Staples Joins the Same-Day Fray With Staples Rush
Add Staples Inc. to the growing list of same-day retailers.
The office supply giant announced on June 14 that it will roll out its own same-day delivery service, called Staples Rush, to major metropolitan areas in the United States.
The service already is being tested for some customers in the New York, Boston and Dallas areas, Staples’ initial launch cities. Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle are next on the list and will get the service soon.
To take advantage of the service, users must be in a ZIP code where Staples Rush is available and place their order online by 3 p.m. local time. There is a $14.99 shipping fee for same-day orders, and the company promises deliveries by 7 p.m. Staples Rush also is currently available only for weekday orders.
There is no minimum order needed to take advantage of Staples Rush. Staples' $9.95 traditional online ordering fee still will apply to orders of less than $49. The $9.95 ordering fee is in addition to the $14.99 same-day delivery charge.
Staples didn’t detail exactly which items it sells would be available but said that “thousands of products” will be covered, including office supplies, technology products and furniture, as long as they are not on clearance and weigh less than 70 pounds. The copy and print center is currently not included but will be added in the coming months.
Unlike Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which recently announced it would be partnering with Uber, Lyft and Deliv for its own same-day grocery deliveries, Staples will use its own delivery fleets.
“By offering a wholly owned same-day delivery experience, Staples is providing businesses the type of customer service they’ve come to expect from us throughout their entire transaction,” Mike Bhaskaran, Staples’ executive vice president of supply chain and logistics, said in a statement.
The move is the first big announcement since Staples' attempted merger with Office Depot was blocked by a federal judge. The company has been struggling since the merger failed, with the office giant's CEO Ron Sargent announcing last month that he would be leaving the company after the retailer's annual shareholder meeting today. Staples' stock has tumbled nearly 17% through the June 13 close since the merger was called off May 10.
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