Staples could be Better

If you read enough of my blogs (especially Good Ideas for NJ), you'll see that many have a technical theme. I was trained professionally as a technical writer from 1979 to 2009, when I retired from NJ State government. I wrote Requests for Proposals (bid documents if you will) for computer hardware, software and services for 30 years, and also for energy procurement for ten. That also means I negotiated contracts with all sorts of vendors, big and small, during that time. So I'm a technical guy, and I'm a language guy. Words are very important to me and take on their intended meaning.

I'm also a computer guy, but not a geek or expert. I've used computers for dozens of years to type my documents and spreadsheets, and print them. Hence I like HP printers too. I know enough to find and fix most problems, how to work with techies by phone or by chat, and how to keep my files organized. Like you, I have tens of thousands of files, especially since our first Commodore 64 in the early eighties. And I love Microsoft -- Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Publisher. I even used MS-Access for many projects, as did my staff.

So glitches in computers irritate me, and that extends particularly to the Internet and websites.

Today I tried to do something simple -- send a document to Staples Copy and Print Center. I tried for twenty minutes before giving up. First I went to Staples.com. No help, not even close. Couldn't even find a Copy Center function. But then I remembered the Copy Center had its own web address, so I went there. Again, no help. After searching all the logical links, FAQs etc., and even though I fairly easily located my local Staples store, I could not find anything close to being able to send them a document for printing. I always ask myself, "Is it me?" But I try to be thorough -- I even check the sitemap down below, and open links that seem not to have any bearing - and they don't.

What I would have liked was something that connected me to my Hamilton Marketplace Staples store, instead of just telling me the store hours. Nothing. But I know it can be done! Janet does it every month when she sends our Baha'i Newsletter to them, they print it, and we pick it up an hour or two later. Why does it work for her? I figured it out finally. She has the email address of one of the Copy Center Associates, and sends her doc directly to them.   I want to be able to do that also.

So today I will go to our Staples Copy Center, pick up an Associates business card with their email on it, go home, sit at the computer, and email them my instructions and my color document to be laminated.  So fine, the job will get done.  But why does Staples make it so difficult?

I'm not really complaining, just gripping a little. Having the Internet has been a Godsend, and it gets better every day. I absolutely love Wikipedia and the usual ease of finding the information I'm looking for. But, just as in Staple's case, too many company websites are lacking, or downright unfriendly.

I have a website: www.rrenergyconsulting.com. It's for my business. My artistic son Jesse created it for $300 after I sent him the texts. Cheap at twice the price, which would be the average cost. And he did a beautiful job. I love the logo, and my matching business cards look great. It doesn't matter (to me) that the pages are static, lifeless. I had plans to put up energy tips, and have whole files of them, but never get around to organizing them, and sending them to Jesse for uploading.I guess companies with websites can't do everything either.

The worst part about poor websites is that sending them a note  through their "Contact us," never works well. One, they force you to chose a category for the message which has no bearing, and two, sometimes they even require a product code or an order code. If it was optional, then okay. Ridiculous! I guess they just don't care what their customers think. And that's a shame, because I'll still frequent my Staples store. At least the Associates are nice, and always say Hello when I enter. That's their policy.