Staples, Office Depot Offering Free Aid to Employment Seekers

(MoneyWatch)  It seems like everyone in today's tough competitive landscape, from Sam's Club to Dollar Tree, is gunning for the small businesses that constitute a critical customer base for office supply chains, yet, in the recession, those retailers are making a special effort to aid consumers who are out of work.

Staples has launched a program called Career Stimulus to give a leg up to folks who are trying to rejoin the workforce. Mark Crowley, a Staples spokesperson, explained:

The program launched on April 27 and runs through June 13 at all Staples Copy and Print locations throughout the country. Staples is offering customers 20 free single-sided pages of resume copies and 40 free instant business cards printed in store. The offer is limited to one package per customer.

Not only that but Staples is working with CareerBuilder, Tory Johnson of Women For Hire and Southworth paper to compile top tips for job hunters at www.staples.com/freeresumes.

Office Depot is running its own program to aid the unemployed, providing customers free copies of resumes and free faxing in a program that began April 19 and continues through May 30.

Folks who visit the chain's Design, Print, & Ship Depot centers nationwide can receive free resume printing of up to 25 single-sided pages as well as free faxing to five different domestic numbers, up to a total of 25 pages in total. For a nominal fee, program participants can even choose to upgrade their resume paper to color or premium sheets.

While efforts to help the unemployed won't keep Sam's from snatching their small business clients, consumer customers aided by office supply chains will remember who was there to help them when they need to purchase stationary and home office supplies, and when they get back to work, too.