Three Years Ago, I Thought Staples Advantage Was Just a Fancy Catalog
I was wrong. And that mistake cost my team roughly $8,200 in unnecessary spending before I figured out the actual value proposition.
From the outside, it looks like Staples Advantage is just a centralized ordering portal with slightly better pricing than their retail site. The reality is that the pricing is almost secondary—the real value is in the procurement controls, reporting, and workflow automation most people never configure (because they don't know they exist).
But here's the thing: I've also seen teams adopt Staples Advantage expecting magic and ending up frustrated. The platform isn't a universal solution. It's a tool that works brilliantly for some scenarios and is completely wrong for others. This article breaks down those scenarios so you can decide if it's right for your team—or if you're better off with alternatives (including just buying off the shelf).
Three Scenarios, Three Different Answers
After processing roughly 47 orders through Staples Advantage (and a now-retired admin who processed hundreds more before me), I've categorized the experiences into three distinct patterns. Your situation probably fits one of these.
Scenario A: The High-Volume Reorder Team
You're ordering the same items repeatedly—toner, paper, packing tape, permanent glue tape for the warehouse, those specific Staples Advantage permanent glue tape rolls everyone swears by. You know the drill.
This is where Staples Advantage absolutely shines. I learned this the expensive way in September 2022 when I ordered 60 rolls of standard packing tape from a random vendor because it was $1.40 cheaper per roll. Looked like a win. Until the tape arrived and didn't stick to the recycled cardboard we use. Every single roll—60 of them—had to be returned. $540 wasted plus the cost of my time managing the return and reordering.
With Staples Advantage, once you've configured auto-reorder thresholds and approved product lists, the system handles the rest. The pricing isn't always the lowest per-unit, but the total cost including your time managing procurement is almost certainly lower. (Note to self: remember that $540 lesson before chasing the lowest quote again.)
The value here isn't the discount. It's the certainty. You know the tape works. You know it'll arrive. You don't have to re-evaluate every order.
Scenario B: The One-Off Project Buyer
You need a specific printer for a specific project—maybe an Epson printer for a high-volume printing run, or you're trying to figure out how to change ink in an HP printer for the first time. You don't order regularly.
This is the trap scenario. I still kick myself for assuming Staples Advantage would be the best option for a one-time Epson printer purchase in Q1 2024. The checkout process was fine, and the price was competitive. But the shipping took six business days (standard for the platform), and we needed it in three. I ended up buying the same printer from a local retailer and returning the Staples order unopened.
If you're buying infrequently, the administrative overhead of setting up an account isn't worth it. You're better off buying individually or using a general marketplace. The exception? If that one-off purchase is an expensive item like a printer, and you want the centralized reporting and payment terms—but only if you can wait for standard shipping.
Scenario C: The Price-Shopper Who Needs a Density Calculator
Your team ships products and you're constantly calculating shipping costs. You need a density calculator to figure out dimensional weight charges.
This is actually a blind spot people don't talk about. Staples Advantage includes some shipping supplies, but it isn't designed to optimize your ongoing logistics costs. The platform sells packing materials (tape, boxes, labels), but it doesn't offer the kind of integrated shipping cost optimization that specialized logistics platforms do.
People assume because Staples Advantage is a "procurement solution," it handles all procurement needs. What they don't see is that specialized functions like shipping cost management require specialized tools. The value of Staples Advantage here is limited to buying the physical materials at a competitive price—not managing the shipping strategy itself.
For the density calculator need specifically: you're better off using a free online tool or building your own spreadsheet formula. The platform won't give you that.
How to Figure Out Which Scenario You're In
Here's the decision framework I wish I'd had three years ago. Ask yourself these three questions:
- How often do you order the exact same item? If it's monthly or more, Scenario A applies. If it's once or twice a year, Scenario B is more likely.
- Is your primary need procurement control (approval workflows, spending limits, consolidated billing) or just buying stuff? If you need the control, Staples Advantage makes sense even for moderate volume. If you just need to buy a scanner for the office, look elsewhere.
- Does your order include items that need specialized configuration or setup? If you're ordering a printer and need someone to walk you through how to change the ink, you'd get better support from a local vendor or the manufacturer's website. Staples Advantage isn't designed for hand-holding.
Defining your needs. That's the core. Don't sign up for Staples Advantage because someone said it saves money. Sign up because you've identified that your team fits into Scenario A—or you're willing to grow into it.
The Bottom Line (from Someone Who Took the Hard Way)
I've personally made seven significant mistakes with our procurement strategy, totaling roughly $25,000 in wasted budget over three years. The biggest lesson? The platform isn't the problem—it's mismatched expectations.
Staples Advantage works when:
- You have predictable, repeatable orders
- You need procurement controls and reporting
- You value consistency over chasing the lowest price every time
It doesn't work when:
- You order infrequently or one-off items
- You need specialized logistics tools (density calculators, real-time shipping optimization)
- You rely on the platform for technical support or setup guidance
Check your last five purchases. If they're all different items from different categories, you're probably in Scenario B or C. If they're the same five items on repeat, give Staples Advantage a serious look. Just configure those approval workflows first. Trust me on that one.
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