When it comes to back-to-school shopping, don’t forget about the office supply stores. You may automatically think of Target back-to-school sales or Walmart back-to-school deals when planning your shopping list, but the Staples back-to-school sale every year includes deals that are priced to compete with even the biggest retailers. My local Staples is closer to my house than Target or Walmart, so it’s a no-brainer where I’ll be shopping for my school supplies.
The Staples back-to-school deals start in June and continue through September.
For more smart shopping tips and savings hacks, text HACKS to 57299 or download The Krazy Coupon Lady app.
The Best Staples Back-to-School Deals
The Staples Back-to-School Sale is an annual sale that lasts about 14 weeks, with some of the best prices of the year on school supplies.
The Staples back-to-school deals start in June and continue through September, and the prices will sometimes be lower than Walmart's or Target's.
The Staples Back-to-School Sale officially started on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
Staples kicked off their back-to-school sale on Sunday, June 8. That matches what we saw in 2024, when the sale began June 9. Based on past years, we still expect the sale to end in mid-September, making this year's event about 14 weeks long.
Here are the recent start dates for the back-to-school sale at Staples:
June 8, 2025
June 9, 2024
July 16, 2023
1. Join Staples Easy Rewards to earn points and get coupons.
The Staples Easy Rewards program is free to join, and once you're a member, you'll unlock exclusive savings and perks to help with back-to-school shopping. You'll earn 1 point for every $1 spent, and you can pick up to three bonus categories to earn double points. Plus, as long as you're an active member, your points never expire. You can also rack up extra points by recycling unwanted tech, ink, toner, and more.
Members can also get coupons sent to their email. I received $5 off $10.
2. Recycle at Staples and earn points, discounts, and coupons.
The Staples Recycling program makes it worth your time to recycle. Easy Rewards members can start earning points just for dropping off used tech, ink cartridges, batteries, and more, plus get access to exclusive in-store discounts.
Here’s how the Staples recycling rewards break down:
1,000 points when you recycle tech or batteries for the first time (new Easy Rewards members only)
500 points per month when you continue recycling tech and batteries
500 points per ink or toner cartridge, up to 6 per month — that’s up to $15 back in rewards
$30 in points when you buy a qualifying HP printer and recycle your old one in store
25% off Logitech products when you recycle in store (offer expires 6/28/25, limit 2)
Up to an extra $100 off select Epson printers when you trade in an old printer (expires 6/28/25, in-store only)
All these offers are tied to your Easy Rewards account, and most are in-store only. Points can be redeemed like cash on future purchases, with 1,000 points equal to $1.
Recycling these items is completely free. Here's a list of products accepted for recycling:
Backpacks
Lunch bags
Pencil pouches (soft and hard case)
Writing instruments (pencils, markers, pens, crayons, highlighters)
Rulers and similar items (protractors, triangles, etc. — wood, plastic, metal)
Glue sticks and empty bottles
Tech (calculators, headphones, earbuds, cables, USBs, etc.)
Binders (regular and zipper — paper must be removed)
Sharp cutting instruments, like scissors and exacto knives, aren't included.
3. Stock up on Staples school supplies with prices that rival Walmart and Target.
At some points during the back-to-school season, Staples’ prices will even dip down below Walmart‘s. You’re gonna have to hang on for a couple of weeks before this is true for most products, though.
Here are the rock-bottom prices to look for from Staples — if you see them marked down this low, stock up:
Elmer’s liquid glue, 4 oz: $0.55 (stock-up price: $0.50 each)
Crayola colored pencils, 12 ct: $0.99 (stock-up price: $0.90 each)
Crayola markers, 10 ct: $0.97 (stock-up price: $0.95 each)
4. Take advantage of Staples’ 100% Price Match Guarantee.
Staples offers a 100% Price Match Guarantee. If you spot a lower price on an identical item, just show it to a Staples associate, and they'll match it. You can bring a competitor’s weekly ad or use your phone to compare prices while shopping in-store.
And if you buy something from a Staples store and find it at a lower price in another Staples store or on Staples.com within 14 days, Staples will refund you the difference.
5. You can stack promo codes when shopping Staples back-to-school sales online.
True story! Staples issues product coupons in the form of promo codes, and also promo codes that apply to your entire transaction.
You can use only one transaction coupon on your entire order. BUT you can combine individual product coupons on top of that whole-transaction coupon when you shop Staples online.
6. Just note the product exclusion for coupons on Staples.com.
The fact that you can use more than one promo code when shopping Staples online is pretty amazing. But there’s a long list of exclusions. You can never use an online coupon for any of these products:
Laptops and tablets
Streaming devices
Apple products
Bose products
Google products
Ultimate Ears products
Wacom products
TI graphing calculators
Most ink and toner
Gift cards
Phone cards
Postage
Custom orders or promotional products
While there are a couple of big-ticket back-to-school items on that list of exclusions, the good news is that you can still use promo codes on the most common basics you’re likely to buy in bulk, like notebooks, crayons, and glue.
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