Traveling this summer I have seen several Officemax stores. The two of the one I visited closed – but I still make a trip every month to bring in my ink cartridges. Officemax give $3 per cartridge with a 20 cartridge limit, Office Depot $2 with a 10 cartridge per month limit. These two stores give you back the $$ in rewards as a gift card that you can use at their stores. BUT to get the rewards you must spend that amount at the store during that quarter.
For example turn in 10 cartridges at Officemax gets you $30 in rewards. If you spend $25 that month at officemax you will get $25 in rewards, spend $30 and you get $30, spend $35 and you only get $30 in rewards. So you will get back the amount you spent out of pocket up the to amount in rewards you have earned – back in a gift card.
The same is true for Office Depot.
The SECRET this week Office Depot and Officemax (online only for officemax) have several items which provide 100% back in rewards. So, if you buy the Uniball pens from officemax for $17.99 per dozen, you will get the $17.99 back in rewards. But the hook us that you spent that money out of pocket, therefore it counts towards rewards. Therefore if you turn in (6) ink cartridges ($3 x 6=$18) to officemax you will get back the $17.99 for the 100% back on the pens PLUS $17.99 because you turned in ink. That means your gift card will be $35.98.
You can get back a great deal more than $35.98, buy more 100% back in rewards items and turn in more ink….. rinse and repeat.
Of course you can do more and increase the return on the gift card. Now, you need ink cartridges – I explained how to get there in “The Frugal Factor” book. I also explain how to turn the rewards in to real CASH.
I have done this several times for several years and it has become profitable!
STAPLES – staples is even better, and the leader of the office stores. I say the leader because the use to provide $3 back on each cartridge. When they dropped to $2, Office Depot soon followed.
Why is Staples a little better? For the small time discounts and deals person staples provides and easy return on the cartridges. At staples you can turn in 10 cartridges per month and get back $2 each. You DO NOT need to spend any money at staples to get the reward. Also, staples provides the reward at the end of each month. The other office supply stores make you wait until the end of the quarter. The folks running staples are a little smarter – there system gets me into the store every month to spend my rewards!
