Staples to Close 225 Stores and Focus on Online Sales

Hmmm, poor selection plus obscenely high prices leads to poor sales? Who'd a thunk it?
 
One fourth of approximately 1500 stores would be 375 stores, not the 225 stores cited in the article. Must be some of that new common core math where 4x3=11. Maybe stating that Staples will close approximately one sixth of their stores doesn't quite grab the attention as "nearly one fourth", I guess. :p
...back to my coffee.
 
Tuthmose said:
Hmmm, poor selection plus obscenely high prices leads to poor sales? Who'd a thunk it?
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I don't know about obscenely high prices anymore especially since they price match Amazon. Poor selection maybe but that is retail for you.
 
So, let me get this straight. Staples never marketed themselves as, "the place to buy electronics", and yet are somehow disappointed or surprised that the general public never went to an office store to buy electronics?

Brilliant business acumen.

/My condolences to the employees affected by this.
 
Lith1um said:
So, let me get this straight. Staples never marketed themselves as, "the place to buy electronics", and yet are somehow disappointed or surprised that the general public never went to an office store to buy electronics?

Brilliant business acumen.

/My condolences to the employees affected by this.
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Read between the lines. "Closing stores to please shareholders" doesn't sound as good as "because electronics sales were poor"
 
People are corporations, my friend.

And people certainly run them. It's the problem with public companies. They are run by greedy mobs of people that care about next quarters earnings, because the even bigger and more terrifying mob of stockholders will toss them out if they don't deliver.
Humans are capable of at least considering kindness, mobs are not.
 
Riddlinkidstoner said:
I don't know about obscenely high prices anymore especially since they price match Amazon. Poor selection maybe but that is retail for you.
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True enough about the price matching to an extent, but that only holds if you go through the trouble of doing it, in which case why not just buy it from Amazon or BB or whoever else had it cheaper in the first place. If you really hope to increase sales by matching your competitors' prices, you'll stand the best chance of success if you just set the price at that level in the first place. Hoping to sucker your customers into paying higher and only lowering the price if they jump through hoops to document a better deal elsewhere isn't really a great way to increase sales, IMO.
 
GORANKAR said:
People are corporations, my friend.

And people certainly run them. It's the problem with public companies. They are run by greedy mobs of people that care about next quarters earnings, because the even bigger and more terrifying mob of stockholders will toss them out if they don't deliver.
Humans are capable of at least considering kindness, mobs are not.
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"A fish stinks from the head".

Watch,"I am Fishead"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB0k7wBzXPY
 
DustMite said:
One fourth of approximately 1500 stores would be 375 stores, not the 225 stores cited in the article. Must be some of that new common core math where 4x3=11. Maybe stating that Staples will close approximately one sixth of their stores doesn't quite grab the attention as "nearly one fourth", I guess. :p
...back to my coffee.
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This. I was wondering at what point 15% was equal to 25%.... Journalism fail.

Moving on from the horrible job done in this article, Staples could have revolutionized their business years ago, innovating in their stores like Best Buy has done, and getting a website that doesn't suck ass. Staples has nobody to blame but Staples.
 
What's interesting is when I used to work there I always heard that the stores in Canada performed pretty well where the stores in the United States had far worse results. I guess the chatter was right.
 
Sweet, so get ready to look forward to a bunch of temporary Halloween Spirit costume shops popping up in the month of October!
 
Is it me or this a really alarming trend as it seems most major retailers are closing stores now. Add more to the jobless rate.. oh wait the government does not report it accurately..
 
I'd like to see a list to see if the one is my area is going to be closed. Most of the time I get my stuff that Staples also sells online cause it's cheaper. Sometimes though I go there to get something quick. I'll miss the store for that reason if it closes.

I'm surprised that Radio Shack is not also closing stores. That place is so expensive and most of the time whenever I do go there, there is maybe 1 person in the store or nobody at all, and there are 3 clerks behind the desk just shooting the shit. I don't know how they survive.
 
