S02.E11: Rebranding

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Jeff lets the employees know that Rex, a vice president from corporate, will be coming by the store to help with the rollout for Cloud 9's store-wide rebranding, and it turns out Rex is someone from Jonah's past. Amy and Garrett are delighted to hear Rex's stories about Jonah. Meanwhile, Mateo is stunned to learn of rumors that Jeff is in a relationship with an employee. Dina must retaliate against a snitch and Cheyenne tries to take advantage of the discounted "Halo" products.

[J0nas3]

I did not realize that Glenn felt that strongly. 

 

Pretty good one. It was really interesting to see Sandra running a game.

[memememe76]

I love that Sandra watches The Vampire Diaries. Deliciousness. Hee. 

[SmithW6079]

I liked the episode, but at the same time, its stupidity infuriated me.

So once you go to work at Cloud 9 you can never leave? That whole plot point was idiotic (including the employee contract; the store is probably in a right-to-work state, so there is no contract).

I felt sorry for Jonah, who must have had some kind of breakdown or epiphany that business school wasn't for him, but the other Cloud 9ers just mocked him (not that he doesn't deserve it when he's being pompous).

And his "deferment" starts from the time he enrolled, not when he left?

His former classmate looked about 10 or 15 years older, but being b-school, perhaps that's not out of the realm of possibility. 

Edited January 13, 2017 by SmithW6079
I know the difference between "its" and "it's."

[DrScottie]

Good for Cheyenne for the SuperHero / SuperCloud idea! It was way better than the marketing wizards in Cloud 9 corporate. As far I'm concerned, she should have gotten whatever left over Halo supplies she wanted and I'm glad the stockroom still had it. I thought she was going to punch or scream at that associate who found all the stuff she was hiding. 

24 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

So once you go to work at Cloud 9 you can never leave? That whole plot point was idiotic (including the employee contract; the store is probably in a right-to-work state, so there is no contract).

Missouri is actually not a right to work state, but you're right about the idiotic.mature of that contract.  

I'm not surprised that the crowd took the Halo / SuperCloud brand change so poorly. Despite it being the exact same product with a different label on it, people freak out. 

[topanga]

Jonah and Amy haven't been flirty, but they're around each other all of the time. In the break room, throughout their shifts, and they even sit together at the end of the day. What's up with that?

I liked the scene with them wrestling over the phone. "You have really strong arms. " Hee

And Mateo's anger about Sandra's fake affair with Jeff? Hilarious 

[nasir jones]

Sandra was great when she didn't say anything.  Now that she talks, she's the best.  Mateo and Dina's faces as she was telling the story were hilarious.

I thought the contract was just some silly thing Glenn made up.

[BusyOctober]

I loved when the customer asked Cheyenne to "look in the back" for more discounted stuff. I figured she'd wander around the back for a few minutes, then come back without really looking.  Surprise! She found a hidden cache instead. People used to do that to me all the time when I worked retail.  90% of the time, the real, honest to God answer is "sorry, there is nothing in the back".  The other 10%...it's back there but the employees who went searching for it either wants it for themselves or didn't like your attitude when you asked.   

[wknt3]

8 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

I liked the episode, but at the same time, it's stupidity infuriated me.

So once you go to work at Cloud 9 you can never leave? That whole plot point was idiotic (including the employee contract; the store is probably in a right-to-work state, so there is no contract).

It's more reality based than you think. It's based on the large number of (often absurdly low level) service industry positions requiring employees to sign "non-compete agreements" and defining their direct competitors fairly broadly. And I can tell you based on experience that lower level management often tells employees something different from what the literature or a lawyer would tell them. Without getting too off topic "right-to-work" usually gets interpreted by the courts as "employers can do whatever they want." So yes it was idiotic, but not completely unrealistic especially for a sitcom.

[Tiger]

I was howling as Sandra was making things up about she and Jeff's purported relationship, and when she was trying to sexy talking to and then walking away from.  

[theatremouse]

8 hours ago, nasir jones said:

I thought the contract was just some silly thing Glenn made up.

The contents of the contract Glenn gave him in that scene were almost certainly made up, but he broached the topic by saying the original contract Jonah signed had something wrong with it or something. I forget the exact phrasing but it was implied he already had a contract so Glenn did not make up the issue that Jonah would have one in the first place.

[Kip Hackman]

Sandra FTW.

[tennisgurl]

Poor Jonah. I feel like there is more to the story of his business school issues. 

