Hitting the Road

For the next week the Office Oracle will be vacationing in San Diego. The weather is almost a perfect 10 everyday which will be a welcomed change from the humidity. And what does this have to do with office supplies? Nothing.

But I found it interesting to read that over 70% of workers who were supposedly on vacation still checked in with their office on a regular basis. Why? Sure, it's part dedication and loyalty, but workers today are often required to assume the responsibilities of what was once considered multiple jobs. The result is that while vacation in theory is great, it often produces more stress when the individual considers what awaits them upon their return. Still, some form of escape is healthy and by the time you're scheduled to return, you'll just be starting to relax. At least that's how it sometimes feels.

We can blame technology for this too. If we had to find a pay phone each time we wanted to check in rather than picking up the mobile phone or shooting over an e-mail, I think most of us wouldn't be so eager to check in.

I'll sign off with giving you something to look at...I saw this Quartet product in action and it not only looked good, the folks using it loved it. Here's the description: • Schedule, track and plan projects on an office wall or from a workstation • Total Erase® dry erase writing surface will not stain or ghost • Graphite finish frame with factory-installed accessory tray Includes four Quartet™ dry erase markers (red, blue, green and black), Quick Clips and “Easy Mount” hanging system. Sections for notes and upcoming dates as well as large writing space for each day of the week.

Enjoy and have a happy week.

Hopefully You're Not One of These...

I have to admit that it's getting a little bit better out there. However, I still run across office managers, buyers, the office supply purchasers, whatever their titles may happen to be, who believe that buying a little bit from this office supplier and a little bit from that one is a good idea. At first it may make sense because they feel as though they save a nickel here and a quarter there. But, in the long (and the short run) for that matter, the time spent doing this type of purchasing and then receiving and paying for it, is far more expensive than the money saved. That's why our office supply ordering site is so effective. It effectively addresses these issues. Get the prices you need while at the same time maintaining your efficiency. If you're not buying your office supplies online yet, give it a try. The percentage of commercial office supply buying conducted solely through the internet is expected to be more than 40% by 2010. .. to think it was only at 5% two years ago.

What a Wonderful World

I inserted myself into the glorious office supply universe back in 1996. I accepted a sales job with a national office supply company in New Orleans and have remained in the industry ever since. Having no prior knowledge of the business before 1996, I was actually quite amused by it. I had no idea that giant catalogs with 25,000 different products existed. I didn't realize that it was such a huge industry. It was my job to get buyers, office managers, or anyone with the ability to write a check to buy from us. I thought that would be easy enough. I thought the catalog was pretty cool looking and that because we were so big, who wouldn't want to buy for us? This was at a time when the big national office suppliers were really hitting the scene in full force. I was new to the cold calling game. I was about to be baptized. Because every business (of a certain size) was a potential customer, I got a chance to interact with "professionals" from the weird to the inspiring. Anyway, I survived and here I am years later as the self appointed office oracle mainly because the name was still available and this is my blog.

While the office supply world can be rather mundane, it can also be one of innovation. Manufacturers have to adapt to the modern office worker and create products that improve on the old standbys like the bigger tabbed folders from Smead. It's an improvement that makes you wonder why it only took 100 years to implement. Then again, I have yet to invent anything. These great folders SMD10301 (letter size) and SMD15301 (legal size) can be ordered below the prices charged by OfficeDepot.com and Staples.com at OfficeBundle.com. So, when you get past the pens and pencils and look into the depth of the office supply offerings, there really are some great ideas. Hopefully, you're not working in one of those offices that preaches innovation while using 1950s tools. Check back often I will try my best to bring you the more interesting products from the thousands of choices.