The story: a grocer we work with in Oakland was running 1.8% margin compression per quarter — and couldn't figure out why. The vendors hadn't raised prices "that much." The POS said margins looked fine. It was only when we put twelve weeks of invoices side-by-side that the pattern showed up: fourteen SKUs had crept up 4–11% in cost, and the shelf price hadn't moved.
1. Put every invoice in one place
Paper in the drawer, PDFs in one inbox, EDI in another system. The first win isn't automation — it's consolidation. Pick one place. Scan, forward, drop everything there.
2. Match invoices to POs before you pay
This is where most stores leak money. The three checks that matter: quantity received, unit cost vs quoted, and line-item math. If any one is off, the invoice goes to a review queue — it does not get paid.
3. Alert on cost changes, not prices
Shelf prices get attention. Landed cost changes don't. Flag any SKU whose cost moves more than 2% week-over-week, and require a manager to acknowledge it before posting.
4. Track credits like you track invoices
The average store we onboard has between $3k and $18k in uncollected vendor credits sitting in an email thread. Put them in a queue, with a due date.
5. Close the loop on the shelf
When a cost goes up, someone should make a pricing decision within 48 hours. Either accept the margin hit (and why), or adjust the shelf price. No decision is still a decision — the wrong one.
Mimnu automates steps 1–4 out of the box. Step 5 is still on you.