The month of August means a lot of things to teachers. We leave town. We try to cram in as many days at the beach as possible. We lament the end of vacation. We start stocking up on supplies. We maybe get together with other teachers to plan. We start having those awful back-to-school stress dreams that all teachers seem to get in August.
Fortunately, several retailers sweeten the dog days of August with Teacher Appreciation celebrations. Staples is probably the most well-known, but Office Max and Office Depot seem to be getting in on the action, too.
(1) Staples has been doing their Teacher Appreciation Day for 6 years and this will be my 3rd Teacher Appreciation Day. The New York date for this event is August 22 (this Saturday, kids!) starting at 9:00 am (I get there early). Some states have had their TA Day already, but I had trouble finding out what the swag was online. It seems there was a reusable shopping bag (so trendy!) filled with notebooks and other supplies. For the last two years I got plastic expandable file folders, dry erase markers, sharpies, pens, a legal pad and some postits. It's nothing major, but it's nice to be appreciated, no?
This brings me to an (embarrassing) story from when I was a brand-new teacher. As a NYC Teaching Fellow I was due to start teaching in September and had (somehow) managed to sign up for a Staples Teacher Rewards card even though I didn't have a DOE ID yet, so I was eligible for Teacher Appreciation '07. I woke up early and super excited, marched into the store all proud with my Rewards Card, claimed my prize and... went home. It was a little anti-climactic, but I was so excited. I picked up a cup of coffee and the newest Brookyn Parents newspaper and went home to bask in my new teacher glory. August was a wonderful month that year.
(2) Office Depot Teacher Appreciation Day is - horror of horrors! - the same day as Staples TA Day in New York! Fortunately, Office Depot is celebrating for a full week, from 8/16 - 8/22. All week there are 10% discounts storewide for teachers, but the cool stuff is happening on Saturday.
First of all, I love free stuff, but I love free food most of all. The fact that on Saturday, 8/22, Office Depot is giving away free breakfast AND free giveaways for teachers puts them a notch above Staples in my book (though I'll reevaluate when I get my swag)! The plan is for me to hit Staples right by my house (and the train station) upon opening at 9:00 and then get right on the train to go to Manhattan to be at Office Depot at 10:00. It'll be stressful, but I don't think Office Depot will run out of materials because it sounds like they're making a day of things. Staples, on the other hand, really just gives away a package and some discounts, so I think I'll be able to do both. For others who need to multi-task, The Office Depot event is from 9:00 - 11:00 am.
(3) I missed the Office Max Teacher Appreciation Day this year (did any of you get there?) on August 9th. I didn't know they held one, or I totally would've been there... maybe. The truth is, this deal was not that exciting to me. All attending teachers were given a reusable Office Max tote and given 15% off of "everything you can stuff inside." Okay, first off, I love free anything, but 15% is not that great a discount to make me rush over to Office Max, free bag or none. I can do much better at Target or Staples Back to School sales, or even at the new Office Max Penny Sale than 15%. While it might've been nice to get the discount on things I need for myself (does Office Max sell plan books?), this is not a stock-up event, and the giveaway was not enough to get me out of bed and onto a train. If they were closer to my house, maybe.
Also, I can imagine the madhouse. I love sales, but I have trouble with big crowds of people pushing each other to get the best deals on different items. While I like to think that the Cheaper Teachers out there who went to this event conducted themselves with dignity, I just picture the melee that seems to be attached to the "stuff this bag" discounts I've encountered.
Anyway, that's all for now. Next post will discuss the Staples and Office Max penny sales, which are OK this year, but not really doing it for me. Are they worth it? I'll let you decide.
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