Office Depot - Top-of-the-line for office supplies.
Written: Nov 21, 2001
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The Bottom Line
Office Depot is "happening" online. The prices are great, and the service is excellent. I may never go to the brick and mortar store again.
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| Full Review |
My computer tells me when my ink is low, but I don’t listen up until that cartridge is bone dry. When I can’t print a thing, then I figure it is time to order office supplies. This is not the best way to run an in-home, semi-office, but I am sure I am not the only one who plays life on the edge and pushes supplies to the limit.
When I reach the point where I have to order, I have two choices:
1. I can drive to town (1/2 hour) and pay top dollar.
2. Or, I can order online and get a better price . . . but wait for the order to come in.
The convenience of ordering from home at any time of day or night far outweighs the immediate gratification of getting my office stuff in town and the slightly smaller inventory at any given online office store. With some price shopping (and even without in some cases), I save money when I buy online. This works for me . . . flexibility and good prices. Online office stores have my number—both figuratively and literally (in terms of the credit card).
Overall, I have found office product stores online to be solid, but I think Office Depot is tops. Some office online stores like Staples have limited supplies and also ship out older items (at great prices . . . but still). The other problem with most office stores is the customer service, but Office Depot is not one of those “sell and hide” office stores. You can get in touch with a “real person” at Office Depot, and sometimes that really does make all the difference.
In terms of selection, Office Depot has a wide range of general products (better than most online stores including things like soft drinks for $2.99 a 12-pack and free shipping over $50 on total order) and also hard-to-find items like ink jet cartridges for older model printers. It is really easy to rack up the $50 minimum for free shipping when the selection includes more than the traditional office supplies. If I need a few more dollars on my total, I can always click to Office Supplies and get some Pepsi (which I love).
Since the inventory is large, the home page can be a little confusing. There are a lot of choices reflecting the overall large selection. New online shoppers may find the set up difficult, but savvy online shoppers will quickly catch on.
An example of the online problems with the large stock would be finding an ink jet cartridge. The first time I tried to get a cartridge for my printer, I used the numbers printed on the old cartridge. I did not get any results from that.
This is where some shoppers will click out. Instead I looked around and found that Office Depot has a “help system” for finding those cartridges. I had to select the type of printer by brand and number and then black vs. color and then got to the cartridge that I needed to buy.
My printer cartridge was $8 less than the local office store, was shipped free, and it took 2 days. I rounded out my order with paper, pens, and soda for the $50 to get free ship. I was happy with that deal and with others I have made at Office Depot. I usually base on a bigger ticket item like the cartridge and round out with other things I need or will need soon.
Shopping is easy once you find items. You decide on how many you want of the item and then click buy. You can add more at the check out list if needed, so if you are a couple of dollars short on $50 for free ship, you can click and get more of a small ticket item.
After the first buy and putting in your buying information like credit card, address, and phone, you enter the site on a locked basis. You can always opt not to take that option and then type in the data every time if you are concerned about security on the net. I went with the auto login, which is nice. I can click to the site, and I’m ready to buy. With that extra lock function (available on very few site), I feel comfortable shopping at Office Depot.
Your supplies come by FedEx. For me, Fed Ex has been somewhat of a problem. They deliver early, so I am not home. They take my packages back to the center, and I have to go and get them. Office Depot has a printout, one-time form to tell FedEx to go ahead and leave the order. This may not work if you live in an area where things get taken, but I live in a rural area where it is fine to put things on my porch and leave them. I am glad to have the form to let FedEx know to just leave my orders on the porch.
From my experience, Office Depot tends to pack most items in separate boxes or packages. You can imagine that a 12-pack of Pepsi is heavy and that separate boxing makes sense. Those come in with a box just the size of a 12-pack and not so heavy that I can hardly move them around. Smaller items come in white bags with some packing. I guess those could get damaged with the skimpier packing, but I’ve never had any problem with the packing for large or small items.
If you have any problems with the order, then you call 1-888-GO-DEPOT (or 1-888-463-3768) which is a 24-hour number (which is almost unheard of in online land). If your problem is technical related like the web site giving problems, then you can call 800-721-8344 from 8 am to 11 pm M-F and Saturday 9 am to 3 pm. The Contact Us button in some sections takes you to a direct email address (and the link is to a specifically named individual). If you have problems finding that link, then just email to comments@officedepot.com. It does not get much easier than that. If you’ve shopped much online, then you will really appreciate that Office Depot is easy to get in touch with.
If you like to shop with rebates, Office Depot has a rebate center. You can plug in both a brand and item or both and get the information to get a price break. Some online sites make those deals pretty hard to find, but this search function makes it really easy. You can print out the forms you need and also check on the status.
Sometimes you drop some bucks on something and then discover that you could have bought the item for less. Office Depot covers that too. If you find the item for less money within 7 days, then they will make up the difference. They have some exceptions on that (read the small print), but it is a solid policy to guarantee you the best price and to make up any difference.
As I’ve mentioned, there are a few areas where Office Depot does not top out like the search for item number, but overall . . . I would say that this is the tops for office supplies. You can get a wide variety, items are not “old,” and you can get in touch with someone if you have a problem. That $50 order and get free shipping (overnight in most areas but not here) is also sweet. If you’ve not tried out Office Depot, then give them a shot. If you can wait overnight (or a couple of days), then your FedEx guy will bring your stuff right to the porch for a nice price which is guaranteed.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Cyndi
Location: out in the yard grilling
Reviews written: 1173
Trusted by: 628 members
About Me: The first and greatest commandment is, don’t let them scare you. Elmer Davis
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