Staples Australia in decline - Anonymous employee Staples Employee Review

2.0
Jul 9, 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Staples acquired the successful business of Corporate Express Australia Limited. A company with a long history of excellent service for corporate customers, and reliable earnings for shareholders. The roots within the Australian marketplace are deep and offer a solid platform for consolidating suppliers and building efficiencies.

Cons

The clash of cultures between Staples & Corporate Express has caused a huge fallout with both customers and employees. Revenue has fallen steeply from $1.2 Billion to less than $800 million. Staff exodus has drained much of the experienced people and created an unattractive environment for acquiring new talent. Systems & process changes have broken down causing most key SLA's to be missed for customers. Management expertise at all levels is poor and in particular the IT Division under Karl Sice have been unable to resolve issues for the past 24 months. As a result IT Division has lost over 50% of earning in the past 12 months alone.

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5.0
May 31, 2026
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Pros

Good community of workers overall

Cons

It has a very high turnover rate due to layoffs

4.0
May 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Stable corporate environment Staples is a long-established retail company, so roles usually come with: Structured processes Predictable workflows Lower volatility compared to startups 2. Exposure to large-scale retail systems You get experience with: High-traffic e-commerce platforms Product catalog systems (thousands of SKUs) Order management and supply chain integration This is useful if you want to move into bigger retail or tech e-commerce companies later. 3. Good learning ground for beginners to mid-level professionals Common learning areas: Digital merchandising SEO for product pages Pricing and promotions systems Basic analytics (conversion, traffic, funnel metrics) 4. Cross-functional collaboration You typically work with: Marketing teams Merchandising teams IT / engineering Supply chain / fulfillment Good exposure to how retail ecosystems operate end-to-end. 5. Employee benefits (varies by role/location) Often includes: Health insurance Employee discounts Paid time off Corporate training resources

Cons

Limited innovation compared to tech-first companies Staples is primarily a retail company, so: Processes can be traditional Innovation may move slower than in Amazon/Shopify-type environments 2. Tooling may feel legacy-heavy Depending on team, you may work with: Older CMS or merchandising tools Internal systems that are not always modern or flexible 3. Role specialization can be narrow Some e-commerce roles can become repetitive: Product page updates Catalog maintenance Routine reporting tasks Less exposure to deep engineering or advanced product innovation unless you're in a technical team. 4. Moderate salary growth compared to big tech Compared to companies like Amazon, Microsoft, or Google: Compensation growth may be slower Bonus structure can be more conservative

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