"In Staples’ ledger, hints of recovery; Office supply sales reflect a broader trend" by Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | April 21, 2010
Among the signs of economic recovery, consider the sale of pens at Staples.
Pen is mightier than sword, huh?
A year ago, the inexpensive stick pens were in demand as businesses sought to cut costs any way they could. Today, the more expensive rollerball pen is the item of choice, as penny-pinching gives way to, if not extravagance, at least a return to prerecession tastes.
Not if you are a bank, war-looter, or Israel.
It is a small signal, but a well placed one. Staples is something of an economic bellwether. More than most companies, the Framingham office supplies chain is positioned to quickly notice the ups and downs of spending because it sells to the entire economic food chain — from consumers to small businesses to large corporations.
Readers, I'm just sick of the BG s***-spew, sorry.
Two years ago, sliding sales and tough cost-cutting at Staples proved to be a precursor of the recession. As Staples went, so went the country.
It USED to be GM!
Now, Staples’ deliveries are being upgraded, and customers are more willing to splurge on discretionary items. Such hopeful indicators are not confined to the pen aisle.....
I've eaten enough Boston Globe hope these last months, folks.
Staples’ guarded optimism, modest expansion, and restrained job growth reflect the approach entrepreneurs, consumers, and corporations are taking as the US economy attempts to claw its way back from the worst downturn since the Great Depression.
This slow but steady boost in confidence is reverberating throughout the economy. Employers are adding back jobs, and consumer confidence is on the rise, but unemployment remained at 9.7 percent.
Always a BUNCH of BUTS in the BG BULLSHIT, notice that?
Consumer spending also grew modestly in February, the fifth consecutive month of increases.
So the lying paper and authorities say.
Do you know what tune out means, MSM and government?
“Consumers are generally feeling better about their plight and are finally making discretionary purchases and beginning to trade back up a bit,’’ said Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics Inc. in Swampscott.
As a result, some companies are trading up a bit, too. Macy’s, which saw sales trends improve during the fourth quarter, said it is increasing capital spending, but not taking any bold moves....
The Globe's LARGEST ADVERTISER!
Does the SELF-SERVING S*** SWILL EVER STOP, Glob?
But Staples will continue using teleconferencing technology it bought in 2008 in order to save tens of thousands of dollars annually on travel expenses. It plans to keep encouraging customers to place bigger, less frequent orders to offset fuel costs.
Work that was shifted to a service center in South Carolina and increasingly automated, such as the processing of invoices, will remain there.
No one staying in Mass (unless they get loot)?
During the downturn, Staples figured out how to reduce production time by more than 20 percent and increase sales at its retail copy and print centers....
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