I wanted to get printer photo paper for my printer, a Canon. I went to Walmart, They had nothing. Went to Target, they had one pack of photo paper and it was crazy expensive, so I went to micro center. That one was just as expensive. So finally I went back to Amazon, which I was trying to avoid, and saw the price 25 to 40% lower than anywhere I had been. Literally everything that I was looking for, I could find within seconds. Not even Best buy has even close to the amount of inventory or variety, even when you’re shopping online…
Therefore, I think Amazon has a literal monopoly in the tech industry right now, you’re literally forced to buy from them, because unless you have the money and financial fortitude to protest with your wallet, you’re going to be buying from them. There’s no other choice. They have so aggressively and dominantly taken over the supply chain market that no other tech company can currently compete with them in any aspect at all. You will be paying 40 to 50% more on everything by cutting out Amazon, and no one has the money for that anymore unless you’re upper middle class or above
Honestly, you should probably never go to Office Max/Depot or Staples for printer stuff because they often overcharge. Unless you need to print photos, get a reliable laser printer (Brother is great) and then shop around for toner when it’s time to replace in a few years. I found the toner I needed through the MFG website, then searched around a bit to see if there was a better deal. Toner is almost never an emergency, it’ll warn you when it’s low, which means you probably have a few months to order something.
Also, don’t get an inkjet, you’ll pay out the nose for it. If you do need to print photos, I recommend sending batches to get printed somewhere else. Yeah, it’s not as convenient as having the printer right there, but it’ll save a bit of time and headache, and probably some cash as well.
I buy paper at Costco and toner online at whatever retailer is cheapest. For office supplies, I generally stock up around back-to-school sales in August/September (in the US). The only time I go to an office supply store is if I really need some folders or something around tax season.