Would a scientist pay a million dollars for an urgent order?

Order requests can be well planned, normal, ASAP, or URGENT.According to Merian-Webster, "urgent" means calling for immediate attention.Scientists, when requesting an order for lab supplies, here are suggestions for using urgent vs ASAP vs normal vs well planned.

I plan well, >1 week

Scientists placing these are awesome people who plan well ahead of time for their experiments.This order will be processed after shopping around, supplier negotiation, and will generally be processed within 36-48 hours.This is also the default for capital equipment requests, custom items, and items with long lead times.

Normal

Orders can sit for a bit, there's time to go shopping (which can take a day or two). Scientists will have an opportunity  to change their mind about the item or quantity requested. These are placed within 6-36 hours of the request.

"Can you order more MAP1 antibody. I'm good for about 1 more week."

ASAP

Orders are given priority but assume delivery will be > or = 2 days, at best. The request should include a need-by date.  We'll make it happen.

"Hi HappiLabs. We made a change to the experiment. Please order a pack of 30cc syringes. It will be very helpful to have them by Friday."

URGENT

The order is critical to a scientist's workflow and needs to get there next day.A Virtual Lab Manager will drop everything, including your teammates requests. You want our primary focus on getting that order in ahead of a supplier's shipping cutoff time, onto a UPS plane, into a truck stuck in traffic, unloaded at your receiving door, signed for, and carried from the door to your lab.

"URGENT. What can you do to get me a replacement light bulb for the microscope by tomorrow morning? All work is stopped until we get a new bulb."

On average, URGENT will cost you $62 in extra shipping costs. Sometimes it'll cost you a MILLION dollars

 

Is it really URGENT?

Urgent is NOT

• Pipette tips. It is not flasks. It is not gloves. Inventory for these requisite consumables should be planned well ahead of time.
• Custom items requiring weeks of lead time to fulfill.
• Office supplies
• Snacks

Help us help you by selecting the right shipping speed, maintaining a smooth virtual lab manager workflow, and use URGENT only when it's urgent.