Sell Tomorrow, Today: How Independents Can Beat Chains on Working Capital
December 2024
We've all been there. It's Saturday afternoon in Shawlands. You want a coffee at that independent place you actually like. But when you get there, they're rammed. There's a twenty-minute wait, the staff look stressed, and they're apologising for the delay.
So, you walk down the road to Costa. Not because it's better—but because they had space.
Costa can borrow against the revenue of 30,000 locations worldwide. When their data says Saturday will be busy, they put extra staff on the rota and order extra milk on credit. They live in the future.
Your local café usually can't do that. The bank sees one shop, not a global empire. They can't afford to staff up for a surge that might happen. So when Saturday hits and 300 people want coffee instead of 100, they're scrambling. They turn people away, and that money leaves the local economy and goes to shareholders in London or Seattle.
With Indie Points, independent businesses can now do exactly what the chains do: sell tomorrow, today.
Here's the mechanic. A local café creates a bank holiday offer—four drinks and four cakes for £20. It would cost you £28 if you just walked in. You buy it on Thursday. The business gets the £20 on Thursday. You get 20 loyalty points and a booked slot for Saturday afternoon.
By the time Saturday arrives, the café has used that Thursday cash to hire the extra staff member. They've ordered the stock. They are ready for you. You get served properly, they make the sale, and nobody is stressed.
When you buy ahead, the dynamic shifts for everyone:
- You get a better deal. Pre-purchase costs less than walk-in. That £8 saving is real money.
- You get proper service. You aren't competing with chaos. You get the experience the business owner actually wants to give you.
- The money stays here. When you pre-buy at your local, that cash funds the wages of the neighbour's kid working the weekend shift. It doesn't vanish into a corporate HQ.
The risk with pre-buying has always been "what if I can't make it?" With Indie Points, that risk is gone. If your plans change, you don't lose your money. You still have your points, and because it's a network, you can spend them at the bakery, the barber, or the bookshop next week.
The chains have always had the advantage of living in the future. Now, independents do too. Sell tomorrow, today. Get the deal. Keep the money in Glasgow.