Eastham Ace Hardware cuts payroll processing time by 75% and eliminates manual data entry risks.

For Darin Krum, owning a family-run Ace Hardware for over three decades means being a “jack of all trades.” On any given day, you might find him mixing paint, cutting glass, or hopping on the cash register – his favorite spot to connect with the community. But behind the scenes of the storefront, the office work side of the business was far less colorful.

As a single-stone owner with about 25-30 employees, Darin handles everything. Payroll isn’t just a task; it’s a weekly responsibility he manages personally every Tuesday to ensure his team is paid by Thursday. For years, he balanced the scheduling needs of a full-service hardware store and a busy retail department, but the gap between his team’s hours and their paychecks remained a constant source of friction.

Before adopting Deputy Payroll powered by Paycor, payroll day was a high-stakes “roll of the dice.” Darin had previously tried using third-party import tools, but they were often too clunky to be reliable. He found that “there was always some box that wasn’t checked for somebody, and it would reject the whole file.” This all-or-nothing hurdle was particularly problematic with new hires; if a single piece of information was missing, the entire process would stall, leading Darin to eventually give up on the old tools entirely because “it just wasn’t worth it.”

To get the job done, Darin resorted to a tedious manual workflow. He would keep two separate browser tabs open on his desktop, one for Deputy Timesheets and one for the payroll system, and “toggle back and forth” between them. As he describes it, “I would look at Deputy Timesheet, and it said it had 42 hours. So I’d put in 42 [in the payroll system], next one 38, next one.” This visual back-and-forth was a slow process that invited human error.

The manual process introduced a constant fear of errors or skipping an employee entirely. While the half-hour spent on data entry each week might seem like a small window on a calendar, it felt like a “good chunk of time” that was better spent elsewhere. Darin noted that payroll day was already a chore, but it became a significant source of stress when technical roadblocks and manual oversights made the process feel like an inefficient use of his time. 

Ultimately, the biggest challenge was the opportunity cost of an owner doing clerical work. Darin realized that “anybody can do data entry,” but as an owner, “you want to make sure you’re doing something that’s getting you a decent return on investment.” Instead of being stuck behind a keyboard punching hours into a database, he needed a way to get back to the floor to train employees and help the customers who drive the business forward.

Having used Deputy for five years, Darin was eager to trial the new Deputy Payroll powered by Paycor. The transition wasn’t just about trying a new feature; it was about finding a workflow that was simple and easy. The breakthrough came during the first successful sync, which Darin describes as a true “wow moment.” Seeing the data flow seamlessly from the timesheets into the payroll system without manual intervention validated the switch immediately: “It was just like wow, it’s so easy now.” The process that used to require a stressful 30-minute block of focused data entry was suddenly reduced to minutes. As Darin puts it, “Your part was done in five minutes.”

Efficiency has a direct impact on Darin’s productivity as a “jack of all trades.” By reclaiming those lost minutes, he can shift his focus back to the sales floor, explaining, “If I only have to spend minutes in here and I can be out helping a customer, that’s better for everybody.” He views the time savings as a way to avoid being a “payroll clerk” and instead act as a “guy that owns a hardware store that happens to have to do payroll.” This streamlined approach allows a single owner to manage the complexities of a 25-30 person staff without the overhead of additional administrative support. 

Beyond Darin’s own schedule, the automation provides a clear path to saving on headcount costs. By removing the need for dedicated data entry, the system effectively functions as a virtual payroll assistant. Darin notes that for multi-store owners with more complex needs, the benefits would be “exponential,” freeing up significant staffing hours that would otherwise be spent processing payroll. For his single-store model, it means he can personally handle the back office in minutes rather than hiring out the task, noting that “it would certainly amount to freeing up more time or savings on staffing hours.”

Finally, the solution provided renewed reassurance for both the employer and the employees. Across any business, the foundation of a good workplace is the guarantee that team members are paid accurately and on time. The solid, integrated nature of the connection removed the uncertainty of potential manual errors, making the process feel “more reassuring” and “solid” for everyone involved. For Darin, there is no going back: “I wouldn’t turn back now, this is the way to go.”