6 Tips for Cutting Costs on Office Supplies in the Workplace

For many years I was the person in the office who was responsible for ordering office supplies for the company. In most cases I had complete autonomy as to what got ordered and what didn't. I learned many cost cutting techniques through trial and error. These are the ones that I found the most useful.

1. Only order supplies once a month. I would put a form on a clip board in the office supplies room or closet for employees to write down requests for what they needed, or if they took the last of something to let me know it needed to be ordered. This worked very well because I wasn't constantly making orders on this person or that person's whim. I have worked places that used to have the person responsible just do an order whenever someone asked for something. This can lead to extra costs and is not necessary.

2. Order online. Ordering online is usually the best way because often when you spend $50 or more on an order, and you will if you only order monthly, then shipping is free. So, this is another good way to cut back on costs. If you are making an order here and an order there, you are going to have shipping costs.

3. Be clear in your own mind what constitutes a request for an office supply item. Discuss this with your supervisor before taking over this function. Some employees will request expensive, and or special items that they either don't really need or for which a less expensive equivalent item can be ordered. They may think because you are one of the Administrative staff that you will just go ahead and order it. If you aren't sure about whether or not a request constitutes something you are allowed to order, go to your supervisor and ask.

4. Don't allow employees to come to you and say, "Order this for me, and I will reimburse the company later." If someone does do this, explain that they must clear it with your supervisor before you can do it. Make sure you get your supervisor involved, and don't be intimidated into doing something that could get you into trouble later.

5. Order generic brands of office supplies. Generic brands are just as good as the fancy brands in most cases, so save the company the money by using them. As you know most companies like to save money, and even though it may only be a few cents difference between the generic brand and the fancy brand, over time these extra cents add up.

6. Order office supplies that are used all the time such as paper clips, binder clips, and copy paper for example in bulk. These types of office supplies are mainstays in every office and are used by every person in the office. Buying in bulk ensures you have enough of the item(s) to last for the entire month until you order again.

Using all these tips will reduce office supply costs by a lot, and your company will thank you for it!