Top 3 Online Office Supplies Stores: Online Purchases, Online Bargains?

Filed in archive suppliers on August 30, 2007

More and more businesses are opening online, and more and more companies allow you to buy their wares with your credit card and a few mouse clicks. The same can be said about office supplies, which has led to much rejoicing in offices everywhere. With a company account, many office supplies and furniture can arrive at the office in one day, maybe two; and many companies can save time and money with their bulk orders.

But just how much money can be saved, and which office supplies stores should you visit online to get the most bang out of your buck? There are three major office supplies stores online: Staples, OfficeMax, and office depot have nearly the same offerings and incentives for big buyers. All of them have corporate credit cards up for grabs, which can give customers the chance to buy goods while participating in a rewards system. All three online office supplies stores also offer free delivery for purchases over worth over fifty US dollars.

How different are these three online office supplies stores, and who might offer you the best deals on the office supplies that you need? One is Office Depot Online. In general, Office Depot offers office furniture and computer along with regular office equipment and office supplies. Office Depot also has a Work Life Rewards Program, in which customers receive gift cards amounting to a total of five percent of their quarterly purchases that exceed two hundred US dollars.

Staples, on the other hand, offers a reward program, but only on high demand, and, thankfully, expensive office items, such as paper and printer toner. In general, Staples is known to offer low prices on most office items, and it prides itself on making buying of office products easy.

OfficeMax, likewise offers electronics, office supplies, and office furniture. Its MaxPerk Loyalty Program is friendly to corporate buyers. If you buy over two thousand five hundred dollars on office supplies during one quarter, you are credited two percent toward purchases in the future.

Prices vary among the top three online office supplies stores. Basic packs of a dozen pens can go as high as approximately, and on the average, nine US dollars at Staples and Office Depot. OfficeMax will charge you about nine dollars and fifty cents for the same pack. Envelopes are a must in any office, despite the electronic revolution, and Office Depot wins the price war. For about six US dollars, you can buy a box of a hundred large envelopes from Office Depot, while you need to buy the same thing from Staples for around $ 7.79, and $6.49 from OfficeMax.

Staples offers ten percent off on printer toner and paper, but overall, Office Depot has better bargains. Not only does it offer lower prices on most items, it also has a five percent discount on overall purchases.

These prices, however, can still change as the big three online office supplies stores compete and adjust their prices according to the season. For instance, prices drop and discounts increase whenever school comes around. If you are interested in buying office equipment and supplies, then simply visit each of the three websites, look for the best bargains on the things that you need, and make your purchase. In the end, the answer to, "Who's the best from the big 3?" will always be, "It depends on what you're after."