Thread regarding Staples Inc. layoffs

All the internal hype with the event in FLA and the “awesome” renovations to HQ. I could have thrown up from seeing employees thinking things changed. These things didn’t impress those of us who have already left long ago. WE don’t forget the past moments just like this one... constant layoffs year after year. Stop continuing to drink the cool aid people. Get out before they get you out. Don’t be naive and don’t think you’re special to them... because unfortunately nobody is.

Former employee long ago, have watched with amazement as basic flaws in strategy & business model weren't addressed in the last 15+ years:

• Retail stores with far too much square footage became less productive as sales moved online
• Uncompetitive pricing model driven by unrealistic margin requirements opened the door for competitors in every channel to easily take market share
• Slow response to obvious threat from Amazon
• Mediocre (at best) systems, especially in e-commerce

I could go on, but you get the idea. RS was driving the bus and never addressed as CEO. Tom is spinning in his grave at what's become of his once great company.

Way too little way too late.
" a cycle of spinning and futility" nails it
The Loop was published about 10 years too late. Barely any if any decent social media presence (this needed to be started long long ago and built up over time )
Rebranded pens? tech products that look worse than any chinese amazon knockoffs, Perk products? decent packaging ???? poor copies of Ikea furniture? I feel for those who lost and truely needed their positions and long term careers. changing landscape and the worst is corporates waste of multi million dollars on sale conferences and useless waste of time meetings saying everything will be ok. blehhh

I agree. My time was 2002 to 2018. Staples was a disruptor until it was disrupted by Amazon. Among other things, RS and team spent too much money on leaders from Seattle with impeccable e-commerce credentials, but who didn’t really change things. They were ultimately better at selling themselves than they were at increasing sales. Dotcom was doing better when SB and BT led it before he left for CVS. Anyway, it is a bit sad. Too many new leaders come in and don’t stay, which creates a cycle of spinning and futility. Think of the CMOs - FB, MB, who knows who else, and now SP from Quill.com. New tag lines and logos which ultimately don’t change things. Seems like SP is in a race to the bottom to keep reducing GS&A as sales decrease, to try to take it public. Good luck with that.