Note: This blog was updated at 10:30 a.m.
Dell is broadening its retail presence, and on Monday announced a distribution agreement with Staples.
Desktops, notebooks, printers, ink and toner from Dell will be sold in 1,400 Staples stores and on the Staples Web site beginning November 11. Dell Inspiron 1721 and 1521 notebooks, Inspiron 530 desktops, Dell 948 and 926, 1320c laser printers, and two flat-panel LCD monitors will be the first products to hit shelves.
Dell decided to go with Staples because of its wide reach, and because of its commitment to customer support, according to Michael Tatelmen, Dell's vice president of global sales and marketing. The agreement between the two companies has no expiration date set yet, and Tatelman says Dell plans on updating its offerings through Staples in the future.
The agreement between the office supplies giant and the Round Rock, Texas, PC maker shows Dell is getting serious about a retail strategy, which the company has been hinting at since May. It announced then that it would sell a few desktops and notebooks through Wal-Mart Stores and Sam's Club, which signaled a major shift in its sales model. The move puzzled some because it appeared the company wanted it both ways--dabbling in retail while still refusing to back away completely from its longtime direct-sales model.
But since then Dell has also said it will offer its PCs in several international retailers, including Gome in China, Bic Camera in Japan and Carphone Warehouse in the U.K.
Staples is giving customers an alternative to trashing unwanted electronic equipment or sticking it out on the sidewalk with a "for free" sign.
Starting Monday, the office-supply chain will accept any brand of used desktop and notebook computers, monitors, printers, fax machines and all-in-one devices with a fee of $10. Smaller items like keyboards, mice and speakers are free to drop off. TVs will not be accepted because they are not sold by the chain.
The fee offsets Staples' cost to collect the unwanted items from its retail outlets to electronic waste recycling plants. Staples worked with the non-profit Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) and the Environmental Protection Agency's eCycling program to test the process in 2004. The project was a trial to see if Staples' product distribution model could be used in reverse, where the trucks that brought in new inventory could take back the recyclable items. During that test, conducted at several New England-area stores, 57 tons of e-waste were collected and recycled, according to PSI.
PSI says the Staples example shows that retailers should be able to take used products back in the same manner as products that have been damaged or returned.
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