We were just at the NY Travel Show this morning and Staples had a booth. They are now getting into the travel business. They had travel accessories such as cubes, lanyards, toiletry bags, suitcases, etc on display. They were the Travelon brand. They also do passport photos. But the most useful will be their ‘Standard & Expedited Passport’ services. The brochure lists, in as quick as 1 week,
First and second passport renewal
First time or new passport
Child’s passport
Second passport
Name change
passport card
Visas
It does also state that these services are only available in select locations. I haven’t checked out where the locations are, but the attendant did mention Manhattan.
It just might come in handy for those traveling who forget to check their passports. No fee was mentioned of course.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
On top of all that, amazingly, some (not all) Staples locations even process TSA Precheck applications.
That one surprised me.
Enroll in TSA Precheck at Staples
It seems that Staples, like big chain drug stores, are trying to serve as an "everything store" for some communities. Hmmm.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8312 posts
Walmart also sells some travel supplies--including packing cubes. They can also do passport photos--as do CVS and Walgreens.
Posted by
OP
Brooklyn, NY
4228 posts
Yes, the brochure had a scan code for the TSA Precheck.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7053 posts
I don't believe they can actually approve a passport or renew one because that's a strictly government function by the State Department, who can run all sorts of checks in their database to confirm eligibility. I don't think they would farm that out to the private sector (???). Or maybe some Staples locations are serving as some kind of "pilot project" to ease the burden on govenrment staff (???)
This is a good link for the other services (I was interested so I looked):
https://www.staples.com/stores/services/travel
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
Thanks Barbara for sharing. Yes, I can attest that I was able to renew my TSA Precheck at my nearby Staples. It was easy peasy. Just like hitting “the easy button!” LOL
Posted by
Freedonia
16171 posts
Staples has been doing the passport/TSA thing for awhile.
Staples doesn't approve anything. They just make it easier to apply. The government still has to approve everything.
Do you really want an office supply retail company to have the power to approve people for expedited airport security or passports?