What the STORES?!
Most EE students are probably already familiar with the STORES. We provide electronic components without the long shipment times of AliExpress or restrictions on the minimal quantity. While most will know that all parts and their stock are available on our website, not many people know that you can order specific components or 3D prints for cheap as well.
The STORES gets its stock from mainly the following suppliers: Nedis, TME, Mouser, Farnell, RS and Aliexpress. Each of these suppliers are assigned a procurement officer from the STORES. These procurement officers keep an eye on the stock from the STORES and order components whenever the order is large enough to circumvent shipment costs. This is where the order form comes in: The suppliers have many more other components that the STORES does not keep in stock. With the order form you can ask for parts to be ordered along with the regular stock. The STORES will still apply a margin but by not paying the shipment cost of 20 euros at some suppliers, makes this a great option for smaller orders.
Figure 1: The administrator happily showing a STORES bag
Since a couple of years, the STORES also has their very own 3D-printer. You can order your very own print there at the low cost of the just the filament with margin and some of our members’ free time. Our printer uses PLA, which means your prints will be able to withstand up to 60 °C and the maximum dimensions we can print are 30x30x40 (LxWxH) in cm. Our 3D-print team will generally check for things like clearance and orientation to ensure the print comes out correct and doesn’t take too long. However, you can also reach out to them if you need any advice on your design or need help with anything 3D-print related.
Now some of you may be wondering what this margin I’ve been mentioning is all about. Margins are used to make profit, but the STORES is not supposed to make any profit. Instead, it is used for writing off or discounting items that are discontinued, for the development of kits and samples for new stock. An example of one of these kits is the Christmas tree which you might be familiar with. The margin is currently at 20% and changes depending on how much profit or loss the STORES made last year. This margin is halved for all full STORES members regardless of whether they have an extra function like procurement officer or are part of the 3D-printing team. So, if you want to save money on your hobby projects, learn how to use a 3D-printer or just want some banter during the break while selling components, come join the STORES!
