by Diana L. Martin
At Office Express, our passion is you - our customers. We’re constantly striving to give you the best service possible and the driving question is, “What more can we do for our customers?”
Running a business is hard work and requires an enormous amount of time and energy - and legal red tape. We can now help make that a little easier for you with the addition of notary services.
Do you have a company business card? How about stationery, forms, labels or printed marketing? Do you use promotional materials like mugs, exhibitor displays or branded apparel? OEX has launched a new print system to make ordering easier.
Paper and folders and Sharpies - oh my! Velcro and Scotch Tape and clocks - oh my! <musical accompaniment> These are a few of my favorite things!
Oh, wait. No. I’m getting my movies mixed up. <blushing> Sorry about that. Well anyway……
Did you know that we have over 8100 Made in America products in the office supplies section of our catalog alone?
I have a secret to tell you today. But it’s not an average secret - and you don’t have to keep it a secret either!
Ready for it?
Here it is……
It’s been almost two years since we introduced our new online custom stamp ordering site and we’ve received a lot of great compliments on the site from those of you who are using it. We love hearing your feedback - thank you for sending it to us!
Two common questions we get are: 1) How do I get to the site? and 2) Why doesn’t it recognize me when I try to login on the checkout page? Give me just a few minutes of your time and I’ll answer those for you - it’s super easy.
No, that’s not what I meant. (Shame on you!)
If your business handles cash, you are constantly on guard for counterfeit bills. Forgers are coming up with new methods all the time and you need to be diligent in your efforts to protect your business. We’re all familiar with the counterfeit detector pens, but those only tell you whether the bill is on genuine U.S. currency paper. UV lights will show you other features of genuine bills, giving you added protection. There are several counterfeit detector products available that offer UV light and I’d like to showcase two of those products today.
We’re pleased to announce another enhancement to our website - online returns! You asked if there was a way to submit a return request online and we heard you! It’s quick and easy - and it’s live now!
There are several ways to get to the return screen - I’ll show you two of them.
My dad struggles every fall and winter when the days start getting shorter. He’s seriously influenced by the lack of sunlight and it takes a heavy toll on him. This condition is called Seasonal Affective Disorder. People who have it may feel unusually tired or sad and have a lack of drive or energy during the short winter days. Extreme cases can result in depression.3
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can occur in your office as well. Employees may lack energy and lose focus, even fall asleep at their desks. You may be wondering what can be done to offset this or prevent it altogether. I’m glad you asked because there are some relatively simple changes that can be made to help keep your employees cheery and productive.
The paper is curling in my printer AGAIN!! WHY DOES IT DO THAT?????
If you saw yourself in those first sentences, take a deep breath and read on. I can help you. Paper curling is a fairly common problem and can usually be solved with a few simple steps.
Ergonomics are frequently discussed in relation to workplace environments, as is productivity. Employers spend a significant amount of time and resources trying to revamp processes to make their employees more productive. For workers who spend a majority of their day on phone calls, a headset will address both issues. Working with your neck constantly tilted to the side, either on a shoulder rest or just cradling the phone between your neck and shoulder, is not good for you. And trying to take an order or type a message while on the phone without a headset results in a definite loss of speed and productivity.
Is your office space configured for maximum productivity? Do your employees have both the spaces and the tools necessary for creative collaboration? Is the space comfortable? Is it flexible? These are all questions to consider when evaluating your current work space. Companies spend time and money evaluating processes and procedures and trying to find best practices to move the company forward and make it the best it can be; the work environment also needs to be considered in those evaluations.
Ordering supplies for your office - whether it be pens, paper, janitorial, breakroom or some other category - can be time consuming. Especially if your company has a formal purchasing department and there are requisitions and purchase orders involved.
We are excited to announce a new function on our website that will save you time if you find yourself ordering the same items over and over again - Recurring Orders. Recurring Orders allow you to create an order and schedule the frequency of the delivery - the order will be automatically sent to you on your schedule. You can edit items and quantities or reschedule the delivery date as needed.
Best of all, it's SIMPLE!
