One business that’s really taken it to the Web is Office Depot. From their site you place an order that you can either pick up at your local store or have delivered to you overnight, for free. Office Depot handles their own shipping and sends their own drivers out, which works out wonderfully. Their order tracking system is helpful and their web site’s usability is much better than Staples, but about on par with Office Max.
I wish more companies, especially established ones, would adopt their e-commerce model. While it’s not practical for small shops to do so, office supply stores, furniture stores, and mattress stores, who all traditionally offered free delivery from their closest store, have no excuse not to use this model. -ram
Posted in Consumer Commentary