When was the last time you purchased staples at Staples? Toner? A ream of paper?
If it’s been a while, you are not alone.
According to an article in Forbes, sales of office supplies have slumped as customers increasingly turn to the internet for purchases and use less office supplies altogether. The article reports that the office supply giant plans to close 225 North American stores, roughly 12 percent of its 1,846 stores in the United States and Canada by the end of next year.
That said, according to a manager at Staples in Riverside, the store is in no danger of closing.
The Staples store at 1297 East Putnam Ave. has operated since 1996.
Staff there said the store is ever-popular with children for school supplies, especially high schoolers and that while other Staples stores may be sized at 40,000 +square feet, the Riverside store comes in on the petite side at 17,000 square feet.
According to the Forbes article, Staples CEO Ron Sargent told investors during a Thursday morning call that the store chain is not getting out of the retail business entirely, and though brick and mortar stores will remain critical part of the company’s strategy, “stores have to earn the right to stay open and we are committed to making tough calls when it is necessary.”
Nearby, there is a Staples store in Stamford at 2299 Summer Street, and in Port Chester on the lower level in the Kohl’s Shopping Center at 515 Boston Post Rd.