Claims being made in customer loyalty program advertising by Staples and OfficeMax should be discontinued, according to a recommendation issued Tuesday by the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ National Advertising Division.
Competitor Office Depot, the national office supply retailer based in Boca Raton, challenged Staples and OfficeMax’s advertising in two instances. Staples and Office Max, which are No. 1 and No. 3 in the market respectively, are appealing the decisions to the National Advertising Review Board. The division is the advertising industry’s self-regulatory body.
In its print and Internet advertising of its “rewards” program, Massachusetts-based Staples makes claims including: “Buy ANY of these office supplies, get 100% back in Staples Rewards” and “It’s like getting supplies for FREE.”
Merchandise is “either free or it’s not,” the National Advertising Division said, in its review of the ads. An offer of free goods also cannot be qualified by disclosures.
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