Blog - ASE

🖨️“Another Broken Stapler?!” and Other Big Box Horror Stories: Why It’s Time to Break Up with Office Supply Giants

Written by Becky - ASE Director of Marketing | May 9, 2025

Let’s be honest — buying office supplies should be easy. Like... press-a-button-and-it-arrives-on-your-desk easy. But instead, it often feels like navigating a labyrinth of shipping delays, backordered Post-its, and customer service reps who sound like they were just woken up from a nap.

So, if you’ve ever screamed into the void because your “guaranteed next-day” toner cartridge is MIA, we see you. We are you. And we’re here to tell you: there’s a better way.

Welcome to the office supply glow-up. Welcome to ASEDirect.com.

 

😫 Pain Point #1: “It’s out of stock. Again.”

 

Big box stores love to list products that they maybe had six months ago. Need the specific kind of blue ink pens that Janet swears are the only ones she’ll use? “Backordered.” Need copy paper? “Only available in glow-in-the-dark lemon scent.”

 

👉 How ASE Helps: If it’s listed on ASEDirect.com, it’s in stock. Our fulfillment isn’t run by three raccoons and a printer from 1997. It's fast, it’s reliable, and Janet will get her precious blue pens without a full office revolt.

 

🤷 Pain Point #2: Who Even Is My Rep?

 

Try calling a big box store to ask a question. You'll be transferred to 4 departments, a chatbot, and eventually someone in accounting who tells you, “That’s not my department.”

 

👉 How ASE Helps: You get a dedicated account manager. Like a real person. With a name. Who knows your account, your preferences, and maybe even your birthday (we’re working on that).

 

💸 Pain Point #3: Surprise Fees & Price Hikes

 

You clicked “Checkout” on a $7 box of folders, but somehow your final total is $94.37 after “processing fees,” “fuel surcharges,” and “we-felt-like-it” taxes.

 

👉 How ASE Helps: Transparent pricing. No surprise fees. And we’re not jacking up prices every time there's a tariff tantrum. We’ve got government contracts (👋 OS4), and we’re built to serve enterprise and federal buyers who don’t have time for monkey business.

 

📦 Pain Point #4: The Delivery is... Somewhere?

 

Your office supplies have allegedly shipped. Tracking info says it’s in transit... in Kansas... for 11 days.

 

👉 How ASE Helps: We know logistics. ASE has a 98% on-time delivery rate, and we actually tell you when it’s arriving — and then it does. Radical, right?

 

🗽Bonus Round: Feel Good About Your Spend

 

When you buy from the big guys, you’re padding the pockets of corporate executives who probably think toner is something you put on your face. When you buy from ASE Direct, you’re supporting a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. That’s right — your office supply budget just got patriotic.

 

🚨 So Why Haven’t You Made the Switch?

 

If you’re tired of office supply roulette and are ready for:

😍Competitive pricing

😍Real human service

😍American-made products

😍And actually getting what you ordered


Then it’s time. Time to switch to ASEDirect.com. Because your office deserves better. Janet deserves better. And frankly, so do you.