Mike89 said:
I'm surprised that Radio Shack is not also closing stores. That place is so expensive and most of the time whenever I do go there, there is maybe 1 person in the store or nobody at all, and there are 3 clerks behind the desk just shooting the shit. I don't know how they survive.
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Funny you should mention that - it looks like they are closing about 1,100 of them as we speak :)
 
I hope mine doesn't close, I use their UPS drop-off. If they do the nearest shipping company besides USPS is 40 minutes away.
 
AthlonXP said:
Is it me or this a really alarming trend as it seems most major retailers are closing stores now. Add more to the jobless rate.. oh wait the government does not report it accurately..
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According to the current administration, this is actually a good thing, because the people that loose their poor minimum wage jobs can now follow their passions, and paint, write, etc. Too bad they will end up on welfare or homeless, but I guess that doesn't matter as then then will vote democrat.
 
Coldblackice said:
...the hell?
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In a lot of places when a store closes and the storefront is empty somebody will rent it for about 2 months just to sell Halloween customs then they close down. Take it you don't have those. Sometimes you get similar places around July 4th selling fireworks then they are gone. sometimes it is the same place opens as a Holiday Party World or something silly like that and is open for a few weeks around July 4th and a few weeks in Oct and then are closed the other 10 months..
 
nutzo said:
According to the current administration, this is actually a good thing, because the people that loose their poor minimum wage jobs can now follow their passions, and paint, write, etc. Too bad they will end up on welfare or homeless, but I guess that doesn't matter as then then will vote democrat.
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I'd like to see proof of this, could you please cite your source?

I don't care about the rest of your bullshit conservative anti-poor generalization rant however.
 
Lets see...
Staples...
Overcharges for ink, check.
Offers a trade in program for empty cartridges to make up for overcharging for ink, check.
Requires a mail in rebate for a coupon upon exchange of ink cartridges, check.
Has 4 month waiting period to get said coupons, check.
Finds some bullshit reason NOT to honor the coupons for ink, check again!
Customer sees a Walmart across the street where the ink cartridges they need cost half as much without the headache? Mother f#cking checkmate! You're toast!
 
I used to pick up things like monitors and hard drives at Staples on their sales. The sale prices are usually pretty good.
 
Picked up a Hyken mesh office chair at Staples a few weeks ago for $80. Awesome chair. Very comfortable, full mesh, it even looks pretty good.

The store I bought it from will likely be closed, they're always empty.
 
Exavior said:
In a lot of places when a store closes and the storefront is empty somebody will rent it for about 2 months just to sell Halloween customs then they close down. Take it you don't have those. Sometimes you get similar places around July 4th selling fireworks then they are gone. sometimes it is the same place opens as a Holiday Party World or something silly like that and is open for a few weeks around July 4th and a few weeks in Oct and then are closed the other 10 months..
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Ah, interesting. I've seen the yearly fireworks shops that pop up, but never taking over a storefront -- just setting up a tent/shack in a grocery store parking lot. Hadn't heard of storefronts being rented out for such.

Makes a lot more sense now :)
 
Staples and all of the big office supply stores are not priced to attract an average home user they are geared towards business that write off the costs of office supplies and computer related equipment, I have boughten a computer desk and chair as well as a couple of ink jets there but for almost anything I want for my office or computer needs I'm going with Amazon. The brick and mortars are never going to beat online. Its a natural progression even though itkilled stores like Borders which I loved going to, to browse and get a Latte.
 
Unfortunately the only place for me to print large format, and high quality prints is staples, where I live. The majority of the staff, who man the print area, are clueless. I have had to go behind the counter and change settings, myself, on more than one occasion. The staff where unable to change basic settings such as "stretch to fit page", zoom level, etc. Even after me doing the work for them, they were "kind" enough to charge me the fee (whatever it is called) to open files and print right away.
Staples should just turn the print center into a self-serve place. This would have the added benefit of eliminating all the clueless people who can't read the basic instructions, posted right beside copiers and fax machines, who monopolize the print center staffs time and prevent a quick in and out experience.
 
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