President's Corner

The Cost of Fuel... Unfortunately it can no longer be ignored !

               Free Delivery - No Minimum Order !!!

     This has been the policy at Radstons for many years. Whether fuel cost $2.00 per gallon, or over $4.00 per gallon as we find it today, we want to make ourselves the "Easiest to do Business With".  We have aggressively fought having any type of Delivery Surcharge for small supply orders.

     BUT... today we find that external circumstances are forcing a change... Our two wholesalers and various other suppliers have begun to pass on delivery charges. Those additional expenses, coupled with fuel costs that have nearly doubled in the past two years, force us to make the following modification going forward...

     Radstons will keep it's NO MINIMUM ORDER and FREE DELIVERY policy in place for companies having purchases greater than $200 a month who also maintain an average order value of $40. This policy allows for the "occasional" surcharge-free small order as a "favor" for our best customers. We value these partnerships and understand that everyone has occasional "emergencies".

     BUT... for companies averaging less than $200 per month in purchases, we must apply a $6.95 Fuel Surcharge to a supply  order if it totals less than $40 (before tax). If the order is greater than $40, we will continue to deliver it for FREE (without a Fuel Surcharge). We hope that we will not have to pass this charge on to any of our customers. Please try to combine your smaller orders to get over the $40 plateau. OR... Let our sales associates help you reduce your procurement costs by combining purchases from multiple vendors... thereby raising your monthly averages. Radstons wants to be your source for ALL your office needs: Supplies, Furniture, Paper, Toner, Janitorial & Lunch Room Supplies, Computer supplies.

     "NEW" customers will begin with 3 months of "NO MINIMUM ORDER for FREE DELIVERY". Purchases will be evaluated after that time period.

    Residential supply deliveries will be shipped using United Parcel Service. A minimum $6.95 shipping charge will apply, regardless of order size. We may have apply a larger shipping charge if the order exceeds 25 pounds. Unfortunately, it is just too expensive to run our trucks into residential areas and we must pass on the residential shipping charges that UPS passes on to us.

     How do the Big Box Office Suppliers handle small supply orders? For years now, ALL have had a $5.95 service charge on orders less than $50 (in most cases regardless of a company's monthly volume). Changes have been made recently. At present their websites show the following:

               Office Depot and Office Max - $7.95 on orders less than $50...

               Staples - $9.95 on orders less than $50...

     I can not tell you how difficult a decision this has been... but there simply is no choice.

     Doing business with Radstons remains easy... Average more than $200 a month and $40 per order - no additional supply delivery charges apply.

     Let me thank you for your business and also for your acceptance of this necessary change.

     Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me...

Springtime in Washington DC

         April 2nd found me Washington DC bound - headed for the Board of Directors meeting of the National Office Products Association. I was absolutely thrilled at the beauty of our Nations Capital as I took the long ride in from Dulles Airport. I wasn't expecting to find the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom and I have to say the views were breath taking. I only wish these pictures had actually been taken by me - but I found them posted on-line at http://www.dcpages.com/Tourism/Cherry_Blossoms/. Of course our Super Shuttle Driver made me the last stop - BUT that allowed me to see so much of a city I had not visited since I was in High School.

          Our Board meeting had a full agenda, mostly dealing with advocacy & education issues for small businesses and specifically independently owned office products companies. This is an unbelievably exciting time to be the President of a locally owned office products dealership. Many opportunities are unfolding, even with the current economic climate. Of course, two of the main issues were small business pass through legislation and basic fairness in public contracts. I will follow up on individual topics as the weeks continue.

          I hope you are able to enjoy the beauty and renewal that is springtime.

                        

                         

Going GREEN - the first time!

                                        

           Radstons has been stocking and selling recycled office products for nearly 20 years… that's probably a fact that very few people even know! I can remember laying out the first “recycled” pads and post-its that were introduced in the early 1980s by manufacturer partners like Ampad and 3M. At that time I was our Buyer and it was my job to find and merchandise products for our store in downtown Berkeley as well as for what has become today's delivery business. Those products were a tough sell back then (cost too much-quality sometimes variable) – but it seems to me like we have always had them. Over the years, we have sought out these types of products and offered them to our customers because of my belief in sustainability.

 

     I was generally considered the "West Coast Weirdo" because as a member of various national committees, I was always trying to introduce "GREEN" products into the catalogs we were creating for customers. For the past 5 years, our sales of recycled copier paper have exceeded sales of "regular, virgin" paper. This is not a statistic consistent with national usage. There really wasn’t much interest in the spectrum of "GREEN" products until maybe two or three years ago – read: Al Gore, climate change and increases in gasoline prices!

 

     Our January, 2008, Business Products Catalog contains roughly 30,000 total items... but here's a significant differential: nearly 4,000 of these items are recycled, biodegradeable or energy efficient. This is nearly 15% "GREEN" (I believe in “round” math) and is a revolutionary change in depth and breadth of product.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     In April, we will be introducing a 2,000+ item, 120 page GREENER OFFICE PRODUCTS Catalog. Make sure to let your Radstons Representative know how many copies your office will need! Additionally, it will be available on our website in EasyFlip style!  BUT that's an entirely different topic - for another day!

 

     So I’m excited about what is finally coming full circle!

Welcome to President's Corner

     For a while now I have wanted to open a dialog with customers- discussing happenings at Radstons Office Plus, changes in our industry, promotions that we offer and the increasingly important steps we are taking towards being a GREEN company and helping our customers do the same. Hence, a web blog!

     2008 is an exciting year for Radstons - it marks our 100th Anniversary as a company, offering office products to companies large and small all over the San Francisco Bay Area. It also marks 30 years of my full-time association with Radstons and 5 years as its President. Look for more information on our Anniversary celebration, to be held at our Hercules distribution center for customers and vendors alike on Friday, June 20th. More information to follow - but save the date and plan on joining our celebration!