I've go to Staples once a year to refresh my office supplies. They have an excellent array of all types of office necessities. But do they put to large of a price tag on their goods? Does anyone know if their is a cheaper alternative to staples? I'd like to save some money, as little as it would be
Yes, I do think that they have a higher price tag. I will often buy my office suppliers from cheaper stores, because it really doesn't matter about the quality of items that I use at all, so I prefer to use cheaper things that won't take a lot of my money. I do most of my work on a computer, so I only need cheap paper and pens to make notes with a lot of the time, so I can certainly get away with not bothering to spend money on overpriced items.
Staples are well overpriced in my opinion. Many of the things there can be bought much more cheaply in pound shops and discount stores. Supermarkets are almost always cheaper too so it could be worth checking out what's on offer next time you go grocery shopping.
Yes, Staples is more often than not, not very cost effective. It took me forever to realise this. So I ditched it and started buying stuff from either pound shops or supermarkets. Best decision I ever made.
I find Staples prices fairly high. It depends on what you are after, as far as alternatives, but you may find the items for less on Amazon or a store online catering to office supplies. Staples online is a bit more affordable I think, and I recently bought a toner cartridge and paper was able to use ebates for cash back.
Staples is a little over priced, but you can find the odd bargain and buying in bulk offers. They also offer business discounts which is why companies use them. It really depends on what you need and use. Buying online can work out cheaper with coupons and discount codes, but Staples does carry more stock and they can order in items that are harder to find.
Pretty much all the brick and mortar retailers are feeling the squeeze of online shopping. Once numerous sites such as Amazon have opened our eyes to much wider selections, multiple vendors, and competitive pricing, it's a harder pill to swallow paying such high prices for things at places like Staples. Admittedly I seldom buy much from there any more. The only things I would still continue to buy there would be office furniture, since I need to try it out in person to make sure it's comfortable and durable, and things like office chairs are the right height with the desks I am using. But other items, such as pens and stationary I don't use much anymore to begin with, but if it's not too heavy, I can often get it cheaper by just ordering it online. In terms of electronics, they often carry outdated stuff that's been sitting on their shelves for months if not years. I would rather choose from a selection of the latest models of something online instead. One recent example of how overpriced they are would be when I was shopping around for a set of replacement wheels for my office chair. My existing ones had worn out and broken. I called them up to ask if they sold them, and they said yes, but a set of 5 was like $36. That's practically a third of the cost of a whole new chair. Instead I went on Amazon and found a comparable set for only $5.99 plus like $4 shipping. I've been using these wheels for nearly a year now and I'm so glad I didn't buy them at Staples and overpay for them.
Staples, to me, is exactly like the expensive grocery stores in town as well as CVS. If you shop their sales, you will find things cheaper than anywhere else. But if you just need to run in and grab something that isn't on sale, it is going to be 3 times more than it should be. I'm totally fine with that though. I will always shop sales and other people buying things for retail price will keep my stores in business so I can continue to save. Staples has a bunch of "staples easy rebates" that if you watch them, you will frequently get things for completely free. I haven't paid for printer paper in over 3 years. Their back to school sales start in July, and if you watch each week and only buy the featured items that are under $1, by the end of august you will have everything on your kids' back to school list. They honor Office Depot coupons and have 110% price matching guarantee... so I feel like there's basically no way you can lose at Staples.
They're the same as any specialty store, regardless of their size. They carry a particular kind of item - even if 'office supplies' is a pretty damned large category - and so they knock up their prices. I seldom buy stuff from Staples. Their prices aren't ridiculous, but I know that I can pick up most of that same stuff from a dollar store or online. I typically only go to Staples for printer cartridges, as there aren't many other places 'round here where they can be found.
Yes they do! I can find so much more for less at Office Depot or at the Dollar Tree. I don't know how Staples has stayed in business so long. Everyone knows that they are so freakin expensive.
The last time I made a purchase at Staples was probably about 7 years ago. There is no longer a store in my area, so I do not get to shop their often. My last purchase was a wireless router that was on sale. I was skeptical because the price seemed extremely low for that type of product, but I took the risk. Later that day, I saw that same router in Walmart for about $40 more. So, I was super excited when I realized the deal I had gotten. I have not had any problems with my router and it turned out to be one of great quality.
The other thing is that places like Staples can get away with higher prices to some extent, because a good portion of the people shopping there for their workplace are often sent there with the "company credit card" - and they may not really be as price conscious as an individual consumer shopping for themselves. In other words, someone may just give them a list of things to get and send them off to get it, not questioning the cost of each thing and if it may be available cheaper somewhere else. I know sometimes when I was sent off to get office supplies by my employer, I would sometimes splurge on the better fancier pens that I liked, or the nicer office chair for my desk, etc...
Wow, that comparison is just ridiculous! I mean, I can understand high street retailers feeling the pinch from the success of online sellers, but the difference between $5.99 (£10 with shipping) and $36 is way too much! I think the future is online shopping, for sure. As for Staples being so expensive, it wasn't always the case. Perhaps it's also feeling the pinch of online stores 'stealing' the business from right under their noses and hiking their prices to compensate for their loss of business. IDK
Staples is expensive to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the wide selection they have, but I prefer to shop at Dollar Stores or Office Depot for my office supplies. However, if there's a really great sale on an item, you can find me in Staples.
This post is spot on, if you ask me. That's how I would describe it. Staples is overpriced, but when they offer discounts they sometimes do a really good job of it. I'm sure those items are a "draw" to get people in the door. I find this with quite a few stores actually, so I try to watch the ads and take advantage of featured items. Walmart will have a few really, really cheap back to school items as well, such as spiral notebooks. I think I paid 17 cents each for those last year. Other than the really good sales, I don't usually shop at Staples any more. I find that I can usually get many comparable items for a lot less. I'll have to give the price match a look though.
