PNA is a nationally-popular franchise that sells a wide selection of stationery, art and craft materials, books and educational books. Since its foundation in 1992, PNA has expanded to over 100 stores all over South Africa.

We chose PNA for its impressive performance in sales and management, which several associations also acknowledged. In fact, they’ve received awards from the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA) and the South African Small Business Awards.

PNA is also popular for its broad range of products. Customers love that they’re a one-stop shop for everything arts and crafts.

Having several branches nationwide is beneficial to customers, as stores can communicate with one another and share product stocks. Their network ups their credibility and reliability, which is nice.

We love that PNA has affordable prices for their products too. We’re also told it’s cheaper to purchase bulk supplies from this company compared to others.

Our concerns about PNA are mostly regarding their servicing and product organisation.

Firstly, we’re disheartened to hear reports from previous customers about their experience with staff who are unattentive and unhelpful staff. 

Customers complain that some staff members aren’t aware of where to find certain products and how much each item is, which customers find irritating and counterproductive.

Also, customers grumble that product aisles are confusingly arranged, and they found it difficult to look for the drafting material they need.

Office Gear is one of South Africa’s leading arts and crafts and office equipment supplier. They’re 100% Black-owned with a Level 1 B-BBEE accreditation. 

Another thing we found remarkable about the company is its broad collection of products, reaching over 50,000 items. For drafting-specific supplies, Office Gear is loaded and offers variety too.

Their prices are very budget-friendly, too. On top of that, they give big discounts for bulk purchases.

Office Gear also offers weekly discount deals featuring varying stationery and office equipment at a lower price. We also like that they offer delivery free of charge within Gauteng province when customers spend R 500 and above.

Office Gear’s best feature for us is the convenience it offers customers. They made shopping for stationeries, drafting supplies, and other office equipment easier by having an online catalogue which customers can browse and purchase online.

What’s more, Office Gear isn’t limited to what you see in their inventory. They’re able to source out requested products from other suppliers, which is awesome.

Although, we’re iffy about Office Gear’s poor customer communication. Some customers told us that the company’s phone number isn’t working and their emails and messages were left unanswered.

This also gravely affects Office Gear’s schedule of deliveries and updates. There are a handful of complaints from customers regarding their very delayed orders.

Some customers tell us they spend weeks waiting for their purchase. They’re disappointed that there aren’t even updates from the company and the only tracking system is faulty.

Next on our list is Art Board Creative National, more specifically their brand Art Board, which is also one of South Africa’s major supplier of art materials. 

Since its establishment in 1994, Art Board has become popular for being the go-to place for all artists. 

Customers prefer the company for its well-stocked warehouses. They love how the shop has all the major brands and popular materials needed for arts and crafts.

While Art Board’s obvious target market is artists, the shop also has all the necessary materials for drafting. On top of that, they offer quite a variety too, which is nice.

We’re impressed that aside from Art Board, the Art Board Creative National also runs several leading brands under its management, such as Walter Foster, Kohinoor, Folia Paper, and many more.

Because of these partnerships, customers are assured of ready stocks of their favourite supplies.

The shop’s staff is also often praised by previous customers for their friendliness and perceptive service.

However, we spoke with some customers who had inconvenient experiences while at the shop. We’re told products’ prices are not displayed, which is a hassle because customers had to ask an attendant for a price every time.

Also, Art Board’s prices are more expensive than in other stationery and art shops.

Park Avenue Stationers is one of Johannesburg’s biggest and most sought-after supplier for all office and school supply needs. 

One thing we like about this company is its reputation and reliability. They started as a small store in the city over 30 years ago and grew to be a well-established business. 

Impressively, they were successful in their venture to be one of the biggest companies in the industry, not just in Joburg but for all of South Africa. 

On top of that, they’re also one of the leading national wholesalers and retailer for all office and school supplies.

Park Avenue Stationers is highly sought-after for their cheap prices. And while they have physical shops, we love that customers can conveniently shop through Park Avenue Stationers’ website. 

Previous customers commend the company’s swift and safe delivery of their orders. We like that beyond Joburg, they deliver nationwide and internationally as well.

Although, there are several grievances involving Park Avenue Stationers’ on-site staff. We’re told several customers feel ignored after encountering inattentive workers.

Past customers shared how staff members were often too busy talking with each other to assist customers. When called out to help, the staff acted rudely and unprofessionally.

Moreover, several customers had complaints about products not being properly labelled and priced. They found it inconvenient to have to ask an attendant for each item’s details, especially when customers had a lot in their cart.

Kolok Graphic Supplies is a well-known supplier in the city. They specialise in  large-format digital print media and ink, but they also sell a variety of drawing and office materials.

Kolok Graphic Supplies is affiliated with Bidvest, an international entity that works with trading and distribution. They’re listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange list and operate in four continents, including Africa.

Impressively, Kolok Graphic Supplies is actually owned and run by Bidvest Paperplus, a Bidvest division and a high-performing company that specialises in printing, packaging, and stationery supply. 

Their reputation and solid track record is one of the reasons why customers prefer Kolok Graphic Supplies. We like that their stores have everything, even a list of choices for drafting and tracing media materials.

On top of that, Kolok Graphic Supplies is also recommended for its fair product pricing, especially for bulk buyers.

However, we have some issues concerning the company’s servicing. Previous customers complained about the very long waiting period they had to endure before completing their transaction..

We’re dispirited to hear customers spend hours in line – definitely even longer than how long they spent putting things in their cart, which is unacceptable.

Apparently, deliveries aren’t any better too. Aside from overdue deliveries, customers grumble that Kolok Graphic Supplies’ tracker isn’t accurate and is often down.