The overall economy is tough these days, and nowhere is the pressure
greater than on small businesses. Expenses continue to rise for
everything, and many companies have taken to office supplies as an area
to cut costs. High dollar purchases like new printers, office desks,
conference room chairs or file cabinets can easily be put on hold.
However, companies need every day office products to get the job done.
An office without hanging folders, copy paper, pens and Post-It notes is
an office in disarray. While those costs can never be eliminated, here
are some surprising insider tips as to how to reduce your costs on
office supplies.
It's common sense that most people assume
searching hard for the lowest invoice price assures you of getting the
lowest cost on office supplies. In fact, the actual time (therefore
money), spent scouring websites, newspaper ads or retail superstores for
the absolute lowest price usually costs your business more than the
cost savings you see on that sales receipt. Taking advantage of that
"in-store" special at Office Mega-Store so you save $.75 on a box of
hanging file folders does not relate to savings to your bottom line.
Shopping
tip number 1. Never have an office worker make a trip to the "Office
Big Box" superstore to shop around for your business needs. There are
significant hidden costs you aren't accounting for whenever this is
done. The employee salary expense for a 1 hour shopping expense is
usually $12 minimum, not to mention gas, the possibility of an accident,
and we all know shopping trips never take only one hour. Instead, you
can easily find a trusted company with office supplies online; one who
has free next day delivery and eliminates the need for costly shopping
excursions.
Here's a tangible real life example. John the new
office manager makes $17 an hour, and has been given a typical order for
office products - some Pilot pens, an HP ink cartridge, Smead
classification folders and some Universal binders and report covers. The
order total is $82, and he's been told to find the best deal. He hits
the internet and compares 3 different sites for each item taking 30
minutes. He then reviews the Big Boxes Sunday newspaper specials for 10
minutes looking for coupons. On top of that 40 minutes scouring for the
best "deal", John decides to go to "Office Mega-Max" because they had
the lowest prices. A trip to the store, shopping, etc. adds another
hour, (that's conservative - driving to and finding what you need at a
superstore NEVER takes an hour). So total, John spent an hour and 40
minutes trying to save you money and get the lowest prices -- or $28.39!
That's 34% more than your receipt will tell you!
Now comes the
biggest secret I'll tell you. People are shocked to learn the office
superstores like OfficeMax and Office Depot no longer have the lowest
prices for the office products you need. Today, you can find online
office supply stores who are independently owned that guarantee their
everyday prices are lower. It's free next day shipping and lower prices -
that saves you money. But how do some of the better run new internet
companies have lower prices than these huge corporate chains? The
primary way is much lower operating overhead. The successful internet
companies that Do Good Work don't have hundreds of retail stores to
maintain, all the inventory to keep, and all the employee costs to run
those stores.
Some final helpful hints. You will always save
money in the long run if you find a trusted supplier who gives you
guaranteed low prices every day and doesn't use price gimmicks or change
their prices every week. Find a company with good customer service, one
with people who actually answer the phone not a machine, and trust them
to save you money and get you the products you need on time with free
shipping. A big thing - never buy office supplies from an internet
company that hides or does not prominently display their toll free
number on the website. Companies that do good work to save you money
will have personal service, easy to use websites, and some even give
back to great charities.
In summary, don't forget these simple
tips to save money on the office products you need, and can't cut out
entirely during these tough economic times. The first rule is to
remember employee time spent obsessing on finding that lowest price is
unproductive time, and costs you money. Second, never send someone to
that office superstore unless it's an emergency. When looking at your
total costs, that always costs you money. I know it's hard to believe,
but the superstores do not have the lowest prices anymore. Find and
trust the right online office products company to service your needs. Of
most importance to me is to find a company that does good work in the
community. It helps build trust, and I've found a cool company that even
donates 50% of their profits to great charities. They practice
conscious capitalism, and it makes me feel good to do business with
them. And the biggest benefit is I save money!
The reality is
it's not possible for your small business to cut out all office supply
spending. Standard every day products like staples, paper clips and view
binders are necessary to keep the normal work flow moving. But, if you
rely on these simple hints, and search out a trusted internet office
supply company that does good work, you'll not only save time, but save
money to your bottom line!
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