Go Sandra! Mateo being all pissed off about Sandra pretending to be sleeping with Jeff was hilarious. Again, go Sandra!

[Fostersmom]

4 hours ago, wknt3 said:

It's more reality based than you think. It's based on the large number of (often absurdly low level) service industry positions requiring employees to sign "non-compete agreements" and defining their direct competitors fairly broadly. And I can tell you based on experience that lower level management often tells employees something different from what the literature or a lawyer would tell them. Without getting too off topic "right-to-work" usually gets interpreted by the courts as "employers can do whatever they want." So yes it was idiotic, but not completely unrealistic especially for a sitcom.

Yep. I was an assistant and then store manager for two different dollar store chains (one started as all $1 merchandise and then expanded higher prices and the other is considered to be in that category even though its always had things over $1 but doesn't go over a slightly higher price point) and I had to sign non compete clauses with both companies and then resign them when I got promoted from assistant to manager. I get not working for say Dollar Tree and then leaving to go to Family Dollar for example (I ended up working for a company that got bought by Dollar Tree after I had been there a couple years, never worked for Family Dollar), but at both places the non competes listed obvious competition and then random ass companies that were alike only in they were retail. I will say this, I know a ton of people who signed those and then left to work for one of the companies they said they wouldn't work for and nothing ever happened. I even know one who then went back to the first company like less than a year later. She got herself a nice raise in the process on that one. As for right to work, that's pretty much taken to mean you can be LET GO for any reason, at any time, not so much as you can't get fired. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

the store is probably in a right-to-work state

Not yet . . . but they're working on it.

Quote

I thought the contract was just some silly thing Glenn made up.

It was. I think Amy's point about how none of them could leave was really about the fact that they don't have any other options - i.e. none of them have college degrees so any other job they find will be no better than the one they have right now. Jonah had options they didn't have.

When Dina punched that cardboard cutout, for a second I thought it was a real person! And I can't help it, I laughed when that customer was sexually harassing Jonah with the toilet paper. 

[SmithW6079]

I didn't realize the store was set in Missouri. Did they say that and I just missed it? I assumed it was the state of Generica, when the writers don't want to specify a location. 

[Keener]

15 hours ago, nasir jones said:

I thought the contract was just some silly thing Glenn made up.

That's what I thought too. Glenn is sort of like the Office's Michael Scott-- a man that sees his place of business as a family. To me it seemed more of the nature of "no one leaves because you're family!" 

[MadyGirl1987]

31 minutes ago, Keener said:

That's what I thought too. Glenn is sort of like the Office's Michael Scott-- a man that sees his place of business as a family. To me it seemed more of the nature of "no one leaves because you're family!" 

I was getting Michael Scott vibes from Glenn as well. I would also say I got another vibe from the episode as well (albeit less sinister here)...

While the episode had it's funny moments, that aspect of it was a bit depressing. I know it is realistic that it can be hard to move up. I myself worked at a bagel shop while getting my Masters and after graduation until I found my current job at the library in my desired field last year. It could be soul-sucking and, during the long, job-hunting period, I would worry that I would never find anything in my field, that I was stuck forever. However does nobody at the store see life beyond Cloud 9? Wasn't Amy taking college courses? Wasn't Cheyenne in school at some point?

Edited January 13, 2017 by MadyGirl1987

[iMonrey]

I don't remember Amy ever saying anything about college courses; I think she and Cheyenne are basically in the same boat - got pregnant, got married, dropped out of school. 

[Aliconehead]

I could have sworn that she was taking night classes or some other classes and that was why she did not want to be Assistant Manager

[fishcakes]

Amy is taking college classes. In the episode where they got locked in the store overnight, she needed to get home to study for a midterm. And she finally did end up taking the Assistant Manager job because one of the perks was that Cloud 9 would pay half her tuition, but since she was part of the walk out when Glenn got fired, she also got fired and then rehired. It looks like Dina is the Assistant Manager again and Amy is whatever she was before -- a lead or a department manager or something. I don't think they've ever specified, but I kind of remember her telling Jonah that she's his boss, so she seems to be higher up than a sales associate.

Cheyenne is still in high school (even though the actress is a little old to sell that). I don't think she dropped out after the baby was born, but I'm not sure.

Edited January 14, 2017 by fishcakes

[juliet73]

Amy is the floor manager, Dina is the asst store manager and Glen is the store manager. 

Amy was taking college classes last season; I don't think it was mentioned this season. 

This episode was good, but it was definitely a weaker one.  Still a real funny show! 

