Many offices today fret over the money they spend every week on office
supplies with the tough economy. While it's true offices can cut back on
the bigger expenses like office desks, office chairs or that new filing
cabinet, every office needs copy paper, ink and toner, binders and pens
to do business. Standard office products make the business world go
round, and can't be eliminated. Here are some secrets to taming your
office supplies expenses, and they may not be what you expect.
First,
most people think the only expense to worry about is the actual cost of
the product. The truth is, often times the costs associated with
finding the products you need - price shopping them online, going to the
store, ordering online, and then tracking and paying for the
merchandise - offsets any expected "savings" you get from a low
advertised price. Finding file folders for $.20 per box cheaper than the
next guy doesn't always translate to savings to your bottom line.
Do
not send someone to the local office products big box retailer to pick
up supplies. The costs for that - employee's time, gas reimbursement,
the chance of getting into an accident - far outweigh any perceived
savings you are getting from one of these huge nationwide chains. The
truth is there are new independent internet office supply superstores
out there today who routinely offer free next day delivery which
eliminates the need to go to the retail store.
As an example, a
typical office manager makes about $18 per hour. She has a basic office
products order of six items like a stapler, some pens, file folders and a
binder of about $80. If she looks through the newspaper circulars
scouring for specials for 15 minutes, then checks online for another 30
minutes doing price comparisons, that already costs you $13.50! That's
quite a bit more than the $.15 saved on a carton of copy paper on sale.
That person hops in the car as they're "going to lunch" to run to the
store to stock up on supplies. That typically adds an hour to her lunch
as she shops the aisles for the products you need, (which isn't easy),
checks out and drives back to your office. That's another $18 cost you
aren't aware of, over and above the cost of supplies. So an $80 order
has almost $25, or 31%, of unnecessary hidden costs.
Here is the
biggest Secret! The big box office supply superstores like Office Depot
and Staples do not have the best prices in the market any longer. Many
of the smaller, more agile new online office products companies have
great prices that easily are better than the big retailers. How do they
do it? They have nowhere near the employees or overhead costs to cover
like all those massive retail stores, and lower overhead means lower
cost to you.
Last, it's best to find a supplier who offers
everyday low prices with no price gimmicks or items that change price
every week. Look for someone you trust, with reliable customer service
and pleasant people to deal with. If you're looking for an online
company, make sure they have a toll free phone number prominently on
their website so you can call anytime with questions. Be wary of the
sites that don't look professional or do not have customer service phone
numbers in easy view.
To summarize, the secrets to saving on
office supplies are simple, but can save real bottom line money to your
business. First, remember time is money, and being obsessed with finding
the lowest cost usually costs you money. Second, never go to the retail
store; there are many companies with free next day delivery, and that
alone saves you a ton of time and money. The big shocker, there are new
smaller independent internet companies who typically have better prices
than the office superstores that spend fortunes in advertising. I
suggest doing a one-time simple price comparison and see for yourself.
And last, find a company with good values and good people, and who care
about your business.
The truth is the cost of every day commodity
office supplies is necessary to keep your business running smooth. But,
you can now take these secrets to help save money and stop worrying
about the cost of every paper clip or Post-It note, while keeping your
eye on the real bottom line costs.
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