Running out of a staple in the middle of a busy week is an operations problem, not bad luck. The fix is a routine that runs on the same day every week, whether or not anyone feels short on anything. Set par levels for the items you use weekly A par level is the...

Most shops do not lose money on supplies in one dramatic way. They lose it in small amounts, every week, through ordering habits nobody has looked at in years. Here are the ones we see most often, and what to do instead. Ordering in a panic An artist says they are out...