Poor management is killing Staples Australia / NZ - Manager Staples Employee Review

2.0
Nov 26, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Used to be a good place to work when it was CE. People seem to be respected.

Cons

US management have no ideas on how to turn the company around other than cut heads. The truth is that CE / Staples has not has organic growth in Australia ever. Its growth has always been through acquisition. No acquisitions = No growth. Basically, their business is just clipping the ticket without any expertise in the other line of business categories. In the non OP categories, they rarely provide any innovation. The vendors do all the work and Staples adds a % and bills the customer. They don't make anything they just add cost to the customer. Staples "single source supply" model sounds good on paper. If it doesn't suit the sausage factory (OP / facilities/ IT consumables) it is doomed to failure.Put the inflexible "computer says no" SAP beast into the equation and pretty much in reality it is completely broken. Lazy procurement people and executives do yourselves a favour and do your research. I think you will find you can a better deal just about anywhere other than Staples.

Explore other reviews about Staples

5.0
Jun 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great store manager. Good starting point. Good store location.

Cons

Have to sell products you don't believe in. No commission

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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