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Show yiHiinnimess (CnmmpuMtep !r" Sales can trim your supplies budget Ribbons. Paper. Labels. Type wheels. Disks. Forms. It seems that some weeks you spend more time and money supplying a hungry computer than running data through it. Worse, the day you run out of some supply is always the day you need it in a rush and every supplier in town is out of stock. Small wonder. With over 250 different computer printer ribbons on the market, for instance, it's hard to stock them all. When we run into a snag like that, what do we do? We pick up the telephone. Several aggressive marketers in several parts of the country sell data and word processing supplies using a double whammy of well-stocked warehouses and well-manned telephones, tele-phones, tied to "800" numbers. Some of their ads promise low price, some fast service, and some huge inventories. But they all compete against each other on all 3 fronts, which is a major break for large and small buyers of computer supplies. From them we've received new type wheels in two days by United Parcel Service, bulkier supplies within a week. For a premium, you can get overnight delivery. The most economical way to buy computer supplies is to order before an emergency hits. That way you can catalog-shop for the best price and ship via the cheapest route. It's important to compare prices on everything. Variations are incredible. incred-ible. Take a box of 2,500 sheets of 20-pound white paper 8'z inches wide (after you rip off the perforated edges). At your local Radio Shack, it'll cost $49.95, but by mail order it's $41.60 from Inmac, $35.75 from Devoke, $31.13 from Uarco, $32.97 from Global, and $30.16 from Quill. A few months ago, Quill was offering it for $25 in a one-month sale! For labels, price variation isn't as dramatic, but compare these prices per 5,000 3-'2-inch 3-wide labels: $17.98 from Inmac, $17.41 from Devoke, $21.75 from Uarco, $17.25 from Global and $16.65 from Quill. Now compare it with what you've been paying. Most mail order suppliers stock their own private label floppy disks at bargain prices, but we steer clear. We like to avoid any risk of disk foul-up, since the disks are the most important accessory in any system. Still, even the better brand names vary in price from supplier to supplier. For the same 5-l4-inch brand-name disk, (double density single-sided), Uarco charges $4.95, Inmac $4.25. Large quantities are often priced lower. In fact, if you keep your records of how much you use, in all consumable supplies, you may be able to save a lot by buying a year's worth at a time. The trick to buying ribbons, however, is to order a minimum quantity first. Then, if they're good, quickly reorder a large lot from the same batch. Catalog houses all buy, from a number of ribbon-winders and quality varies greatly from batch to batch. (Don't order more than you can use in six months. They deteriorate. ) The mail order houses stock more than just consumable computer supplies. Most also sell furniture, file equipment, computer printers, cables, forms handling equipment, modems, and switches for linking several computers to peripheral equipment. We like to use these catalogs to fertilize the imagination. Did you know, for instance, that you can get your letterheads and order forms custom-printed on computer paper? Several suppliers sell stationery-quality stationery-quality paper that's perforated so closely, each sheet rips loose from its tractor-feed margins with scarcely a trace of those telltale rough edges that shout "computer generated." And Inmac's catalog showed up more different kinds of computer cords and switching networks than we knew existed. However, once we started shopping around, we found Radio Shack's switching network to be cheaper. If you'll send up your computer make and model along with your name and address, we'll have all the companies mentioned here mail you catalogs. But when you comparison shop, don't forget to include local dealers. One store near our office will now match any price we find in a catalog and deliver free! "The Business Computer" (tm) artswers questions accompanied by sending self-addressed envelope: The Park Record, P.O. Box 3688, Park City, UT 84060. You can read back issues of "The Business Computer" on NewsNet's on-line data base. For details call 800-345-1301. |