NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Staples Inc., the biggest U.S. office supplies retailer, launched a new paperless process Sunday for claiming rebates, guaranteeing it will save holiday shoppers time, money and unnecessary frustration.
With the Staples Easy Rebates system, the retailer's in-store, catalog and online customers can submit rebate information directly online, eliminating the need for the lengthy mail-in rebate process.
Framingham, Mass.-based Staples (Research) said it decided to shift the rebate process online in response to customer feedback that shows shoppers are particularly annoyed and frustrated with the paper option, which typically includes filling out forms, cutting out product codes from boxes, mailing the stuff in and tracking rebates.
"As we head into the busy holiday shopping season, we wanted to be sure that our customers could purchase their holiday gifts via the retail store, Staples catalogue or Staples.com to enjoy the easiest, most trackable rebate experience around," Jim Sherlock, director of sales and merchandise at Staples, said in a statement.
According to company spokeswoman Karen O'Neil, online rebates will be available for over 80 percent of Staples products, including Hewlett Packard, Panasonic and Konica Minolta products.
The Easy Rebates process alerts customers at checkout -- either online or in the store -- if there are rebate eligible products in their basket and gives details on how to log onto the Staples Easy Rebates site. Once customers submit their form online, they will automatically receive email notifications indicating the status of their rebates, including when the rebate check is mailed.
For shoppers who may not have a computer at home, they can use computer terminals at Staples stores to submit their forms and track the rebate status.
Staples said the estimated delivery time for rebate checks from the online process is four to six weeks.
Staples' competitors such as Office Depot and electronics retailers Best Buy, Circuit City currently do not offer customers the option to claim their rebates online.
Ellen Tolley, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation (NRF), the industry's largest trade group, said Staples online rebate initiative is a definite plus for consumers.
"Not many retailers currently give customers the option to claim rebates online. People like it when the rebate process is easy and hassle-free. This sounds like a good idea," Tolley said.
Staples last year logged sales of $13 billion. The retailer sells a wide range of office products, including supplies, furniture, computers and consumer electronics. The company operates more than 1,500 stores around the country.
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