Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

Staples Review on PC Purchase Experience

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staples reviewRecently, I (Kristen Stephens – Lesson Plans Editor) had the exciting opportunity to purchase a new computer from Staples in place of my eight year old Dell PC.

The first step for me was to look online, and see what types of computers Staples offered and which one would work for my family. I chose the HP TouchSmart 10-1020 All-in One Desktop PC which I thought would be very user friendly for the various ages in my family since it has a touch screen. From the Staples website, I could see there was a great ‘in-store only’ offer on this computer. I checked  to see if it was in stock at my local Staples and I was off to the store.

As I entered Staples, I went directly to the computer section, and started to look for the computer I wanted so I could give it a test drive.  I found the HP and began to explore the different features. After about two minutes, I had an HP representative come up to me and ask if I had been helped. He called over the Staples Tech person, and she was showing me some features. After seeing how the computer worked, I told her I would like to purchase it, and had her confirm the price that I found online.

At the checkout counter, the GM began to help me write up the work order to transfer my files from my old computer’s HD to the new one. At home, we also have an external hard drive which I was interested in transferring data from as well. I brought both HD’s in, and the manager didn’t think it was a problem to transfer all files to the new computer, that the space would be sufficient.

My last step was to purchase the computer.  I also purchased an anti-virus software that was on sale. I was very pleased with the final price for the computer and the service I received from the staff at Staples. Upon getting ready to  leave, I asked the GM when I could pick up the computer with my hard drives, and he told me that the technician came in at 2pm. He said it just depended on how long it took for all the files to transfer onto the new computer.

Overall, my experience was a good one, and once I receive my new computer, I’ll be able to give Windows7 a try!

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Comments

  1. That’s a good computer! I worked at staples for 2 years before my husband and I relocated to where there wasn’t a staples (frown). I was the department manager of all the electronics stuff (computers, printers, etc). I’m not trying to be nosy, but please, please, tell me you bought the protection plan for the touch screen computer. If you haven’t…you should! I would honestly go as far as getting the accidental plan. You may not ever need it, but the two years I worked and sold them the extended protection plan is a must! You’ll thoroughly enjoy the computer you got…it’s awesome! Plus, you can use a mouse if you decide not to touch the screen all the time! 🙂

  2. I purchased an HP Pavilion Slimline PC 3 weeks ago. It died on me this past Tuesday. I was told to contact HP customer service and that was very aggravating! I never got the help from them so I called the store and was told to bring it in the next day (yesterday). Their 2 IT tech. employees are totally awesome and very empathic. After checking everything out I was told that it had a defective hard drive. They are replacing it and updating Windows 7 for me. Thanks Staples for hiring such wonderful employees.

    I did get the 3 year service plan and I never expected to be using it. I would definitely take out a service plan again when buying a new one.

Have you read?

Learning about Finland for Kids

Finland is a country in Northern Europe bordered by Sweden, Norway and Russia, as well as the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Let’s learn more about this Nordic country. 

Finland Basics

Finland is 130,678 square miles, or 338,455 square kilometers, and is home to about 5.7 million people. 

Its capital and largest city is Helsinki. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish.

The area now known as Finland was first settled around 9000 BC, and it was part of Sweden from the late 13th century until 1809, when it became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. It declared independence in 1917 and it officially became a republic in 1919. It lost some territory to Russia after World War II but retained its independence.

It was the first country in Europe to grant its citizens universal suffrage, and the first in the world to allow all adult citizens to run for office. It is a Nordic style welfare state with an advanced economy and is often ranked as one of the countries with the happiest people in the world. 

It has a unitary parliamentary government, with a president and prime minister.

The name in Finnish is Suomi, and it’s not clear where the name came from but it seems to have a common original with the Sámi, indigenous people from the Nordic region and Russia. 

Finland National Symbols

The flag of Finland has a white background with a blue Nordic cross (which looks like a Christian cross on its side) in the center. It is said that the blue represents the nation’s thousands of lakes (there are more than 180,000 recorded lakes in the country) as well as the sky.

The national anthem, “Maamme” in Finnish or “Our Land” in English, was originally written for the 500th anniversary of the town of Porvoo and was first performed in 1848. The song is not officially the national anthem but has been commonly used as the anthem since the nation’s independence. Estonia‘s national anthem uses the same tune. 

Finland’s coat of arms is a crowned heraldic lion on a red field, with the right front leg replaced by a human arm holding a sword. He’s also standing on a sabre and surrounded by nine roses. 

The Eurasian brown bear is the national animal, and the Finnhorse is the national horse. Finland’s national insect is the seven-spot ladybird and the national fish is the European perch. 

Lily of the valley is a floral emblem of Finland, and their national dog is the Finnish Spitz. In addition, granite, the silver birch, the Whooper swan and the holly blue butterfly are all considered national symbols. (You can read about several of these here.)

Finland Learning Activities for Kids 

Grab resources for teaching about Finland from Teachers Pay Teachers. Artsy Craftsy Mom also has a printable fact book you can purchase.

Make a tape resist Finnish flag with this idea from taidekoti. Or use watercolors to make the Northern Lights, which can be seen in Finland, with this project from The Pinterested Parent. And learn more about the Aurora Borealis in this video from Little School.

Learn more about the boreal forest/taiga biome, which covers the majority of Finland, with this resource from Let’s Talk Science. Talk about the differences between brown bears and grizzly bears, and pull out horse crafts and learning activities. 

Take a listen to some music performed on the kantele, the national instrument of Finland. 

Check out the Moomins, described as “with and roundish trolls with large snouts,” developed by Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson.

The national food of Finland is rye bread, so give it a try with this recipe from Zingerman’s. (It will still be good even if you don’t have freshly milled rye.)