How to save money & time when purchasing home & office supplies.
Things which we purchase for our homes and offices on a regular basis can involve significant sums of money, especially over a period of time.
When running a business, money spent on office supplies can eat into profits unnecessarily. Many private households can do with spending a lot less on their groceries too.
Some office supplies and bulk products for the home can involve large amounts of time spent acquiring them.
Over the years I have uncovered many areas where clients are spending money they do not need to. Savings I have recommended have often been significant. In fact, at times it has been shocking to discover how much money has been wasted over long time periods.
Here are some of my key guidelines:
- Generally, quality of the alternative product or service should be as good as, or better than, the original. This is not always the case however, because some people’s needs are better served by a lower quality product or lower level of service.
- Time involved in acquisition of the product or service must be considered. It is important that this aspect is not overlooked for time often has very significant value in one way or another. Value your time correctly.
- The benefits of change must be the key focus – there is no point in spending half an hour to save five dollars for example. Time invested in changing the status quo must produce a significant and worthwhile return on investment (ROI). Reducing the stress involved with a transaction is an important and often overlooked benefit.
- Situations should be subject to regular review on a sensible basis. Services and products are subject to change and this trend is increasing due to the nature of technological advances in this era.
- Change can at times involve new ways of doing things and in fact, I often discover some of the best savings by using a little lateral thinking. If we are resistant to change then the financial and time costs of that ‘luxury’ can be significant.
- In the case of businesses, particular care is required in case of back-handers or other incentives to staff to continue their relationship with an existing supplier. Some of these incentives are perfectly legitimate and legal, such as free goods with a particular order size. The problem is that if these goods are attractive to the staff member, then there is a higher chance that not only will more product than necessary be ordered, but that a more business beneficial supplier will be ignored. Private consumers also need to guard against this type of thing and being subtly influenced to make a purchase based on the little ‘bells and whistles’ or bonuses. Credit card reward points can be a classic example because cards without rewards often carry a lower rate of interest – in such cases, consumers are paying for their rewards themselves and as such, rewards are not really a reward to all!
- Be observant of the world around you. Look for opportunities.
- Be open to new ideas.
Case Study – (Generally relevant worldwide and locally specific to Australia in general and Sydney.)
Purchase of paper towels, facial tissues, toilet roll and kitchen towels.
These bulky items are purchased regularly by householders and often by business. Consumers usually purchase them from supermarkets, malls and grocery stores.
Quality can be an issue with some of these products and due to their bulky nature, they are awkward to collect and transport. Remember the last time you were the grocery store and filled most of your trolley with just a few items? These products can also be subject to a very significant mark up.
Significant supplier mark ups can represent opportunities for good savings.
Let’s take the example of facial tissues.
Many years ago now I noticed that the brand of facial tissues used in my favorite sushi bar was very good. It is a brand however that I had never seen available in a grocery store. Having had long experience in a wide range of businesses, including wholesale, I realized that the sushi bar would not be paying large sums of these tissues. Because I was on good terms with the owner of the sushi bar I was able to find out where he was getting the tissues from, and how much he was paying. I also noted the manufacturer’s name and address from the box of tissues. (Brand = Durasoft Tissue Products Pty Ltd, an Australian company).
After conducting some basic research I discovered that the tissue manufacturer also produced other products at attractive prices and that I could obtain the items I needed via online shopping (another great time saver).
After careful evaluation, the supplier I chose was: WF Plastic – Packaging and Cleaning Supplies
I have never regretted my decision because I have received excellent service from WF Plastic, and their sales representative Dean Caddaye, on several occasions.
WF Plastic are based in Sydney and ship Australia wide. Personally, I found the shipping costs a little higher than expected, however I am based on the Gold Coast around 1000 km from Sydney. (Shipping is charged at cost – WF Plastic do not add a mark up). Overall I am still making significant savings due to the low cost of a quality product and that I have to spend hardly any time arranging my purchases. I only need to order a few times each year and product is delivered direct to my door overnight.
WF Plastic are open to the public and at the time of writing, orders over $300 attract free shipping in the Sydney Metro area.
Back to the facial tissues…
I have been buying Durasoft Facial Tissue 2 Ply 180s (Carton of 36) for $22 plus GST.
When I placed my last order I chose the new Durasoft Convenience Pack Facial Tissue 2 Ply 180s (Carton of 36) at $18 plus GST. These latter are in a soft pack and are slightly smaller than the tissues I had been buying. Personally, I think the quality is slightly higher (than the ones in a box) and I don’t notice the smaller size. Due to the special packaging, they are not only cheaper to ship but greener too, resulting in less waste (no cardboard tissue boxes).
A box of 36 packs costs $19.80 including GST, which equates to 55 cents per pack of 180 facial tissues and includes GST. Personally, I could not find the equivalent quality facial tissues in a supermarket for under around two dollars for the same quantity. On top, I had to spend time collecting the product myself and bring it back from the grocery store to my premises.
Simply speaking then, even with shipping on top, I am making significant savings. The same is true for the other three products I’m ordering, which are: toilet rolls, paper towels and kitchen towels. Interestingly, because I buy the 700 sheet Durasoft toilet roll (2 ply), I waste less time changing toilet paper rolls. Do you have time to waste changing toilet rolls more frequently? Grin. 700 sheet toilet rolls are more cost-efficient to ship as well.
More savings can be made if you amalgamate orders with a group of friends or other businesses. WF Plastic will ship you pallet quantities if required.
PS: I never run out of toilet roll!
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