The Top 5 Requested Office Products That Don't Really Exist
by Diana L. Martin
Did I pique your curiosity with that title?
We love talking to our customers and it’s our mission to give you the best possible experience each and every time you contact us. We get a lot of inquiries from you looking for a particular item and sometimes it can be a bit of a challenge to find that certain thingamajig. It can be even trickier though when the item we’re looking for doesn’t really exist.
The holidays are over and now it’s time to put our collective noses back to the grindstone and I thought we could use a little help (and a little humor along the way) so I’ve put together a short list of the top 5 requested items that don’t really exist.
The only half sizes available in ring binders are 1/2” and 1-1/2”. After that it goes by straight inches. When customers call asking for a 2-1/2” ring binder and I tell them there is no such thing, they tell me they have one in their hand and it’s 2-1/2” wide. Here’s the scoop: ring binders are measured by the diameter of the ring, not the width of the spine. So, it you have a binder with a 2-1/2” wide spine, you need a 2” binder.
These used to be available but have been gone for many years and yet they’re still in a tie for my most requested non-existent item. I’m talking about the white inserts that you slide into the plastic tabs on the inexpensive insertable ring binder indexes. You used to be able to buy the inserts on a full sheet that was perforated and you would print them on your laser or inkjet printer. The index divider industry has steadily been moving away from the insertable type of divider in favor of ones that are pre-printed or ones where you print directly on the index itself or on the table of contents page. You can still get full sheets of printable tabs for hanging file folder inserts, but not for index divider inserts. I even tried searching for them on Google and Amazon and got no hits whatsoever.
There is no one standard size the way most people mean it when they ask for it. Yes, there are LOTS of “standard” sizes - they are standard in terms of the fact that every rubber band manufacturer is going to make a number 33 (for example) the same size, but there isn’t one size that is the single “standard” size. Our catalog lists the measurements for each size, so you just have to measure the item you want to put the band around and choose the size accordingly.
This one needs a little explanation. We get a lot of requests from people who want a “sheet protector” that is heavier than the heaviest weight they can normally find, with a clear front, a sturdy backing on it, top loading and that is punched to go in a 3-ring binder. That description is actually a combination of a sheet protector and a shop ticket holder. I always start by suggesting the shop ticket holder even though they’re not 3-hole punched and provide an item number to look up on our website if they don’t know what a shop ticket holder is. The response is always the same - “Well, that’s close. It has the backing I want, but I don’t want the grommet at the top. Can you get me this same item in a 3-hole punched version?” Unfortunately, the answer is no. A shop ticket holder is by design intended to be used in a shop and hung on the wall, hence the grommet. The only ones without grommets are the magnetic or adhesive ones, but they’re not 3-hole punched, so that won’t work for this request either. Sheet protectors are punched to go in a 3-ring binder but aren’t heavy enough for what these requesters are looking for - and they don’t have a sturdy backing since it isn’t needed if it’s going in a binder. It’s like the old adage “Fast, Cheap or Good - Pick Two.” You can’t get everything in that description in the same product. Someone could make some decent money if they invented this item.
And lastly…..
Um…….. They’re called permanent markers.
