115460 
In case you haven't heard, you can get a FREE backpack this week at Staples after Staples Rewards!
According to the Staples website:
Purchase price paid for backpack will be credited to customer’s Staples Rewards® account. Must be a member of Staples Rewards®. Valid for purchases 7/19/09–7/25/09. Valid in store, staples.com®, or by phone. Staples Rewards® will be mailed in October. Not valid on prior purchases. Purchaser is responsible for paying applicable sales tax.
Thanks, George!
Also, thanks to a new $1/2 Zebra Pens printable on Smartsource, you can also pick up some better than FREE pens and mechanical pencils!
Zebra Sarasa Retractable Gel Pens (5-pk.), $4.99
$4.99 Staples Easy Rebate (limit 1)
Zebra Cadoozles Mechanical Pencils (10-pk.), $2.99
$2.99 Staples Easy Rebate (limit 1)
$1/2 Zebra Pens printable
Better than FREE after rebate!
Thanks, Krazy Coupon Lady!
Tara Kuczykowski is a married mom of three boys and two girls, ages 4 to 10 years, living in Columbus, OH.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I went to Staples yesterday to pick up these items! They have a great variety of backpacks and all of the rebates were easy to find! Here's what I got:
Backpack $19.97 (orig. $24.97 (25% off)) (free after Staples Rewards)
Zebra Pens $4.99 (free after rebate)
Zebra Pencils $2.99 (free after rebate)
Pentel Highlighters $4.99 (free after rebate)
Staples Slim-Line Pencil Sharpner $10.00 (orig. $15.99) (free after rebate)
Dry Erase Board (small) $2.00
Dry Erase Markers $1.00
After rebates, I only spent $3.00 for $46.00 or more worth of stuff!
Staples is one of my favorite stores now!
I got the backpack for my High School aged daughter. I paid more OOP than I would have at Walmart or Meijer, but it is a larger, far more durable backpack than you would find there. It is much more suited to a High School or College aged student that has to carry around heavy texts, etc.
They did have a fine selection of backpacks for all ages. If you are shopping for school supplies and find a really good deal, consider picking up extras and donating them to your child's teacher or to a shelter to give to kids who need them but can't afford them.
andrea´s last blog post..Staples Backpack Sale
Also, if you shop at Meijer---check out thecheapsk8mom.com for a FANTASTIC deal on cat food!!! If you can't use it an animal shelter surely could.
andrea´s last blog post..Staples Backpack Sale
How do staples rebates work? Do they send u a check or is it a staples gift card? And how do you become a member of staples rewards? Thanks
I bought the Jansport Ella Tote in black ... so cute, and works great for school or a diaper bag!
Sara - Staples rebates work in a few different ways.
Typically you just receive a check like any other rebate.
Occasionally a rebate will be advertised a "Get a Visa card in ___ amount". These will come in a 'debit-like' card that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted. (My advice for these is to carry a sharpie in your purse if you plan on using these up a little at a time, because some stores can only take them by inputting exactly the amount on them - which you'll need to know!)
The current backpack 'rebate' is not really a rebate at all. They will give you Staples Rewards in the amount you spend on a backpack. These will be sent to you just like your normal quarterly rewards (typically based on how much you spent during that quarter). These will be in the form of a Staples rewards check. They are a slip of paper good for a certain $ amount. The nice thing about these is that they don't have to be spent all at once - but they do have to be spent within 2 transactions. (For example, if you have a $10 rewards check and you spend $3 the first time, at the bottom of your receipt you'll see a certificate for the remaining balance of $7. On your next visit you have to spend the entire $7 of you will lose it.) You must be a member of their rewards program or Teachers rewards program if you are a teacher to participate in the backpack program. It is free and easy to join.
On my little aside I have to say that Staples is the EASIEST, BEST store for rebates, because of their online capabilities. Once you set up an online account with them you only have to insert 2 numbers for a rebate & I find that they come in the mail VERY FAST!
I hope that answers all of your questions. Let me know if there are any more! I LOVE Staples - Can you tell!
Do you sign up in store for the rewards program or do you sign up online?
You can sign up in either location (store or online). As far as online goes though, you won't have an actual card to bring to the store yet, so I'm not sure how that would work with a current sale. You may be able to get your number & you could tell the cashier, but I'm really not sure. I'd just do it in the store - they can give you the card right then & let you use it immediately.
Becky and Sara,
I signed up online, and there was a printable temporary card to take to the store made available immediately.
Nancy
We don't have a Staples in our town, so I never paid much attention to their offers previously. This backpack offer caught my eye, though, so I sent my husband shopping (he commutes & works near a Staples). He got a great backpack & picked up several of the free after rebate items. It took me only minutes to sign up for the Staples Rewards program & later to enter the rebates. Wow...with deals like this, I'd definitely shop there again (or actually, send my husband there for me again :) ).
I tried to use the coupons for the Zebra pens but the manager would not let me use them since they were already "free" under the "easy rebate" advertisement. Has anyone else had a hard time with this issue?
Does anyone remember with the backpack deal, was there a rebate you had to submit to get the Staple reward or is it automatic since it is has to do with being a member of their program?
It was a reward. You'll get it automatically with your regular staples rewards check. You can expect this some time in October.
I went and bought at backpack and got 25% off. However the clerk didn't know anything about the rewards card rebate for purchasing the backpack. I guess I'll really be 'rewarded' if I do happen to get back $15.00 for the purchase price of the backpack. Staples were I shop for all our printer ink and then I turn in the dry ones for $2 back in card rewards. Win/win situation I'd say.
Marcie, this particular offer is from last year. However, I've heard that they have a free backpack offer coming up next week!
Hello!
As a teacher I get every offer Staples has--one problem this week, the receipt printer ran out of paper, they reprinted for me, but the Rebate Offer number for the Sarsa gel pens is messed up--I have my number at the bottom of the receipt--anybody have the rebate offer number from the middle of the receipt?(10-something I think) --thanks!
never mind, saw I just posted this on last years--sorry, amazing how similar the offers are
I just want to know about your backpack offering.
Aloha
i just want to know about your free back pack offering?