Sports Chairs At Staples

Staples is using back-to-school not only for promotions targeting students, but moms as well, and the retailer is employing Martha Stewart to reach them. Among the product lines it is promoting this summer is the Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery collection, reminding back-to-school shoppers not to forget about mom.

The home office superstore chain is taking a variety of promotional angles on back-to-school in fact. For one, it is offering, for a $10 purchase price, the Staples Back-to-School Savings Pass, which takes 15% off one transaction per day through September 15. Although Staples takes pains to point out that technology products, such as computers and calculators, aren’t covered by the Savings Pass plan, fine print on the deal reveals that furniture is exempt too, as are ink and toner, case paper, flash drives, mobile phones and related service plans, services in general, postage stamps and gift and phone cards. How consumers respond to the deal should be interesting, but Staples is promoting it not only in stores but also via its own web address: www.staples.com/savingspass.

Much of the promotional focus at Staples is on traditional and nouveau school supplies including binders, notebooks, backpacks and a software upgrade to Windows 8. However, the retailer doesn’t stop there and even is offering LED chandeliers and shag rugs, these scaled for student lockers. Also on offer are $39.99 Dugmore Sports Chairs.

Yet, with all that, Staples intends to push Martha Stewart branded products, too. As with the kid’s products, Staples is emphasizing binders, specifically Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery planning binders and accessories priced at $2.99 and up, but the retailer also is pushing weekly planners and color coding files included in the line.

In addition, a source involved in the development process noted that back-to-school is the season when Staples intends to expand the Martha Stewart office furniture assortment as it includes new, more traditional work seating to complement the introductory selections, which included a writing table-style desk, an accent-type chair and a file.