The next time you need an extra binder or more folder paper, be careful! One stop at Staples, and you might find yourself walking away with more pens (in a variety of colors), an assortment of paper clips and Post-its in a mixture of shapes and sizes.

Staples might not be the first store you think of when someone mentions the word “shopping,” but you can definitely rack up the sales and find all kinds of interesting knick-knacks that are school-friendly, not to mention handy. Whether you get sidetracked while looking for your school necessities or simply want to meander down the aisles, there will be something fascinating and different to look at around every corner.

Here’s a list of good deals and interesting materials I found upon my most recent trip to Staples.

• Fill ‘er up: Staples provides plastic containers in two
  sizes – small and large – that you can fill with a
  variety of Staples brand office supplies. These supplies
  are definitely unique, and you can have fun picking and
  choosing which ones you want. Possibilities include
  thumb tacks of different colors, binder clips and paper
  clips. (Not your ordinary paper clips: these paper clips
  are metallic and can be found in either heart, star,
  foot or hand shapes!) Small containers are $5.99 and
  large containers are $9.99.

• New stuff: You will find shelves of items with bright
  “NEW” signs located throughout the store. On the day I
  went, one of these shelves featured Pentel brand
  Ultra-Slim Handylines highlighters, which were available
  in a variety of bright colors. There were also
  Ultra-Slim pencils and ball point pens, which came in
  packs of two or three. Also located on the shelf of new
  supplies were packs of erasable gel pens for $4.99 each.

• Big Bargains: Any pack of G2 gel pens (assorted colors)
  for $8.00, a pack of 72 #2 pencils for $3.50, pencil
  boxes for $.99 and two-pocket paper folders for $.79.
  You might think you’re only going to buy one binder, but
  with all the good deals, you may just walk out of
  Staples with three … in addition to binder pockets,
  which are sold prices as low as $.99!

• A plethora of Post-its: If you are searching for
  Post-its, you might have a hard time deciding on
  standard Post-its, those in regular colors and
  rectangular shapes, or fancier post-its, which can be
  found in neon colors and various shapes. I personally
  have a weakness for Post-its and other small sticky
  notes, so the heart-shaped and star-shaped Post-its, as
  well as the personalized ones, were too hard to pass up.
  Personalized Post-its (with names or initials) are
  $2.99, and Post-its in different shapes (arrows, stars,
  hearts) are $3.99.

• Supplies almost too cool for school: Need a pack of
  Sharpies? Not only can you find them in standard colors
  at Staples, but there are also packs of 24 Sharpies,
  which come in colors from magenta to turquoise, for only
  $19.99. Also unique are Mead Zwipes binders and
  notebooks on whose covers you can write notes and erase
  them later, much like a mini dry erase board. Fivestar
  offers not only one-subject, three-subject and
  five-subject notebooks, but Flex Notebinders, a hybrid
  of a small binder and a notebook.

The Staples closest to Biola is located at 14345 Firestone Boulevard. Directions can be found here.