This series comes to us from an anonymous office worker in Sydney, Australia, who explains: “Despite our multi-million dollar profits, some people in our office are really attached to our company’s bottom line.”
UPDATE: the saga continues!
related: Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler
78 responses so far ↓
#1
The Fresh Cracker
Dude. It’s a dollar.
CALM DOWN
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:53 am rating: 1
#2
Canthz_B
I’ll bet they have K-Mart furniture at home too!
Cheapskate!
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:54 am rating: 0
#3
park rose
If comment one and comment 3 are written by the same person, then s/he did heed the request in note 2. And what are HR going to do about it, anyway?
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:58 am rating: 1
#4
GhostWriter
Let’s not forget that they are talking about an Australian dollar, which is worth US.07
Seems a bit of an over-reaction, since I routinely find nickels and dimes behind our copier.
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:00 am rating: 3
#5
park rose
At least note writer number one made sure that anyone who wanted to read the article could do so. The placement of the second note shows how little interest there probably is in the actual content.
A good reason for it to be in b&w, perhaps?
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:01 am rating: 1
#6
Canthz_B
Adoption of American spelling practices could save money as well. “Color” instead of “Colour” saves ink, time and key/penstrokes. Every little bit counts people!
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:02 am rating: 10
#7
anglophile
Those post-it notes aren’t exactly cheap, either. And they are the premium blue ones, too, not the generic yellow. What a waste of company resources!
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:05 am rating: 4
#8
park rose
no way I’m giving up my ‘u’, CB, it’s the favourite part of my very colourful language – oh, honourable global neighbour.
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:07 am rating: 9
#9
GhostWriter
The colour copy may have been a bit pricey, but using our last bandaid to attach your note to the wall is selfish.
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:08 am rating: 5
#10
GhostWriter
Colour lettering is a waste of time (and money). We’re not in grade school, folks!
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:10 am rating: 2
#11
Canthz_B
I give extra points for coloring within the lines.
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:16 am rating: 0
#12
Kristi
In my mind I know it’s only a dollar but my heart is siding with the cheapskate. I work for a very small company (6 employees) and the printing of unnecessary color copies is a BIG pet peeve of mine. I finally had to put my foot down when another employee was averaging 50+ copies a day. A company our size can’t afford that much waste. Besides, I waste enough time on this site as it is!
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:19 am rating: 3
#13
Canthz_B
Lemme get this straight.
You’re worried about the cost of ink but not the cost of the use of your valuable time taken to write a note on a note?
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:24 am rating: 0
#14
amy d
If note writer #1 was really concerned about the costs of printing the article in colour, then he/she would not have written directly on the article.
Making the colour copy unusable by defacement is a bigger crime than printing said article in colour.
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:24 am rating: 1
#15
unholyghost2003
Color (or colour) COPIES may cost a dollar but the articles was clearly printed on an inkjet printer. The article is from a newspaper. If it was a photocopy of the newspaper article the layout would be totally different. The cost of 2 square inches of color from a printer is going to be a LOT less than a dollar.
My own innate PAness would cause me to tape a quarter to the page and say “There, paid the company back.”
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:41 am rating: 4
#16
anglophile
I think the confusion over the cost lies in the fact that, while COLOUR printing is somewhat expensive, COLOJR printing is through the roof!
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:47 am rating: 12
#17
Ricehead
I may have missed it in the previous responses, but I dont think the bottom line should be an issue when the post-it writer is having trouble spelling case. And even then, if that person wasn’t concerned about the bottom line I believe that that person would have written out a new post-it.
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:50 am rating: 1
#18
bellabeastie
Penalty for excessive use of underlining and question marks. Extra five colojr copies will be charged to your account. Three more for the masking tape that will pull the paint off the walls when removed. And HR cannot help you, they are too busy making more colojr copies of your Personal File.
Altho — yellow is my favorite colojr…
Feb 6, 2008 at 10:16 am rating: 3
#19
Team Cassandra
O yeah? So how much was that highlighter?
And how many minutes did it take you to COLOUR that in and tape it up there? Do you get paid by the hour? Because I think you just cost us ANOTHER DOLLAR!
Seriously – It’s a little tiny pic from a printer. Inkjet printer cartridges ARE expensive, tho. But sometimes you pay out a little for, you know, professionalism (she did say multi-million dollar company!) which was completely lost at the first use of masking tape.
PS. Holy PA note aneurysm, Bat Man! I hope they get that note writer some medical assistance STAT!
Feb 6, 2008 at 10:39 am rating: 1
#20
Wade
I think they should get a new copier vendor. Looks like Colo Jr is ripping them off.
Feb 6, 2008 at 10:46 am rating: 8
#21
Lurker
And don’t forget to re-use those staples you pulled out of the TPS reports! All it takes is a few man-hours to bend tham back into shape. While you’re doing that, I’ll reserve the Plaza Ballroom for the Directors’ meeting.
