Online source for "office supplies" that aren't pens/paper/staples etc.
November 4, 2019 3:24 PM Subscribe
I work in a branch office of a company that has a much larger home office fairly nearby. Standard "office supplies" that one could normally get at an office store are supplied by the home office, but me and a couple other coworkers handle procuring other items (snacks, paper towels, tissues, dish soap, medications, etc.) ourselves through a couple different methods. Our branch has grown to a degree that this is becoming unsustainable. What are our options?
Those of us that get random supplies for the office are basically doing so in a volunteer capacity - we have no mandate from superiors that we should be doing this, we just give a shit about our coworkers and the time we take to do these things is logged on our timesheets and anything we spend is reimbursed, so we're not depriving ourselves of anything. However, our branch has essentially doubled in size over the last year, which makes it a hassle to go get all the stuff we need just because of the frequency with which we need them. I get office snacks from Costco, but where I used to go once a month or so, I'm now going every two or three weeks and getting twice as much as I used to every trip. We've started getting some items via Amazon, which makes me a little feel icky, and their ability to replace everything we buy is a bit questionable because at least for snacks they'll charge close to twice what Costco does, meaning that a Costco membership essentially pays for itself in one trip vs ordering the same items from Amazon. Do we have any other options for online ordering and delivery so that we're not using so much of our free time to get stuff? We're in West Michigan if that makes a difference.
Off the top of my head, the items that we're getting and the places we get them are:
Fig bars (Costco)
Belvita cookies (Costco)
Fruit snacks (Costco)
Goldfish crackers (Costco)
paper towels (Amazon)
tissues (Amazon)
liquid dish soap (assuming grocery store)
medications (cold/flu, antacid, painkiller) (assuming grocery store)
multipacks of gum (assuming grocery store)
dishwasher soap (assuming grocery store)
There might be more but that's a pretty basic rundown.
Those of us that get random supplies for the office are basically doing so in a volunteer capacity - we have no mandate from superiors that we should be doing this, we just give a shit about our coworkers and the time we take to do these things is logged on our timesheets and anything we spend is reimbursed, so we're not depriving ourselves of anything. However, our branch has essentially doubled in size over the last year, which makes it a hassle to go get all the stuff we need just because of the frequency with which we need them. I get office snacks from Costco, but where I used to go once a month or so, I'm now going every two or three weeks and getting twice as much as I used to every trip. We've started getting some items via Amazon, which makes me a little feel icky, and their ability to replace everything we buy is a bit questionable because at least for snacks they'll charge close to twice what Costco does, meaning that a Costco membership essentially pays for itself in one trip vs ordering the same items from Amazon. Do we have any other options for online ordering and delivery so that we're not using so much of our free time to get stuff? We're in West Michigan if that makes a difference.
Off the top of my head, the items that we're getting and the places we get them are:
Fig bars (Costco)
Belvita cookies (Costco)
Fruit snacks (Costco)
Goldfish crackers (Costco)
paper towels (Amazon)
tissues (Amazon)
liquid dish soap (assuming grocery store)
medications (cold/flu, antacid, painkiller) (assuming grocery store)
multipacks of gum (assuming grocery store)
dishwasher soap (assuming grocery store)
There might be more but that's a pretty basic rundown.
Not sure where exactly they operate in North America, but WB mason stocks a pretty ample supply of everything you listed. I don’t know the backend info about what type of vendor contract they might require though.
posted by seemoorglass at 3:43 PM on November 4, 2019
posted by seemoorglass at 3:43 PM on November 4, 2019
Do you have an office manager? This is generally their job and it’s unfortunate that its dropped on to you. lots of the things you mention — packaged snacks, paper towels, tissue boxes, hand soap — can definitely be purchased through Staples. Presumably other office supply stores as well. The last major company I worked at, this was part of my job, and we ordered from a NJ based company (I think it was Burke’s?) that saved money by not having storefronts.
