Staples - Deals & Shopping

Review by eFreeware

The most distinctive thing about the Staples app is how tightly it ties an online store to a physical one. It is a free shopping app from Staples Inc that handles the usual browsing and ordering, but it also leans on the store itself: coupons, rewards points, pickup, product scanning and services all sit in the same place. That combination, rather than the catalog alone, is what separates it from a plain retail app.

It is built for people who already shop at Staples with some regularity, whether that is a home office worker restocking paper and ink, a teacher buying classroom supplies, or a small business owner keeping the breakroom and front desk stocked. If your Staples trips are occasional and unplanned, the app still works, but the rewards and store tools matter most to shoppers who come back often.

It holds a 3.3 average from 1,501 ratings and more than a million installs, and it first appeared in November 2022. That is a middling score for a retail app of this size, which tells me the experience has room to improve even if the feature set is broad. I would go in expecting a capable shopping tool rather than a polished one.

What Easy Rewards actually gets you

The rewards program is the feature the developer leads with, and it is called Easy Rewards. Purchases add points, and bonus categories let your most frequent buys earn faster. The developer also says members can earn points for recycling in store and for trading in tech, which extends earning beyond the checkout counter.

Beyond the base points, the app promises exclusive and personalized offers each week. The developer bills the program as free and simple to sign up for, set up and start using. When you are ready, you cash in points to save at checkout, so the value lands as a discount on a future order rather than as a separate payout.

What appeals to me here is the category selection. Being able to steer bonus points toward the things you actually buy, rather than accepting a flat rate on everything, is the kind of detail that rewards regular customers. The trade-off is that the whole system depends on you shopping at Staples often enough for the points to add up to something meaningful.

Deals, coupons and the weekly rhythm

Savings in the app come from several places at once: weekly deals, app-only coupons and limited-time promotions, alongside everyday low prices. The app-only coupons are the part worth noting, since they are a reason to check the app rather than the website before you buy. The developer frames all of this as a way to save on both online orders and in-store purchases.

The practical effect is that the app rewards a bit of routine. If you glance at the current deals before a planned purchase, you have a chance of catching a promotion that applies to what you were already going to buy. If you only open the app at the register, you will mostly see whatever happens to be running that day.

I would treat the weekly offers as the main reason to keep the app installed between orders. They give the app a reason to be opened regularly rather than only when you need something specific, which is how most retail apps fade into the background.

Delivery, pickup and order tracking

Fulfillment is handled two ways. Qualifying orders ship next day to most of the country, and in-store pickup can have an order ready in about half an hour. Those two options cover very different needs: next-day delivery for a bulk order you can wait on, and quick pickup for the item you need this afternoon.

Order tracking is included for both online and app purchases, so you can see when a delivery is due to arrive. If you need to send something out rather than receive it, the app also lets you start shipping labels so you can drop packages off and get them moving.

The pickup promise is the one I would pay closest attention to, because 30-minute pickup depends on the store having the item in stock and being able to pull it quickly. The app's store mode, which I will get to, is the piece that helps you confirm stock before you commit to that trip.

Store mode and the services counter

Store mode is the feature that makes the app more than a storefront. It opens automatically inside a Staples store, putting your rewards balance, coupons, print jobs and pickups within easy reach. In store, it shows what is available, gives product details by scanning, and helps you locate an item on the shelf.

The services side is broader than I expected from a retail app. For each store, the app covers services such as printing, Amazon returns, tech repair and recycling, passport photos, TSA PreCheck sign-up and UPS shipping. Some of these are the reason people walk into a Staples in the first place, so having them surfaced in the app is genuinely useful.

The scanning tool is the part I would lean on most. Checking a product's details on your phone beats hunting for a shelf tag, and it is the kind of feature that quietly saves time on a store visit. Because store mode activates when you are on site, it is designed for the trip itself rather than for planning ahead.

What the catalog covers

The product range is wide, as you would expect from Staples. Categories run from office supplies, ink, paper and printers to furniture, laptops, tablets, breakroom coffee and snacks, small business goods, luggage, school and teacher items, and facility and safety products.

There is also a discovery section with new and trending products chosen by the company's experts, spanning tech, emerging brands and seasonal items. That is a browsing feature rather than a shopping necessity, but it gives the app something to show when you are not looking for a specific item.

The breadth is a strength for anyone equipping a workspace, a classroom or a small business from one place. It also means the app is not a specialist tool: it is a general retailer's catalog, and the value comes from the combination of products, services and rewards rather than from depth in any one category.

What it asks of you

The app is free to download, carries no ads and offers no in-app purchases. The rewards program is also described as free to join. So there is no cost to trying it, and no paid tier to weigh against the free experience.

What it does ask for is a Staples account. If you already have one, a single login works for both the app and staples.com, keeping your orders, coupons and points in one place. That shared login is convenient.

The other requirement is more practical than technical: the store features, including pickup and store mode, depend on having a Staples store nearby. The delivery promise covers most of the country on qualifying orders, but the in-store half of the app only pays off if you can walk into a location.

How I would use it

My approach would be to treat the app as two tools in one. Before a purchase, it is a place to check the current weekly deals and app-only coupons, confirm your bonus points category is set the way you want, and decide between next-day delivery and pickup based on how soon you need the item.

During a store visit, it becomes something different. With store mode active, you can pull up coupons and points at the register, scan a product to check its details, and keep track of any pickup or print orders you have waiting. That split is worth understanding, because the app is at its most useful when you move between the two modes rather than staying in one.

I would also keep an eye on the rewards balance rather than letting points sit. Since redemption happens at checkout, the value only shows up if you remember to apply it. For a frequent shopper, a quick check before each order is the habit that makes the program worthwhile.

The app was updated in October 2026 with performance improvements and bug fixes, which suggests the developer is still tending to it. Given the middling rating, that kind of upkeep is what I would want to see continue.

A worthwhile companion for regular Staples shoppers

The rewards program, the store mode tools and the services list are all built around repeat visits, and the free price with no ads or purchases makes trying it a low-risk decision.

The catch is that its value is uneven. Someone who orders occasionally will get a competent shopping app, while someone who is in a store regularly gets the coupons, scanning and pickup tools that justify keeping it on the home screen. The 3.3 rating from 1,501 ratings suggests the execution has not fully matched the ambition.

If you fit the frequent-shopper profile and have a store within reach, this is a sensible install. If your Staples purchases are rare and you have no location nearby, the app's strongest features are the ones you would never use.

What's new in version 15.3.1

We’ve made performance improvements and fixed bugs for a smoother experience. Thanks for using the Staples app!