Office Depot

As usual one person working while 5 others stand around like its break time. Little miss head phones needs to help out or stop looking at people waiting for help.

store was empty. i was the only one in there and nobody ever came up to me to ask if i needed help. had no real variety of mouses/​keyboards, and the one i ended up buying, i learned later, had been returned because the backing of the mouse refuses to stay on. instead of fixing the issue they just put it back in the box (with no software CD, i might add, which is absurd cuz the mouse can’t work when u plug it in. i had to find an old mouse and download the program before using the new one… the whole point was that I HAD NO MOUSE, what if i hadn’t found an old one…) and re-​sold it. i was trying to overlook the nasty interior that seems to be all office depots, but that was the cherry on the cake. staples/​best buy it is, then!

My stars are for the awesomely nice gentleman, with the name Valentin, who took care of my prints that I needed for a design project presentation.
He truly made my day by assisting me the way he did. He was able to suggest the proper printing paper to me and when my prints were done, he even cut them into the exact needed size and gave me some very helpful advice on how to mount the pictures onto the board (it can be quite tricky to do that properly, since one needs to have the correct glue or rubber cement and watch out for the amount to apply).
Nobody at any other printing stores ever went out of their way like this before!
I was in such a hurry that day and had to get my presentation ready, and Valentin really helped me to get everything the way I needed.
I will come back for my future projects and hopefully will be able to work with Valentin again — at this place I feel that the employees will get me what I need whenever I need it.
I take off one star, because the store could really need a maker-​over in the inside.

They are usually helpful when I walk in but it does take some time to get noticed, usually after 20 mins wondering around like a mindless zombie, confused on where everything is and why the pictures overhead don’t match with the supplies underneath. Also if there busy be prepared to wait in line because they only have two cash registers. But on the upside they are stocked with a lot of quality office needs.

I visit this store frequently, and find the employees quite helpful. Whenever I visit, if an employee is nearby, he or she asks if they can help. I also had a problem getting a large floor plan to transmit to them once. One of the copy center employees spent a lot of time figuring out the issue (which was on my side) to make it work. Is it the Ritz Carlton when it comes to service? No. But for an office supply store it’s just fine.

I have to admit that customer service is not their strength, but when you do find a salesperson, they are more than pleasant. I would describe this as a self-​service office supply place offering a variety of printer paper, school supplies, desks and chairs, and the type of related electronics you might expect: Printers and cartridges, computers, e-​readers, smart phones, plus cameras.
If you have a specific office supply purchase in mind this is a handy location. It’s just a few blocks from Reston Town Center, in a strip of shops with parking out front. If you happen to be a teacher, add your name to their Star Teacher program for special discounts year round.

They are definitely and constantly short-​staffed, but only because the people who complain about the lack of staffing the most wouldn’t deign to work there. There are good people working there who do their best to help everybody. Don’t pay any attention to reviews from disgruntled people who choose to rate them based on their experience of the busiest day of the year! The more seasoned associates are very knowledgeable, helpful, honest, and friendly, computers are often sold below cost, and their clearance sales are just sick — things get dirt cheap! I’m in there often and will definitely go back.

This is the most disorganized national chain store I’ve ever been to. Of course, binders range in price between 2 and 10 bucks, and there is literally no way to tell which binders cost which price. There aren’t any sales associates anywhere to be found, including at the cash registers, so when your binder does ring up at 10 bucks, it’s not worth it to try to go back and get a reasonably priced one, either. It’s been like this for years, so it doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.

It should not take five minutes to get to a register here. Especially if you’re the first person in line. Why it takes two people to figure out a single transaction here is a complete and utter mystery to me.
The redeeming quality about this place is that one of the stockers was able to accurately point me to the appropriate location to find clipboards. Even then, finding someone, anyone, out on the shop floor was a challenge.
P. S. Thank you to the cashier who asked me how my day was going. But if you’re going to ask your customers, you should be prepared to respond with something a little more upbeat than a dreary «okay…»