Generic store brand versions of over-the-counter medications — ibuprofen, aspirin, heartburn relief, pink stomach bismuth, etc. can come from your local drug store.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 3:45 PM on November 4, 2019
Generic store brand versions of over-the-counter medications — ibuprofen, aspirin, heartburn relief, pink stomach bismuth, etc. can come from your local drug store.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 3:45 PM on November 4, 2019
Response by poster: Generic store brand versions of over-the-counter medications — ibuprofen, aspirin, heartburn relief, pink stomach bismuth, etc. can come from your local drug store.
Right, that's our basic shopping list for those types of items and how we currently get them.
posted by LionIndex at 3:48 PM on November 4, 2019
Right, that's our basic shopping list for those types of items and how we currently get them.
posted by LionIndex at 3:48 PM on November 4, 2019
The Office Depot catalog has all these items.
posted by vespabelle at 3:49 PM on November 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by vespabelle at 3:49 PM on November 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Updates:
- No, we don't really have an office manager per se, not even for the bigger home office, where I think they get a lot of things the way we do in our office now. I'm at least fairly certain that they get their snacks the same way we do, with one guy making a Costco run every once in a while. The home office has grown quite a bit as well (but not doubled) and I think that guy is feeling the pinch as well - there's a sign above the snack bin asking people to pace themselves because the supply there needs to last the whole month. It's possible that whatever solution we come up with for our branch spreads company-wide.
- Sadly, Costco does not do delivery in my area. ;(
posted by LionIndex at 4:21 PM on November 4, 2019
- No, we don't really have an office manager per se, not even for the bigger home office, where I think they get a lot of things the way we do in our office now. I'm at least fairly certain that they get their snacks the same way we do, with one guy making a Costco run every once in a while. The home office has grown quite a bit as well (but not doubled) and I think that guy is feeling the pinch as well - there's a sign above the snack bin asking people to pace themselves because the supply there needs to last the whole month. It's possible that whatever solution we come up with for our branch spreads company-wide.
- Sadly, Costco does not do delivery in my area. ;(
posted by LionIndex at 4:21 PM on November 4, 2019
We get pretty much all of these things as well as our regular office supplies from Staples, who have online ordering and delivery.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 4:23 PM on November 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 4:23 PM on November 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Are you sure Costco doesn't deliver in your area? According to their website they do free 2 day delivery on non-perishables, anywhere in the continental US. As you're not ordering fresh fruit or meat, I think you'd be ok.
posted by basalganglia at 4:33 PM on November 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by basalganglia at 4:33 PM on November 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Ah, I was looking at Business Delivery. I'll look into the prices from other sources as well, but that might be a winner.
posted by LionIndex at 4:37 PM on November 4, 2019
posted by LionIndex at 4:37 PM on November 4, 2019
Doubt you're there yet, but many of the places I've worked used ZEE Medical USA for the drugs/emegency supplies. That's the there's a medicine cabinet with everything from bandages to eye-drops to allergy meds to etc. That might be when you get up to needing to meet OSHA regulations or something on the safety/emergency lines.
posted by zengargoyle at 6:00 PM on November 4, 2019
posted by zengargoyle at 6:00 PM on November 4, 2019
For Costco delivery, look at Instacart. They do same-day delivery for stuff like that. It's more expensive than the sticker price but not that much more.
posted by rossination at 1:28 PM on November 5, 2019
posted by rossination at 1:28 PM on November 5, 2019
my clinic typically uses costco for these sort of things, as well as amazon and quill
posted by megan_magnolia at 9:39 AM on November 13, 2019
posted by megan_magnolia at 9:39 AM on November 13, 2019
Response by poster: Got our first snack delivery from Costco yesterday no problem.
posted by LionIndex at 12:26 PM on November 13, 2019
posted by LionIndex at 12:26 PM on November 13, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you're getting reimbursed then the company doesn't have an issue spending the money, so maybe try to convince them to set up an account that bills to a card at the main office, give someone at your office the login, and that should fix it.
There are also companies who will take over stocking the break room and sundries, but when we looked at them at my work the price was too much for too little.
posted by ralan at 3:42 PM on November 4, 2019 [2 favorites]