Maybe Focusing On School Supplies Will Help Staples Cope After Failed Merger Image courtesy of Mike Mozart
Here’s a mind-boggling number: this year, American families are predicted to spend $540 billion on back-to-school shopping, or roughly the gross domestic product of Belgium. Where will they spend that money? Staples is still coming off a rough breakup after the Federal Trade Commission stood in the way of its proposed merger with OfficeMax, and really hopes that you spend some of your money there.
The retailer has added 1,000 more products to its online catalog for consumers, keeping in mind that back-to-school supplies now mean notebooks and pencils, but also electronics. The company also reminded Bloomberg about its same-day delivery, part of an effort to compete with same-day delivery from companies like Amazon while using the fleet of delivery vehicles and drivers that the company already has.
Shoppers are expected to be bargain-conscious this back-to-school season, and Staples kicked off its back-to-school promotions back in June, before school is even out in some parts of the country. They’re also heavily promoting bargains, like a deal that gives you 25% off any supplies that you buy along with a backpack, and price-matching with other retailers.
Staples Looks to Rebound From Failed Merger With Back-to-School Season [Bloomberg]
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