Office supplies may not be the largest line item in your company’s budget, but over time, the costs can quietly add up—especially if your team is working across multiple locations or ordering frequently without a strategy in place. The good news is that with the right sourcing, smarter storage habits, and a few digital tools, you can reduce your supply spend without sacrificing quality, consistency, or employee satisfaction.
Here’s how to trim office supply costs strategically while keeping your team fully equipped.
- Evaluate Your Most Used Items
Start by identifying your high-volume and high-frequency items. These often include pens, copy paper, printer toner, sticky notes, file folders, and cleaning supplies. Once you know where most of your dollars go, you can prioritize those categories for better pricing or bulk ordering.
You can track usage manually or use inventory management software like Zoho Inventory or Sortly to stay organized and anticipate when to restock.
- Consolidate Orders to Reduce Shipping Fees
Ordering in small batches may feel convenient, but it often leads to inflated costs due to shipping charges or minimum order requirements. Consolidating your office supply purchases into weekly or biweekly orders can help you hit free shipping thresholds and reduce overall transaction fees.
Suppliers like Quill and Staples often offer free shipping incentives for bulk purchases or loyalty members.
- Use Cashback Tools to Reduce Effective Spend
A smart way to lower your real costs is to integrate cashback into your buying process. Platforms like Fluz let you earn money back instantly when purchasing gift cards to major office retailers. For example, you can earn cashback with an Office Depot gift card or get rewards with a Staples gift card—and then use those gift cards at checkout, just like cash.
This approach works whether you’re ordering online or buying in-store. If your team frequently shops at the same suppliers, you can also use Fluz’s virtual card feature for real-time savings with minimal friction.
- Standardize Supply Brands and SKUs
When employees are allowed to order any brand or product they want, supply lists quickly become inconsistent and bloated. To reduce waste and simplify ordering, create an approved product list with standardized SKUs. This ensures everyone gets what they need, but limits the variety to items you’ve vetted for quality and price.
Sites like Amazon Business allow you to build custom supply lists for your organization, helping enforce consistency without micromanaging.
- Don’t Overlook Generic or Store Brands
Generic doesn’t always mean lower quality. In fact, many store-brand items like copy paper, paper clips, pens, and sticky notes perform just as well as premium alternatives—at a fraction of the cost. Before committing to a high-priced brand, consider testing the generic version to see if it meets your team’s standards.
Retailers such as Staples and Office Depot have robust private-label lines that can cut costs by 10–30%.
- Train Teams to Use Supplies Efficiently
Finally, promote a culture of conscious usage. Encourage employees to only print what’s necessary, reuse file folders and binders when possible, and report when supplies are running low rather than waiting until they run out. Adding clear signage or simple reminders can reinforce these habits without feeling heavy-handed.
By focusing on efficiency, consistency, and cashback opportunities, your office supply strategy can go from reactive to resourceful. Tools like Fluz make it easy to earn cashback with a Staples gift card or get rewards with an Office Depot gift card—so you can save while spending the way you already do.
