I used to work for a small independent office supply dealer. Their prices were better than the big three on MOST items. Unfortunately consumer greed caused them to go belly up since the free delivery was near impossible to do...that's why it's rare to see any small office supply stores anymore. Greed will get you in the end though. Notice the second sentence of this post. Now you primarily have the big three (staples, office max, and office depot) and that also means you are really paying higher prices for office supplies than ever before. It's the same consumer greed story as the walmart syndrome. Well guess what, I used to work for them too once upon a time. Remember the commercials with the smiley face slashing prices. Well there's just as much if not more price INCREASES that happen every week at walmart.

From a consumer standpoint, the absolute best office supply company ever had to be Viking Office Products, which was bought out years ago. They offered free shipping on $25 or more and had a one full year return guarantee on all their products.