subject: Reducing Supply Costs [print this page] As one of the most important things in your office, supplies can end up becoming incredibly pricey and putting an unnecessary financial strain on your business. Fortunately though, there are a few simple things that you can do to prevent business supplies showing up at the top of your monthly expenditure year after year.
First of all, look at who you are buying from. Shopping around can dramatically reduce the price of the exact same products by several hundreds of pounds, with little effort required on your part. Considering it will take only an hour at the most, and that you can negotiate bulk discounts, hunting for cheaper suppliers can be the most valuable 60 minutes you will ever expend. Also, the higher up the supply chain you buy from, the better you'll find the experience. Getting your paper from a supermarket is ridiculously expensive compared to going to whoever sells them that paper, or even going directly to the production company.
Once you've reduced the costs on the supplier's end, it's time to look at how you use your business supplies. Wastage is another easy way to haemorrhage money, so if you're noticing that sticky notes are being used for what an email would do, or that people are printing excessive amounts of documents that could have been done with a lot less, it may be time to change company policy. 5 people using 5 pieces of paper that they don't need every day, throwing away a pen that still works, and laminating drafts will add up very quickly, and is very easy to prevent.
Additionally, although it's never fun to discuss, you may have noticed some supplies growing legs and walking out of your office of their own accord. It's probably best not to go and accuse everyone of stealing, but if you've been noticing that mysteriously disappearing supplies is a trend, it might be an idea to have a quick word with your workforce about stealing being stealing no matter what is being stolen.
So, now you've looked at the suppliers and your own office, you can now compare brands and see whether it's really worth the premium you're paying. Some brands have built a name for quality, but are actually very comparable to off-brands, which are far cheaper. It's always good to buy the best products available, no questions there, and there is a certain amount of pride that can be taken in having a highly recognisable brand in your offices. On the other hand, is that luxury worth the notably higher costs with very little yield?
When reducing the costs of supplies in the office, looking at all of the potential ways you can save money is better than focusing on only one. Taking all of the ideas I've given you in to account when writing up your budget will be far more productive than spending a lot of time on only one. Being able to make easy savings across the board is a great power to have, no matter how large or small you are.
