Staples Smackdown
Close Window

Rainn Wilson as Dwight Shrute in 'The Office'

The Donald tops Dwight as Pitchman

Staples made a splash this season on the NBC hit comedy The Office; its MailMate shredder, introduced
on the show, was used to slice everything from credit cards to salad. But The Office wasn't the first foray
onto the small screen for Staples. In 2005, a team of Trump wannabes on The Apprentice created the
Desk Apprentice, an organizer for the ultimate pack rat. - NATHAN HURST




	DESK APPRENTICE	MAIL SHREDDER
Appeared on	The Apprentice	The Office
Episode	"I can't believe it's not clutter"	"The Merger"
Episode debuted on	April 21, 2005	November 16, 2006
Number of viewers	13.9 million	84 million
Lead pitchman	Donald Trump	Dwight Shrute (Rainn Wilson)
How it appears	Created as part of competition looking for a product to reduce desk clutter.	Dwight's co-worker Kevin shreds frequently throughout the episode, including a salad for lunch.
What it does	Provides a way to keep desks orderly.	Shreds junk mail and documents that might contain sensitive information.
Cost	$35	$69.99
How many sold	30,000 within the first week, Staples told the Globe in 2005	"Hundreds of thousands," according to Staples spokesman Paul Capelli.
What was said	"You're fired!" (Donald, to the team that didn't design the Desk Apprentice)	"This thing is so awesome, It will shred anything. Ooh!" (Co-worker Kevin, after shredding his lunchtime salad).
What happened next	Magna, the teamcreating the Desk Apprentice, went on to dominate the show.	Dwight quit Dunder-Mifflin and took a sales job at Staples, but only for a few days.