, taking the temperature yourself with a thermometer in a glass of water and check that the reading is between 1ºC and 5ºC;

Cooling coils

• you have probably noticed the cooling coils at the back of your fridge – they attract the dust, it builds up over time, reducing their effectiveness, and this makes the fridge have to work harder than ever;

• you might want to get into the habit of using your vacuum cleaner on a regular basis to get rid of any such build-up of dust;

Shelves

• overloading glass shelves might cause them to break;

• wire shelving might help the air to circulate more freely, says consumer group Which?, but these do little to stem spillages from finding their way into more inaccessible places;

• since spillages are the source of the kind of bad smells and odours your fridge might produce, be sure to mop them up and thoroughly clean after any such event;

Freezer box

• if the freezer compartment becomes encrusted with ice, this means your fridge is working less efficiently, consumes more electricity than is necessary and may shorten its effective working life;

• once ice has built up more than, say, half an inch thick, be sure to defrost the compartment;

Door seals

• the seals around the door attract dirt and mould – dirt and mould distorts the profile of the seal, making the fridge work less efficiently by letting the cold air to escape;

• regular cleaning helps to keep the all-important seals working properly;

Drain

• self-defrosting fridges have a drainage hole at the back of the unit and the water is usually collected in a tray where the heat of the motor helps the moisture to evaporate;

• if the drainage hole becomes blocked by spilt food let’s say, the smell may become terrible and even represent a health hazard;

• with nowhere else to go, the water might drain straight down on to your floor, damaging any floor surface or covering;

• the message is clear – help to keep the drainage channel clean and free from any blockages caused by spilt food.

Simple cleaning and maintenance routines, therefore, may help to keep your fridge odour-free, doing its job more efficiently and for a longer working life.