I default to buying at Staples for office supplies when we have to run out to get something.
The last time I bought a chair, i got HAMMERED for the worthless reward card details that gives you 10% back on ink and paper, but wouldn’t accomplish anything for me when buying a chair.
3 minutes into an annoying discussion with the cashier and after 3 no’s that I don’t have a rewards card (I have the premium one.) and 5 no’s later that I don’t want one. They move on to their next pitch.
5 minutes of them trying to push an extended warranty on a freaking chair. When the cashier couldn’t get me to do it the manager from the returns counter came over and hounded me… I literally told these two no to the extended warranty on a 150 chair 5-10 times. What the heck?
It’s easier to turn down the rust protection, undercoating, fabric protection, extended warranty, and a 10 pack oil change package from the finance office of the new car dealership!! (I’m not exaggerating here.)
I think I’m pretty much done with Staples. I actually like the store better than the Office Depot, Office Max options. I generally get those two confused because they’re so close in name, so I just go to Staples. But it’s just not worth a mental headbanging every time you go to buy a box of pens for 10 bucks about up-selling and rewards cards. Now their recent up-sell is to bring in your computer for 10 bucks. I can only imagine the 80 point up-sell list they’ve come up with on that one after they scan it!
Staples should take a page out of the Walmart book. You line up 2-4 deep all day and night long at Walmart to checkout. You never really walk away feeling awesome about shopping at Walmart because it usually tallies up to over 100 bucks… But you still go back. Why? Because it’s easy, you don’t get hassled, and you generally pay a decent and sometimes cheap price.
Can you imagine if Walmart hounded you about a rewards card everytime you checked out? Or offered you an extended warranty on a toaster! I don’t think people would shop there as much.