FORM 3UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*
Ventress Peter

(Last)(First)(Middle)
FIVE HUNDRED STAPLES DRIVE

(Street)
FRAMINGHAMMA01702

(City)(State)(Zip)
2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)
07/02/2008
3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
STAPLES INC [SPLS]
4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)
Director10% Owner
Officer (give title below)Other (specify below)
President, International Ops.
5. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)
6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
XForm filed by One Reporting Person
Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 4) 2. Amount of Securities Owned (Instr. 4) 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5)
Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4) 2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year) 3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4)4. Conversion or Excercise Price of Derivative Security 5. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5)
Date ExercisableExpiration DateTitleAmount or Number of Shares
Explanation of Responses:
No securities are beneficially owned

Kristin A. Campbell, attorney-in-fact07/11/2008
** Signature of Reporting PersonDate
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5(b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.

LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY

Staples, Inc.
Section 16(a) Filings

In connection with the beneficial ownership of securities 
of STAPLES, INC. (the "Company"), directly and indirectly, by the 
undersigned director or executive officer of the Company, the 
undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints each of JOHN MAHONEY 
and KRISTIN CAMPBELL, acting singly, as his/her true and lawful 
attorney-in-fact to:

(1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned Forms 3, 4 and 5 
and amendments thereto in accordance with Section 16(a) of 
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;

(2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the 
undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete and 
execute any such Form 3, 4 or 5 or amendment thereto and timely 
filing such form with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") and any other authority; and

(3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection 
with the foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, 
may be of benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required 
by, the undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed 
by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to 
this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such 
terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in his/her 
discretion.

The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact 
full power and authority to do and perform all and every act and 
thing whatsoever requisite, necessary and proper to be done in 
the exercise of any of the rights and powers herein granted, as 
fully to all intents and purposes as such attorney-in-fact might 
or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution 
or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-
in-fact, or his/her substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or 
cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights 
and powers herein granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the 
foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the 
request of the undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company 
assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply with 
Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect 
until the undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4 and 
5 with respect to the undersigned's holdings of and transaction in 
securities of the Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned 
in a signed writing delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.  
This Power of attorney may be filed with the SEC as a confirming 
statement of the authority granted herein.   






IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of 
Attorney to be executed as of this 9th day of July, 2008.


         Peter Ventress


/s/ Peter Ventress   
Signature
- 2 -




 
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