STAPLES B&M FAR/AC: HammerMill® Copy Plus Copy Paper, 8 1/2" x 11", Ream & FAR Staples Photo Plus Paper & $25 OFF Staple

freakinout said:   jqsmooth said:   

I thought it was a good deal using the coupon posted by OP, no? Used ink recycling rebate to get it, what's so bad about that?

there is nothing wrong with it all. I think it was mostly a joke, but there are some here that consider it "uneducated" to spend your rewards on anything but FAR items with extra coupon that allow you to "cash out" & profit. they sometimes forget that not everyone has the patience and desire to tie their money up for 2 months to make an extra couple dollars, and if you were going to take the cash and buy a hard drive anyway, what's the difference? I usually try to moneitize my rewards, but there are times I will use them to splurge on something I want but wouldn't normally buy, or something I want or need anyway

Don't let it get to you. They are your rewards, use them as you see fit. If you are happy with your purchase, then it was a good deal for you. But if you want to make them go even further, pay attention to the lessons being taught in these threads!

The difference is when you have rewards that had a nonzero OOP cost to obtain (100% in rewards on totes, batteries, double double ink promos, etc). Unless you efficiently cash those rewards out, you are actually just spending money on the product you are buying, in this case the HDD, with the item you got that generated the rewards as a bonus.

nbadhe said:   It sounds like the coupon code - 866957 is NOT printing on the coupon when printed. See the link - http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/coupons/?
If they enter this coupon code then I think it will take $3.00 from $6.99 price and there will be easy rebate for 3.99, which will make it free...If you read the prior posts in this thread it would tell you that right now it is unclear whether this was supposed to be a special rebate making the paper free after rebate or it was supposed to be a coupon. In any case, Staples is now aware of the issue and we will see how they resolve it. It isn't working bottom line.

freakinout said:   pthor1231 said:   

The difference is when you have rewards that had a nonzero OOP cost to obtain (100% in rewards on totes, batteries, double double ink promos, etc). Unless you efficiently cash those rewards out, you are actually just spending money on the product you are buying, in this case the HDD, with the item you got that generated the rewards as a bonus.

True, but if the items initially purchased were actually needed in the first place that makes a difference, and if it is rewards from cartridge recycling that makes a HUGE difference. For all we know this poster works from home and gets reimbursed for office supplies by their company, or is recycling a pile of cartridges someone gave them. We have no idea, and not everyone's circumstances are the same, so implying they are suckers for spending rewards on a hard drive is ridiculous. It's one thing to offer advice and alternatives, but some seem to always be on the attack

agree, with the caviat that he NEEDED those things anyway. if he just bought them cause they were "free" for the fun of it, then it's a wash, no benefit to his use of rewards in this case. but not as bad as......

the silliest/worst use of rewards is using them to pay for more free after rewards items and not earning the rewards on the 2nd purchase cause you used rewards from the first.

mathfaster said:   ...5. Called customer relations at SOOP. They were not aware of issue but will look into and send me offer number when they fix the issue. Told them issue is systemic.Still have not heard back on if and how this is going to be resolved.

freakinout said:   radiation said:   

Also, keep in mind that when you say the initial purchase was something you needed anyway and then you spend the rewards on an item, you have to remember that the FARewards items are usually overpriced. I don't think that anyone is going to spend $13.99 on a plastic tote or $9 on a binder unless they are free after rewards or rebate.

Very true, but there is another way to approach this: If i am planning to buy a new hard drive in the next month or so, and i know $taples has them priced in line with others ( or will price match), it might make sense to buy a bunch of over priced FARewards stuff that I don't really need now, as I know I'll be able to put the rewards toward the thing I need and am planning to buy anyway.

The downside is it (kinda) locks me into buying it at $taples ( I can always hang onto the rewards if a better deal comes along), but the upside is by pre-paying now I get a bunch of bonus stuff that i may not need now, but I could probably foresee myself using most at some point.

with that being said, I didn't buy any of the FARewards stuff yet this year. None of it really made sense for me since the batteries

That's the key IMHO, if you look at the FARewards items as bonus stuff that came with the item you purchased, instead of thinking rewards certificate made the item a good deal.

I only went for the plastic file boxes so far this time (and will get 2 more this week) I like the way they stack for storage.

radiation said:   Also, keep in mind that when you say the initial purchase was something you needed anyway and then you spend the rewards on an item, you have to remember that the FARewards items are usually overpriced. I don't think that anyone is going to spend $13.99 on a plastic tote or $9 on a binder unless they are free after rewards or rebate.Maybe not anyone here, but I'm sure they sell them to people all the time at that price.

