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).
