Don't ask me the ethical ratings of this plan, but...
The smartest method to deal with this price mistake would've probably been to price match the office desks or coffee makers to Staples, which carries many of those items. That could've locked in deals with a better chance of actually getting the items.
ETA: I'm not sure if Staples still does price matching over the phone. In the old days, they did, and I got many soda cans shipped at CVS sale prices without having to go to the store and shlepp them myself...