Articles


Cutting Office Supply Costs

by Azlan Irda

Everyone needs office supplies, from the parish of a small town to the largest conglomerate in the land. Business transactions occurring everyday make for tons of paper, pens, pencils, staples, and lots more of other office items to be consumed in billions of offices all over the world. Office supplies can account for up to 40% of a company's operational costs. Oftentimes, companies spend more on office supplies than they need.

Revenues decrease when a company wastes money. A company that could earn $150,000 in profits could lose up to $30,000 of potential income due to superfluous spending on office supplies. Experienced businessmen know that it's easier to reduce expenses than to increase profits. If your profit margin is 5%, you can double your company's profit by reducing expenses in that same amount. A lot of companies are now becoming aware of this fact, and a lot more are also starting to take measures to curb overspending on office supplies.

Everyone needs to save and stop wasting money, whether you belong to a college, a parish, or a corporation. This article will provide you with some of the effective ways to reduce operating costs by saving on office supplies. By following these steps, your operational expenses will reduce considerably and your revenue start to grow.

1. Take inventory of all the office supplies you have available right now and rearrange them in specially designated areas where people can easily find them when needed.

2. Recycle. Binders, folders, or even notepads from last year can be reused or salvaged with a little creativity and resourcefulness.

3. Start a collection. All those expositions, seminars, and conferences can yield a lot of pencils, pens, and other goodies. You can stash them all and use them at the office.

4. Buy your office supplies in bulk. Office supply stores can give a large discount if you buy in bulk from them. Get enough supplies to last an entire year. If you don't have the budget to buy in bulk, you can also gather your friends and associates and buy the supplies you all need.

5. Learn when to buy. There are slow seasons and peak seasons for these items. Usually, office supply stores will offer discounts, rebates or sales on school and office supplies during summer, so try to stock up on what you need to avoid paying full price.

6. Use the Internet. There are a lot of good office supply stores on the Internet that can help you save money. You may find the best prices for your corporate budget. Most online stores have detailed pricing and delivery information available on their websites. You can save a lot of time and money on your next purchase by going online.

A lot of times we can reduce expenses by just using common sense and diligence. You don't have to be a financial expert to find ways to reduce operating costs. I hope that this article has provided you with valuable information about reducing expenses by buying and using office supplies wisely.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of http://www.aamofficesupply.com which provides an extensive selection of high quality office supplies at affordable prices. Find out how you can save money and get the best, high-quality items when you buy office supplies.

Published March 14th, 2007

Filed in Advertising, Business, Ecommerce