Office Supplies and Stationery Stores

The 2,000 firms in the US sell office supplies, school supplies, stationery, computers, office equipment and furniture at retail. Firms may also offer business-related services, such as printing, copying, mailing and shipping, or technology-related services, such as software installation.

Competition from Alternative Stores

Office supply and stationery retailers face stiff competition from a variety of alternative brick-and-mortar channels, including wholesale clubs, discount stores, mass merchandisers, food and drug stores, and computer and electronic stores.

Competition from Online Retailers

Like most of the retail industry, office supply and stationery retailers face intense competition from online-only channels, which offer convenience and enjoy lower overhead costs.

Aug 7, 2026 - 2026 Back-to-School Spending to Hit Record High

• US back-to-school spending is projected to reach a record $43.3 billion for K-12 students and $103.5 billion for college students, even as families remain highly price-sensitive, according to the National Retail Federation and reporting by Retail Dive. By early July, 62% of consumers had started shopping, down from 67% a year earlier, while many others were delaying purchases or spreading them out to manage budgets. Retailers including Target, Kohl's, and Walmart launched early discounts, and 54% of shoppers said they bought supplies during major promotional events. The trend could pressure office supplies retailers to offer deeper discounts, sharpen value messaging, and compete more aggressively on school essentials, electronics, and convenience. With 46% of late shoppers waiting for better deals and 78% expecting higher prices, promotions are likely to remain essential to competing for back-to-school dollars.
• Work from home appears to have stabilized at levels far above those before the pandemic, despite high-profile return-to-office mandates from major employers, according to The Wall Street Journal. A monthly survey by economists at WFH Research found that 26% of paid, full workdays were done from home in May 2026, compared with 27% two years earlier and a Labor Department estimate of about 7% in 2019. Other data show office visits remain well below pre-pandemic levels, suggesting hybrid work has become a lasting feature of the US labor market. If office occupancies remain below historical norms, it could have long-term impacts on demand for office supplies.
• Most Americans (55%) were optimistic about their household finances over the next 12 months despite renewed inflation and affordability pressures, according to TransUnion's Q2 2026 Consumer Pulse Study. Optimism was unchanged from Q2 2025 but declined from 57% in Q1 2026. Meanwhile, 68% of consumers said their household finances were proceeding as planned or better, although the share reporting worse-than-planned finances rose 4 percentage points from the previous quarter. About 42% said their household income was not keeping pace with inflation, compared with 34% who said it was. Inflation ranked among the top three financial concerns for 83% of consumers, while 51% cited a possible recession. Among consumers who ranked inflation as a top-three concern, 43% planned to reduce discretionary spending over the next three months. Consumer optimism can impact office supply and stationery spending patterns.
• The office supply and stationery store industry is expected to continue to experience negative sales growth in the coming years after posting a 3.9% decline in year-over-year sales in 2025, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The industry is projected to notch a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -4.5% between 2006 and 2030, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The industry is challenged by online retailers with competitive pricing, and the ongoing erosion of paper products demand.

Industry size & Structure

The average office supply and stationery retailer employs about 33 workers and generates $5 million annually.

• The office supply and stationery retailing industry consists of about 2,000 firms that employ 64,800 workers and generate about $7.4 billion annually.
• The industry is highly concentrated; the top eight companies account for 83% of industry revenue.
• Large firms include ODP Corporation (Office Depot and Office Max) and Staples. Stationery retail chains include Hallmark Gold Crown (independently owned and stores owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc.) and Paper Source (Elliot Investment Management).