Thread regarding Staples Inc. layoffs

I say yes and no. CE was on the wrong path as far as $ go, and there is no way to tell if they would have even been open in 2014 if Staples hadn't bought them. There were a lot of high level executives who had no idea how to run a company. They also had people in Director and higher levels who had no business being in those roles.

At first I was disappointed when the acquisition happened, but looking back, I don't think CE would have made it this far; I think they would have been just like USOP prior to CE acquiring them (stock being worth pennies) due to mis-management.

I admit I drank the Staples Cool Aid until this year when my building got whacked, but looking back, it was probably for the best. I just wish I had seen the writing on the wall before being blind sided like I was this year.

Thank you Staples, you've changed my whole perspective on Corporate America, being loyal to the company you work for and life in general.

You made me realize my family is MUCH more important that your POS company. Thank you for giving me my life back. You F****D us, but good, but in the end, I've not only survived the lay off, but have a much better job with a good company (they truly care,) make a comparable wage (and have an opportunity for a monthly bonus (that is attainable and can provide me with a better wage than I was making)) and work less hours, all the while getting to spend more time with my family and not worry about work when I'm at home.

Thank you Staples:)

I was around in the contract division during the Corporate Express merger and witnessed a lot! With the merger the contract division became the biggest division but also the worst regarding having a career. The company is facing the need for its old timer office supply contract only staff to adapt to the Corporate Express platforms which had many coups in other vertical markets which justified the merger to be a hostile merger. This has been the HUGE issue for the established territories as the division managers and account sales staff have been learning on the go from the vertical market departments to avoid humiliation of not being able to train their own team. Since the merger there were many unannounced layoffs mainly because the managers and sales staff were trying to fight off their CE competition for their job. As a result the issues forced the company to outsource much of its vertical market services. Ironically those who have been let go were mostly from CE and are now with Office Depot/Max. Seriously, Staples dodged a bullet thanks to its CE leaks. If CE had a better grasp of its spending habits CE would have bought Staples hands down on their way to becoming a Amazon duplicate. Instead there's a world where mid-managers are playing games to keep their high paying jobs and benefits which sometimes is done by including some shady involvement from some of their outsourced HR team who knows very little about the company. Mass confusion at many levels.

I totally agree!!! I was with CE and went through the transition with Staples, and was with the company for 20 years. I too drank the Staples cool-aid until i was stabbed in the back by my branch manager. When we were with CE he was the supervisor and i was the a driver and this dude got along with all the drivers and then it happen... Staples took over changed the whole culture of the company and the supervisor who became the SDO manager became a f@*#ing robot and just stop caring about the driver and cared more about numbers and micro managing all of us. We became numbers instead of people. Im glad i got out when i did, but i still have alot of good friends that still work there and wish them luck. Sorry you guys are still going through this. For all you guys that are losing your jobs, i feel for you.F_ ck Staples

Of course it shouldn't have happened. CEXP was concerned about the bottom line, sure, but they were ALSO concerned about the well being of their employees. Staples doesn't give a damn about anyone.

staples is too big

Everyone agrees, who wants to be acquired by a failing company? Probably how Poland felt in WW2.

That whole biz was more of a semi-polite takeover than a merger. Saying it should have never happened? I dunno. That presumes Corporate Express would still have been competitive today had the merger never happened. It would be every bit as likely that CEXP would have went 3rd party by now (far as OP went, anyway) even if they had thwarted the Staples takeover. 6 years ago. One thing I can say for sure is that CEXP (at least in the division where I worked) wasn't solely focused on metrics over people, and CEXP wasn't a depersonalizing experience to work for as an associate. Once Staples took over, within weeks all the local former CEXP management who had transitioned to management jobs with Staples either swallowed the Staples Kool-Aid regarding employees being little more than non-descript, disposable labor or just went along with that management philosophy in order to keep their jobs. When I worked for CEXP, I felt like I was valued by the company...and not just by local managers I interacted with daily. With Staples, it never felt that way from the first day our location made the transition.