A day after it was reported that Staples and Office Depot had entered into advanced talks about a merger, it appears one of the companies popped the big question. Staples will buy Office Depot for $6.3 billion in cash and stock in a deal to bring the No. 1 and No. 2 office supply chains together to do battle with big box stores and online retailers. [More]
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Staples, Office Depot Take Another Step Toward Merger, Enter “Advanced Talks”
By 2.3.15
Just weeks after activist investor Starboard Value publicly demanded Staples and Office Depot get hitched, the two office supply stores are apparently taking talks of a walk down the aisle seriously. [More]
Investor Demands Staples, Office Depot Begin Courting, Hoping To Hear Wedding Bells Soon
By 1.20.15
There’s a fine line between offering helpful suggestions and aggressively pushing for someone to do what you want. When it comes to activist investors Starboard Value, they tend to fall squarely in the latter camp – who can forget their harsh words for Olive Garden and ruthless take over of its board of directors? The firm appears to be back at it by not-so-nicely suggesting that Staples get a move on with regard to a possible merger with Office Depot. [More]
Is In-Store Pickup Any Faster Than Just Shopping At The Store?
By 12.30.14
For years, an increasing number of retailers have been pushing their “buy online, pickup in store” (BOPIS, for all you acronym lovers) option as a expedient option that offers the convenience of online shopping without the hassle of having to search the aisles. But is it really any faster than traditional bricks-and-mortar shopping? [More]
Staples Confirms 1.16 Million Cards Breached In 115 Stores
By 12.22.14
Back in October, big-box office-supply retailer Staples announced that it was investigating a possible customer payment data breach. The results of that investigation are in: yes, the payment systems of some Staples stores were breached. [More]
Office Supply Marriage? Investor Reportedly Pushing For Staples, Office Depot Merger
By 12.11.14
Just a few months after roundly mocking Olive Garden and then seizing seats on its board of directors, the activist investors at Starboard Value are reportedly hoping to arrange the marriage of office supply retailers Staples and Office Depot. [More]
Report: Payment Information Breaches At Staples And Michaels May Be Linked
By 11.17.14
It’s no longer surprising news when hackers infiltrate the systems of a brick-and-mortar retailer and run off with our credit card numbers. Shoppers have come to expect that kind of thing as a normal part of shopping. However, it’s interesting (and a bit scary) to note that two relatively small breaches at national chains could be linked. [More]
JCPenney Will Open At 5 P.M. On Thanksgiving Day For People Who Sort Of Like Their Families
By 11.5.14
JCPenney is apparently 11 hours less desperate for business than discount retailer Kmart, but 3 hours more desperate than it was last year. The department store chain announced today that it will open at 5 PM on Thanksgiving Day. Last year, it opened at 8 P.M. on the holiday. [More]
Staples Latest National Retailer Investigating Possible Data Breach
By 10.21.14
Office supply store Staples may be joining the likes of Dairy Queen, Jimmy Johns and Home Depot as the latest national retailer to be hit with a cyberattack. [More]
Let’s All Breathe A Sigh Of Relief That These Paper Clips Packed In A Huge Box Arrived Safely
By 9.22.14
When you’re expecting a box of paper clips in the mail, there are some very tense moments where one must come face to face with the reality that those paper clips might arrive damaged, unable to clip pieces of paper to each other. Breathe easy, folks — ordering from Staples means those fragile metal clips will get from point A to point B safely, thanks to the help of a huge box and plenty of air pouches. Whew. [@DsladeNews on Twitter] [More]
Raiders Of The Lost Walmart Need To Mail This Rebate Before July 1, 2004
By 8.29.14
Do you have a slightly older computer that would work with slightly old anti-virus software? If so, stop by your nearest big-box store. The Raiders of the Lost Walmart, brave seekers of retail antiquities, have found large caches of ancient security programs for sale at big-box discount and office supply stores. [More]
Staples Will Keep Closing Stores, Nobody Is Surprised
By 8.22.14
Earlier this year, Staples announced plans to close 225 underperforming store due to poor performance. Almost six months later, the office supply retailer hasn’t managed to turn things around, mostly because consumers are looking elsewhere for most of the things they would buy at Staples. Especially electronics. Turning things around will be a difficult task, since the chain plans aggressive discounts to lure customers back in. [More]
Staples Launches Back-To-School Campaign Just As School Gets Out
By 6.24.14
Staples, the big-box office and school-supplies superstore, isn’t messing around. Sure, the school year hasn’t even ended for the summer in all places in the company’s home state of Massachusetts, but that doesn’t matter. Nope. Staples wants your back-to-school business, and will price-match anyone, even Amazon, to get it. [More]
Postal Workers Preparing To Protest Against Staples’ New In-Store Mailing Services
By 4.23.14
What’s a postal worker to do when a company that isn’t the United States Postal Service starts offering USPS products and using its own employees to sell those services? Prepare to protest, which is what the American Postal Workers Union is going to do on Thursday at 50 Staples stores. [More]
Staples Now Testing In-Store 3D Printing
By 4.11.14
In an earlier, more simpler time when color printing was costly (and when people still printed things out), many consumers and small businesses used Staples and other office supply stores to fulfill their printing and copying needs. Can they do the same for 3D printing? Staples is willing to find out by dipping its toe into the 3D-printed waters with a pair of in-store tests. [More]
Staples To Close 225 Stores Over Next 20 Months
By 3.6.14
There’s bad news for employees of another major national retailer after Staples announced this morning that it plans to shutter 225 of its stores before the end of 2015 as it tries to cut costs and deal with sagging sales. [More]
Staples Offers $5 Check To Take Stupid Survey, Won’t Give Me $5
By 2.12.14
Guy received an invitation from Staples to take a survey. Surveys can be tedious and not very fun, but five bucks is five bucks. He followed the link and completed what he calls a “long, redundant, poorly designed survey.” He kept going because there was a check for him at the end. Then he reached the end, and learned that there would be no reward for him. [More]
Is Staples Cutting Employee Hours Ahead of Affordable Healthcare Act?
By 1.10.14
Is it a case of following old rules, or a way to skirt paying part-time employees healthcare? That’s the question for Staples this week as a memo surfaced advising managers not to schedule part-time employees for more than 25 hours a week. Under the Affordable Healthcare Act, which takes effect next year, employees working more than 30 hours a week are considered full-time and eligible for affordable healthcare through their employer. [More]
