When compared to other important acquisitions for the office (furniture and equipment), office supplies appear to require a minimal investment. However, how do you explain the fact that each year billions of dollars are spent on purchasing office supplies only in the United States? While the price of acquiring these basic supplies is rather low, keep in mind that you will need to restock quite frequently. Therefore, when you add up the individual investments dedicated for this purpose in a single month, you will be surprised to learn they are not as cheap as you initially thought.
In order to avoid spending a large portion of your business budget on office supplies, you need to set up a process of managing and controlling the consumption. Managing the supplies should start with verifying your past orders and determining which of the items are absolute necessities and which are simply nice to have. In case you discover items that are present on constantly ordered list, but nobody really uses them, then you can start to eliminate them systematically. In addition, you should re-evaluate the office supplies you are acquiring regularly and see if you can get them for less.
Due to the fact that most businesses have an online presence today, you can save a lot of time and effort when comparing office supplies offers. In short, you do not have to go down to the depot and note down the prices because you can check that out on websites and office supplies portals. Besides comparing and reviewing the offer, you can choose to order the office supplies directly from online sources. In the eventuality that you are making an order online, it is advisable to account for the shipping fee. Nonetheless, take note that most reputable office supplies providers will include free shipping for orders worth a minimum threshold.
If you are happy with the office supplies provider (new or old) and you purchase a significant amount of supplies each month, then you should negotiate a purchase contract. In order to be able to turn the tide of the deal in your favor, it is advisable that you evaluate which of these items you acquire more frequently. Afterwards, focus on getting a lower price or a discount and you will benefit from great savings. As a side note, because the purchase contract means regular expenses and hefty amounts of office supplies, this strategy works optimally for larger companies (with at least 100 employees).
Another method of conserving some of the cash spent on office supplies is to consider bulk orders. Therefore, instead of purchasing 100 sheet packs of paper often, a better approach is to acquire 1000 sheet packs at once. While this is by far the best method through which small companies can reduce the costs on office supplies, there are two crucial aspects worth mentioning. First off, the company must have the necessary budget to afford purchasing 1000 sheet packs (or other bulk supplies). The second aspect implies figuring out if you have the necessary (available) space to store bulk office supplies in a manner that will not negatively impact on the working space.
Be prudent and smart when it comes to amassing savings on your office supplies!
About the Author: Gerard Lee owns a stationary outlet whose mainly involved in selling office supplies. Through his blog he is willing to let people know how they can save money on buying office supplies.