By Julia Luke
Many businesses are becoming more self-conscious about their expenses, with the cost of living increasing by so much recently. You can potentially save a lot of money for your business when you shop around for the best deals on the consumables your workshop uses the most. Taking the time to shop around and compare prices can help you get the same quality products at a lower price and reduce the overheads of your business. Below are some tips to help you find all the consumables you need at a reasonable price and start saving money for your business during these worrying economic times.
Create Yourself A Shopping List Of Consumables
The first thing you will need to do is make a shopping list of all the consumables your company uses, so you know what you need to look for when you start shopping. You will also need to know how much of each item you go through monthly, as you can work out the benefits of purchasing what you need in bulk, so you have to shop less frequently. You can make some decent savings by bulk buying what you require, but you will need to have somewhere to keep everything. Once your shopping list is complete and you know your usage for everything, you can start shopping online and find suitable suppliers for what you need.
Looking For Suppliers Online
You can now start looking for suppliers online, and you may want to keep a spreadsheet to help you determine the best supplier to use. You will want to look for each item individually, so it will take some time to decide which company is best to use for your engine degreaser and other consumable items your business uses daily. You will want to add to your spreadsheet the cost of the item, any discounts for bulk purchases, the lead time, and delivery charges, and minimum order quantities for the company. You will need to do this for each product you want to purchase, and once all the information is in your spreadsheet, you can work out the best suppliers for each item.
Comparing The Costs
You can now use the information you collated in your spreadsheet to compare the companies supplying the products you need and see which matches your requirements best. Ideally, you will want to get as many products from the same supplier as possible, which can significantly decrease the overall delivery cost. However, getting everything that you need from one online retailer is not always possible, so you will want to grade each supplier, mark your first choice and so on. You may find a company that is your 1st choice for some products and a close second or third for others, and it may be worth using them for all the products to decrease costs.
Look & The Fine Print
Before placing an order with a new supplier, you will want to read the terms and conditions of each company you use to ensure you understand them and your rights as a consumer. You will also want to look at the accepted forms of payment for each company and select one that is convenient for you and does not incur additional charges for your company. You can then place your order, get the supplies you need, and hopefully save some money n the process.
