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If you are responsible for purchasing office supplies for your company you know how important it is that you do the job well. Running out of office paper in the middle of the week or finding that the office is low on printer ink when a large printing job is waiting is a sure-fire way to find yourself on the receiving end of a lot of criticism.

Certainly your co-workers are eager to tell you what they feel the office supply closet should contain and many may also recommend an office supply store to use. However, it is your job is to take directions from your boss as he/she is the one making the final decisions. You are the person put in charge of keeping the shelves stocked and you are being relied upon for doing a good job of ordering the right items to have on hand.

Naturally, you need to know exactly how much money you have to work with each month. You should ask your boss for both a monthly figure as well as the annual amount you are allowed to spend at the office supply store you use. Once you have been given the figures, make a note of them and then go about coming up with a list of necessary office supply items your company needs and uses regularly. Be realistic when devising the list. Do not write down items that are rarely or never used, even if your co-workers are pressing you to order something that they want available. Sticking with the budget and being realistic will go far, so list only necessary items such as office paper, toner, ink, pens, pencils, notebooks, thumb drives, etc.

The next step is to determine what vendor you will use. Consider the current office supply store you are using but compare that store’s prices with some others as you may indeed find a lower priced alternative near you. If you are shopping locally, make a list of other office supply stores in the area and then take the time to visit these locations to check and compare prices. If you really want to stretch your budget you should consider buying what you need on the internet. There are hundreds of top-notch retailers on the web who sell nothing but office supplies which means that the online competition is fierce and this drives the prices down. You can find every item you could possibly ever want and need at these web stores so do take the time to check them out.

Once you have located a vendor, be sure to order enough supplies to fully stock the shelves. Empty shelving is your worst enemy and all of your hard work will have been in vain if your co-workers are not supplied with the items they need to get their work done. Make it a regular habit to peek into the supply closet weekly to see which supplies need to be re-ordered. It is also recommended to monitor your company’s supply usage and especially for the most expensive items.

Looking after the office supply inventory is a big responsible. However, by following this advice you should be able to maintain control over what is being use and what needs ordering. Take the time to locate a good, low priced office supply store that you can develop a good working relationship with. Soon you will discover that being in charge of the supply cupboard is really quite easy and even fun.