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This morning, we ran out of toner. Over a week ago, another employee ordered toner and we received everything but black toner. So of course we ran out of black toner today.
I sent an e-mail to everyone in the suite letting them know we were out, but they had the option of using the color printer the floor above us in case they needed color copies. I didn't think it was a huge deal considering there are so many copiers/printers on the two floors.
One of my managers informs me there's something wrong with the copier (she hadn't read the e-mail I sent out). I inform her that we are out of toner and that she can use the copier literally twenty steps further away or she can use the one upstairs if needed. In return, she says nothing but gives me the look. You know that look. It was like she was disgusted and frustrated at the same time.
Okay.
A few minutes later, I get an e-mail from her, and she copied my co-worker letting us know that toner is a staple in our suite, and we need to make sure we get orders in on time.
Okay.
Since working here over a year ago, this is what I experience on an almost daily basis. The toner was ordered about two weeks ago, and we couldn't control that what we needed was on back order. Of course, I should have had another toner waiting in the supply room, and that's something I'm more than willing to own up to.
Am I weird for thinking she's rude? I haven't been treated this way in a long time, and it makes coming in to work everyday misery.
Something like that can really halt business in certain offices. She was probably just annoyed. I'd order as much as the budget allows to make sure it doesn't happen again.
She's rude, but she's not wrong that you should have had toner. You obviously waited way too long to order a necessary item. I'd be annoyed too, but I probably wouldn't have been so rude about it. Unless it wasn't the first time. I'd also wonder why you didn't bother to put a sign on the copier letting people know it was out of order before they tried to use it.
She's rude, but she's not wrong that you should have had toner. You obviously waited way too long to order a necessary item. I'd be annoyed too, but I probably wouldn't have been so rude about it. Unless it wasn't the first time. I'd also wonder why you didn't bother to put a sign on the copier letting people know it was out of order before they tried to use it.
It's funny you should mention that. I was making the sign as she was walking to the copier.
Alas, our order is finally coming in this afternoon. Delayed, but thankfully no one died.
Alas, our order is finally coming in this afternoon. Delayed, but thankfully no one died.
So go ahead and order the spare now. Then when the spare arrives, attach a note to it that says "Re-order toner when this spare is installed." Make that the standard procedure and this will never be an issue again.
It's funny you should mention that. I was making the sign as she was walking to the copier.
Alas, our order is finally coming in this afternoon. Delayed, but thankfully no one died.
And this, to me, identifies the problem. As long as nobody died, what's the big deal, right?
If it's your job to order supplies, and you know things could be on back order, you need to do a better job of ordering supplies. In one office I worked at this was a constant problem. In other offices, it's never a problem because the people in charge order as soon as they see they're down to X number remaining. They allow for big jobs and back orders. They're proactive. They're thinking.
Everyone is doing the work of one and half people, and they try to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible, so having to use another printer can be a hassle, particularly if there are now twice as many people using it. Yes, she was rude, probably due to frustration, but someone there needs to do a better job, whether it's you or someone else.
You know that you should have had a spare -- that's good, and hopefully something you'll keep in mind for the future.
Was she rude? Not really. It sounds like she was perhaps printing something on the way to a meeting/call, and while 20 extra steps away isn't far, going back to her desk, pulling up the document and printing it again to a new computer can be extremely frustrating, especially when you're in a time crunch already. I try to print things out in advance, but sometimes it's unavoidable that I have to print quickly before a meeting, and I would have found a situation like this rather frustrating.
Of course, she should have read the email, but I can't get a sense of the timeframe between you sending the email and this happening. If you sent the email at 8am and she hadn't read it by 1pm, then that's one thing, but if you sent it at 10:30 and this happened at 11, then that's another.
The fastest way to avoid this is to do what the office manager at my current job does -- take regular inventory (monthly, every other week, whatever works) and immediately order supplies when they get below a certain threshold.
Be glad she only gave you "the look." When I first started, I worked for a guy who would have treated the office to a profanity-filled, box-kicking tirade.
If you needed black toner, and you knew you were running out, and the vendor you needed black toner from has it on back order, then you have to be pro-active and get it from another vendor. If you can't use other vendors, then you need to discuss it with your boss and/or others to advise them of the situation and either use petty cash to get the toner from Staples, etc or order it elsewhere.
There are other solutions. Instead of being pissed you've been treated rudely, go back to your boss with solutions.
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