I just checked on the Staples site, and they clearly state that no cable is included. Did you really wait weeks for them to send you a cable before using the product?
Perhaps the people at Staples are conscientious enough to warn their customers, but the only indication I got was when I looked at the very small-type inventory on the side of the box, something I didn't think I needed to read over.
And again, their setup instructions are deceptive in not indicating that the cable is not included.
Oh, and as for your second question, I didn't wait weeks to attempt to hook the thing up, but it wasn't a big deal to wait for a cable to arrive, since we have another functional printer on my Mac setup, which is what I tried to use today when I discovered the cartridge issue.