Staples for Back to School Shopping Gives You More!

I love back to school shopping!  I’m not sure if it’s the fact that the kids are – finally – back to school and back to a routine or if it’s because, as a child, I loved school and school supplies and the potential held in every new September first day of school.  A nerd?  Always.

Staples provided me with a gift card to do my back to school supplies shopping and report back on my findings, and I gleefully headed off to my local Staples store without the kids (one of my tips in my string of CBC interviews last month on back to school shopping!)

Upon walking in, I was greeted by a helpful employee who offered me a clipboard and pencil from this Teacher Appreciation stand (maybe it should say “parent appreciation” too?)  I was happy with my supplies list (if you forget yours, they have supply lists from every school in the area printed out for you!) but it made sense to use a clipboard and cross off the items as I found them (I had already highlighted the K and Grade 4 columns ahead of time, nerd that I am!)

Almost everything I needed was at the front of the store, well spread out in helpful bins with everything clearly marked.  Unlike other stores, I had plenty of room to walk around, pause, and count my items (was that 8 Crayola markers needed or 12?)

There were plenty of staff available to help (I was asked a few times, actually, and struck up a conversation with the store manager discussing the precise nature of school supply lists and how it can drive parents crazy!) and while I could have been done my shopping in much less time than it actually took me…I kind of enjoyed wandering around the store having my alone time (since Staples sells Keurig products they really should consider a coffee shop inside!)

Since I didn’t have the kids with me, I iMessaged photos to them at home with dad to allow them to make their choices when I was unsure.  It enabled me to get my shopping done in peace and still give them a say!

When I checked out with my pile ‘o goodies, I was surprised by two awesome bonuses I received!  I’m glad I received them, having been oblivious to them before walking in the store, and I wanted to make sure I shared them with my readers!

Amazing Staples Bonus #1:

Buy any Crayola product at Staples (I bought $2.88 Crayola markers) and receive a code for a FREE MINI SCHOOL PACKAGE FROM OLIVERS LABELS!  I love Oliver’s Labels (there’s a giveaway for my readers at this link!) and now you can get your own pack of labels for free to try them out and see why moms love them!  The rebate offer ends September 17th.

Amazing Staples Bonus #2:

Spend $50 at Staples and receive a $10 Sears Gift Card!  I’m heading to Sears next week for back to school shopping anyway, so this is an added bonus at the perfect time (purchase must be made between August 14-20).

While at Staples, don’t forget to donate to Staples for Students from July 27th to September 9th if you can.  The donations go to the store’s charity of choice in the area and helps local students with much needed supplies and more.  You can click this link to see which charity is supported by your local store!

The flyers are always changing and bringing you new deals, so refer to your local flyer for what’s in store this week!  Now that my shopping is done I can sit back and relax and take in these last few weeks of summer before the real fun begins!