[Skyfall]

On 1/13/2017 at 0:04 AM, DrScottie said:

Good for Cheyenne for the SuperHero / SuperCloud idea! It was way better than the marketing wizards in Cloud 9 corporate. As far I'm concerned, she should have gotten whatever left over Halo supplies she wanted and I'm glad the stockroom still had it. I thought she was going to punch or scream at that associate who found all the stuff she was hiding. 

Missouri is actually not a right to work state, but you're right about the idiotic.mature of that contract.  

I'm not surprised that the crowd took the Halo / SuperCloud brand change so poorly. Despite it being the exact same product with a different label on it, people freak out. 

To your last point, people would do that in real life. A lot of people just look for their brand and start to panic when they can't find it.

[wknt3]

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet I just wanted to say how much I loved the scene with Glenn and Cheyenne? Especially what were probably my favorite lines in a great episode (it would be definite if it wasn't for Sandra talking about her and Jeff)
 

Quote

Glenn: Hey, Cheyenne, can you go wake up this lady that fell asleep in Electronics? Last time I tried something like that, I got punched in the beans.
Cheyenne: Um, can I just buy some of this discounted Halo stuff for my baby first? It's normally so expensive I can barely afford her eye shadow.

I love how this show so can be both over the top absurdist and so true to life at the same time. And hate it at the same time since it reminds just how nonsensical reality can be...

[Keener]

I thought it was interesting that the one person (Cheyenne) that knows about Jeff & Mateo was off doing other things during the Sandra run down. I would bet that that's going to come back to haunt Mateo (and Sandra for that matter)

15 hours ago, fishcakes said:

Cheyenne is still in high school (even though the actress is a little old to sell that). 

I find this part of her character the most unbelievable. She seems to work the same hours as the rest who are clearly full time employees, which would be impossible if she was in high school. I almost wish she was just a girl right out of high school who got knocked up by her boyfriend. 

I will say though, her eye makeup and hair always makes me laugh. It's so on point for her character, I love it. 

Back when I worked retail we used to hide products just like Cheyenne all the time. Most notably was the Furby and Elmo hunts. You couldn't buy while you worked, but you could "hide" it. The best place was Layaway-- managers didn't go there and it was largely void of customers. 

[neuromom]

 Phew..I'm glad Amy came clean before Jonah cancelled his deferment. The harrasment he got from the others bothered me. It's like he was being punished for daring to try to get an education. It was sad to see how his deferment got messed up because he misunderstood the terms. 

Mateo just annoyed me this episode. And I'm curious to see how the lie backfires on him and Sandra. I bet Mateo's relationship with Jeff is exposed in the process. 

[TheRabbi]

I absolutely lost it at Dina erupting and not being able to hold it in any longer after 5 seconds. You stupid slut! And Sandra being game was great. Very enjoyable show

[Diablo]

I'm confused. Why would Jonah have "no options?" If he got into business school, he would already have had at least a Bachelor's and some relevant work experience. He isn't in the same position as Amy or the others, even without the possibility of going back for his (I assume) MBA. He would have a considerable leg up over them.

Also, I agree that it's ridiculous that they all reacted with shock that he wouldn't want to stay at Cloud 9. Does anyone stay at any retail job that long nowadays? Even if you stay in retail, you're likely going from one place to another within a couple of years.

All that said, everything with Dina, Sandra, and Cheyenne was great this episode. 

Edited January 16, 2017 by Diablo

[Keener]

16 hours ago, Diablo said:

Also, I agree that it's ridiculous that they all reacted with shock that he wouldn't want to stay at Cloud 9. Does anyone stay at any retail job that long nowadays? Even if you stay in retail, you're likely going from one place to another within a couple of years.

Actually there are a lot more "lifers" than you would expect. The younger crowds (teens or early-20s part-timers working for school) are definitely in and out. I will say that a lot of the lifers try to push up the ladder. So they wouldn't be "cashier" for their whole lives. They might get moved to returns desk (which requires a higher skill set) or apply to be a department manager, floor manager.  IMO everyone in Superstore is basically where I'd expect them to be.  Cheyenne is still young, but eventually she'd be the type to be department manager of cosmetics or health & beauty. 

[ae2]

I'm not sure how there is any confusion here... the only person that was genuinely shocked was Glenn. Everybody else was just ribbing Jonah like they all do to one another.

Glenn was shocked because, as we've seen, he has a simple idealistic view of the world. 

[topanga]

On 1/13/2017 at 1:53 PM, SmithW6079 said:

I didn't realize the store was set in Missouri. Did they say that and I just missed it? I assumed it was the state of Generica, when the writers don't want to specify a location. 

