Use the equpiment properly, for offices, not for mischief! (staples.co.uk)

Member Name: KingHerrod

Product:	staples.co.uk
Date:	29/06/02 (1609 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See text

Disadvantages: See text

Geoffrey, my live in companion who also happens to be a mohican giraffe is going through an artistic phase at the moment. Well, he likes to draw on things, mainly Bradley the permanently sad looking basset hound's face, but Geoffrey thinks that this is artistic. Of course both Geoffrey and Bradley go to school at a secret location in London and so they need all those stationary type items, high lighter pens, folders, pencils, pencil sharpeners, rubbers [ohhhh errr misses!] "Geoffrey shut up, you don't even really know what you are ohhh erring at!" I will re-phrase, erasers, sellotape (which Geoffrey thinks it is amusing to use on Bradley's mouth!), drawing pins (lets not go there, except you had better check any chair that you are about to sit on in our house), paper clips, staplers ["Can I use those to staple Bradley to wall?"] "Geoffrey you can't, how comes you are being so nasty to your friend?" Sigh, well you get the drift, Staples stocks a whole range of office equipment and stationary related items, including printers, printer cartridges, scanners, digital cameras, fax machines, basic computer software, lap tops, floppy discs and even office furniture. As I sit typing, my desk is from Staples.

I normally shop there in one of two ways, I either order by phone from their comprehensive catalogue, or pay a visit to their huge warehouse type store at Staples corner in North London.

PRICES

One of my major reasons for shopping here - they are generally the most competitive in this field for prices and if you order anything in bulk then there are large discounts. The way their catalogue ordering system is set up they seem to be aimed at the small business, but if you have kids going off for a new year at school, or do any kind of work from home it is well worth a check. A shredder, I purchased recently was £10 cheaper than Argos and my new Hewlett Packard printer was £15 cheaper than in
Dixons. So they score heavy plus points for being so competitive in their pricing. So confident are they of being the cheapest, they operate a price promise, if you see any product purchased from Staples, available at a cheaper price within 14 days of your purchase, Staples say that they will refund 50% of the difference up to £25. I have not had to use this, because I have never seen anything cheaper, but it is there should you do so and feel slightly peaked.

ORDERING

You can obtain your free catalogue by telephoning 0800 14 14 14, once it arrives, simply note down the item numbers that you want and call the same number. One of the reasons that I like this shop so much is that the operators at the end of the line are always polite and there is never a long wait to get through. Moreover, the people seem to know about the products that they are selling and you can actually ask them questions and get what seems like sensible answers. It is a smooth, painless and well-run process.

You can also order by FAX: 0800 14 15 16, or by post.

DELIVERY

This is always next working day (unless it is furniture and is then within 14 days) and if you order £30 worth of goods, excluding VAT or over, then delivery is free. Any order under the £30, will cost £2.85 plus VAT for delivery.

Staples have always met their delivery promise with my orders. I have used them about 6 or 7 times for general orders and once for furniture and so I can recommend the firm on this ground as well.

You can specify a time slot for delivery on the day, but they do not always manage to keep it, although they have, in my experience, managed to be pretty close. They lose a star just for this small minus point, it can, if you are working from home be awkward to have to wait in all day for a parcel.

QUALITY OF PRODUCT

Staples stock many of the leading names, but they also do their own brand products, for example printer pape
r, once again I have no qualms with the quality of anything that I have purchased, including their own brand products. Furthermore the firm offers a 12-month guarantee on everything purchased from them - this includes products where the manufacturer does not offer a warranty at all. Admittedly it is at Staples discretion whether they replace it, repair it or refund you, but the guarantee is there. But, another sign of the quality of the merchandise is the fact that I have never had to take advantage of this.

PAYMENT

Obviously in store you can pay by cash, cheque, debit card or credit card, when ordering from the catalogue you are restricted to credit or debit card. If you run a small business, you may be interested in a Staples' business account, which gives 60 days free credit, a VAT invoice for your firm for each transaction you make and no charges, unless of course you are late in paying or breach one of the terms and conditions. You would need to enquire with Staples for details of interest rates and terms and conditions as I have not used this facility.

THE STORES

These are warehouse in design and usually feature a slightly more display orientated feel solely for their furniture. Everything else is laid out in product specific aisles, but the stores are big and not very exciting and unless you really need to go and see the item that you are purchasing then I would recommend the telephone ordering and the delivery service.

Like the phone lines, the staff are helpful and friendly and the Staples corner store is always spotless, I suppose the place feels sterile, but hey this is an office supply store, what do you expect.

OVERALL

If you use any kind of office equipment at home and think about it you probably do, even if it is just printer paper and cartridges, the odd set of envelopes and paper pads, I would recommend doing a few bulk orders from Staples, it saves money in the long run and th
ey are efficient and have an excellent product range. If you have kids, this is a great place to get those stationary basics in one yearly shop and if you run a small business or are a one-man band this firm should still fulfil all your needs in a one-stop shop. The small solicitors office that I worked in as a youngster used this firm and never had one complaint or one wrongly sent or missed item, in my time there - I should know I had to check and put all the damn stuff away.

I would even say that the catalogue is worth a look for other more odds and ends house related stuff, such as batteries. Anything that your office needs is likely to be here, including things like bulk tubs of coffee, plastic cups and all those condiment type things.

I recommend them, though be careful what your magical live in animals get up to with the products - mischief is chiefly what happens in my house. Sigh, I just looked into the next room and Bradley is sellotaped to the chair. "Just coming old chap, GEOFFREY, get in here now!"

That number again 0800 14 14 14. They do have a web-site that you could go and browse at www.staples.co.uk, you cannot purchase from it, but it will help find your nearest store and you can order your catalogue from there. I find the telephone ordering service so useful that, I wouldn't order from the web site even if it were possible.

Summary: