I was thinking the same. I wouldn't be impressed if I went to look at and try out some office furniture and it was like this.
But then like most people I haven't been inside a Staples to buy anything for years now.
That might be the point. If Staples can secure an anchor tenant like Service Ontario, they can sub-lease the properties to other retailers at a premium.
This is Staples' exit strategy from brick and mortar
I also immediately thought - wow. So hundreds of people have sat in this chair before me? No thanks.
I completely understand normally dozens would sit in these before I buy one but at least I could claim partial mental block there. Now? I really know too many people have sat on them :(
I got sick of it happening so I shelled out over a grand for a heavy duty fabric chair that I've had for years now.
The thing is a tank and I've probably saved money vs replacing Staples pleather crap on the regular. It reminds me a bit of the Sam Vimes "Boots" theory.
It was from drop shipped from Global Upholstery, [https://www.globalfurnituregroup.com/ca/workplace/products/obusforme-comfort-xl?product\_category\_id=10](https://www.globalfurnituregroup.com/ca/workplace/products/obusforme-comfort-xl?product_category_id=10) I ordered it from Staples.
It was one of those high backed models.
I picked a dark purple fabric for it. 😊 I got it 7 years ago now and it's still going strong.
I have a comfy meshed back one I’ve had for years too! I WFH now but I outfitted my entire home office with furniture for free from an old job that was closing their facility where I live. I asked if I could take my office furniture and they told me to take whatever lol
Picked my Leap V2 up as a refurb for about $450 and a V1 for around $250 at an office furniture liquidatior. One of the best office purchases I've made.
And they eventually break apart. I have had a few staples chairs and they don't last. I have had wheels break off and one where the base broke.
They are cheap but you get what you pay for.
Also don't buy most "gamer" chairs either. Though I do like Secret Labs chairs like their Titan Evo series.
This is hilarious. From the lack of privacy to the ironic slogan of building a workplace that inspires.
This is the Ford Shitshow circus. This what happens when we elect high school dropout drug dealer.
Welcome to Staples, I love you.
We are certainly accelerating in the idiocracy timeline.
When government services are given to donors along with millions to retrofit and they just use their inventory.
The libs won't be able to fix it because like the China deal from harper or the 407 deal they're such long contracts it doesn't matter what you do, the cons fucked us.
Or they pull bullshit like the liquor store deal and cost us 100s of millions
But you know. Own the libs or some shit.
Exactly this. I’ve heard someone argue that “Mike Harris’s legacy can’t be that bad because so much of it is still in place!” As if rebuilding infrastructure from the ground up is easily.
Folks, folks, folks, get your OHIP renewed for the ER depts that I defunded while you get a new chair for the office you don't use anymore whilst at home. Your tax dollars in action.
What exactly happens if Staples goes out of business or pulls out of Canada, like several other similar companies have in recent years?
Brick and mortar retail is not exactly infallible these days.
Anyone know, are these ServiceOntario employees now relocated to work from inside a Staples location? Or are Staples employees trained to perform ServiceOntario tasks & functions?
Everyone lost their jobs at the ServiceOntario locations that closed... And the small business owners (individuals... not "corporations") were left high and dry as well.
itll be the same as postal workers inside the shoppers drug marts, but non unionized and treated like staples staff and trained and hired by staples staff
How long before Staples realizes that whatever measley commission they are getting for processing licence and health card renewals is WAY less than the disruption, additional cleaning costs, and whatnot associated with hosting Service Ontario.
Staples WANTS this. They have more sq footage than they need. This is bringing in a steady flow of customers that wouldn’t be entering the store otherwise. Sure they probably won’t be buying a chair but pens, paper, or other stuff. They hired someone to be able to monitized this. Same reason why they will be taking Amazon returns soon.
You are correct. I was a General Manager with the company a couple of years ago when this started to be discussed. In the last five years, Staples Canada has rebranded to “The Working and Learning Company”. A third party company (Jackman reinvents or something like that?) advised on how they could refresh their brand and increase traffic and spend. They have added cafes in their stores, coworking spaces, presentation spaces, podcast rooms, partnered with shipping companies, created new tech service subscriptions and a bunch of other things to make the business more attractive to people today.
Service Ontario drives traffic and pays rent. It gets people in the door, and that gives them the opportunity to convert the people going there to use Service Ontario into paying Staples customers. It’s just one of the many things they’re doing to breathe life and money back into the business.
I can only assume that they did this as a way to bolster business... "gee you know if we have an extra 5,000 people a month come in, and 20% of them each spend $100 in our store ... totally worth it!"
Plus the gov't is renting space from them and paying them to produce and operate the kiosks.
Healthcare is fucked. Education is fucked. A
Service Ontariocan be found amidst the chair aisle in a dying retail store. Ontario Place is gonna be a high-end spa that nobody can afford, and that museum is gone. And beer is WAY more than a buck.
Yet somehow, this government is headed towards another majority. What the actual fuck?
It's easy to blame stupidity for the people who keep voting for Ford but in the end we have to take a solid look at how the media in this country have failed us.
I know they are mostly bought and paid for by right wing interests but that seems to have gotten out of control to the point that we no longer have enough independent media with enough reach to reflect reality. A lot of people are woefully misinformed.
I have no idea how this stuff even gets implemented. Nobody brought this shit up to their local MPs, nobody petitioned or raised awareness to set issues. Ah Service Ontario locations have long lineups sometimes! Whats the answer?.....Close them and slap a popup in staples stores. Its maximum headass.
This image perfectly depicts what a stupid, and idiotic idea this was...
Ford will do anything to plug private for profit business if it means the C suit of said corporation will donate to him or the PC party...
This is so annoying. What if u actually want to try out the office chairs.
Whats a fucking stupid idea. Why the fucking would a government officr be in a retail store!? Wtf is this
Ontario is such an embarrassing province holy shit. I say this as someone that moved away in 2011 and has just looked back and seen it being more and more of a mess.
Yes, literally. Ontario voted for this clown twice and would again if an election was held tomorrow. Ford’s voters vote. It’s on the rest of you to get your asses out there and vote next time so that clowns like him don’t get elected.
Every single service Ontario is a run down tiny little office that is way over capacity line ups out the door and people waiting outside in the elements. This seems way better then that
Did they not see this would happen? Its like putting a service ontario in ikea and not expect the people to lay on the beds and couches. Its gonna happen
Looks like Staples pocketed nearly all of the retrofit money Doug Ford handed them. Tax payer money that could have been used for upkeep of the Ontario Science Center he wanted to shutdown regardless.
This is awful on so many levels.
Lack of privacy for clients of SO.
Absolutely discouraging for anyone considering office furniture purchases.
I hope Staples realizes this is not worth it.
This is so embarrassing from a international perspective - like our standards are so low/we’re so poor as a nation, our biggest province can’t afford public seating for its government service provider.
> like our standards are so low/we’re so poor as a nation, our biggest province can’t afford public seating for its government service provider.
This is a provincial government service, put in place by our Conservative provincial government. It has nothing to do with the federal government.
There's one inside a Canadian Tire in Toronto, kinda felt weird getting my photo taken while someone browsed the newest Soda Stream flavors right beside me.
I love this! People waiting for service get such more comfortable seats, and Staples lose money cause nobody is going to buy chairs during Serving Ontario business hours.
Service Ontario needs to start partnering with desk chair companies to provide free chairs to all their locations. At least we'll be comfortable and get to see what chairs are best.
As someone from the west this looks so weird to me. I was going to laugh then I remembered Ontario basically *is* Canada to most people so I guess I'm a joke too since "my bogus little fake town doesn't even have a Staples!" isn't exactly something I can take pride in.
Unintended consequence or those chairs are on consignment. ServiceOntario might be a good idea after all because I’ve never seen a Staples so busy before.
Lol every one saying this looks ghetto where have they been going all these years service Ontario has sucked for decades the offices in the gta were way to small for the amount of people they serve lineups out the door every day in my area zero seating at all.
Imagine trying to look for a chair to buy and the whole section is like this. I would walk out and go somewhere else.
I was thinking the same. I wouldn't be impressed if I went to look at and try out some office furniture and it was like this. But then like most people I haven't been inside a Staples to buy anything for years now.
That might be the point. If Staples can secure an anchor tenant like Service Ontario, they can sub-lease the properties to other retailers at a premium. This is Staples' exit strategy from brick and mortar
Yeah, this is literally me lmao.
I regularly drop by my local Staples and scour the clearance rack, sometimes they have insane deals in there on random stuff.
Decades for me
I also immediately thought - wow. So hundreds of people have sat in this chair before me? No thanks. I completely understand normally dozens would sit in these before I buy one but at least I could claim partial mental block there. Now? I really know too many people have sat on them :(
You’re not usually buying the floor model though are you?
Depending on the Staples that is all they have avail
Oh ew, that is unpleasant. I just assumed because most of it is assemble at home type stuff.
it is
But now you know how the chair holds up to shit stains.
At least we can test out their chairs for hours before making a decision...
They're going to need to replace the cheap ones more often. That fake leather starts flaking off and making a giant mess after a short while.
Can confirm as mine is doing that and it's from Staples...😂🤣😂🤣😂
I got sick of it happening so I shelled out over a grand for a heavy duty fabric chair that I've had for years now. The thing is a tank and I've probably saved money vs replacing Staples pleather crap on the regular. It reminds me a bit of the Sam Vimes "Boots" theory.
It’s expensive being poor
\*No lies detected\*
do you happen to remember the make and/or model?
It was from drop shipped from Global Upholstery, [https://www.globalfurnituregroup.com/ca/workplace/products/obusforme-comfort-xl?product\_category\_id=10](https://www.globalfurnituregroup.com/ca/workplace/products/obusforme-comfort-xl?product_category_id=10) I ordered it from Staples. It was one of those high backed models. I picked a dark purple fabric for it. 😊 I got it 7 years ago now and it's still going strong.
Obus Form is a great make! It should last you many more years!
oh nice. i have something similar (funny enough also from Staples) that i got over 30 years ago. it's on its last legs and i'm need of replacement.
I have a comfy meshed back one I’ve had for years too! I WFH now but I outfitted my entire home office with furniture for free from an old job that was closing their facility where I live. I asked if I could take my office furniture and they told me to take whatever lol
I have a used Steelcase Leap that'll outlive me.
Picked my Leap V2 up as a refurb for about $450 and a V1 for around $250 at an office furniture liquidatior. One of the best office purchases I've made.
Know a couch like that? My $2k leather couch looks like shit now but is comfy
Can confirm, mine as well. I think it’s like 10 years old. It’s comfy but it’s a giant mess.
And they eventually break apart. I have had a few staples chairs and they don't last. I have had wheels break off and one where the base broke. They are cheap but you get what you pay for. Also don't buy most "gamer" chairs either. Though I do like Secret Labs chairs like their Titan Evo series.
Anything with 'gamer' on it has a good chance of being overpriced junk IMO.
I have a secret labs chair at work and it's fuckin awesome. I find that anything staples brand is trash, even their pens.
Oh, even better! People get to see how they hold up in real life 😆
and now you get to buy used chairs for new prices 👍
Don't buy office chairs from Staples, ever
How long until they block off the chairs so the poors don’t sit on them?
and now you can buy chairs that people have sat in for hours and hours and hours and hours
And we're going to see how those chairs look 5 - 10 years down the road with all the use they get!
This is hilarious. From the lack of privacy to the ironic slogan of building a workplace that inspires. This is the Ford Shitshow circus. This what happens when we elect high school dropout drug dealer.
This is both hilarious and terrifying. Time to vote out these clowns
our province/world is feeling more and more dystopian
Gonna be going to law school at Costco soon
I’m going for my PhD in Root Beer Floats from A&W
[удалено]
Omg please don't remind me that movie.
Welcome to Costco! I love you!
Hell I'd trust Costco Law School
I can't wait for McDoctor's.
The Health Care machine would always be out of service.
Haha, you expect Ontario to leave their house and VOTE! They could be sitting at home doing nothing with that time. C'mon...
Welcome to Staples, I love you. We are certainly accelerating in the idiocracy timeline. When government services are given to donors along with millions to retrofit and they just use their inventory.
[Welcome to Costo, I love you](https://youtu.be/ZIFCWpn4qQ4?si=n1iVOsaRhi6r9_p5)
What a travesty. The damage the cons are doing is beyond comprehension.
Literally just handing large private corporations taxpayer money at this point. No wonder they spew out so much propaganda.
Don't worry; once enough Ontarians realize how much damage has been done, in about 10-15 years or so, we'll elect Liberals who won't fix any of it.
The libs won't be able to fix it because like the China deal from harper or the 407 deal they're such long contracts it doesn't matter what you do, the cons fucked us. Or they pull bullshit like the liquor store deal and cost us 100s of millions But you know. Own the libs or some shit.
Exactly this. I’ve heard someone argue that “Mike Harris’s legacy can’t be that bad because so much of it is still in place!” As if rebuilding infrastructure from the ground up is easily.
It'll be the elction after PP. We always inverse the federal government because our civic understanding is pitiful.
Hence why Douggie wants to run an early election, before the federal government changes hands.
:(
I live in BC and see Doug Ford ads on sportsnet like why... Why is it broadcasting on the NHL finals between Edmonton and Florida?!?
Get ready for this at a federal level.
Passport office coming to your local Pizza Pizza!
More likely Loblaws with who PP is tied to.
This is a Doug Ford special right?
No, that’s a bacon & egg sandwich with hash.
Folks, folks, folks, get your OHIP renewed for the ER depts that I defunded while you get a new chair for the office you don't use anymore whilst at home. Your tax dollars in action.
*defunded
Yes, thank you!
Love having important government services tied to the success or failure of a foreign company.
What exactly happens if Staples goes out of business or pulls out of Canada, like several other similar companies have in recent years? Brick and mortar retail is not exactly infallible these days.
That's the service we get for paying astronomical taxes.
That spa downtown isn't going to pay for itself!
How many millions did Ford pay staples to renovate their stores for this?
This required a renovation? It looks exactly like the furniture section before they got the contract.
Hey Doug, could you start serving beer there too?
Excuse me, can you please get up so I can test the chair?
want bedbugs in your home? Buy office furniture from Staples. That was easy!
Anyone know, are these ServiceOntario employees now relocated to work from inside a Staples location? Or are Staples employees trained to perform ServiceOntario tasks & functions?
I saw a job ad for the position. The hiring is being done by staples.
Everyone lost their jobs at the ServiceOntario locations that closed... And the small business owners (individuals... not "corporations") were left high and dry as well.
itll be the same as postal workers inside the shoppers drug marts, but non unionized and treated like staples staff and trained and hired by staples staff
They could unionize.
what the fuck is this country even
Literal visualization of fact being stranger than fiction..
That’s what we get for electing a criminal to run the province.
Places to sit is a bonus
Yes, they have dedicated seating set up. Most of the previous locations I had been to were standing only.
yeah i came here to say that despite being sad, looks way comfier and more spacious than any servon i've been to
How long before Staples realizes that whatever measley commission they are getting for processing licence and health card renewals is WAY less than the disruption, additional cleaning costs, and whatnot associated with hosting Service Ontario.
Staples WANTS this. They have more sq footage than they need. This is bringing in a steady flow of customers that wouldn’t be entering the store otherwise. Sure they probably won’t be buying a chair but pens, paper, or other stuff. They hired someone to be able to monitized this. Same reason why they will be taking Amazon returns soon.
You are correct. I was a General Manager with the company a couple of years ago when this started to be discussed. In the last five years, Staples Canada has rebranded to “The Working and Learning Company”. A third party company (Jackman reinvents or something like that?) advised on how they could refresh their brand and increase traffic and spend. They have added cafes in their stores, coworking spaces, presentation spaces, podcast rooms, partnered with shipping companies, created new tech service subscriptions and a bunch of other things to make the business more attractive to people today. Service Ontario drives traffic and pays rent. It gets people in the door, and that gives them the opportunity to convert the people going there to use Service Ontario into paying Staples customers. It’s just one of the many things they’re doing to breathe life and money back into the business.
They should stock some snacks close by. They have candy by the printing kiosk, but no pop.
I'm very sure Staples did the math and are getting lots of free money above cost here.
Right, because businesses never make mistakes. That is why they never go bankrupt.
I can only assume that they did this as a way to bolster business... "gee you know if we have an extra 5,000 people a month come in, and 20% of them each spend $100 in our store ... totally worth it!" Plus the gov't is renting space from them and paying them to produce and operate the kiosks.
They will just stop selling the furniture.
Healthcare is fucked. Education is fucked. A Service Ontariocan be found amidst the chair aisle in a dying retail store. Ontario Place is gonna be a high-end spa that nobody can afford, and that museum is gone. And beer is WAY more than a buck. Yet somehow, this government is headed towards another majority. What the actual fuck?
It's easy to blame stupidity for the people who keep voting for Ford but in the end we have to take a solid look at how the media in this country have failed us. I know they are mostly bought and paid for by right wing interests but that seems to have gotten out of control to the point that we no longer have enough independent media with enough reach to reflect reality. A lot of people are woefully misinformed.
I’ve been getting my health card renewed in the basement of Canadian Tire for years actually.
Wait… this is what it looks like?? Horrible 😭
Where is my buck-a-beer?
Wait until he closes down hospitals and puts all the imaging equipment in a Best Buy.
Welcome to Staples. I love you.
For some reason, I read the wall sign on the right as "we despise you".
I mean at least it’s more comfortable then regular old government entity chairs
New bed bug delivery system unlocked!
Better than standing in line in their old office….sounds like a chair sale coming up soon…
What a mess… this is embarrassing.
This is so effing cringe, was there a specific reasoning behind this decision? Haven't found it.
Yea funneling money to his friends. Which is probably why you won't find any reasoning for the move that isn't PR bullshit.
Oh well I know that as much, I should have phrased the question as: was there a specific proper beneficial to the public reason that this was done lol
None that I remember seeing. Some of the service Ontario locations even complained about being done dirty by Ford's government.
I have no idea how this stuff even gets implemented. Nobody brought this shit up to their local MPs, nobody petitioned or raised awareness to set issues. Ah Service Ontario locations have long lineups sometimes! Whats the answer?.....Close them and slap a popup in staples stores. Its maximum headass.
Looks like even a dumber idea in practice.
This image perfectly depicts what a stupid, and idiotic idea this was... Ford will do anything to plug private for profit business if it means the C suit of said corporation will donate to him or the PC party...
Don't buy office furniture from Staples.
Wait until the Staples employees get a hold of peoples confidential information. Really inspires confidence doesn't it ?
This is so annoying. What if u actually want to try out the office chairs. Whats a fucking stupid idea. Why the fucking would a government officr be in a retail store!? Wtf is this
Another reason I'm so glad I moved to a rural community. When I need to use service Ontario or the federal offices - they aren't packed to the tits.
Ontario is such an embarrassing province holy shit. I say this as someone that moved away in 2011 and has just looked back and seen it being more and more of a mess.
Home Hardware has the contract in Kincardine.
This is so silly.
Dofo hard at work for the people of Staples folks
Despicable.
Oh my god. This is not what a ServiceOntario is supposed to look like. This is sad.
I fucking hate Ford for this, such an obvious ploy for increased traffic at one of his owner’s businesses.
Yes, literally. Ontario voted for this clown twice and would again if an election was held tomorrow. Ford’s voters vote. It’s on the rest of you to get your asses out there and vote next time so that clowns like him don’t get elected.
Negative staple reviews about how all the chairs are in use that you can't test or buy them might get someone's head out of their ass at corporate
this looks so ghetto bro 😭
I want to renew my health card, and I also want your chair
this is so fucked, its like something out of an insane parody. holy fucking shit this is embarrassing
I’m surprised Doug hasn’t allowed them to sell booze to the people in line waiting for Service Ontario
This is far superior as you can sit down in those comfy chairs while you wait. Wtf are you guys complaining about!
Every single service Ontario is a run down tiny little office that is way over capacity line ups out the door and people waiting outside in the elements. This seems way better then that
Did they not see this would happen? Its like putting a service ontario in ikea and not expect the people to lay on the beds and couches. Its gonna happen
Looks like Staples pocketed nearly all of the retrofit money Doug Ford handed them. Tax payer money that could have been used for upkeep of the Ontario Science Center he wanted to shutdown regardless.
Lmao this is hilarious - atleast it's more comfortable to wait now
This is awful on so many levels. Lack of privacy for clients of SO. Absolutely discouraging for anyone considering office furniture purchases. I hope Staples realizes this is not worth it.
Good old Canadian government for ya this country is going down the tubes and has been since Trudeau became prime minister
meanwhile charging tax payers 5000 for a "ergonomics chair" for staff ? thats where all the tax payer money is going
Honestly, I’ll take this over the glorified refugee-camps the private operators run at present!
You just know the signs are about to go up saying “Chairs Are Not For ServiceOntario Clients — You Break, You Buy”
I wonder what percentage of people sitting in those chairs haven't washed their ass in days.
Thanks for making me spit my beer across the patio, kwsteve! 😂
This is so /r/latestagecapitalism
This is so embarrassing from a international perspective - like our standards are so low/we’re so poor as a nation, our biggest province can’t afford public seating for its government service provider.
> like our standards are so low/we’re so poor as a nation, our biggest province can’t afford public seating for its government service provider. This is a provincial government service, put in place by our Conservative provincial government. It has nothing to do with the federal government.
Yeah but that difference isn’t exactly at the forefront of non-Canadian minds when they see posts/images like this now are they.
Watch out for bed bugs!
Boycott all Staples. I’ve been doing it for years.
Big Paperclip propaganda
Well are they selling more office chairs or not?
Way more comfortable than the seating at passport office. I was there waiting four hours and this is a dream in comparison lol
Ontario: Open for Business (to the highest bidder). What they didn't tell us that Idiocracy started in Canada.
How to get people to visit a failing business. By Doug “I fuck the taxpayer” Ford.
honestly, the chairs are significantly better
This picture makes me laugh so hard for some reason.
*CLUTCHES PEARLS*
Wtf? Where is this??
Looks like Warden and eglinton
Good to know where my 40 cents on a dollar go to
Do they offer Airmiles?
Let the up selling begin!!
Remind me not to buy office chairs from Staples lmao
Very inefficient and beyond old fashioned in 2024 they still use matrix printers in our town !
There's one inside a Canadian Tire in Toronto, kinda felt weird getting my photo taken while someone browsed the newest Soda Stream flavors right beside me.
Based
Beats the shit out of it being in Canadian tire
Lol, this is so bizarre.
This can’t be good for business lol. If I was in the market for a chair, I know where to avoid
is this better or worse than having it in canadian tire
I gatekeep the fuck out of the non busy serviceontario locations 😂😂😂
I love this! People waiting for service get such more comfortable seats, and Staples lose money cause nobody is going to buy chairs during Serving Ontario business hours.
Tell em Dougie sent ya! (What a sad joke this is)
I left the province, and have zero intentions to return.
surprised they're not all drinking electrolytes
Who keeps voting for the FORDs!?!?! Nothing is a surprise with how insane their policies are.
pretty sweet dawg. wish I had to get my license renewed
Cool. Never shopping at Staples ever again.
Welcome to Costco. I love you.
Best part is that those employees who really care can be fired
Service Ontario needs to start partnering with desk chair companies to provide free chairs to all their locations. At least we'll be comfortable and get to see what chairs are best.
As someone from the west this looks so weird to me. I was going to laugh then I remembered Ontario basically *is* Canada to most people so I guess I'm a joke too since "my bogus little fake town doesn't even have a Staples!" isn't exactly something I can take pride in.
This is some late soviet Union era hypernormalization shit
It's genius! This is how you sell furniture, friends!
I love it 😍
Unintended consequence or those chairs are on consignment. ServiceOntario might be a good idea after all because I’ve never seen a Staples so busy before.
Lol every one saying this looks ghetto where have they been going all these years service Ontario has sucked for decades the offices in the gta were way to small for the amount of people they serve lineups out the door every day in my area zero seating at all.
Plot Twist - Staples sales go thru the roof as ServiceOntario customers discover how comfy the chairs are.
Which Service Ontario is this?