Happy Labor Day

Last night at my son's open house, the school director read off a list of what things cost back in the early 50's versus the price today. Stuff like...a loaf of bread was .19, a gallon of gas $1.25, a car about $2,000. Sounded absurd until she said the average annual salary was $4,000. I though it was interesting but I have not bothered to verify her numbers. I believe her.

What was truly scary was when she read off new words that will soon be officially entered into Websters dictionary in 2008. Among the new words that are considered proper English...crunk, ginormous, and smack down.Spell check needs to be updated to comply with these gems. I find it sad that these are acceptable as anything other than slang.

Just a few interesting facts about Labor Day:

• It is said to have started in New York City in 1882
• We are celebrating the US labor force off approximately 150 million.
• Each year the average American would have spent almost 100 hours commuting.
• There are roughly 6.5 million teachers and almost 720,000 hairdressers in the US

Now go and impress your friends armed with this new knowledge.

Have a happy and safe Labor Day. Come back relaxed and ready to begin the fall. It's yet another good time to consider reorganizing. He's a simple product that might just help you do it

too.

Item Number: 53402 Five sections. Use alone or mounted (as shown) on Letter Size Desk Tray (UNV53201), sold separately.

Every Little Bit Counts

Item # MMM6333SSBCA3

The charity of choice for the office supply industry is the City of Hope. It is an incredible facility doing amazing work of which you can learn more about by visiting the City of Hope website. Because so many of us have had to deal with cancer in some form or another, it is inspiring to read about the progress being made and the promise of better a tomorrow.

I am proud that our chosen industry contributes to this worthy cause. Next time you need to restock your Post-it-Notes, please consider the 3M product above. You can make an ordinary purchase more meaningful by selecting this very special product.

Drink Your Focus If Necessary

Try this blend: Item Number FVS30568



More work, less sleep, more demands...I recently read an article about how caffeinated a society we have become. So much so, that the relatively new energy drink segment of the beverage world, which is experiencing phenomenal growth, is now the focus of industry giants like Coca Cola and Pepsi. And why not? Sales in the soft drink category experienced a -3.9% change while energy drinks were up 53%. These drinks do tend to produce somewhat of an instant buzz but the other highly touted ingredients like taurine and B12 are usually in such trace amounts as to be insignificant. In the end, they back about as much punch as coffee. And yet, when chilled, many of these energy drinks can provide a level of refreshment that a hot cup of coffee simply cannot deliver.

Vitamin enriched water, and green teas are likewise popular contenders posied to take a dent out of the soft drink world as well as the coffee world.

Speaking of good old fashioned coffee. It undoubtedly claims another garment, rug, or carpet somewhere in America every day. A "good" coffee spill on the way to work can really ruin your day. Provided you don't require a skin graph, the stain left behind can leave you feeling pretty frustrated...to put it extremely mild. My usual reaction is to curse the stain and myself for being so careless. But, this method has yet to remove a stain. If you address the spill quickly you may just avoid the stain altogether. Don't let it dry. Blot it first with a clean cloth. Use a dishwasher detergent (about a teaspoon and 1 cup of lukewarm water). Sponge the area and blot again. Next mix about a 1/3 of a cup of white vinegar with 2/3 of lukewarm water. Sponge and blot.

But because you probably have none of these things in your glove compartment. The cursing method will at least make you feel better. In the end investing a nice travel mug versus stocking a mobile dry cleaning unit is a wise move. And yet, unpredicatble stains of all types can occur so it may not be a bad idea to have product such as this on hand just in case...

Item Number: DRA94354

Managing Office Supplies

It's harder than it looks and it's a pretty big responsibility to shoulder. The fact is that managing office supplies for your company is a thankless task. You have to deal with the pettiness of co-workers upset because their purple pen is out of ink and you have to deal with bigger issues like running out of toner on the workhorse printer. Some office managers could operate their own office supply store with the amount of products they keep in storage whereas others are always in a crisis mode because they neglected to spot check their supply stash. Generally, it's a good idea to have two extra toner cartridges around at all times just in case one happens to be defective. If you can't print, your business is in trouble. So, making sure you have an adequate amount of copy paper and toner is vital. With office supply deliveries only a day away, how much of your company's money do you really need to tie up in supplies. If you have basics, chances are you can survive until the next delivery is received.

Consider using half cases of paper...also called convenience cases. They come 5 reams per carton as opposed to the usual 10 ream case. The advantage to you is that they are obviously much lighter and can be therefore be easily placed where needed the most.

Item number: UNV11289 : a 5 ream case of multi-purpose copy paper.

Worth Repeating

We recently sent out an e-mail echoing a study conducted by the University of Arizona. It merits mention here. With more and more people working longer hours and even getting in a quick lunch at their desk, is it any wonder why the typical desk surface is covered with over 10 million different bacteria? This makes the typical office desk more infected than the typical toilet seat. The telephone is the biggest offender with the fax machine housing more bacteria the the bathroom door. That sounds incredible and it is. The good news is that most are harmless. But, enough can cause serious problems that it demands your attention. Keep your surface and your hands clean! Staph infection is on the rise throughout the country. Your best weapon is cleanliness. OfficeBundle.com carries a variety of sanitation products at prices below the big national supply retailers like OfficeDepot.com and Staples.com.

To learn more about Purell products from GOJO, Check out some of these featured items:

GOJ901006CT
GOJ964612EA
GOJ539202

Be sure to order them from OfficeBundle.com!

Closing in on that time of year

Back to the heat and humidity of home. Oh well.

Now our focus turns to back to school. As my son begins Pre-K, and is need of actual basic school supplies, the decision becomes...do we buy him something that will last or do we go for the cheapest products knowing that a few of his supplies will probably be shall we say misplaced or mishandled?

Not all supplies are created equal. The old adage that says you get what you pay for is often spot on. Almost every product produced from traditional American manufacturers like Avey, Smead, Esselte, and 3M, will have a version produced in China as well. The quality is often a shade off from the original. In some cases it may not matter. In other cases, the scissors may cut one or twice and that's about it. It may not cost you much to replace it, but going back to the store again for another petty item can be a real hassle. I guess in the end, it's a decision you'll make on a case by case basis. You get the more durable school bag only to to discover they lost it. You buy the cheaper one only to watch it tear.

Speaking of retail stores, and in this case office supply retailers as well as big box retailers. Consider buying your supplies online this year. Have them delivered to your door rather than participating in the back to school retail rush. Buying online from your list helps you to avoid the impulse buys that all too often occur once you walk in the store. No candy bars, extra this or a little of that...pure efficiency.

If your child is entering a new school. I recently read where the transition is easier if you provide them with examples rather than lecturing to the what to do. In other words, they do listen to you and if you can tell them a tale of when you were in their position without pontificating, you may be surprised by the results. Relating to your child without dismissing their concerns is huge.

So, where do I stand on the quality issue? I'm in the buy better camp because I remember how I treated my stuff. I didn't lose my bag but I did throw it around, I jammed it in my locker, sat on it, etc. Paper and notebooks were often bent or torn as a result. Here's a product from Cardinal that may offer a nice benefit to older students.
Click to learn more: Item number CRD84007 :