Buy Office Supplies
Where to go will depend on the size of your business
Where to buy office supplies from is a question that has become of increasing importance to the profitability of most businesses within the last decade or so. Gone are the days when you would place a large order with your local stationer that would see your business through another few months.
It is estimated that over half of the independent office retailers have ceased trading over the last ten years, a statistic which is predominantly due to the increase of office superstores and the developments in online shopping.
Office Superstores
The best place to buy office supplies from depends entirely on your circumstances. Office superstores are best suited to individuals or other small businesses that don't need to, or can't afford to order in bulk as a means of reducing costs. For most mainstream office products, for instance, printer paper, files, pens and pencils, office superstores generally offer extremely competitive prices. However this is because these popular items are often sold at cost or even below cost prices in order to increase sales. To compensate for this, some products within an office superstore will probably be overpriced and thus the equation balances out and everyone is happy! Therefore it is important that you know typical prices for the products you are looking to buy before you decide whom to purchase from. For the most popular and typical products, an office superstore will probably be the best option for purchases of a small or moderate quantity.
Corporate Stationers
However, if you from are a big business looking to buy big, then a corporate stationer will most likely represent your best option. In the long run, it is advisable to stick with the same corporate stationer, as they will be able to offer you increasingly low prices. Typically, corporate stationers operate with customer accounts and you will probably be able to negotiate prices on items that you buy regularly, particularly if you buy in large quantities.
For a large company, making sure offices branches are kitted out with the right materials can be a full time job, but for smaller businesses, the necessity to spend so much time sorting out these seemingly mundane tasks can be a real headache, and depending on the size of your company, could even affect business negatively. It has become increasingly popular for business to employ secondary businesses to carry out this task for them, and by keeping in regular contact you might even save money by employing a company that is always on the lookout for the best prices for supplies and equipment that are specified by you. In addition, these 'scouting' companies can help to keep your business at the forefront of new office techniques - when a new piece of equipment is available which may be beneficial to your business, the secondary company will inform you. Although you will need to pay for this kind of service, the extra time a secondary business will give you can be really worthwhile, and might pay for itself over time.