Staples Begins Back-To-School Promotions

By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 7/19/2010

FRAMINGHAM, MASS. — Staples declared July 14 the “official” start of the 2010 back-to-school shopping season.

The leading office-supply chain literally rang in the shopping period by opening the Nasdaq market that morning, and is offering a series of price promotions on CE and other back-to-school fare.

Much to the chagrin of vacationing students, Staples is part of a growing roster of retailers that are moving up the promotional calendar to help drive traffic and revenue through event marketing.

Staples’ expanded assortment includes Hewlett-Packard’s DV6 notebook ($700); High Sierra’s Beatrice over-the-shoulder tote bag with pockets for a notebook computer and cellphone ($60); and Omnitech’s 2GB swivel flash drive ($13), 2GB clip-on MP3 player ($30) and mini portable speaker ($10).