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Office Supplies on a Budget

Posted 10:00AM 12/11/12 Savings Experiment, Shopping |
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Where do you buy your office supplies?

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Every office should be well stocked with supplies, but making sure that there are enough writing instruments and notepads for everyone to use can add up. So, how do you get the best deals on office essentials without going over budget?

Our experts took a shopping list of basics and compared their total cost at big box retailers. The list included a carton of copy paper (1 case, 10 reams of paper), a 60-pack of pens, pencils, paper clips, tape, staples, pads of paper, sticky notes, manila folders and letter-size envelopes.

The total cost of the supplies at Kmart were $180.32. Staples and Office Max offered lower prices, with the shopping list totaling $164.17 and $165.77, respectively. However, Walmart came in with the lowest total of $153.16.

If you want to cash in on a better deal, take a look at the price of your copy paper. When compared with Walmart, Office Depot actually had the lowest prices on all of the items except for the paper. So, to maximize your savings, shop for the bulk of your supplies at Office Depot, and get your paper at Walmart.

paper clipsBy doing this, you'll spend just $113.20 on the supplies at Office Depot and $28.97 on paper for a grand total of $142.17. And that's how you can stay on (and maybe even under) budget.

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Mike

Shopping at WalMart has the feel of shopping in a third world country. No thanks.

December 21 2012 at 10:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Robert & Lisa

Office Depot has a roll of red stickers for $9.99 but we can get the same stickers in an eight roll package for $16.95. So we get eight rolls locally for less than 2 rolls cost from Office Depot.

December 21 2012 at 8:52 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
faddaknowsbest

Most good companies deliver. Is this a delivered price? And does their copy machine eat the paper? Can you call them for customer service and ask them about almost obsolete toner? Do they offer you a hard copy of a catalog? Do they pick up returns? Do they offer you terms? Do they...? Do they..? No, they don't.

December 21 2012 at 1:16 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
drumbeater7

I shop the local Office Suppy store. They will negotiate and meet or beat any of the box stores, plus I keep the business local and support the small guy. Why would anyone want to abandon the small guy?

December 21 2012 at 12:19 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Lindagrm2

WalMart uses coersion to get company's to give them the lowest prices, threatning to take their business away if they don't. NEVER want to shop there for anything! Plus, they treat their employees terrible with hours they can work and no benefits, etc......forever! Let go of WalMart people!

December 20 2012 at 11:33 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Daniel

Walmart might be cheaper but they put businesses out of business. Because of their demand to suppliers to keep the prices low. The suppliers work their employees like dogs and don't care about them. Everything is mad in China where they get paid $2/day to make all the junk Walmart sales. I will not shop at Walmart ever!

December 20 2012 at 11:20 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
JJRFordGuy

Wouldn't Shop A Wal-Mart If My Life Depended On It!

December 20 2012 at 11:04 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
suealiaim

is this the walmart page?
my closest wally world has a pitiful "office products" section...i go to a local mom and pop shop that's been in my town for at least 30 years. yes they're a tiny bit more expensive, but they have a nice atmosphere and terrific employees.

December 20 2012 at 11:03 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
edkmf

Wouldn't shop at Walmart if it was the last store around. I detest their business model. They are greedy and ugly.

December 20 2012 at 10:37 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
Jean

Please remember how Walmart abuses its employees and uses Federal programs to feed them and provide what medical care they get.

Besides destroying community businesses and companies that treat their employees humanely.

Their low prices are definitely a double-edged sword...

December 20 2012 at 10:00 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply

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