red Everything from ‘Snakes to Snails’
weekends when the storeroom is
closed, deliveries are made to
the main information desk or the
admittin" office. Sometimes this
makes life quite excitin" for the
receptionist or admittin" officer
—esj)ecially if the contents of
the ])aekage or crate are alive
and kickinp: (or scratching, as
the case may be). “Usually only
radioisotopes or blood is deliv
ered on the weekends, ’ ’ said Mr.
Wagner. “Occasionally, how
ever, a delivery of frogs or mice
is made.”
Processing a purchase order
is a time-consuming job, involves
many peoj)le, and often calls for
patience on the part of all. From
the time an item is requested on
a purchase order to the time it
is actually delivered may take as
long as a month to six weeks.
After the purchase order is
received, Mr. Wagner must
check it for correct coding, au
thorization, and complete in
formation. Correct description
of the item is checked against
a catalogue. If any information
is lacking that cannot be com
pleted by the storeroom, the pur
chase order is returned by cam
pus mail to the seiuler (phoning
for the information has proven
to be too time-consuming).
Tlie order is then taken to the
office of University Purchasing
(orders are taken over twice
daily), and that office either
sends out for cost estimates on
the item requested or prices the
item. The former takes about
a week to ten days and the latter
about two days. The quotations
on cost are referred back to the
origin of the purchase order,
where the final selection is made.
Once ordered, the item will be
received in three to five days if
it is sent parcel post. If, how
ever, the order is a rush order
and a note is attached to the
purchase order explaining the
urgency, the shipment can be
sent by air, with delivery usually
made in twenty-four hours. Or
ders are also often telephoned
or wired—if they are brought
to the storeroom in person and
if this service is requested.
It is estimated that everj' pur
chase order costs more than ten
dollars (for time/labor/materi
als) by the time it is completely
processed.
Of all the orders that the Hos
pital Storeroom must fill, per
haps the largest and tallest, and
by all means the most difficult is
that of trying to satisfy the
people who send in the 40,000
orders every year. The batting
average on the fulfillment of this
order is high and has risen
steadily over the years, and the
the j)eople who have made this
possible have reason to be proud.
Management of tlie storeroom requires financial skills and very good Imokkeep-
ing, for three and three quarters million dollars worth of equipment is ordered
during the year.
/
nust bo checked against a catalogue.
INTERCOM-7
The women in the front office answer the phone, sort the mail, do the filing, price the requisitions, trace orders, keep an
inventory of stock items, etc., etc., etc., etc.!
VOL. 13 NO. 6/1966