They have updated the paper coupon under the DEALS drop down. Now appears that the Staples Multipurpose paper is free after rebate. Rebate is hidden in the rebate center so do not know what the offer number is supposed to be.

http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/coupons/?icid=HDC:HDC:DROPDOWN:WE...

MISTERCHEAP said:   freakinout said:   pthor1231 said:   

The difference is when you have rewards that had a nonzero OOP cost to obtain (100% in rewards on totes, batteries, double double ink promos, etc). Unless you efficiently cash those rewards out, you are actually just spending money on the product you are buying, in this case the HDD, with the item you got that generated the rewards as a bonus.


the silliest/worst use of rewards is using them to pay for more free after rewards items and not earning the rewards on the 2nd purchase cause you used rewards from the first.

LOL, that was exactly what i did with Office Depot's rewards early last year - used the rewards to buy something (supposed to be 100% back item) that was very much overpriced and worse, i really had no need for it. I had no clue how these type of programs worked then so I just quit OD's rewards program right after i realized that i was a sucker in that 2nd transaction.

I was able to do this deal for both the photo paper and single ream of paper with the coupons last night but they had to ring it up as four separate transactions (possibly mgr not convenient for override).

FYI, the easyrebate number for the single ream of paper is 12-40762. Separate transactions made it a little more difficult to do the rebate but still not bad.

VivYip said:   rebate offer for multipurpose ream 12-43943


Promotion: $6.99 Rebate on Staples 8.5x11 Multipurpose Paper Ream (513099) at Staples Stores ONLY
Rebate reward: PayPal
Rebate Check
Valid purchase dates: 01/13/13 through 01/19/13
Must be submitted by: Purchase Date Plus 60 Days
Promotion details:
Purchase must be made between 01/13/13 and 01/19/13. Requests MUST be submitted online or postmarked within 60 days from date of purchase. To submit online go to www.stapleseasyrebates.com and follow the instructions. To mail rebate Staples STORE PURCHASE: Send ONLY the completed ORIGINAL rebate redemption form printed from the cash register, the ORIGINAL submission form printed from www.stapleseasyrebates.com, or the ORIGINAL PDF submission form provided by a Staples store. Offer valid in US only. Good for actual purchases by end users; excludes resellers and distributors of products and their families. You should receive your rebate within 4-6 weeks after claim is received. All rebates will be made in US dollars. We are not responsible for lost or misdirected mail and illegible entries. Staples logo and product names are trademarks of Staples and their respective companies. Limit 1 rebate per name/address/household. For questions about your rebate call 1-877-266-6483. Fraudulent submissions could result in federal prosecution under the U.S. Mail Fraud Statutes (18 USC, Section 1341 & 1342). Keep a copy of your documents for future reference.

so where does this leave those of us who did the Hammermill deal? a return and rebuy for this???

very unfair they never addressed it properly and inconvenienced so many people.

nbadhe said:   What do we do if we already have bought Hammer mill paper? Do we need to return the paper and buy Staples multipurpose paper?

I hope that's not the case, but it might turn out that way. Total hassle, especially since I paid for mine with rewards balance coupon. But waiting for Mathfaster to offer his take on this before I go back to the store. Staples really should make the hammermill right and not make this so difficult over a $3 rebate.

I bought the Hammermill this morning using the old coupon. The clerk mentioned they had a lot of trouble with it yesterday and called the manager over to do it. He could only get a $3.99 rebate to print out and gave me a credit back on my creditcard for the difference.

nbadhe said:   When you return the item that was bought on Reward, Do we get the reward back?If it is not expired you do.

niniss said:   MISTERCHEAP said:   freakinout said:   pthor1231 said:   

The difference is when you have rewards that had a nonzero OOP cost to obtain (100% in rewards on totes, batteries, double double ink promos, etc). Unless you efficiently cash those rewards out, you are actually just spending money on the product you are buying, in this case the HDD, with the item you got that generated the rewards as a bonus.


the silliest/worst use of rewards is using them to pay for more free after rewards items and not earning the rewards on the 2nd purchase cause you used rewards from the first.



LOL, that was exactly what i did with Office Depot's rewards early last year - used the rewards to buy something (supposed to be 100% back item) that was very much overpriced and worse, i really had no need for it. I had no clue how these type of programs worked then so I just quit OD's rewards program right after i realized that i was a sucker in that 2nd transaction.

Yeah, we all purchase things just to use up rewards here and there. Someone suggested that i use those rewards to buy forever stamps since I use them for business. If you need them, I think it's a great way to cash out rewards. I don't know how profitable it will be selling them.

jqsmooth said:   ...
Yeah, we all purchase things just to use up rewards here and there. Someone suggested that i use those rewards to buy forever stamps since I use them for business. If you need them, I think it's a great way to cash out rewards. I don't know how profitable it will be selling them.

