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Staples may be the next major retailer to offer Apple products, according to a tweet by Erin LaFlamme, a Strategic Account manager for Staples. Precisely what Apple products and when Staples will offer them are unknowns, but the company will join a select group of major retail outlets to provide Apple-branded hardware, namely Target, Walmart, Best Buy and "The Shack" (the artist formerly known as RadioShack).
Most national retailers only sell Apple's portable offerings: iPods and, in some cases, iPhones and iPads. Best Buy is perhaps the best (and only) example of a national brick-n-mortar outlet who offers a full range of Apple products, including iMacs, MacBooks, iPhones, iPods, Apple TVs and so on. Whether or not Staples will have a full range of products or just a limited selection of Apple portables remains a question mark.
All of this talk about Apple and retailers also reminded me of this following bit of history; Before Apple's successful chain of self-branded retail stores, CompUSA was possibly the only national retail source for Apple products following their 1997 partnership. A decade later though, CompUSA run into some major financial hurdles, prompting the closure of its physical retail operations.
Earlier this year, we mentioned how Apple maintains its consistent prices throughout its retail channels. Because of Apple's carrot-and-stick approach, it's unlikely even a loss-leader-wielding store like Staples will fall out of line with its competitors. This is one case where increased availability doesn't necessarily lead to competitive pricing.
Despite Apple's designer appeal and high grossing prices, Best Buy said that selling Cupertino's products isn't without risk, citing "relatively low margins" as a contributing factor to last year's hardships.
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Julien said:
As far as I know, select Staples in Canada have offered Macbooks and other Apple OSX based computers since August 2012.
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Rippleman said:
Same here in Alberta Canada.
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Rippleman said:
Opps, I mean only the iPad and iPod, not apple pc's
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supertech said:
Staples has offered Apple products in Canada for some time now. The U.S. operations are different and they currently do not.
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Also from Alberta, Canada. I bought my wife's IPad from a Staples in Medicine Hat.
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The shopping experience one embraces by buying high tech equipment in a Staples, is even more depressing than buying the same thing at Best Buy.
Last time I was there, they charged me a dollar OVER list price for an Epson ink cartridge. Then they closed the store. Now I have to go 6 or 7 more miles to be overcharged.
In Philadelphia there's an Ikea, and a Toys r' Us in the same general area as a Staples store.
Try and guess the one where I think Apple should start selling iPads next.
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There is only one reason why staples has not been able to offer products...they used to, until they bought ipods from a 3rd party supplier and NOT from apple. apple threw a toddler temper-tantrum as they usually do and told staples they were no longer allowed to sell apple products because they didn't buy them from apple and had to 'sit in the corner in time out' for 4 years until they could sell the products again. canada will not allow companies to act like a 3 year old girl so therefore you can buy apple's garbage there. this info is not my opinion, it is fact. at least now I have yet another reason not to shop at staples and yet another of the many reasons I will never buy anything related to CRapple.
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Tekkaraiden said:
As far as I know, select Staples in Canada have offered Macbooks and other Apple OSX based computers since August 2012.Yeah it's the second time they've done this, last time was about 3 years ago.
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GeforcerFX said:
NOOOOOOO I don't want to sell Apple at work, that's the best part of work, not selling Apple products. To my understanding though the reason staples has not been selling apple in the US is because in the US we offer out own protection plans on all our electronics (and from what I have seen Apples is the only other company with plans as good as ours), but apple only allows people to buy there protection on there stuff, so I am wondering how true this is. but seeing as how most of best buys brick and mortars will be gone by the end of this year this will be the only way, other then apple stores, to get a macbook or other mac PC's in the states.
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