Staples

Staples joins the highstreet then. Move on over WH Smith, I think Partners died a while back along with Stationery box.
Staples on Deansgate is a great stockist of all things work/​student related. Your stationery and computer needs are met. Nothing too jazzy or fancy, that’s where Paperchase gets involved. Stamps are also sold here too.
The lady here was really nice today, as I purchased a pen she said I should test it out on a notepad, wise. Then she gave me discount as I was fumbling around my purse for that ten last pence. Student discount. Winner.

Staples has become a recent phenomenon; it would seem it has boomed alongside the growing service sector of our country. Walk into this prodigy of stationary and you can find pretty much anything to do with a pen and a piece of paper. Need to hold all of your paper together? Paper clips. Need to highlight text? Highlighters. So it seems to go on that just about any concept of ink and wood pulp is catered for. The staff are friendly, will help out and they do student discounts and the lark.

After the wonder that is Staples in Salford, this wee Deansgate branch just doesn’t hit the spot. Perhaps it’s because I was hungover when the boyf demanded we go to Staples to get a printer cartridge and some rubber bands (he’s a teacher, and apparently needs a million rubber bands, for some reason) but I had a decidedly lacklustre time.
I’ve always loved stationary, but I feel like unless it’s mahoosive (Salford, then) Staples is a bit boring. It doesn’t have the luxurious touches of Paperchase, or the whimsy of Oklahoma. It’s too functional for my needs nowadays. However, upon my visit I discovered the following:
— they still make those foil hologram heart stickers like the ones I had on my lunchbox when I was 8.
— Filofaxes are not only still in production, they do them in loads of different colourways, and they are ridonkulously expensive. And pointless.
— despite the recession and whathaveyou, you can pick up a tiiiiny notebook adorned with a 3D kitten for 15p
— the Staples executive chair (where I went to sit after effectively giving up on life) is really comfy.
Apart from all that excitement, this is not a very good Staples. The staff are monumentally unhelpful and there’s just not that excitement of the big Staples. In big Staples I feel like anything can happen, but this little Staples just annoyed me.
Oh and after all that, they didn’t even have the right printer cartridges…

Does anyone else have the thing with Staples where they go in just to get some printer paper and come away with loads of pointless stationary that they will never need but is totally awesome?
I love Staples. I have no general need for Stationary since I have finished university and my work involves tapping on a laptop, strumming a guitar and pulling pints. None of those things involve pens, rulers or scotch tape. But I still love Staples.
I often find that printer cartridges of the actual brand my printer is are very expensive. I can handle not knowing the ink levels, and therefore the Staples own brand cartridges are a regular purchase for me.
At the back of Staples is a small copy and print shop for all your various photocopying needs.
Be warned. This is a high street Staples. So still great. But just quarter the amount of great that you usually get at those massive out of town Staples.

Apparently modelled on the ‘New York express concept’ this is the UK’s first City centre staples.
Much more with it and vibrant than the out of town retail hell parks, I quite appreciate what they’re doing here. You can see why they’ve chosen this part of town with the store (built on the grave of Daisy & Tom) as it’s a mere hop, skip and a jump from Spinningfields. Why you would ever need an emergency executive leather faced chair, I’m none too sure. Still it packs most of the items that the larger stores stock: printers; monitors; vast amount of stationary; slightly limited furniture range (due to it’s small store concept); PC’s and affiliated technology. Staples has become increasingly expensive over the past few years, possibly down to any real competitors and this store isn’t an exception. However they usually have some fine offers in here and it’s perfect if you’re in town (and there’s a heck of a lot of offices in central Manchester these day, increasing all the time).
It transpired that on the day I visited I did indeed require an item rather urgently a gel pad! Seeing as I do a lot of work via the computer I swear I’m developing ‘Czech neck’ in my ‘hand ankle’. This gel pad (by Fellowes) for around a tenner is perfect.
I can imagine if this is a success (which looks likely) then there will be more to follow. Shame then that another national brand may begin, like the rest, to breed like a floozy rabbit on our city.