I thought a person can't use the rewards on stamps?

Staples Rewards cannot be redeemed for or applied against cash, taxes, credit remittance, delivery charges, custom printing orders placed online, promotional products, any purchases made on print.Staples.com, staplescopycenter.com, staplespromotionalproducts.com, staplescustomprinting.btobsource.com, shopstaplesmobile.com, appcenter.Staples.com, gift cards, prepaid phone cards, postage stamps, prior purchases, Staples Industrial(sm) purchases or purchases on third-party Web sites. Purchases eligible for Rewards is the amount paid at checkout after application of all promotions, coupons and Rewards redemptions. Purchases made pursuant to a contract with Staples Contract & Commercial, Inc., are not eligible for the Staples Rewards Program. The sale, barter or transfer of Rewards, except by Staples, is expressly prohibited. Abuse of the Staples Rewards program, including violation of program policies, or other improper conduct as determined by Staples, may result in legal action, cancellation of member’s account, exclusion from the program, forfeiture of all Rewards accrued, and liability for past Rewards redeemed. If Reward is not redeemed in full on in-store purchase, a one-time-only coupon with the expiration date of the original Reward will be printed for any remaining balances of $1.00 or more. No balance coupon will be given on online or phone orders. Balance coupon may be used for future store, online or phone purchases. Expired Rewards cannot be reissued. Staples reserves the right to change the Rewards program at any time without notice.

mathfaster said:   jqsmooth said:   NoMoneyInMyWallet said:   MISTERCHEAP said:   yeah, apparently they simply haven't updated the rebate system to reflect the offer for this week. I'll just hold on to my paperwork and see what happens, hopefully it will get updated. I'm not concerned that I don't have the physical rebate form if the right dummy SKU is showing on the receipt. All I'd need is the new rebate offer # to apply for it, and that seems to be what's lacking right now.I believe the issue is that you bought SKU 122408, but the coupon is incorrectly coded for SKU 122048 (see coupon). So when scanning the "dummy" SKU, there was no match for the qualifying ream SKU, so no "extra" rebate. Hopefully they fix the incorrect SKU soon.

I believe that's why my rebate didn't print from the cashier. Oh look, I can bold stuff too.That was a good guess at the time but the reality is that the Staples Multipurpose was always meant to be the free ream paper as evidenced that the "coupon" was totally altered. If you already bought the HammerMill you can do a return or you can do a return on the HammerMill and then buy the Staples Multipurpose with the new improved "coupon".

MF,

what do you mean by "altered"? was it a mistake on Staples part or was this a bogus coupon that was distributed??

jqsmooth said:   
Well, that's good to know for Staples. It was for OD FAR deals earlier in the month. I'm gonna have to check the OD website for T&C. Thanks though!

From OD site:
Rewards Certificates may be redeemed on purchases of merchandise only, which excludes any type of prepaid gift, merchandise, debit, phone, service or other stored value card or device.

I think you can at OD.OD Rewards definitely work for stamps. I cashed out around $100 of Rewards last year for stamps. Much better than paying sales tax to buy software and wait for the rebate.

freakinout said:   Don't feel bad, often times store employees aren't even sure how these programs work. During the battery promo I was using a reward to purchase stuff so I asked to have FARewards batteries rung up separately. the manager overheard and told me there was no need since rewards were just like cash, so i could use rewards to buy FARewards stuff and would get rewards for the purchase. I knew better but didn't feel like debating so i just thanked him for the info but said i wanted to keep separate anyway.I had a similar problem with the 15% off bag deal and batteries last month. The cashier was going to ring up the bag + coupon to make it free and batteries on the same transaction. I asked her not to and she was refusing so I pushed the issue. She finally called over the manager who told her to just do the bag separately. If she hadn't, most of the 99c from the bag coupon would have come off the price of the batteries!

billrubin said:   Has anyone here succeeded using the photo paper coupon more than once per transaction? On SD someone reported having the cashier scan it 4 times and it was accepted and they got $4 off. I thought someone here reported that it beeped after the first time.http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1250921/m17489260/#m17...

NoMoneyInMyWallet said:   billrubin said:   Has anyone here succeeded using the photo paper coupon more than once per transaction? On SD someone reported having the cashier scan it 4 times and it was accepted and they got $4 off. I thought someone here reported that it beeped after the first time.http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1250921/m17489260/#m17...Thanks. Obviously missed that!