Framingham, Mass.
– Staples has declared July 14 the “official” start of the 2010 back-to-school
shopping season.
The leading office-supply
chain will literally ring in the shopping period by opening the Nasdaq market
that morning, and will offer a series of price promotions on CE and other
back-to-school fare.
The sales event,
now entering its third year, is designed to provide shoppers with a “stress-free,
one-stop-shop to find the best deals on this season’s hottest products and technology,” the retailer said.
Much to the
chagrin of students just starting their summer vacations, 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 back-to-school
assortment includes:
-
Hewlett-Packard’s
DV6 notebook for $700;
-
a Microsoft-branded
Contender backpack with laptop compartment for $100;
- High Sierra’s Beatrice over-the-shoulder tote
bag, with pockets for a notebook computer and a cellphone, for $60;
- a Built NY protective laptop sleeve that fits up to a 17-inch laptop for $35; and
-
a 2GB swivel flash drive ($13), a 2GB clip-on
MP3 player ($30) and a mini portable speaker ($10), all from Omnitech.
The retailer also provides
a host of IT support services, including laptop trade-ins and free PC tune-ups,
through its Staples EasyTech program.
