Office Depot offers much more than just office supplies. In addition to an extensive catalog of basic supplies like paper and pens, Office Depot carries a wide range of electronics and furniture. The site’s convenient online printing service makes Office Depot a true one-stop shop for all your office needs and is our TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award winner.
Using Office Depot’s website is as simple as shopping in person. The product descriptions and suggestions are clear and helpful and the site’s navigation is intuitive and smooth. All products can be shipped to your home office or place of business, including custom print jobs.
Office Depot’s product selection is excellent, including the whole range of general office supplies (writing supplies, mailing supplies, storage, etc.), a substantial variety of electronics and office machines and an entire line of office furniture. Office Depot is designed as a single source for all things office-related where you can buy everything that goes inside and on top of your desk, along with the desk itself. The selection of office machines is excellent, with all major brands represented, as well as all the supplies you’ll need to keep the machines up and running (e.g. fax paper, shredder lubricant, etc.).
For extra ease of use (in buying one of the most common office supply products), the site’s ink cartridge lookup engine will help you find the right toner for your printer model in a few simple steps. (Before choosing electronics, see this section of the TopTenREVIEWS site dedicated to choosing the best electronics.) In addition to straightforward office supplies, Office Depot also carries a range of break room and first aid supplies. If it goes in an office, Office Depot carries it.
“Green” Products
In keeping with the effort to decrease the environmental impact of office supply production and disposal, Office Depot carries a range of recycled products in various categories. Office Depot’s “Buy Green Storefront” makes it easy to shop for eco-friendly products in various categories without having to use the keyword search box. The “Buy Green Storefront” also includes a FAQ page about buying eco-friendly office supplies. This section explains the distinctions between different types of recycled products (e.g. post-consumer recycled materials vs. pre-consumer recycled materials) and offers other helpful information about the importance of shopping “green.”
“Green” products included in this section are not all recycled products, but all have been produced with either reduced energy use, reduced waste or reduced chemical use. In an industry that relies heavily on natural materials, and that contributes heavily to the trash produced by businesses and individuals alike, Office Depot has made a concerted effort to become more earth-friendly and they encourage their customers to follow suit.
As a bonus, Office Depot has an excellent online printing service for business cards, signs, greeting cards and many other products. Custom artwork and text can be uploaded to the site and then used to create custom designs using the provided templates for various projects. You can then have your order shipped to your door or you can pick it up at your local store.
For helpful information on business cards, see this article about designing the perfect business card.
In addition to printing services, Office Depot offers recycling of used ink cartridges and a discount ink cartridge refill service, which is also available by mail.
Electronics Recycling
Electronics recycling can only be done in stores. Electronics contain several metals and other materials that are harmful to the environment when placed in landfills, so Office Depot’s website provides some helpful information about electronics recycling to explain what materials can be extracted from used electronics and why it is important to keep these materials from seeping into the earth. To take advantage of this program, you must purchase a box from an Office Depot location, fill it with approved electronics products, and return it to any Office Depot store for recycling.
To protect you from the risk of identity theft and because Office Depot cannot be responsible for the information contained in your surrendered electronics, it is recommended that you remove your personal information from hard drives, etc. before surrendering them.
For its custom services and its effort to stay green, Office Depot received an excellent score for its services.
All the office supply sites surveyed have a keyword search function, but some sites’ work better than others. As the nature of certain types of office supplies is so specific (such as ink cartridges and organizer refill packs), a good search function is essential to helping customers find and choose the right products. Office Depot’s search function is intuitive and returns relevant results. Product suggestions are also helpful and may remind you to buy the refills and replacement parts you’ll soon need, to avoid having to make another purchase so soon.
The “Buy Green Storefront” is a big asset to the Office Depot site. In addition to cataloging all the eco-friendly products in one place, it also includes helpful information about the importance and process of making an office environment more “green.” Along with product offerings, Office Depot’s website contains helpful information about how you can make your home/workplace more eco-friendly by selecting the right products and recycling whenever possible.
Office Depot’s website is easy to navigate and contains all the information you might need to choose the right products and make an informed shopping decision. However, if you need any help or additional information, Office Depot provides phone and e-mail contact information, and even has a live chat function for immediate assistance.
Office Depot gets an A+ for its discount programs, including store brand products (which are universally cheaper than name brands), teacher discounts, customer rewards, wholesale discounts, e-mail coupons and bulk discounts. Once you’ve shopped at Office Depot, you are considered part of the “in” crowd and you’ll be offered various programs to help you save money on future purchases. If you are a teacher, be sure to look into the teacher discount program, which makes it cheaper for you to provide class-enriching materials that your school district may not furnish.
Scroll to the bottom of any page on the website to find helpful links including sign-up forms for the e-mail coupon program and a unique “mobile alert” service where you can receive coupons on your mobile phone.
The “Worklife Rewards” program offers rebates (in the form of store credit coupons) for all purchases. Certain common items like paper, ink and copy-print services earn the highest rewards, while all other purchases earn a standard reward percentage (1%). Store credit rewards can be redeemed at any time, online or in stores. If you don’t use your “Worklife Rewards,” your account may be zeroed out at the end of each calendar year.
Office Depot is the leader of the pack for websites offering office supplies. Its huge product selection, extensive services, eco-friendly practices and easy-to-use website and purchasing engine make this site stand out above the rest. Whether you’re looking to set up a new office, to maintain your inventory of essential supplies or simply to keep old electronics out of landfills, Office Depot has your solution.
With friendly customer service, live chat and a huge product catalog, Office Depot is equally as helpful for the small business or home office user as it is for large corporations who spend thousands on supplies each year.
