Looking for the best school supplies shopping experience? The Officeworks School List Service promises convenience and savings for parents preparing for the back-to-school rush. My review reveals whether this popular service actually delivers value and how you can maximize savings when shopping for school supplies at Officeworks.
How the Officeworks School Supplies Service Works
Every year during the Christmas season, Officeworks’ systems are busy calculating prices for hundreds of school list items. Their goal is to maximize profit margins while ensuring most prices fall below competitors to support their “Parents’ Price Promise” of lower costs for school supplies shopping.
Notable changes to their school supplies service include the removal of in-store booklist drop-offs and the inability to pay for your school supplies with gift cards if ordering through their service. But how effective is the Officeworks School List Service overall?
My School Supplies Shopping Experience
After submitting three booklists for a Western Australian school, I’ve gathered some interesting insights about school supplies shopping at Officeworks.
Brand Substitutions in School Supplies
Officeworks frequently substitutes requested brands with their house brands like Keji and J Burrows. Surprisingly, they rarely recommend their Studymate products and completely ignore their budget-friendly Kadink range, which could offer significant savings for school supplies shopping.
For example, a booklist specified “Glue Kids UHU PVA 125ml” for $4.50. While Officeworks suggested Studymate brand for $3.98, they didn’t mention their Kadink brand available for just $2.97 – a 34% savings opportunity missed.
Product Mismatches in School Supplies Recommendations
I noticed concerning discrepancies in product recommendations. For a “Protext A4 96 Page 14mm Dotted Thirds Exercise Book” priced at $1.95, Officeworks suggested their 64-page version for $1.66. Meanwhile, they overlooked their own Studymate 96-page equivalent available for $1.79, which would have been a closer match for school supplies shopping.
Price Matching and Availability Issues
The only item that received the full 20% price match was “Chalk Crayola Sidewalk Assorted Pack 12.” Originally $4.48, it was reduced to $3.48. However, when attempting to check out, I received stock availability warnings despite the website showing the items as available in most stores.
For “A4 Quill Paper Assorted 250 Pack” listed at $11.95, Officeworks claimed the item was unavailable. Yet, I found the exact product in their inventory as “Quill A4 Paper Bright Assorted 250 Pack” for $20.47. When price-matching in-store, they offered only their standard 5% Price Beat Guarantee instead of the promised 20% Parents’ Price Promise.