Everything about office supplies and products


Are Office Supply Super Stores Killing Your Business?

Have you ever noticed how convenient thosetrip over the past ten years. How much could
giant office super stores are? I mean we allI  have  been  saving  the  whole  time?
use them. They're on every corner out here in
the suburbs of Boston. It's Officethis orWhen I try to mention this finding to people
Officethat or something like Paperclips, youin my local business community I hear things
know, all the major players. Well, I'velike "who cares, it's all a write off anyway"
recently realized that over the past 10 yearsor "you should buy American"(as if these
of prosperity that my small business has beenoffice superstores are all loaded with
paying a huge premium for this convenience.American made products.) These are both some
In the past several months, as a result ofof the worst excuses for spending way too
the recent economic downturn in our localmuch money for no reason I have ever heard.
economy, I have been doing everything I canIt is all a write off but saving several
to plug the holes in our spending and tryinghundred dollars a month on office products
to "trim the fat" so to speak. Fortunatelyallows more flexibility in other areas of my
this is something that myself, my competitionbusiness. As far as the old "Buy American"
and other local business owners are notthing, this one makes me laugh; I would
familiar with. We have all prospered and haveliterally have to hire a full time employee
rarely,  if  ever,  worried  about  money.to determine what is made here and what
isn't. I usually just respond with something
One evening I was shopping with my family atlike "I'll buy everything American if you
Wal-Mart loading up on family stuff and Istart buying American gasoline or start
couldn't help but notice that the same 100ctriding your bicycle." I am as American as the
(or very similar) manila folders that I paidnext person whose ancestors came over on the
nearly $7.00 for several hours earlier atMayflower but the bottom line is that when I
Officethat were available at Wal-Mart at anam done with my office supply purchases now I
everyday low price of $1.77. Now, I neverhave  a  lot  of  money  left  over.
claimed to be a genius but a $5.00 difference
on a product that I buy 5 boxes of a month isDon't get me wrong, I still use the office
a $25.00 a month savings. That of course issuperstores for certain items when I don't
$300 a year. I quickly realized that I was onhave time to go into a department store (they
to something but I figured it was just aare convenient) and for one or two small
fluke. I had also bought a new water bubbleritems it is worth paying more. When I need to
and a mini bar type refrigerator earlier andfill my supply cabinet, on the other hand, I
they both cost $149.00 each so I figured Iwill surely take a trip to Wal-mart, K-mart
would go and check out that aisle as well. Ior even Target to save literally a bundle of
couldn't believe my eyes when I found a watercash. I simply don't care how neatly
bubbler/mini fridge combo for only $99.00. Oforganized the office goliaths are because
course I bought it on the spot and when I gotwith a little more effort you can find
back to my office the next morning Ieverything you need for your office and a
repackaged the fridge and water bubbler andlittle more while saving hundreds of dollars
back to Officethat they went with five boxesat  a  department  store.
of manila folders and a few other overpriced
items and I saved more than $225.00. Not tooCopyright 2005 Affordable Concrete Cutting,
shabby. And to think that this was only oneInc.



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