Mar 7, 2009
I believe the word is “differentiation”
Dear Staples and Office Depot,
Is the only thing that seperates you two the color scheme? It can’t be your level of service (bad to the level of almost non-existant) or your selection (identical), so I have to assume it’s your color scheme… and maybe the ad agency who charges for the idea of the “easy” button. But really, you are the same.
They have the same pens. They have the same furniture. They have the same post-it notes in the same bright colors in the same volumes (I read somewhere that 3M has ten thousand SKUs for post-its. Where are they selling them?). The same labels from the same manufacturers.
Looking for resume paper? They have five kinds. The same five kinds. The same brands. The same corresponding envelopes. Roughly the same prices. Ask the copy shop clerk if they can order paper for you (You know, something that’s a little nicer than “WHITE” or “OFF-WHITE”) and they look at you funny. Why would anyone want a nice, high-end paper with an ounce of creativity or interest (without turning to the “lady bug and sunflowers” papers of the scrapbooking store) when you could get WHITE? Or CREAM.
They are the same store.
And when they are the same store, is it any surprise that one can’t get a leg up on the other?