Office Depot

As far as office supply stores go they have a great selection. Service is always quick. As fat as printer supplies go the have the largest selection.

I only needed one thing (brochure/​flyer paper), had researched it online to find their brand, and had planned on just running in and out.
The paper set up is really spread out, and it took me several circles to figure out that the brochure paper was on a side shelf. There was an associate that was working way down the aisle that saw me walking back and forth but made no attempt to offer help or greet me. Yes, I could have walked down to ask where things were, and I would have if I still wasn’t able to find it after another minute or two, but still.
My next beef comes with the paper being $ 5 more in store than the posted online price. I thought maybe I had misremembered the price, but looking it back up I was right. I’m also now noticing an in-​store pick-​up option that would have saved me money and time. Bummer.

Poor hours, selection and service. Try calling first. Sometimes a phone person (person available via phone, not a telco-​human hybrid) is there after hours, and actually knows what they’re talking about.
Stock: Typical cheaply-​made Chinese office goods like everywhere else. Just there’s not a lot of variety or selection. They used to have good media, but a couple years back they drastically cut most formats (even online inventory) and sold only immation (Memorex-​the bad ones) branded optical media. That’s the worst, and sadly most prevalent, media being sold, low quality, manufacturing problems abound, most all are coasters, etc. It seems the rest of the inventory followed optical media’s example. But hey, I’ve gotten some OK paper clips here, even if they didn’t have any assignment/​planners for this year because, as one clerk said after being hunted down, «Uh, it’s already April… so… but I see we have some for next year, interested in those?»
It’s kind of isolated, on the other side of E. Washington Ave. from E Towne Mall. The OfficeMax (same company now, I know) nearby the mall, next to Best Buy, has worse hours and selection though. Is there a better place on this side of town for everyday office needs? … Not so much, no; although arguments could be made for Target, Goodwill, Shopko, trekking to Sun Prairie or elsewhere in town.
So, shopping for office supplies on the east side of town you’re pretty much out of luck unless you try to force one of these places to work for you, and are happy with the selection, service and end results. If so, than congrats.
Sorry to say but skip this one and try to go to the one on Whitney Way, or a Staples.
Oh, lookout in the parking lot: you may get panhandled by a ‘homeless’ guy, or worse; like just happened 30 seconds ago to yours truly. I swear I’ve never left this place not feeling awful.
Check their ad — sometimes there are ‘Sunday/​Monday’ only deals that might be worth your while.

On Friday September 25 we contacted the print area via phone regarding memorial flyers for our mother’s funeral services. It was an unexpected death and we did not know time tables on these kinds of things. We arrived later that day and spoke with Cassandra in person. We want to let you know that Cassandra went above and beyond for us. We are very thankful for everything she did for us. She is the kind of employee that you want working for you. As a manager myself for the last 20 year, she did everything to perfection. In our eyes she deserves a raise for outstanding customer service. Again, thank you for having such a wonderful employee working for you. It’s not too often that you run into these types of employees and you should feel honored to have her.

I love office supplies.
I always have.
Get this…
When I was little I used to go with my mom to the teacher store to help her stock up for the school year. She taught 7^th grade and for some reason it was really exciting to shop with her for paperclips and notepads each August.
I adore buying office supplies. The bright lights. The organized shelves. I love the smell of scotch tape too. (Don’t judge me.) And even though I don’t work in a conventional office, I find a reason to aim for Office Depot at least once a month.
But here’s a bummer… this store is always empty. Pulling into the parking lot is like arriving in a ghost town where everything else is boarded up except that place that sells pens and pagers. (Also, why do they still sell pagers?) The problem with the fact that nobody shops here is that the place is slim on staff. I usually encounter someone who wants to make sure I’m finding exactly what I need, but that can take a little while. And when it comes time to checkout there’s only ever been one lane open. This is a-​ok usually, because as you remember it’s a ghost town and nobody is breaking down the door to rally reams of paper, but on the few occasions they get a rush, it can take a while to checkout.
Also, I like that they can email you a receipt, that makes accounting easy, but I have to give it to them each time and I wish my email was connected to my credit card.
I’d love to support a local guy but can’t seem to find one in Madison… any recs?

While they have a decent amount of products and such, the store layout is a bit wonky. The clerks are almost overly helpful (aka: a bit over-​eager), but it’s a solid office store with mostly reasonable prices.