I love Staples. There, I said it. The reason I do is that if I need anything ‘officey’ they have a solid selection, I can earn my 5x from the Chase Ink Bold, and I can Plink them too. If was actually seeking to buy something with real money the rebates are pretty insane there:
- Pay with 5x Ultimate Rewards from Chase Ink Bold
- Link that Chase Ink Bold to Staples via Plink.com for more kickbacks
- Shop through a rewards portal for 2-5% more
- Use the Staples Rewards loyalty program for another 5%
I’ve not done the math, but I am pretty sure most everything there becomes free after all that. Alright, maybe closer to a 20% rebate, but if you then add on Free After Rebate purchases or Tax Deductions for legitimate business expenses this place is heaven for a spendthrift.
My problem though, is that despite these massive rebates and refunds I simply cannot spend enough real money at Staples, since I started playing with the Ink Recycling Rewards game there I have a constant balance of at least $150-$200 of store credit to spend. For a while I was buying nice things for myself, such as new laptops, or tablets, then I was reselling them, but now I am maxed out of gadgets, and I’m a little tired of buying and reselling. Here’s a list of some cool things that Staples sells that might be worth a look:
Bathroom Supplies
These guys do a great deal on bathroom supplies, you can pick up things like Toilet Paper, Laundry Detergent, Dishwasher Liquid, etc. The prices on some of these things are pretty reasonable too, since they tend to discount things like toilet paper, and having them shipping enough to supply the English Rugby Team after a night out on Brick Lane saves a lot of hassles too.
Pet Food
No clue why this would be stocked by an Office Supply store, and frankly a lot of the prices are a bit steep. However, you can do quite well if you find a discount code or coupon that can apply to your entire order, since this category is not excluded from such things, unlike a lot of the nicer tech items. The other benefit is shipping, since you can order in bulk and leverage the free shipping options that are available.
They stock a lot of the premium brand foods, you know, the kind that you wish you were eating yourself at that price, but they also stock Alpo for dogs which is more reasonably priced. I found overall the prices to be something around 50% higher than the cheapest possible option, but when you factor in the free shipping, and $40 per month of ‘free money’ it’s actually not a bad proposition. They also sell dog houses for when the man of the house gets into trouble!
Home Appliances
Staples has a wide range of appliance, offering things from a Toaster oven to a Kegerator a couple that caught our eye recently were the Sodastream Machines and Keurig Coffee Makers. Some of these can be sweet deals as they frequently run sales campaigns where you get a free giftcard. I found this out by surprise when I bought a Sodastream recently using Reward Credit and they issued me $20 back for the purchase!
Outdoor LivingGear
They don’t have a lot, but a couple of tents and some outdoor chairs is a lot more than I would expect from an office supply store – pretty neat! If camping isn’t your thing, and your idea of some quality outdoor time revolves around a margarita by the pool they have some pretty high end patio furniture too.
Other weird crap
I saw things like Paint, Lightbulbs, snacks and all manner of other interesting things – how about an Iron and Ironing Board?
I think that the variety of products that staples offers is very interesting, especially when you consider spend multipliers and very attractive loyalty programs. Even if some items appear a little overpriced for the market, with proper planning and the right tools you can wipe out the budget for pet food, or toiletries in the home which puts a lot more money back in your pocket.
As I was writing this, I noticed that Staples is running a ‘What the L’ campaign to do exactly what I am here, bring more attention to what other things they sell, this is a good sign and worth watching, as we may be able to get a lot more interesting products from our friendly neighborhood office supply store.
I’m not a CPA, but I am a tax professional. I think your strategy would be okay since you would have a cost basis. The IRS just doesn’t want you to write off “free” tickets. I haven’t seen this exact situation so there is still risk that the IRS would disagree.
Hi Andy,
Exactly, the basis is what differentiates it for me, but I too would go into such a strategy with the knowledge that it might require a fight to get through…
Cheers,
Matt
Agree and disagree:
We primarily use Marcal paper products, and Staples has a steep mark-up over the grocery store.
We have purchased a Sodastream from Staples as a housewarming gift, mainly for the points back. The price seems stable across retailers.
Yep, I see more standardized pricing along their tech product lines too, but for someone who does the recycling program like myself I think that even with a markup there is a valid argument for ‘buying’ things you need, like the loo roll, rather than other options – I found that I have enough gadgets, and when you then look at buying something to resell even if the base price is competitive the shipping and handling time/charge plus discounted sale price and auction fees make having a case of toilet paper delivered to your home a great idea.
I too ran some numbers and had a bunch of cleaning products and paper towels delivered for cheap. There are deals to be had 🙂
Matt,
I’m a Staples fan as well :). Don’t forget to check their coupons page too – you can often get 10%-20% off purchases, up to 25% off cleaning/breakroom products. 15% off Bounty towels now if you’re running low. Also don’t forget they will price match B&M stores plus Amazon, so if you see a good deal elsewhere go to Staples and get the Ink Bold points and 5% rewards.
Yeah those coupons are real winners -I have some credit expiring in Jan and am holding out for a better one to arrive. I liked the ‘fits in a bag’ promo but forget if that was online or not, with some of the bigger ticket items that they are showing that can be quite a powerful coupon.
Anyone remember the office supply store catalogs that would be around the office years ago? The secretary knew she could order things from there and a) it would be approved easy and b) she didn’t have to shlep things back from the store.
Same idea here – make a single point of purchase for small businesses. From your PC, order more printer paper… and break room supplies at the same time, it’ll all be delivered and be done with it or order the paper online and then go to the supermarket for the 100 Styrofoam cups, K-cups, sugar, stirrers, etc. and maybe have to lay out the money, wait to be reimbursed cause she doesn’t have a company credit card (she’s ordering online from staples with the boss’ card or a purchase order?)
Nah! I’d go in their stores and see all those things you wouldn’t expect and high prices, but then that huge office supply printed catalog would flash in my mind. The employee isn’t concerned about the cost – they want their lunchtime to be free
I need a toaster oven 😉 ! Does Staples match Costco prices? Hard to believe TP is a better deal than at Costco….
I’m not too sure on the price matching rules- maybe Big Habitat might know..?
They will match Costco.com online price for sure. The only problem is that Costco models often are slightly different that the ones sold in other stores (they often have a bundle, etc). I tried to match a Nikon D5100 bundle but it was denied only because Costco’s bundle included MORE items than Staples.
The policy says the retail stores will match other “brick and mortar stores”, which Costco should qualify. Here is their policy:
Staples retail stores will price match prices at brick–n–mortar retail stores and at Staples.com.
Staples.com will price match prices at select competitors’ websites and Staples’ retail stores. These select competitors are: Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Office Depot, Office Max, Quill, Medical Arts Press, Reliable, Sam’s Club, Wal–mart, WB Mason and Xerox. Items must be sold and shipped by one of these competitors.
Great info – thanks for this!
Ditto! I wish my husband was as aware of things like TP purchases as you guys are 😉 !
Staples had a great in-store sale on toilet paper and paper towels early in 2013–we went around to several stores, bought up whatever they had and it supplied us through most of the year.
On a tangentially related note, I noticed Best Buy carries toothbrushes now.