Kevin Shalalalala (Name changed to protect the innocent)

English 101

Professor

6 April 2002

I Gots To Get Paid

I work at the fine establishment of Kinko�s Copies. There we learn to love, hate, and gosh darn it, provide �document solutions, done right, anytime, anywhere�. Having been with Kinko�s for three years, I have become an important part of the Kinko�s �team�. In fact, the tag that tells people how to grossly mispronounce my name indicates that I am a �team member� and have been since 1999. This is helpful to customers, who see that I have been with the company long enough to know what I am doing, and thus they attach themselves to me much like a common parasite. Speaking of parasites, the management is also an integral part of the Kinko�s team in that they quite effectively interact with customers by directing them to the self-serve area. Finally, when stepping into Kinko�s of Orange, one will immediately notice the commercial business representative. She eats lots of fried chicken. Together, the team members, the management, and the fried chicken lady comprise the Kinko�s team. Though we all have commonalities in our goals, our job titles justly separate us for a variety of reasons.

The Kinko�s team is obviously united by employment. However, there is one other major factor that really pulls us together as the Kinko�s team: we want to get paid and go the hell home. For that reason, there is considerable interaction between the different groups of coworkers. For example, when there is an abundance of work to be done, the commercial business representative may send some of it to be done elsewhere, saving labor, resources, and time. If a job must be delivered and the driver is unavailable, the manager may hop in the van and deliver it himself. On especially large orders, the management and the chicken lady may even help in production. For the sake of good business, we work together like a well-oiled machine; our improved viscosity helps to immediately squeeze the customers out of the door after obtaining their money. This is quite beneficial; efficiency improves as customers are required to spend minimal time in the branch, which increases both sales and customer satisfaction. As an added bonus, coworkers are spared the agony of listening to customers� stories about these adorable pictures from Aunt Edna�s 100th birthday party. All aspects of work at Kinko�s are designed for improved business and better profits. It is for that reason that we are bound to each other. We are all team members.

There are several ways besides job titles, however, to distinguish team members from one another. Things as simple as dress code give an air of authority to the commercial business representative and management. While the common team members are restricted to light blue Kinko�s Oxford shirts and ties, management may wear anything as long as it is suitable business attire. Similarly, the commercial business representative can, and often does wear, almost anything. I am certain that I once saw her in a muumuu. It wasn�t even an attractive muumuu. I think it had hamburgers on it or something to that effect. This dress code allows the customers to distinguish the management from the team members; therefore, the dress code is an effective tool of classification and separation. In addition to dress code, customers may distinguish positions by their location in the branch. The commercial business representative has her own office in the front of the store. The management also has an office. The team members are forced to stand in the middle of the store with no place to hide. Customers then have easy access to coworkers while management plays cards in the back and Barbara eats chicken in her office. I know it seems like I pick on Barbara a lot by saying she eats chicken all day instead of doing real work. I am just kidding. Sometimes she eats beef. I digress. These offices are actually bases for these individuals to do their �work�. It is an indication of their added responsibilities. These added responsibilities are another indication of classification. For example, Bob is our manager. One of his responsibilities is to be a jerk to customers who are unhappy, like any good businessman. He is responsible for many of the decisions made about the future of the store, including employment status, pay raises, and scheduling. He is also responsible for spending 10% of the store�s profit on his living room set. Since the coworkers do not have these responsibilities or privileges, this is an exclusive power of management, which separates him from others, whom we will refer to as �peons�. The commercial business representative has the responsibility of negotiating price with customers. This is something that common coworkers are encouraged to do as well, until they do it. Then they are fired. Again, I digress. The commercial business representative is also responsible for 50% of KFC�s business. The common coworkers are responsible for everything else, including dealing with the customers and running jobs.

Our desire to run a profitable business and the name on the top of our paychecks classify the team members of Kinko�s together. We are all similar in that we are oriented toward the same goal. However, the ways in which we dress, locations we work in, and responsibilities that come with those things differentiate us from one another. We are indeed very similar, but every group of people bound by some common grounds can be further separated when digging deeper below the surface. We are all unique. Whether it is how we dress, how we behave, or how much chicken we eat, we can all be classified.