No more $3.00 per empty ink cartridge at Staples.
Through their ink cartridge recycle (recycling) program Staples has been offering $3.00 for any major brand ink cartridge (up to 10 per month, 20 for premiere members) but has quietly changed that offer to $2.00 effective immediately. The program was started back in February of last year, more from 2009 here.
Someone at Staples needs to update the name of that file...
Too much supply, or simply a cost cutting measure?
Staples has quietly lowered the price they are willing to give for an empty inkjet printer cartridge from $3.00 (three dollars) to $2.00 (two dollars). That is a decrease of over 30%, and would seem to indicate that many folks are taking advantage of the program and Staples may have a solid empty cartridge supply – In the past, any customer (limit one per address) could trade in 10 empty (or full) inkjet cartridges for $3.00 each. It now appears that recycling reward is now $2.00. Cartridges accepted include those from Epson, Brother, HP, Lexmark, or any other inkjet printer.
We take advantage of this program monthly – ($30.00) thirty dollars a month is not to shabby. If more than $1000.00 worth of merchandise is purchased from Staples.com or locally this makes an acount eligible for “premiere” status. Premiere customers can recycle up to 20 cartridges per calendar month. So maximum redemption value went from $60.00 to $40.00 per month.
The real question is, will the consumer still recycle at the $2.00 level. We think so.
Another good question is if Hewlett Packard lowered their “kick-back” to Staples – also in possible corporate cost cutting measures. HP has been running several “our ink is more better” ads on TV for quite some time. Maybe they think the campaign has run its course and are satisfied consumers have been brainwashed. The HP logo appears on the recycling page, and you can bet that was not free space.
Link:
http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/products/3dollar_inkrecycle/
Filed under: Industry News Tagged: | back, buy, Cartridge, cartridge recycling, empty cartridges, ink cartridge recycling, ink cartridge refill, recycle, recycling, reduce, refill, Refilling, reuse, staples, staples cartridge buyback, staples cartridge recycling, trade in
