Stockroom
Stockroom
The stockroom is present to provide supplies required to carryout the teaching in the department. It is not a grocery store though it operates on the same principles as the stock areas for a store located in a warehouse. It provides a flow of supplies without the need to wait for deliveries from manufacturers and resellers.
The key to running a stockroom is to maintain accurate records of supplies entering and leaving. Using this information, bulk purchases are made to meet the needs of the department without tying up funds needed for perishable items.
Maintaining large stocks of chemicals may be cheap up front but the costs of storage and disposal justify maintaining amounts which will be used up over a short period of time. This reduces the amount of waste from unused material and cost of disposal. The chemical stocks have been reduced to twenty items used by a majority of faculty. The remaining materials are purchased in small quantities as needed.