In the Pilot, Jonah mentioned that he was driving cross-country and ended up in St. Louis. 

 

On 1/13/2017 at 11:22 AM, tennisgurl said:

Go Sandra! Mateo being all pissed off about Sandra pretending to be sleeping with Jeff was hilarious. Again, go Sandra!

I love that she went along with the rumor because she finally got some positive attention, and no one was telling her to shut up. Go Sandra!

[methodwriter85]

On 1/12/2017 at 11:29 PM, SmithW6079 said:

His former classmate looked about 10 or 15 years older, but being b-school, perhaps that's not out of the realm of possibility. 

There's less than a two-year difference between him and Ben Feldman.

Ben Feldman just looks on the young side for a 36-year old. I do think he's playing about 29 or so. The classmate just doesn't look like he's only now exiting his 20's like Jonah does, but he's probably playing about 29 or 30 as well.

Did Amy drop out of college? I know that she would have lost the tuition reimbursement when she got demoted, but she never said anything about leaving school. That feels like a really weird thing to forget when they were having their "no options" talk. I figured Amy was taking night courses at a no-frills satellite campus or something. That's what my sister did to upgrade her AA in nursing to a Bachelor's.

Cheyenne's desperation at the discounted items was funny. Yep, babies are expensive.

[joanne3482]

On 1/14/2017 at 11:44 AM, Keener said:

I find this part of her character the most unbelievable. She seems to work the same hours as the rest who are clearly full time employees, which would be impossible if she was in high school. I almost wish she was just a girl right out of high school who got knocked up by her boyfriend. 

Once she got knocked up she may have entered an alternative school or started homeschooling. They have those online homeschools now. 

I wonder if we'll find that Jonah was once super driven and then just burned out. Or maybe was that type who isn't so resilient and one little set-back just caused a downward spiral.  I only picked up this show On Demand so I haven't seen several of the first season episodes. 

[methodwriter85]

She could have been a high school senior who has enough credits that she only attends school in the morning, or she does homeschooling. She might actually be 18 now (she was said to be 17 at the start of the show) so she doesn't have to worry about labor laws.

 

Quote

I wonder if we'll find that Jonah was once super driven and then just burned out. Or maybe was that type who isn't so resilient and one little set-back just caused a downward spiral.  I only picked up this show On Demand so I haven't seen several of the first season episodes. 

My fanwank backstory for Jonah is this- he was the "book smart" kind of guy who was good at taking tests and getting good grades, and that served him well through college. He added to that illusion of being driven by taking part in a lot of school activities like being a dorm counselor. (I can tooootttallly see Jonah as the enthusiastic dorm counselor.)

Then he got out into the real world. He convinces his parents to let him take a gap year. Then it becomes several couple of years. He flounders for the next 5 or 6 years after college. Then at 28 (Jonah stated in an episode that he was 28 when he went to business school), with his parents basically putting their foot down about financing his self-discovery, Jonah goes to business school. He figures it'll be a piece of cake, but quickly realizes that it's not College Part 2, and his old methods aren't working. He flunks out. His parents basically cut him off as a result, and he desperately takes the Superstore Job.

[possibilities]

That scenario for Jonah sounds very plausible.

[Fostersmom]

On January 14, 2017 at 0:44 PM, Keener said:

Back when I worked retail we used to hide products just like Cheyenne all the time. Most notably was the Furby and Elmo hunts. You couldn't buy while you worked, but you could "hide" it. The best place was Layaway-- managers didn't go there and it was largely void of customers. 

We didn't tend to hide the super popular items, but the "good" holiday candy always managed to make it's way into a few managers offices or stockroom shelves so we could buy some half off the day after the holiday. I did once end up with a $150 Christmas tree for like $15 after my discount, that one had been on layaway and somehow got missed when the holiday cancellations happened and then no one picked it up. By the time we found it, it was the middle of January, so I snapped it up. I also was an area manager in a big box store right after I graduated college. It was one of the busiest in the chain, but also the smallest. We rented a warehouse next door and another one down the street. When I got there, there was so much merchandise, they even had wooden boards building bridges across the fronts and backs of every inside aisle in the housewares section. One of my jobs was to try to get all the crap that was lost up there down and organized and I found a really Revere Ware stock pot with the copper bottom that was so old, we didn't even have it in the system anymore. It took a lot of digging, but someone at corporate finally found the last price was $9. Yep, I bought that one too!