The Changing Landscape of Stationery Supplies and How You Can Benefit

Historically stationery retailers were small, often independent stores situated on the high street. In more recent times, those little stationery stores have either transformed into or been usurped by huge office supplies mega stores which are located in homogenous retail parks across the world. As a result, businesses and the public at large will most likely have seen a considerable proportionate discount on how much is spent on office supplies and affiliated products.

The landscape of stationery retail is however still developing. With today's technological advances it is now not only possible but in fact commonplace to order your office supplies online. Online stores do not require the same level of staffing as a physical store and as such there are nowhere near as many overhead costs associated with online stores and prices are consequently lower overall.

The ease with which a website can be established has lead to increased competition in the online office supplies sector and as a result of this prices have been pushed down further still.

So what should you look out for when deciding where to buy your office supplies online?

Special Offers

With so much competition most reputable online suppliers will be offering a selection of special offers so it can be beneficial to have a good look around the website for these. An ideal store would have its special offers on the home page where they are clearly visible. This is a sign that they have nothing to hide and that they are happy with the quality of their stock.

Discount Codes

Discount codes are to be found in abundance across the internet. There are numerous websites and forums which distribute them on a regular basis. Prior to purchasing from an online store it is advisable to search for discount codes for that particular retailer to see if you can save even more.

Free Delivery

Most if not all online stationers will offer free delivery but terms and conditions will no doubt apply, so make sure to check that your order meets the criteria. Typically a retailer will offer free delivery on orders over £30.

Prices

The single most important factor (and one which all of the above points supplement). Nobody should be paying the recommended retail price when buying online as this figure is the price recommended for general retail: not online retail. Most online suppliers will inform visitors to their website of what the RRP is and exactly what percentage under it their prices are. This allows you to see precisely how much you are saving compared to purchasing from the brand directly or from a mega store.