Bankers Box Staples: The Real Cost of Choosing the Cheapest Storage Box

If you're buying Bankers Boxes from Staples, the cheapest option is almost never the most cost-effective one. I've managed office supply purchasing for a 400-person company across three locations for five years, and I've learned this the hard way. The real expense isn't the sticker price—it's the time wasted on assembly, the frustration of flimsy boxes failing, and the hidden costs of re-ordering. I'll take the mid-range Bankers Box Stor/Drawer or a sturdy magazine holder over the absolute cheapest file box every single time, and here's why my budget and my sanity depend on it.

Why I Trust This Conclusion (And You Can Too)

I'm not just theorizing. When I took over purchasing in 2020, I was under pressure to cut costs. I saw the price difference between a basic Bankers Box and a slightly more expensive model at Staples and thought, "How different can they be? It's just cardboard." I ordered 50 of the cheapest ones for a major records archiving project. That decision cost me. The tabs were harder to assemble, the cardboard felt flimsier, and we had several box bottoms fail when they were moved. The $40 I "saved" upfront vanished into the 6-8 extra hours of labor it took to carefully pack, reinforce, and handle those boxes. Now, I manage roughly $25,000 annually across 8 vendors, and that experience permanently changed my calculus.

The Hidden Costs Your Staples Cart Doesn't Show You

Most buyers focus on the per-unit price and completely miss the operational overhead. When I compared our Q1 and Q2 storage projects side by side—cheap boxes vs. mid-tier boxes—I finally understood why the details matter so much.

First, let's talk assembly. The conventional wisdom is "a box is a box." But cheaper Bankers Boxes often have less intuitive tab designs or thinner corrugation that makes assembly fiddly and slow. For one person assembling a few boxes, it's a minor annoyance. For an admin team assembling 100 boxes for a department move, that minor annoyance multiplies into hours of paid labor. That $2-per-box savings gets eaten up before the first file is packed.

Second is durability during handling. This was true maybe 20 years ago when boxes sat in a basement untouched. Today, boxes get moved, stacked, and shuffled constantly. A flimsy sidewall or a weak bottom isn't just an inconvenience—it's a risk of damaged records and a safety hazard. I've seen a stack of poorly constructed boxes buckle, creating a mess and a near-miss incident. The potential cost of that (data loss, injury, re-printing) dwarfs any upfront savings.

My Go-To Bankers Box Picks at Staples (And When to Use Them)

So, what do I actually buy? I've moved to a tiered approach based on the use case.

For active file storage or frequent access: The Bankers Box Stor/Drawer is worth every extra penny. The drawer-style access is a game-changer. You're not just paying for a box; you're paying for a design that saves time every single day someone needs to find a document. The time-savings over a standard flip-lid box are massive and quantifiable.

For long-term archiving of standard files: I stick with the mid-range Bankers Box letter/legal file boxes. Not the absolute bottom shelf, but the solid, standard ones. They have consistent dimensions (crucial for stacking), and the construction is reliably sturdy for one-time packing and sitting in storage. Industry standard sizing matters here—you want boxes that will stack neatly in any standard storage room or offsite facility.

For catalogs, magazines, or odd-sized materials: Don't try to force a standard file box. Get a proper Bankers Box magazine holder or literature sorter. I learned this after a project organizing years of engineering catalogs (like a massive Kat's Block Heater catalog collection). Using the wrong container made the project take twice as long. The right tool for the job isn't a luxury; it's efficiency.

Where the "Cheapest" Strategy Might Actually Work (The Exceptions)

I'm not saying you should never buy the lowest-priced option. There are specific, limited scenarios where it makes sense, and being honest about them is important.

First, for a one-time, ultra-short-term use. Need 5 boxes to clean out a single desk today, and the contents will be sorted and discarded or filed permanently tomorrow? Sure, grab the cheapest. The risk window is tiny.

Second, when you're supplementing an existing set and just need one or two more boxes to match a size for stacking purposes. Here, you're prioritizing dimensional consistency over the individual box's premium features.

Finally, for non-critical, lightweight contents. Packing up a department's collection of old Johnny Furphy posters (or other decorative items) for a short move? The contents aren't fragile or essential, so a lighter-duty box can suffice.

The key is intentionality. If you're buying the cheapest box because it's the default or the only price you see, you'll likely lose money. If you're buying it for a specific, limited reason with full awareness of its trade-offs, it can be part of a smart strategy. But in my world of ongoing, predictable office needs, the mid-range reliable workhorse is the true budget option. It's the difference between just buying a box and investing in a system that works.