Staples is a powerhouse when it comes to office and stationery supplies.
It boasts a huge $8.6 billion a year turnover and employs over 75,000 employees in 1035 stores in the US alone.
Staples stocks a wide variety of office products including everything from office electronics, desks, and a wide variety of stationery products.
Staples also stocks a wide variety of office chairs including brands such as La-Z-Boy, Serta, Euro-Tech, and many of its own brand Staples units.
If you’ve recently purchased a chair from Staples and are looking to make a return, you might be wondering what their returns policy is.
With that in mind, we’ve examined Staples’ returns policy in detail to bring you up to speed with exactly what it is including the returns window, whether you need a receipt, returns costs, and how it compares to its competitors.
Keep reading to see what we found…
Staples Chair Returns Policy: Short Answer
In short, Staples’ returns policy for chairs is 14 days from purchase, whether you purchased online or in-store. This is extended until late January if your purchase was made between early November and Xmas eve (see below for more details).
Can You Return a Chair to Staples Without a Receipt?
Yes, you can return your chair to a Staple without a receipt.
In-Store Purchases
If you purchased your chair in-store, then return to the store with your product and the credit or debit card you paid on and Staples will look up the purchase on their system.
If you don’t have your receipt or credit/debit card and Staples can’t identify the purchase then they’ll offer a gift voucher to use in-store for the lowest amount the product was priced at in the previous 30 days.
However, you will need to bring along a government-issued ID if you do not have your receipt.
Online Purchases
It’s much easier if you’ve ordered your chair online as you can log in to your account and proceed to the “My Orders” section where you can print off or take a screenshot of your order.
While Staples does offer a fairly common “no receipt” returns policy, we find that Costco’s returns policy is ultimately more flexible and safer to use as their membership service makes it easier to track purchases.
How to Return a Chair to Staples
In-store
If you purchased your chair in-store, then simply return the chair to the store in question with all the packaging and with the chair disassembled.
Present the chair to the front desk or checkout with your receipt or credit/debit card you paid on and your return will be processed.
You can also return your chair in-store if you purchased it through one of Staples’ authorized suppliers.
Online
if you purchased your chair online then you can make a return by:
- Log in to your account
- Proceed to the returns option and input the reason you are returning your chair
- Package your item into its original packaging with all accessories, parts, and manuals
- Return it to the store
Does Staples Offer Free Return Postage and Restocking fee?
We couldn’t see anything to suggest that Staples offers free returns postage so you’ll need to return your item either in person to your local store or by arranging your own courier.
If your chair is damaged you can also request that a new replacement is sent to you free of charge.
There is no restocking fee like some stores charge for the administrative cost of restocking the returned product.
How Are Refunds Processed and How Long Will It Take For Staples To Refund Me for My Chair?
How your refund will be processed will depend on the method of payment.
If you paid with cash, debit card, or check then Staples will refund your payment in cash.
If you paid with a debit card and you have the pin number for that card then they can also refund your debit card.
If you used your credit card online or in-store then staples will recredit your credit card.
Your refund will take 3-5 days if you paid on a major credit card including if you paid with a Staples credit account.
If you’ve returned your chair through the post then we’d allow up to 14 days as Staples will need time to receive your product, check it and make the refund to your card.
Related Article:
Staples Printer Returns Policy
Do I need a Box, Packaging, and Accessories to Make a Return to Staples?
Staples make it clear that you should return your chair with all of the packaging, the box, and accessories such as instruction manuals, screws, and parts.
You should also return your chair disassembled.
There will likely be more leniency on returns if you’re only missing some of the packagings.
However, you’ll likely have more trouble making a successful return if parts or accessories are missing.
Will Staples Accept Returns Outside 14 Day Returns Window?
If you’re just outside of the 14-day window then you should first speak to a member of staff.
You can either do this in-store or using the online chat function.
Explain to the staff member that you’re only just beyond the 14-day window and they may be able to assist and apply some wiggle room to extend that period.
If you purchased your product around Christmas then the 14-day window is usually extended anyway.
For example, in 2021, the returns window was extended for purchases made between November 8, 2021, to December 24, 2021, until January 24, 2022.
If you’re well outside of the window then you have the following further options:
- Check the warranty of the product. If your chair is damaged or develops a fault then you can usually claim through that. For example, Staples branded chairs come with a 7-year warranty as standard;
- Check your home insurance. Some policies of insurance come with accidental damage and even refund protection which means you could make a claim against that policy;
- Sell your chair. Another option is to simply sell your chair on websites such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Craig’s list. Even broken units can often be sold for parts.
How Does Staples’ Chair Return Policy Compare?
The length of a returns policy can often be a deciding factor when it comes to purchasing products, especially with items like chairs that are often returned more regularly than some products due to them not always meeting the needs of the customer (due to comfort, aesthetics etc…)
So to help you out with that, we’ve examined some of the returns policies for Staples’ main competitors.
Here they are:
| Store | Returns Policy |
| Walmart | Within 90 days of purchase |
| Ikea | Within 365 days of purchase or 100 days if open |
| Costco | Unlimited 100% satisfaction guarantee |
| Amazon | Within 30 days of purchase |
As you’ll note, Staples’ meager 14-day returns policy for chairs is fairly underwhelming and is beaten by pretty much all of its competitors.
For many people, this may well be a deal breaker.
Related Post:
Does Staples Price Match?
Final Thoughts
In summary, Staples offers a below-average returns policy on office furniture like chairs in contrast to its main competitors.
However, it does offer a wide range of chairs in its inventory and they do tend to come with a respectable 7-warranty (for Staples branded chairs).
We find Staples’ chairs are reasonably priced and are of fairly good quality and, therefore, we’ll leave it to your good judgment as to whether its below-average returns window puts you off purchasing from them.
