Staples and Office Depot are reputed office supply retailers in the United States. These two companies sell printers, and computers, along with business essentials. They also offer premium quality office furniture at a reasonable price. Which company should you choose for your office supply needs?
You must review several factors before selecting the ultimate office supply company. Compare the product prices of Staples and Office Depot before making any purchase. Go for the one that offers the best office supplies at the lowest price.
Additionally, checking the office retailer’s payment methods is essential. Choose the office retailer that provides flexible payment options. Open the Staples and Office Depot sites and check if they offer product discounts.
Office Depot offers more discounts on office supplies than Staples. Hence, buying items from Office Depot will be a wise decision. You can save up to AED 30-AED 40 on the purchased items at Office Depot. Shipping charges are also different between these two U.S-based retailers.
Let’s check the similarities and differences between Staples and Office Depot:
What are the Similarities between Staples and Office Depot?
Most people find these two retail companies similar. Staples and Office Depot are two leading names in the office supply sector. They sell similar products and have a wide range of collections compared to Walmart. Both companies have stores in different locations in the United States.
What are the Major Differences Between Staples and Office Depot?
Despite all the similes, some differences between Staples and Office Depot can easily be pinpointed. Knowing how Staples differs from Office Depot will help you to choose the best one for your business. Here are the differences between Staples and Office Depot:
Staples Vs Office Depot – Which One Has the Best Offers and Promotions?
Retailer companies have promotional days where buyers get 20-40% discounts on specific purchases. Unfortunately, Staples doesn’t have promotional days. The company also doesn’t offer student discounts, which can be seen on their customer care page.
On the other hand, various sales events are held at Office Depot throughout the year. It offers students a 20% discount on purchases during the promotional days. However, you might not get discounts on every Office Depot store. The discounts at Office Depot vary depending on the store location.
Office Depot doesn’t offer any discounts on the products you purchase online. It also follows different discount policies in its various stores. So, Office Depot is the best option if you want a significant discount on your business supplies.
Staples Vs Office Depot – Which Retailer Has Better Payment Options?
Staples and Office Depot improve the customer’s experience by accepting various payment options. The former accepts VISA, MasterCard, Discover Checks and American Express debit cards. This company also lets buyers pay with their credit and gift cards.
However, you can’t use credit cards from other countries in Staples. The credit card must be issued from a United States bank. Hence, Staples is not ideal for you if you reside outside the USA. On the other hand, Office Depot accepts every credit card, even if it is not from a USA bank.
Moreover, Office Depot accepts VISA, MasterCard and American Express debit cards like Staples. It also allows you to shop for any item from the store with Office Depot business cards and credit cards.
You can also pay the office supply price with a credit card from Office Depot’s online stores. The company also lets customers buy their required items with cash, checks and Office Depot gift cards. Do you have an account on PayPal? This payment gateway is also added to the Office Depot website. So, Office Depot is best in terms of payment options.
Staples Vs Office Depot – Which Retailer Charges Less Shipping Cost?
Checking the shipping cost is important when buying any products from online stores. Don’t purchase anything from a site with a $100 shipping fee. Choose the retail company that takes a shipping charge of $30-$50.
Now, let’s see how much Staples and Office Depot charge for delivering the products. Stapes charges a $49 or above shipping cost. International shipping services are unavailable at Staples. So, you can’t deliver products from the U.S. to any foreign country.
On the other hand, an International shipping option is available on the Office Depot site. Moreover, it offers 2-day free shipping if you become a VIP member of Office Depot.
How to become a VIP member of this company? Spend $500 or above on your purchases in 12 months to become a VIP member at Office Depot. You will get free delivery on products like paper, ink and toner and 5% cashback using this service.
All products available on Office Depot don’t qualify for free shipping. Hence, you must contact their customer service representatives for more details about free shipping. Even if you aren’t a VIP member, you can still get your product within 4-5 business days. So, Office Depot again wins the battle!
Staples Vs Office Depot – Which Retail Company Has the Best Product Return Policy?
Staples and Office Depot have improved customer retention by following an easy-to-understand return policy. They increase their profits by introducing a reasonable product return policy. Staples and Office Depot let their customers return and exchange the products for free.
There is no need to pay additional charges for exchanging the damaged products. Returning and exchanging products from these two sites is easy.
However, you must have the receipt or packing slip to quality for the product returns on Staples and Office Depot. Check their customer service page to get more information about the return policies.
These two companies have only a 14-day return period for electronic gadgets like tablets, laptops and phones. Staples and Office Depot also provide a full refund on the products you purchase online.
Though they return and exchange the products without charging any refund or fee, their policies are different. Staples has a 30-day return policy, whereas Office Depot has a 90-day return policy. Remember that the free return and exchange policy does not apply to their brand merchandise.
Staples Vs Office Depot – Which Retail Company Generates More Revenue?
There is also a difference between the amount of revenue Staples and Office Depot collect every year. Office Depot generated $75 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2023. The company is expecting more sales and growth in the coming months. The annual revenue of Office Depot is – $8.49 billion.
On the other hand, Staples has increased 1.8% revenue in the first quarter of 2023. It is expecting the company’s earnings to grow 111.9% this year. Staples collects $18.2 B annually, more than Office Depot’s annual revenue. So, Staples is the clear winner in terms of annual revenue generation.
Staples Vs Office Depot – Which Retail Company Should You Choose?
Office Depot wins the battle in terms of internal shipping, payment methods and student discounts. Hence, choosing Office Depot over Staples will be a wise decision when buying office and school supplies. However, you might not find all the business supplies in Office Depot.
Staples also charges an affordable price for school and office supplies. Over 50,000 products are available in this retail company’s online store. So, you must go to Staples to buy the required items for school and office projects within your budget.
