7 Great Ways to Cut Costs at Staples

If you have a small business — or even simply a home office — chances are good that you find yourself in Staples from time to time.

The cost of all that paper, printer ink and office furniture can really add up. But with a little knowledge you can trim the bill, sometimes by a substantial amount.

Following are some great ways to cut the cost of your next Staples shopping spree:

Sign up for Staples Rewards

Staples Rewards is a program that offers several perks. For starters, you get up to 5 percent back in rewards on in-store purchases. You also enjoy free next-day delivery on items that cost more than $49.99. Finally, you earn $2 back in rewards for each ink cartridge you recycle, up to 20 per month.

Take advantage of price matching

Staples has a great price-match policy. Simply find a lower price on a new, identical item, bring in proof, and Staples will match the price. According to Staples:

If you find a lower price on a new identical item, just show us the lower price when you buy the item at a Staples store and we’ll match the price. If you purchase an item from Staples store and tell us within 14 days that you found that item at a lower price in our stores or at staples.com, we’ll refund the difference.

Sign up for email offers

Provide your email address to Staples, and you’ll receive special offers, coupons and catalogs delivered directly to your inbox. This involves practically no work on your part. Just sit back, relax and let the savings come to you!

Check out the Daily Deals

The Staples Daily Deals webpage can be a great place to find big bargains. For example, we recently found office chairs at a 41 percent discount, and an Acer Aspire laptop offered at a 39 percent price reduction.

Stop by the Outlet Deals

The Outlet Deals section of the website is another place to find major price breaks. These deals are broken out into two webpages:

• Clearance Deals. Recently, we spotted a Lynx computer desk at an 80 percent discount.
• Refurbished Center. Here, you’ll find used items that have been repaired and spiffed up to look and perform like new. For example, we recently saw desktop computers for as low as $116.

Shop through a cash-back site

When you shop through a cash-back site, you will earn money back on your purchase. For example, Ebates recently offered 2 percent cash back on Staples purchases, while TopCashback offered 3 percent back.

For more on using cash-back sites, check out “3 Websites That Pay You for Shopping.”

Purchase discounted gift cards

Some websites offer discounts on the face value of Staples gift cards. Use these gift cards, and you’ll save on every purchase you make at the retailer.

For example, Raise recently offered Staples gift cards at a discount of up to 4.2 percent. Such cards were available for up to 8 percent off at Cardpool.

Do you know of more great tips for saving at Staples? Share them by commenting below or on our Facebook page.