Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Office Depot Work Life Rewards Program

I already gave a review of the Staples Rewards programs which I enjoy very much. From time to time, I've shopped at Office Depot, but I've never seen a group of deals so incredible that I had to get myself there in a jiffy.

Office Depot has a rewards program called Work Life Rewards. Just like the Staples Rewards program, a percentage is awarded for different types of purchases including a 10% award on ink, toner, paper, and copy and print services.

This week there is an entire page of great items where the reward is 100% which ultimately makes me only responsible for the sales tax. I will use the rewards to buy ink. Rewards are issued at the end of the quarter in the form of a gift card. I expect to receive our gift card right in time for back to school shopping, which incidentally is a great time to stock up on small gifts for birthday party favors or small gifts. Customers can purchase 2 per day. I didn't take advantage of each offer, but I picked up a lot of great things for my home office including 2 packages of 5 bankers boxes, 2 large plastic filing boxes, 2 of those absolutely fantastic staplers (I know it is ridiculous to get all giddy about a stapler, but I'm tired of fighting mine and these work like a dream!), 2 packages of paper clips, 2 packages of Scotch Tape Refills (8 total!), 2 pallettes of bottled water (40 total), a handheld label maker, 3600 printable Avery labels, and 5 packages of colored highlighters (10 total).

I resisted the temptation to purchase any more than I plan to spend on ink come August, something I spend a good amount of money on yearly.

This is the week for a trip to the Office Depot!

6 comments:

aml said...

Hmm. Just a thought here... why are you buying all these supplies? Would a scanner be more practical, cheaper in the long run, and environmentally friendly?

Orthonomics said...

Everything on the list, with the exception of the bottled water (note: must make sure to note this is a personal, not business expense) which is handy for summer trips will get used at some point in my home office.

I do a lot of work on my computer, but I also print a ton. Younger clients are more open to electronic files. Older clients, not so much.

Oftentimes I find it easier to work off paper and make physical notes. I have a younger client who went paperless on the bank statements. That is great for him, not for me when I'm searching for a missing 13 cents in a 10 page document.

If I'm taking care of a more complex return, I often see thing differently on paper than on the computer screen.

I am friends with someone who is self-employed and keeps everything on a scanner, but he maintains numerous computer screens in his office to be able to work efficiently.

I also have to keep good paper trails for my clients and sometimes I transfer files back and forth between clients.

Perhaps someday going paperless will work. Cutting down on paper I can do. I can't imagine being paperless.

Anonymous said...

usually some of these items are cheaper at dollar stores

Orthonomics said...

I receive a 100% reward and turn around and buy INK with my reward. I have yet to find a dollar store that sells printer ink, which is my biggest office expense.

aml said...

You should be able to download the bankstatements into Excel. Yes, the move from paper to virtual is often more of a "cultural" (as an work cultural) shift than anything else. Good luck!

rachel q said...

if you spend so much on ink you need a laser printer, in the long run buying toner is cheaper