Office & Stationery

Stationery is bought twice: once properly, at the start of a school year or when an office opens, and then in small, urgent amounts every time something runs out mid-task. A stapler with no pins, a pen that's died halfway through a form, a stamp pad gone dry before a deadline. Metromart stocks the everyday sorts for both kinds of buying.

What's in the Office & Stationery range?

Metromart stocks pens, colour pencils, stamp pads, staplers and stapler pins across brands including Icon Stationery, Kangaro, Linc and DOMS. It covers desk supplies for home offices, schools and small businesses, delivered across Bangladesh.

The range is aimed at everyday use rather than specialist art or drafting supplies.

What stapler pins do you need?

Match the pin size to the stapler, not to the brand. Full-size staplers generally take 26/6 or 24/6 pins; compact and mini staplers take No. 10. The size is printed on the stapler and on the pin box.

Buying the wrong size is the single most common stationery mistake, and the pins simply won't feed. If you're unsure, take a pin from the existing box and compare the leg length — 26/6 and 24/6 differ in wire thickness rather than length, so either usually works in a full-size machine, but No. 10 will not.

How do you choose a stapler?

By how many sheets you actually staple. A standard office stapler handles around 20 sheets comfortably; heavy-duty models go well beyond that but cost more and take different pins. For home and light office use, a standard full-size stapler is enough.

Metal-bodied staplers last considerably longer than plastic ones and cost little more. If it's for an office where several people use it daily, that difference shows within a year.

Ballpoint or gel pen — which should you buy?

Ballpoints use thicker, oil-based ink that dries fast and doesn't smudge, which makes them better for forms, carbon copies and anything handled immediately. Gel pens use water-based ink that writes more smoothly and darker, but takes a moment longer to dry.

For everyday writing and signing, ballpoint. For neat handwriting, notes and anything where the finish matters, gel. Left-handed writers generally get on better with ballpoints, since gel ink smudges under the hand.

How do you stop a stamp pad drying out?

Close it immediately after use and store it flat rather than on its side. Stamp pads dry from the edges inward, and an hour left open in a warm room does more damage than a week of proper use.

If it's already dried, a few drops of the matching ink refill will usually revive it — water-based ink for a water-based pad, oil-based for oil. Mixing the two ruins the pad. Water is not a substitute for ink and makes the impression smear.

What should you look for in colour pencils?

Check the core rather than the barrel. Softer cores lay down colour more easily and suit younger children; harder cores hold a point longer and suit detailed work. A 12-colour pack covers school use; larger sets are for anyone actually drawing.

For children, blunt-tipped and non-toxic marking on the pack matters more than the colour count.

How should you store stationery in this climate?

Humidity is what ruins stationery here, not use. Keep paper products flat and in a closed drawer or box — loose paper in a humid room curls within days and won't feed cleanly through a printer afterwards.

Store pens horizontally or tip-down. Stored tip-up, the ink drifts back and the pen skips when you next use it, which is why a pen in a desk pot often fails after weeks of not being used.

Keep stamp pads closed, and keep anything with adhesive — tape, labels, sticky notes — away from direct heat, which softens the glue permanently.

How do you buy for an office rather than a desk?

Buy consumables in quantity and hardware once. Pens, pins, paper and pad ink get used continuously and cost less per unit in bulk; staplers, punches and scissors are bought once and worth spending a little more on.

For office and institutional orders, contact support directly rather than adding items individually — bulk rates are usually available and it's considerably faster than building a cart item by item.

How to find what you need:

Browse by category above, or use the search if you know what you're after. Every category breaks down into subcategories — beverages into soft drinks, fruit drinks and drink powders, for instance — so you can narrow down quickly rather than scrolling a long list.

If you shop by brand, the brands page lists everything stocked, which is usually faster when you know exactly what you want.

Ordering and delivery:

Set your delivery location before you shop, since availability and timing vary by area. Add what you need, choose a delivery slot and pay through any of the secure methods at checkout.

Frozen and chilled items are packed appropriately, though drinks and ambient goods arrive at room temperature. For bulk, office or event orders, contact support directly rather than adding items one at a time — case rates are usually available.

Physical outlets

Metromart operates physical stores alongside the online shop. If you'd rather see something before buying, or need it the same hour, the outlets page lists locations. Browse our outlets now.