PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 21, No. 16, March 21, 2002

Warehouse Store allows shoppers to browse discounted office supplies

By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor
(217) 244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu

Photo by Bill Wiegand New store Andrew Blacker, marketing coordinator for Campus Stores, Mail and Receiving, stands in the Warehouse Store now available to campus shoppers. The store offers authorized purchasers the opportunity to select office and lab supplies directly from the shelfs.

Just like many retailers, Campus Stores, Mail and Receiving’s customers can shop over the Internet and in the store.

The Warehouse Store is a new "shop" within CSMR where authorized purchasers can select office and lab supplies directly from the shelves. The Warehouse Store offers a variety of discontinued items such as beakers, copy paper and office furniture at savings of up to 75 percent. However, quantities are limited to stock on hand, and items cannot be reordered at the special sale prices.

Shoppers can also choose supplies from the Office Favorites area of the Warehouse Store, which displays Campus Stores’ 500 most frequently ordered office supplies. The Office Favorites products also can be ordered electronically through CSMR’s online catalog at www.cstores.uiuc.edu.
Shoppers who visit the Warehouse Store also can pick up free samples of select promotional items such as sticky notes or correction fluid.

The Warehouse Store is self-service. Purchasers fill out order summaries as they shop and then take their orders to the front counter for checkout. Instructions and order forms are provided in the Warehouse Store.

Campus Stores, Mail and Receiving Warehouse Store 1609 S. Oak St. Champaign Hours: Weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online Catalog www.cstores.uiuc.edu

The Warehouse Store is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and purchasers can enter through CSMR’s front counter area at 1609 S. Oak St., Champaign.

For those who prefer to order supplies electronically, CSMR also offers an online catalog and ordering system called Web Cat through which authorized users can browse CSMR’s stock and special order catalogs and purchase supplies.

Web Cat enables users to search for merchandise by product category, key word, stock number, manufacturer name and product number.

Web Cat displays products’ current pricing and can electronically bill the purchaser’s UFAS account. Once departmental authorization has been obtained, CSMR fills and delivers the order. Generally, in-stock items are delivered the next day; special order items are usually delivered within one or two days.

The Web Cat system is Kerberos password protected, and access is limited to purchasers who have Signature Authorization forms with Storeroom/Service approval on file with the Office of Business Affairs.
Free group or individual presentations or training on WebCat is available by contacting Andy Blacker, marketing coordinator, at 244-5200 or by e-mail at blacker@illinois.edu.

An even more convenient way to equip one’s department is Stores On-Site Stocking or S.O.S., a customized service where Campus Stores’ representatives regularly visit the customers’ workplaces to replenish and organize supplies.

S.O.S. representatives work with the departmental units to establish a restocking schedule in accordance with their needs. The departments are billed automatically when their shelves are restocked.

The on-site stocking service saves department staff members’ time that otherwise would be spent stocking shelves, placing orders and paying bills. Customers also can request monthly reports on their product usage

"Our S.O.S. representatives sit down and really work with the customer," Blacker said. "Each unit is really unique as to what products they use, how much they go through at a time and what their stocking level is. We’ll review their orders and sales history for the last year with them to help determine appropriate items and quantities. The departments also can add items they need only sporadically by ordering through Web Cat or by calling an S.O.S. representative."

Approximately 45 campus units are being serviced by S.O.S., and CSMR would like to add more customers to its roster, Blacker said.

Mailing Center can help mailings go smoother
As part of Campus Stores, Mail and Receiving, the Mailing Center’s customer service staff members are available to assist departments with planning and processing their mailings. Mailing Center staff can process customers’ electronic database lists to help reduce costs by eliminating duplicates and by obtaining postage discounts when applicable. In addition to pick up and delivery services, the Mailing Center also can label or address envelopes and match up to four pieces for insertion into envelopes.

For assistance planning a mailing, contact Kelly Foster, customer service representative, at 244-5547 or e-mail the mailing center at mailctr@illinois.edu.