I have a deep, dark secret “squirreled away” in our supply cabinet.
In the very back of our supply cabinet, behind the post-it notes and the staples, behind the AA batteries and the binder clips, in the left corner that benefits from NO lighting, sits a bag of rubber bands.
*GASP*
I understand this doesn’t seem so dark and scary, but this particular bag of rubber bands? This bag of rubber bands did not come from Office Essentials nor did it come from any other independently owned and operated office supply company.
This wretched bag of rubber bands didn’t even come from a vendor as a sample. No, my friends, THIS bag of rubber bands came from Staples.
When I first discovered this little monster hiding in the darkness amid the other office supplies, I went on a personal mission to find out who bought them and why. Soon enough, though, I calmed down and realized this out-of-sight pariah was not a threat to me or to Office Essentials.
ANYONE can sell a bag of rubber bands–it’s true.
A bag of rubber bands isn’t a big deal to most vendors–it’s a transaction. Whether you walk into a “big box” store or order from an online giant, you can find a bag of rubber bands to fit your budget. Transaction complete. Nobody will ask if they are the correct size, nobody will be concerned they might break too easily. EASY peasy.
Office Essentials is proud to be more than an EASY transaction and we are proud to be different.
We care enough to ask what you need the rubber band for—because we know the rubber band you would use to put around a bundle of mail isn’t the same rubber band you would use to hold brake parts together. We care enough to tell you which rubber bands have latex and which do not—because latex allergies are not always known. We even care enough to tell you which rubber bands shoot the farthest and which will leave the most impressive welt (or not)—important factors for a Friday afternoon rubber band battle during a team Squirrel Break.
Anyone can sell a bag of rubber bands. It’s the service that comes WITH the rubber bands that makes all the difference—and NOBODY can compete with Office Essentials in that department.
As for the Staples rubber bands? Turns out we inherited them from someone’s dad. I find they break pretty EASY, but they do work fairly well for putting my hair up on a warm afternoon.
