Some office products can be bought once and last many years until they’re damaged, lost or become outdated. Others will require regular replenishment to maintain your stocks and ensure your office can function professionally and efficiently. Here are 10 such items that you may wish to include when placing your next office products order.
1. Sellotape may not be used that frequently in offices, but when it is required it tends to be with some urgency – such as reinforcing packaging that needs to be sent to a customer. For that reason, it’s always a good idea to keep a regular check to make sure somebody hasn’t used up the last reel.
2. Post it notes also tend to run out quickly, largely due to their overwhelming popularity amongst office staff. They’re great for messages, reminders and other notes, so make sure your staff have access to them as and when they’re needed.
3. A stapler may last a lifetime, but the staples won’t. They’re used for keeping important files together, both for internal and external use. If it’s been a while since you last checked your staples stock, do so before placing your next order.
4. Running out of paper when you need to print an important document, such as for a proposal or internal memo, could lead to an embarrassing situation. Ensuring you have plenty of printer paper is therefore very important. You may want to order more than just your standard A4 paper, too. Important documents that are going to clients and suppliers may need to be printed on high quality printer paper.
5. You’ll also need to make sure your printers have enough ink in them. This one can strike unexpectedly if regular checks do not take place, so it pays to have quite a few spares in the office products cupboard. However, make sure you’re keeping a close eye on what you have in reserve.
6. Printers aren’t the only machines that require ink. You should also check your photocopier to ensure that you have enough cartridges for it. Needing to run off several copies of important documents when the copier is out of ink can cause problems on a number of levels.
7. If your office sends a lot of postal correspondence, such as for posting out cheques or invoices, it will need a good supply of envelopes in order to make sure the finance and admin departments function properly.
8. Run out of office coffee and you’ll know about it soon enough. Staff will require the kitchen to be well-stocked with teas, coffee and milk, so when anything like this runs out, placing an order for replacements will be a top priority. Ideally, you’ll want to place your order when stocks are running low, rather than leaving it until your staff complain.
9. Pens go missing. A lot. And you never want to be in the embarrassing position of not having anything to write with. It’s a good idea to order lots of blue or black ink pens, as well as a few reds (as they always come in handy).
10. You’ll also need to make sure your staff have access to fresh writing pads for taking notes, brainstorming ideas and storing important information.
