The  CARGO  also  carries  a  list  of  ship’s  store items  that  are  of  high  use  on  ship’s  store  afloat stocking plans. When your ship is in CONUS, you will  use  the  nearest  naval  supply  center  (NSC). NAVRESSO/Fleet Assistance Representatives Whenever you have problems in the procure- ment of certain stock items, NAVRESSO will pro- vide assistance to you upon request. You should submit  a  purchase  order  for  money  value  only. NAVRESSO  will  take  procurement  action  along any  lines  you  request  and  will  forward  the  desired materials  to  your  ship. You can also acquire technical guidance from NAVRESSO’s   fleet   assistance   representatives. Upon request, the master and senior chief petty officers NAVRESSO has positioned in port areas will  provide  you  with  technical  assistance  for  your own   procurement   operations.   As   mentioned earlier,  you  can  acquire  NAVRESSO  assistance by telephone, by desk visits to the fleet assistance office  in  your  area,  or  by  a  written  request  for an  advisory  visit  to  be  made  to  your  ship. You  should  consult  your  NAVSUP  P-487  for a  complete  listing  of  fleet  assistance  offices  and their  locations.  You  should  submit  any  written requests  for  assistance  by  following  the  procedures listed in NAVSUP P-487 and the instructions of your  ship  (or  local  command). SHIP’S  DEPLOYMENT The next major factor you should consider in stocking   the   ship’s   store   is   the   operational schedule  of  your  ship.  You  should  carefully anticipate  the  length  of  deployment,  the  area  of operation,  holiday  seasons,  the  weather  in  the area,  and  other  considerations  before  your  ship actually  departs  from  its  home  port.  Normally, you  can  use  past  experience  to  prepare  for  a deployment. A 90-day supply of stock will usually be  adequate. Under   special   operating   conditions   or emergency  deployment,  stock  increases  are  usually necessary  for  the  following  categories. Confection   and   food   products Fountain  supplies,  if  applicable Smoking  products  and  accessories Stationery  supplies Barber,  laundry,  dry-cleaning,  and  tailor supplies as required Sundries Toiletries Vending  machine  supplies When  your  ship  is  deployed  to  an  overseas area,   you   can   increase   your   inventory   in   an amount necessary to stock sufficient quantities of deployed  load  items,  as  listed  in  your  Con- solidated  Afloat  Requisitioning  Guide  Overseas (CARGO). As  mentioned  earlier,  when  your  inventory limitation  is  increased,  as  authorized  by  special operating conditions or by deployment, you must forward  a  letter  report  to  NAVRESSO,  with  a copy  to  the  type  commander.  The  report  must contain   the   following   information. Monetary  value  of  the  increase Reason  for  the  increase   The period for which the increase is taken Number  of  personnel  on  board The increase should be included in the inventory control  records  in  the  Authorized  Increase  col- umn. Remember, your inventories will generally be maintained at the prescribed levels unless an increase is otherwise authorized in support of the operational  needs  of  your  ship.  For  additional information on authorized increases, consult your NAVSUP  P-487. PROCUREMENT  RESOURCES  AND METHODS  FOR  SHIP’S STORE STOCK In  previous  sections,  you  have  read  how  to determine what merchandise is authorized, how to  maintain  effective  control  of  stock,  and  how to  use  various  resources  including  technical assistance to help you decide what to order. Once you  have  made  those  decisions,  your  problem  then becomes  one  of  deciding  how  and  from  what source   you   should   procure   the   merchandise desired. As  a  senior  Ship’s  Serviceman,  you  will  be expected   to   assist   the   ship’s   store   officer 4-14