Delegating Tasks and Shopping – How to Handle Purchases

Posted on January 28th, 2009, by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D.

If you are a business owner and you intend to have your business grow, then you need to be working on the tasks, commitments, and projects that ‘only you can do’ and delegate the rest. You might have a question like this one asked by a Life of E’s member:

I would like to start delegating things like going to the store, either for personal or business purchases. If we want to use a credit card for these purchases, how can the people who work for us use the credit card if their name is not on the card? Also, some stores only allow “members” to shop. If I am a member at one of these stores, how can I get access at this store for the people who are working for me?

I have several possible answers (all of which I have used) to this series of questions:

For someone who is a “new” person in terms of just starting to work for you, just give them cash and then they can give you the receipts. I have found that this works fine for purchases under $100 or so. For the people who are long-time independent contractors, I have them keep petty cash on hand.
If the person you are delegating to is going to make a larger purchase for you, then make arrangements at the stores to have them charge your credit card or to have the store bill you. This is part of why it’s nice to have relationships with people you do business with. For example, I have worked for at least 15 years with my local printer so when I make requests about handling the bills, there is no question about it because they know me.
Once you have found someone who will be working extensively with you, I suggest getting a credit card for this person. I don’t do that right off the bat, needless to say, but once I know someone and know that she will be working for me for some time (and is trustworthy, etc.), then I get her a credit card on my account. This allows that person to go to stores and make purchases and to go online and do some of my ordering for me. So I love this option. It’s not one to rush into, but it’s been fabulous to know that I have a few people that are trusted at this level and they can take care of more tasks than if they didn’t have a credit card that was billed directly to my account.
Most of the “big box”/membership stores, like Sam’s and Costco, will allow you to get another card, especially if you have a business account with them. So one possibility is to do that. The other is to check with the people you’re hiring to see if they have a Sam’s or Costco (or whatever) kind of card. Sometimes, they already have a membership and they can get into the store with their card.

Remember, to grow your business, delegate out as much as you possibly can so that you can focus on your primary functions. Finding others you can trust with cash and credit cards is worth the effort (and the checking out!)