There’s a Staples Office Supplies
store right next to my bank, a bank
that has only two branches and therefore
requires my driving to the ATM…and
getting tempted by the nearby warehouse
of delights, a.k.a. Staples Office Supplies.
I say tempted because I have been engrossed
in, fixated on, in love with paper,
pens, and later, gadgets that have to
do with creating, writing, or reading.
You who are writers know what I mean:
getting that perfect feel of a pen
that rests just right between forefinger
and thumb is one of the most satisfying
of accomplishments. Perusing the aisles
of the oversized post-its, trying
to decide between the neon pinks and
greens of your seventies (when Moms
began sewing neon-colored clothing
for you) and the alluring teals and
purples of advanced Post-it technology
is a challenge that is welcomed. Considering
the many new USB clips, gauging their
value by amount of space, shape, compactness
becomes your initiation into the joys
of pc googaws that almost equal the
long-standing joys of paper and pen.
You who are writers or appreciators
of Staples office supplies—administrative
assistants, students, anyone who love
to futz—may value the lunch-hour
visit to Staples Office Supplies to
consider containers, eye the envelope
or award certificate template choices,
or sit in the squishiest of ergonomically
correct desk chairs. You may love
the computer sections, dig the photography
equipment, or enjoy the small selection
of video games or CD ROM choices.
You may have grown up wanting to own
a bookstore or a paper supply store
like Staples Office Supplies, and
appreciate the layout of wide and
open aisles, healthy lighting, and
clean counters and shelves. Others
of us may prefer to avoid the hurried
and harried nature of shopping in
a brick-and-mortar Staples Office
Supplies store and opt for online
browsing, where searches are inevitably
more efficient, as you can type in
a word or two and get a list of items,
item descriptions, and accompanying
photos limited to just your area of
interest.
Okay, so you all may not be as gushingly
ga-ga over Staples Office Supplies
stores as I happen to be. You may
not have ever thought about it with
such singular succor. You may treat
the Staples office supplies store
as a given, an afterthought on your
way to the butcher’s or the
bank. Or you may get this idiosyncratic
thrill that I get, knowing you are
on my way to the ATM and therefore
to a supply store that will send you
into pen-testing, paper-sniffing,
tool-touching nirvana.
