OfficeMax Trick or Treat?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Have you seen the inkjet container recycling box at OfficeMax? Have you contributed your used inkjet ink cartridge to this innocent looking container?

Got the “warm and fuzzies” thinking I am doing something good for the environment, didn’t you!

Yeah, and doing a little more for this 1000 plus nationwide chain, too.

Did you know that OfficMax gets up to Five bucks ($5.00) for EACH of your little cartridge ditties from the same folks that are making you pay so much for their ink!

OfficeMax maybe it should be called MaxRipoff!

Trick or Treat…

send mfeuer@officemax.com your thoughts on this Treat!

2

So, we should throw them in landfill just to spite officemax? Generally, folks that collect stuff to recycle expect a (small, at least) profit on their efforts. I don’t think officemax’s business model permits them to lowball everyone on pens, paper, and whiteout AND collect, store, and ship empty ink carts for free.

Plus, if someone wasn’t collecting these things, the knockoff cart companies wouldn’t have cart bodies to use, and we would all be stuck paying Canon or Epson or HP ridiculous prices for their OEM cartridges. (Not that everyone does or should buy 3rd party cartridges, but at least this way we get a choice).

Around here, there are a couple of charitable organizations that collect cartridges through copy shops and workplaces. If you don’t like supporting officeMax’s efforts at recycling (recognizing that they are likely mostly doing it for profit rather than tree-hugging reasons) maybe you could find an option like this?

(Of course, you could also start your own used-cartridge-collecting business…)

Just my 0.02 worth (not adjusted for exchange).

'vark.

3

OfficeMax is clearly not a non-profit org.
When was the last time you bought ink? How much did you spend?
Are you aware that the cartridges that come with a new printer are only partially filled? Just so you are FORCED to go out and buy more!
Do you think they could offer a coupon or something?

4

Right. That was more or less my point. Why should they collect cartridges without financial incentive, since they are NOT a non-profit organization?

I was merely trying to suggest, if you object to lining the pockets of OfficeMax (which is a legit point of view IMHO, I’m not a huge fan of corporate megalith big box stores) then why not see if you can find a charity which collects cartridges, help the charity earn some dough, and get the enviro warm fuzzy in the process?

Last week, in fact. For a relatively new model Epson inkjet. Epson carts were gonna cost me CDN$45 each for a colour one and a b&W one. Third party carts (from Ko-rec-type) were about $28 a pop. Problem was, it took me three stores to find them, and the store guys explained that not enough recycled cart bodies have made it “into the system yet” to have widespread distribution of knock-offs for this particular new printer. I had assumed that the third party manufacturers make the cart bodies new, but I guess this is not the case.

Which reintroduces my second point: there is a benefit in the marketplace to allowing the collection of empty cartridges, namely that I can now buy cheaper third party cartridges than I would normally be able to get. Saving money makes 'vark happy, and I have yet to find a quality downside to using the Ko-rec-type cartridges. YMMV.

If officemax gets $5 in the process, so what? I still get to buy cheaper cartridges in the long run. One could even propose that only charities can collect empties (and I’m surprised the Ontario gov’t hasn’t thought of this one already) but that could actually have the undesired effect of reducing the total number of ways to reclaim cartridges, and hence less chance to buy remakes on the cheap.

yes, I did know this. Yes, it stinks to high heaven. However, I don’t see how this is more than tangentially related to your original post (since, after all, it is still about inkjet printers).

**

Yes, I do think they could. Too bad they don’t. Of course, I would bet that the el cheapo carts I’ve been buying are still less expensive than any coupon that Epson would volunteer…although it’s a moot point, since they don’t.

cheers,
price-hunter-'vark

5

I think haardvark did pretty clearly indicate the difference between OfficeMax and a non-profit organization, yes.

I also agree that OfficeMax should be getting some money for going through the effort of boxing up everyone’s leaking cartridges and sending them in. Yes, it’d be awfully nice of them to give a coupon or something - perhaps that’d be a good suggestion for you to offer the company via a letter or suggestion box, or the E-mail address you listed above. It’d also be taken more seriously than E-mails complaining about what a ripoff they’re running on people, since that just sounds like someone has a grudge against the company in general. They’re also more conveniently located or frequently visited for most people than various charitable locations.

Another solution is to check with the company who makes the ink cartridge and get their advice. I know that HP has a postage-paid mail-in program for recycling old laser printer cartridges, for instance.

6

Of course, if there is a problem with the re-juv unit it can void your warranty! But, if that makes you happy, so be it. Also, ask the MaxRipoffs how much they throw away? Officemax does not support recycling of any kind. The cartridges are less than one tenth of one percent. And your argument was…

7

And yes Denise, I DO have a grudge against OM. One of my former co-workers was fired for not paying for a one page fax he recieved. Total cost 5 cents? But they ripoff the City of Evanston for parking 4 vehicles and paying for three. For this they are proud!

8

So report them, then, either to corporate HQ or to the city. I doubt it’s corporate policy to violate parking laws. It just seems misguided to complain that a company has found a way to make some money and help consumers cleanly dispose of something that they don’t have easy recycling access to, when your real gripes are about one store’s perceived mismanagement and wrongdoings.

9

See, now, I thought this was a thread about the perceived rip-off of collecting empty toner cartridges. Now I can see that it’s actually more of a nascent, scattershot rant against OfficeMax in general.

2Straight, if you’ve got a problem with OfficeMax, that’s your affair. Rants belong in the Pit. If you express opinions such as your OP in IMHO, you are going to get replies, opinon or fact based, which may not agree with your own point of view. That’s the purpose of the Board. Snippy comments along the lines of “making 'vaark happy” are unnecessary and uncalled for. As far as I am concerned there was nothing in my replies to your thread which relate you you personally. I was merely trying to offer an alternate point of view vis-a-vis cartridge recycling.

cheers
not-sure-why-he’s-bothering-'vark

10

In my opinion, your former co-worker did not get fired for stiffing someone $0.05. I suspect that this may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

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