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Survey Finds Consumers View the Past 10 years as Volatile Period in American History NAPERVILLE, Ill., Dec. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- As the first decade of the new millennium draws to a close, OfficeMax finds that Americans believe the past 10 years will be viewed in time as one of the most volatile periods in our nation's history yet are optimistic about the days ahead. OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE:OMX), a leader in office products and services, conducted a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 consumers to learn how Americans viewed the past decade. Nearly four in 10 people, or 39 percent, believe that horrific events like 9/11 will be remembered most, while others think economic events such as the recession (23%) and political events (22%) will be the most memorable. For the 2000 decade, nearly a third of Americans said they prefer to use the terms the "two-thousands" (31%) or the "millennium" (31%) to refer to the last decade. Others would rather name the past decade the "twenty-ohs" (13%) or more simply, the "ohs" (10%). When asked to reflect on the past decade, an overwhelming majority of Americans expressed negative sentiments with 21 percent selecting the song title, "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M. to accurately depict the past 10 years. While others felt song titles like "Help!" by the Beatles (17%), "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (17%) or "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers (17%) best captured their attitudes toward the past ten years. But even after a decade full of ups and downs, 84 percent of Americans reported they are looking ahead to a better day rather than looking back fondly at the 90s (16%). "Our national survey findings reflect that Americans are ready to put the first decade of the millennium to rest and are eager to ring in the new year and the next decade," said Bob Thacker, SVP of Marketing and Advertising for OfficeMax. "At OfficeMax, we're kicking off the year by encouraging American workers and businesses to celebrate achievements both big and small, and to strive to make the next 10 years a time when stamina and endurance revitalize the American workforce." About the Survey The national survey of 1,000 people was conducted by Kelton Research between December 15, 2009 and December 28, 2009 using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over. To view complete research data, questions, and graphics, please visit OfficeMax's Media Room. About OfficeMax OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE:OMX) is a leader in both business-to-business office products solutions and retail office equipment. The OfficeMax mission is simple. We help our customers do their best work. The company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax ImPress®, technology products and solutions, and office furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax customers are served by more than 30,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and more than 1,000 stores. For more information, visit OfficeMax.com. About Kelton Research Kelton Research is a full service market research consultancy with offices in Los Angeles and New York. Kelton serves as a strategic partner to both Fortune 500 corporations and smaller companies, utilizing a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to drive tactical recommendations for clients. For more information about Kelton's services, please call 1.888.8.KELTON or visit http://www.keltonresearch.com/. OfficeMax Media Contacts: William Bonner Jennifer Rook 630-864-6057 630-864-6057 DATASOURCE: OfficeMax Incorporated CONTACT: William Bonner, or Jennifer Rook, both of OfficeMax Incorporated, +1-630-864-6057 Web Site: http://www.officemax.com/ http://www.keltonresearch.com/

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