by Robin Fiedler

On Nov. 9, 2009, Staples released its new Holiday Center for holiday gifts, stocking stuffers, and cameras, printers and laptops and its Nov. 8 - 14 weekly sales ads. The best deal I noted is a paper shredder for $10.

Possible stocking stuffers include new “Staples-exclusive products for as low as $10, “such as Omnitech^TM Digital Ornament and Omnitech^TM Mini Pod Speaker” for $9.99 each, also $1-$2 deals on spiral notebooks, Staples stickies, colored pencils, and markers. 

Staples pre-Black Friday sales include laptop deals starting at $500, netbooks from $300 for the Acer (the basic Acer is  hovering at $270-$350 with the big retailers), GPSs from $150 and up, digital video cameras from $200 to $350, and digital cameras from $130-$230. Some digital cameras include a Staples $50 gift card. My weekly ad has almost 3 pages featuring a wide range of printers from $60 up to $475.

The must ‘thing’ to do for 2009 holiday shopping is to follow your favorite retailers on Facebook and Twitter, and Staples is joining the e-ads craze for Staples Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Expect Staples, and others, to be tweeting Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Your local Staples brick-and-mortar sales ads may have different prices and product sales, so Circular Previews is where shoppers “can preview weekly ads to get the inside look at upcoming offers on items and sign up to receive sneak peeks delivered directly to their inboxes.” Waiting for physical mail may be too late. A growing complication this holiday season is that online deals may vary from in-store promotions.

Special offers for Staples Rewards customers are “the Wednesday ‘Holideal,’ a one-day savings bonus on select items online and in stores” (customers must have coupons for in-store Holideal savings).

If you are a contest kind of person, Staples has a Holiday Sweepstakes “with the Staples Tech Bundle-a-day Giveaway, each day, starting Nov. 30 (Cyber Monday) — Dec. 25, one lucky winner will receive a $1,000 technology bundle. . . The prize will include a Windows 7 HP Laptop and an HP Photosmart Premium Touchsmart Web All-in-One. More information will be available starting Nov. 30 at www.staples.com/dailytechgiveaway. It’s worth a try.

Online orders qualify for free shipping on orders over $50. And so, I went to check out the $10 paper shredder, and it’s out-of-stock online. My local store says the shredder is a “low stock clearance item;” looks like I have to go for a drive. Also, note that the $9.99 price is after a $20 rebate. Expect the paper shredder scenario to be common for holiday shopping 2009 with low inventories on loss leaders and doorbusters. I’d better hurry.

Resources

“Staples Delivers Sneak Peak into Incredible Savings for the Holiday.” Staples 9 Nov. 2009. http://investor.staples.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=96244&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=1352787

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