Office Depot — Local services in Peoria

If you're in Peoria, IL and getting any kind of copies, print, or design services, ask for Steve Thornton. I met Steve when he worked at the East Peoria store. Very nice man, very efficient. When he moved to the Peoria store, I stopped going to Fed Ex for any copies, posters, lamination, and started to see Steve in Peoria. I have never had a bad experience with this staff member. He is very smart and knows everything about how Office Depot runs.

On Friday, 9/4, I got my "order ready for pick up" from the print and copy services. I went into the Peoria store. The sales manager, Jake, helped me (after helping a lady who came in after me) and eventually told me that the order was lost and that I'd have to resend it. I had ordered one laminated page at 8:30am and it was now nearly 6pm. There was no time for me to go to my 6:30pm meeting (which would end at 7:30pm), go home, resend the item, and return to the store before they closed for my materials. And, of course, the online ordering page says they need 1 hour to do the work. I needed this laminated sheet for a 9am training.

You can see the spot I was in. After Jake checked many areas and again returned to tell me that the order was not in the queue and there was nothing that he could do, I decided to wait in line for Steve. He was helping 3 or 4 customers with complicated graphics orders. I needed to pick up one laminated page. After helping the customers with the business card designs, Steve pulled up my document, printed it out, laminated it and handed it to me. End of problem.

I realized that Steve has a great deal of experience at Office Depot and he's the guy to ask about print and copy orders. I will never ask for help from anyone else in the store again.

Steve is exactly the kind of person that Office Depot should be proud of; he's the reason I go there. And yes, I sometimes only order $5 or $6 worth of stuff at a time, but I have recommended Office Depot over Kwik Copy and Fed Ex to every person I meet at work. I've also had larger orders done there for a non-profit where I volunteer. Having a smart, creative staff member like Steve to rely on has made my life much, much...

Someone please put this poor store out of its misery. The place has a feel about it that it may at any moment let out a giant sigh and the ground will just open up and swallow it away. I only went in to drop off a FedEx package that was already labeled and ready to go- it took me over 10 minutes to get that done. After schlepping the box clear to the back of the store there was an awkward exchange about whether I needed a receipt or not. I did. Fumbling under the counter commenced giving me a moment to take in my surroundings. There was one other customer in the store, a middle aged woman who was all but yelling at the poor cashier about how she wanted to return a mangled box of printer toner and NO, SHE DOESN'T HAVE A RECEIPT. Whoa. I got my receipt from the polite but obviously miserable kid working behind the printing desk and got out of there. There isn't a single item in that building that couldn't be bought online cheaper and while leaving your...

I work for a property management company and had sent in a flyer that I wanted a couple test prints of. I arrived and went immediately to the copy/print center. Nobody was in line. However, there were 2 (a 3rd came in later) associates standing there discussing something. I patiently waited for about 5 minutes with no greeting or acknowledgment at all. What I can assume was a manager came around to ask if I had been helped and I responded no. He then informed the girls that there was a customer waiting and that I needed assistance. They looked my way and then continued on their conversation. I waited another minute or two before one of them turned around and helped me. Once I actually got service, the lady was very nice and even gave me my test-prints for free. Which I greatly appreciate, but it was still upsetting how the two girls valued their conversation more than helping a paying customer, especially when we plan on placing quite a...