Tips for Effective Office Supply Ordering Procedures

November 9, 2008 By Mary White

Do you find yourself having to run to the office supply store during the workday because you’re out of something you absolutely have to have right then? Maybe you run out of paper, or find yourself without staples or tape at an inopportune time? There’s nothing more aggravating than putting the finishing touches on a client presentation only to find that you don’t have the right type of paper or binding comb to finalize the document for final delivery.

While it’s certainly understandable to avoid keeping extra supplies on hand to save money, there’s no benefit to you or to the other members of your team when you run out of the items that you use on a regular basis. That’s why it’s important to put a system in place for keeping the important supplies that are necessary to keep the flow of work in your office going in stock. By putting a system in place and ordering wisely, you can avoid the problems that develop when supplies of important items are depleted.

Tips for Office Supply Ordering Procedures

1. Put One Person in Charge of Supply Orders
One of the best things you can do to get office supply orders under control is to put a single person in charge of placing the orders. When one person handles all ordering, you won’t run into issues with several people ordering the same items and the same time, or with orders not getting placed because people assume that someone else has already ordered.

2. Standardize Ordering Request Procedure
Make sure everyone in your office knows how to let the person in charge of ordering supplies know that supplies of a particular item is low. It’s a good idea to make a request form that everyone in the office uses to submit replacement or new item requests. Create a document with a list of the items you keep on hand, as well as with blanks allowing for people to fill in other items. Have workers turn a copy of the document in to the person in charge of supplies whenever they need something or notice supplies becoming low.

3. Place Orders Large Enough for Free Delivery
Most major office supply stores offer free delivery to businesses when orders of $50 or more or placed. If the person in charge of ordering supplies designates a specific day each week to order supplies, when the request forms are tallied, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to have the items that you need delivered free, saving money and time. By planning ahead, you’ll enjoy knowing that you’re not likely to have to spend valuable time dashing to the office supply store to get items you need to finish a big project.

Posted in Operations