Saving Money on Office Supplies

Any money a company can save on operating overhead is going to be a welcomed thing. One of the areas of spending that your company probably does not monitor very well is office supplies. It is common for companies to set up an office supplies budget and then just spend up to that budget. But if you follow some simple tips on buying office supplies, then you can save yourself a lot of money that can be put back on the company bottom line.

Jan Kantor specializes in increasing sales and profits for organizations through more effective business systems and enhanced corporate communication techniques.

* Buy in Bulk

Your office manager needs to analyze the actual use of office supplies to determine how much office supplies buying actually needs to be done. When you walk into your office supplies storage room and see stacks of sticky pads with more sticky pads on the way, then you know you are wasting money.

The office manager can develop a program where people must sign out office supplies and a computer program keeps track of how much is actually used. This is the same method used to monitor and control product inventory, and the end result will be the same. When you know how much you actually need each quarter, then you can buy in bulk.
This accomplishes two positive things. The first thing it accomplishes is that you only buy what you need because your research shows you how much you use. The second way it saves money is buying bulk is always cheaper. This is a great way to monitor office supplies spending and save a lot of money in the process.

* Use the Internet

Businesses in a particular geographic area want to support each other by giving each other orders. But when you are trying to save money for your company, then sometimes you need to look outside the area to find your answers.
The Internet is filled with wholesale office supplies companies and people who buy and sell discount office supplies on a regular basis. If you can find a company that has boxes of copy paper available at a wholesale price that is lower than your bulk retail price, then that is the kind of deal you need to save money on your office supplies buying.
Check out the auction websites to see what kinds of deals you can find on discounted office supplies. This will not be a consistent way to get the office supplies that you need, but it can be a way that will save you a lot of money every chance you get.

* Promotional Items

If you have suppliers or manufacturers you work with that like to give out promotional office supplies, then accept all of those items graciously. Your vendors want to see their promotional pens being used by all of your employees and you want to benefit from a supply of free pens. When it comes to saving money on office supplies, getting things for free is always the best approach. When your vendors offer you the chance to get free notepads, pens and other office supplies, then that is your chance to save money on your own operating costs.