How to Save Money at Staples
More and more people are jumping on board with the idea of home offices. In fact, many people without a dedicated home office room still reserve some space in their home for office supplies, even if it is just a desk or nook. And with the growing popularity of home offices over the past few decades, there’s been a growing demand for office supplies and accessories. Staples has benefitted from this trend and has grown as well. With its huge selection and affordable prices, Staples has become a favorite stop for many people outfitting an office space.
Staples’ everyday prices are very reasonable, so it doesn’t take a lot of extra work to get a great deal. However, with a little extra effort you can turn nearly every purchase into a great discount. Here are our top shopping strategies to save money without sacrificing quality and selection at Staples.
Join Staples Rewards
- The free Staples Rewards Program is very similar to other store loyalty rewards program. Complete a simple registration by providing your name, address, phone number, and email address and enjoy perks and benefits that make it worth your time to sign up for the program. There are lots of benefits that come from Staples Rewards, including:
- 2% back on all purchases. Every purchase you make at Staples earns 2% back in Staples Rewards, which can be redeemed in store credit that can be used on almost anything in the store. Reward vouchers are issued in $5 monthly increments, but they keep rolling over each month until you have enough money to cash out or until the end of the following calendar quarter. One example of this is if you went to Staples today and purchased $500 in merchandise, you would get $10 added to your Staples Rewards account. That reward would be issued at the end of the month, at which time you could use it on anything in the store. Note the 2% reward bonus doesn’t apply to postage stamps, prepaid phone cards, gift cards, and third-party website orders made on Staples.com).
- Free shipping on all orders. It’s rare to find a site that will ship everything for free, so this perk definitely makes Staples Rewards stand out. Instead of paying for shipping or having to spend a certain amount to qualify for free shipping on other sties, you can order anything and know it will ship for free.
- Rewards for ink recycling. For every $30 you spend on ink or toner within 180 days at Staples, you will earn $2 back in rewards, which will be added to your monthly amount.
- Bonus rewards events. Staples occasionally offers rewards members bonus points if they buy a certain item in a certain timeframe. You can automatically upgrade your account to Plus by spending $500 to $1,000 at Staples over the course of a year. Plus rewards members get 3% back in Rewards on all purchases, as well as $25 in free print and copy services and a free diagnostic check on a device by a Staples’ tech expert. Spend more than $1,000 at Staples in a year and you’ll also get exclusive savings offers and $20 towards a year of tech support.
Use Promo Codes and Coupons
Staples offers a large amount of printable coupons and online coupon codes in the coupon section of Staples.com. New coupons are released every week, so it can pay off to check back regularly. Printable coupons can be used online or in store, while promo codes can only be used online. Check Dealspotr before shopping at Staples to see the newest coupons. Note that Staples doesn’t accept manufacturer’s coupons.
Staples coupons fall into two categories. “Transaction coupons” include storewide coupons that discount an entire purchase. “Product coupons” include coupons that only work on a specific product. You can only use one transaction coupon per order and one product coupon per item. Product coupons can’t be applied to sale items or used with instant savings promotions.
Staples coupons generally come with a large list of exclusions, including Apple products, Bose products, or mobile phone products or services. Visit Staples.com for a full list of exclusions.
Shop Staples.com Daily Deals, Clearance, and Deal Center
Staples gives customers lots of ways to save online. One of the best and most popular areas is the Daily Deals page, which features a new discount every day. Although not every discount is amazing, it can be worth it to check the site quickly every morning. Before making a Daily Deal purchase, be sure to read the disclaimer so you are aware of the exclusions.
Another option is the Staples.com clearance section, which can occasionally have better discounts than the Daily Deals page. Staples.com has a huge clearance selection, and it can be time consuming to sort through all of the items, but it pays off with discounts regularly up to 90% off.
For a simpler way to save on Staples.com, try the Deals Center, which arranges sale items by category and makes it easy to search for a specific item or category.
.Staples sends printed circulars in the mail or local newspaper, but it also publishes the weekly promotions on its website. Be sure to enter the right address to get the most recent ad.
Use Staples Rebates
Staples is one of the best stores out there for rewards, and looking at the Staples.com rebate section can be well worth your time. Rebates typically apple to a specific brand or type of product. After making the purchase, you usually have to fill out a form online or by mail and provide proof or purchase. Within a few weeks, you’ll receive a check back for a portion of what you spent on the product.
The best way to find rebates is on Staples.com, where you can search by product keyword, brand, SKU, or rebate number to see eligible rebates and track the status of your submitted rebates. Before making a large purchase at Staples, be sure to check the rebate section. There are typically a large variety of rebates available, and some can be quite large. Finding a rebate can turn a good deal into a great deal.
Price Match
Compared to most other stores, Staples has one of the best and most cooperative price matching policies. Staples will match a lower price on the same item from a competitor, meaning any store that sells products in store and online, including Amazon.com. Exclusions include clearance, grand opening and liquidation sales, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or flash sales. Nearly every product in the store is eligible for price matching, except for gift cards, postage, and tech support services.
Things get a little more complicated when you consider rebates. Staples considers its own rebates when looking at price matching, but it doesn’t consider competitor rebates. For example, if you buy a $50 item at Staples that has a $10 rebate, Staples will price match an item that is cheaper than $40, not $50. On the other side, if a competitor has the same $50 item with a $10 rebate, Staples will price match the item to $50, not $40.
You can also take advantage of price adjustments at Staples. If you buy an item and it goes on sale within 14 days of purchase, you can visit the store and get a refund for difference between the price you paid and the sale price.
Buy Discounted Gift Cards at Cardpool.com
Although they are typically thought of for gift giving, gift cards can also be a very useful tool when it comes to saving money. Cardpool.com sells discounted gift cards for thousands of stores. It has Staples gift cards for sell with a 7.5% discount, which means you can get a $49 gift card for $45.50. Think of it as getting a 7.5% storewide discount. And because gift cards are simply a form of payment, you can combine your gift card with sales and rebates to maximize your savings. When you add it up over time, it can lead to major savings.
Cardpool.com sells electronic gift cards that can be used online immediately after purchase or printed and used in store. The site also sells physical gift cards that are sent to you in the mail with free shipping. You can also earn $5 for every friend you refer to Cardpool.com, so get out there and spread the word to bring in the money
