Staples Canada Offers Last Minute Back-to-School Shopping Survival Tips

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 28, 2012) -

Editors Note: Two photos for this release are available on the Canadian Press picture wire via Marketwire.

With school just one week away, anticipation of last-minute back-to-school shopping stresses many Canadian families. Filling backpacks doesn't have to be a tedious chore with these easy tips from Staples Canada, Canada's biggest back-to-school retailer:

1. Have a plan: Involve your children in creating a detailed list of the items you need. Setting out for your shopping trip with a list everyone has agreed to should help save precious time.
   
   
2. Do your research: The best back-to-school retailers offer special pricing just in time for back-to-school, which will make shopping on a budget easier.
   
   
3. Reduce your shopping time: Find retailers specializing in back-to-school supplies. Staples Canada offers a variety of school supplies helping to cut down on trips from store to store and making it easy to find the right items quickly.
   
   
4. Ask for help: Back-to-school time is hectic for most families. Retailers like Staples Canada offer special services to make things easier, such as grade-specific lists of suggested school supplies, or store maps to help you find what you need quickly and easily.
   
   
5. Be prepared to shop on the first day of school: Most elementary schools will send a supply list home with children on their first day. Leave room in your back-to-school budget for these items.
   
   
6. Buy basics in bulk: Take advantage of special back-to-school pricing. When you find a deal on popular supplies, purchase large quantities. When your kids need to replenish, you will be prepared. Pens, pencils, notebooks and erasers run out quickly!
   
   
7. Make shopping a game: Bring along your children and provide each one with a list of items he or she is responsible for finding. Sending everyone out on the "treasure hunt" will add a sense of fun to the experience, while cutting down on shopping time.
   
   
8. Extended shopping hours: September 4^th is a busy shopping day for school supply retailers. You can avoid busy stores by taking advantage of Staples Canada's extended hours.
   
   

About Staples Canada

Staples, Canada's largest office products company, is committed to providing Canadians with a wide choice of office services and products. Serving all types of business - from the small home office to large enterprise - Staples makes it easy for customers to operate their offices efficiently and affordably by offering an extensive selection of office supplies, technology, electronics and office furniture as well as business services, including computer repair and maintenance, and copy and print services. Operating as Bureau en GrosMC in the province of Quebec and Staples Canada in all other provinces, the company employs over 15,000 associates at 330+ stores and at their head office in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Ranked as one of Canada's top ten Canadian companies in Marketing Magazine's Marketing/Leger 2011 Corporate Reputation Survey, Staples/Bureau en Gros is dedicated to offering customers the highest level of service, whether they choose to shop in-store, by catalogue or online. Staples Canada/Bureau en Gros also is invested in a number of corporate giving programs that actively support environmental, educational and entrepreneurial initiatives in Canadian communities from coast to coast.

Visit www.staples.ca for more information, or visit us on www.facebook.com/StaplesCanada and www.twitter.com/StaplesCanada.