Best way to get components for a new electronics lab

I recently joined a lab that is still in the process of getting set up. Our approach to acquiring electrical components (e.g. resistors, caps, opamps, etc.) so far has been to just wait until we decide we need something, and then when we do need it we buy a bunch of that component, along with maybe some related components. Unfortunately, I'm finding that this work flow leads to a lot of time spent waiting for parts to arrive. So my (soft) question is: What's the best way to stock a new lab with (standard) electronics components? Are there e.g. kits one can buy, or should I just go systematically through a vendor website and buy 20 of everything I could possibly need? (Or perhaps the approach we are taking is best, and we should just suffer with it for a month or two until we are eventually all stocked up...)