Every so often, I like to highlight an unusual item. By that I mean an item that you normally wouldn't think to call your office supply dealer for when you need it. I think a lot of companies still don't know that the office products industry supplies more than just paper, binder clips, ring binders and the like. Another category that we can help you with is your janitorial and facility maintenance supplies.
Keeping the air clean in the office is vital to the health of everyone in the office. Mold, mildew, bacteria or other microorganisms can flourish without proper prevention and treatment. Having quality air filters in place is essential. Did you know that you can purchase air filters from us?
There are a lot of moving pieces in an office remodel. The overall style is probably the first thing on the docket - do we want contemporary or traditional? Something else? Once that's decided, the furniture can be chosen, then the flooring, the lighting..........the list goes on and on.
Take time to consider the color of the rooms. If you've ever redecorated your house, you probably spent a bit of time trying to decide on the paint colors. Perhaps you bought some sample-size cans and painted patches on your wall to see how it would look before you jumped in with both feet. The same concept applies to the office environment. Different colors have different effects on employee moods, feelings and thoughts and great care should be given to the new design.
Today we're continuing our discussion on filing as a way to keep you organized and on task at work (or at home, for that matter). What kind of file folders do you need? Why do you choose the ones you use now? Is there a better solution for your needs?
Let's talk some file folder basics. There are 3 things to consider when choosing your file folders - style, size and tabs. We'll begin with style.
Can you believe we're halfway through the year? It's just flying by for me. It may be inventory time for your company now and if you have a supply stock room, you may be evaluating needs for that and stocking up on some of the essentials. One such essential may be refill lead for mechanical pencils.
Really, an article about pencil lead? (How lame!) Well, you might be surprised how many people have a difficult time choosing the right type of lead. This won't be a novel by any means, but rather a quick "how to" guide to make your life easier.
How many times have you tried to seal a package and had problems with the packaging tape? It's too thin, it doesn't tear easily, it doesn't stick well (except to itself).................. etc. If you're like me - and I know at least some of you are - you've tried several brands in an attempt to find the one tape that can perform to your standards. Enter T-Rex tape. The T-Rex line of tapes bills itself as "Ferociously Strong Tape" that is "easy unwind and tear for fast repairs."
That sounds like a challenge to me.
You know what comes next, right? Uh huh. I pick up the gauntlet - let the testing begin!
Is your office prepared for an emergency? Would you know what to do if a coworker suddenly collapsed? Do you know how to recognize sudden cardiac arrest?
A victim of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) may be fine one minute and collapse without warning the next. The victim almost always dies without immediate intervention. According to www.sca-aware.org, SCA is the third leading cause of death in the U.S, killing one person every two minutes. The number of people who die each year from it is roughly equivalent to the number who die from Alzheimers disease, assault with firearms, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, diabetes, HIV, house fires, motor vehicle accidents, prostate cancer and suicides combined.
Your usual copy paper may have been on backorder when you tried to buy some recently and you may have asked, "What's going on with paper?" A lot, actually. The paper industry is in a bit of an uproar right now, at least as concerns uncoated white paper. Demand exceeds supply and the market is getting tight.
Of course, the logical next question is "Why?"
Employee safety is a top concern for any business. Regardless of the type of business you have, there are always safety issues to address. OSHA has rules and regulations that must be followed. (Common sense provides some more.) If you work in an office environment, you need first aid kits, fire extinguishers, exit signs and the like. Warehouse/industrial buildings need things like hearing protection, hard hats, ladders, etc.
This article has the potential to elicit a spirited debate. Some people have no qualms about paying membership fees for places like Costco or Sam's club, Barnes & Noble, etc. Others absolutely refuse to participate. How do you feel? Does the industry/business charging the fee play into your decision? I'm not referring to rewards programs - most rewards programs at places I shop are free. I'm talking about membership programs that have an annual fee.
Phone: 248.307.1850
Toll Free: 877.795.2600
1280 E. Big Beaver Road
Troy, Michigan 48083
Mon - Fri 8:00 - 5:00 EST
Fax: 877.792.8110
Email: info@oexusa.com
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We look forward to helping you!
