Don't Panic-Advice On How to Manange Your Business Supplies!

Ordering Supplies: How Not to Get Lost in Your Storage Closet

Aaahh! the sweet sound of inventory time: falling boxes, over-ordered supplies, the inevitable, Oops, no one ordered the toilet paper! Business owners world-wide know that the small job of ordering supplies can be time-consuming, frustrating and costly if not done well. So let's do it right!

Have the Proper Tools

No power drills or high tech gadgets are needed. However, you do need to make sure your shelving and organizational systems are appropriate for the task. Depending on your business, you may be storing stacks of college texts, bags of coffee beans or beauty supplies. Take a moment to look at your current set-up. Is everything visible? Can everyone access what they need safely and quickly? Within your means, set yourself up for success by making a small investment in whatever stackable shelves, milk crates or bins make sense for your inventory.

Now that you are prepared, here are some specific changes you can make to cut down on the cost of last minute orders, and over-ordered supplies. These are the keys to making supply ordering effortless rather than annoying: planning and consistency.

Plan Ahead

You know that every week you are going to take the time to check your inventory, call in your supply list, and kick yourself an hour later when you discover that you didn't need to order more sugar, it was behind the syrup - or that the office is in dire need of staples, but you didn't notice. Here are simple steps that will lighten your load:

1. Organize - Your lowest paid hourly employee, or even your teenage daughter is perfectly capable of arranging your supply space so that things are easy to find. It doesn't have to perfect, just manageable. Having supplies readily visible makes inventory and ordering quicker, easier and more accurate. Even if you are a stickler for detail, let someone else get you started until you have the time to perfect the arrangement.
2. Use a Preplanned List- Use Excel or Word to list everything you have on hand. Again, delegate the actual task of listing all the office supplies, paper goods, food items, etc.to someone else if you are able. Five minutes spent typing out a par sheet and attaching it to a clipboard will make ordering easier on everyone.

Be Consistent

Be consistent in everything. Always keep your inventory sheet in the same spot on the wall, have a set day and time to inventory and order specific supplies, and if possible have the same person place the order each week. If you are the only one who places orders, it is still important that you remain consistent: call in the coffee order on Monday, inventory supplies on the first and fifteenth.

Once you have these steps in place, your supply closet will cease to be a source of panic, and ordering supplies will be effortless. In the case of ordering supplies, random equals chaos. While it will take everyone awhile to get into the groove of your new system, soon it will be come a habit.