Feb 6, 2008 at 10:51 am rating: 3
#22
WanderingPenguin
I want to know who “Colorado Junior” is. Is it the guy in the picture? Why are they printing out pictures of famous pool players and posting them at work? Unless, say, this company makes expensive pool tables and their new endorsement star is Colorado Junior. I guess it would be ok then. But don’t you think they could have found an Aussie pool “star” to promote their product? I’ll bet that would have been cheaper, too. Which was kind of the whole point, no?
Feb 6, 2008 at 11:42 am rating: 1
#23
GhostWriter
Wanna hear what Joe Jackson has to say about all this?
Printing woman’s not talking with her bosses ‘bout copies
For my printouts, I’ll start’em when the office doors close
Look over there! (Where?)
There’s a paper that was used, you know,
to carry out horrid waste, for something so monochrome
Did you really need to colour-print?
Did you really need to waste that ink supply?
Did you really need to colour-print?
‘Cuz from the high color printing,
the profit’s going down around here
You’ll like the note that I post to all the parties indiscreet.
I wash my hair in the sink, myself; I look real smooth
Look over there! (Where?)
Here comes jeering from a new Post-it
It says my notes don’t count for much-
H-R, here comes my proof!
Did you really need to colour-print?
Did you really need to waste that ink supply?
Did you really need to colour-print?
‘Cuz from the high color printing,
the profit’s going down around here
Buddy, look at you!
There’s a mandate to cut down wastage.
Cousin, half the fun’s
seeing you freak out, you’re off your meds!
You’d put a meter on this thing.
Did you really need to colour-print?
Did you really need to waste that ink supply?
Did you really need to colour-print?
‘Cuz from the high color printing,
the profit’s going down around here
…profit’s going down around here.
Feb 6, 2008 at 12:10 pm rating: 7
#24
JaiJai
Oh dear, that was only page one of two…
Feb 6, 2008 at 12:28 pm rating: 1
#25
Detective Julie
Very few of the P.A. notes get under my skin, but this one makes me want to punch the colourphobic employer in the face.
Feb 6, 2008 at 12:52 pm rating: 0
#26
Detective Julie
Oh, maybe they’re employed by Murky Dismal from Rainbow Brite, and that’s why he hates color!
Feb 6, 2008 at 12:55 pm rating: 3
#27
The Senior Senior
I suspect that the anti-colorist (or anti-colourist, if you prefer) is not management at all (since management, in my opinion, loves to spend money on corporate puffery). Our disgruntled friend is likely an employee who believes that if only management would stop spending money on color (or colour, if you must) copies, they would finally get that raise they’ve been whining for.
Just a theory.
Feb 6, 2008 at 1:19 pm rating: 4
#28
GhostWriter
Nobody understands.
First, I go through the effort to put up a Positive Communication Bulletin Board, then I post a note that highlights our company’s growth…
…and don’t you know, Vinnie has to start with his “color-copy” issue. That guy is a veritable font of non-positive communication!
Feb 6, 2008 at 1:55 pm rating: 2
#29
ggggggsdsdg
Maybe the poster printed it at home and brought it to the office.
The 2nd post it person tried really hard to spell ‘case.’
The 2nd post it person stole the blue post it from the other post it person’s desk. Yes, those are expensive post its.
Maybe the printer with color capability is the only printer the poster had access to.
Feb 6, 2008 at 2:25 pm rating: 0
#30
Nekomimi
Wah wah wah! It’s just a tiny little picture! I love seeing how worked up people can get over these small things!
Feb 6, 2008 at 3:26 pm rating: 0
#31
bamBAM!!
Oh my God!! The CEO’s huge head used so much colour, it cost a fucking dollar!!
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:16 pm rating: 1
#32
Naomi
Do we really have to make a joke about that dollar being f-ing delicious?
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:46 pm rating: 0
#33
bigtime loser
I’m with the cheapskate, but not for cost amount per se. Its because color toner gets depleted easily, especially with black (all colors in equal amounts). You may have to replace the color toner more often, not cheap at all anyway. So then you ask if those color printouts of newspaper articles were really necessary. Its just seems like a waste to use color when its not necessary.
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:45 pm rating: 2
#34
NAH
Not only has the original note leaver waseted his/her time leaving the two notes but also the other employees time replying, taking photos and posting this on the internet and now the time of all the commenters above. Think of the money people THE MONEY.
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:44 pm rating: 1
#35
Canthz_B
I’M MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO COPY ANYMORE!!
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:58 pm rating: 2
#36
Jim
This boss is awful! He should leave a note that says, “Did you really need to complain over $2 dollars?”
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:34 pm rating: 1
#37
Jeannie
My question is this: was this in the waste paper bin, perhaps to be shredded or recycled? Or did this person snatch it off someone’s desk, who was presumably going to use it for some work-related purpose?
In the waste bin: the PAN is totally understood. Go Team Cheapass.
On someone’s desk: the cheapass is just an ass. Go Team Colourcopy!
Feb 7, 2008 at 7:28 am rating: 0
#38
Green Eilleen
‘Cause you know those blue Post-it Notes cost more than plain white……fuel for further fire.
GE
Feb 7, 2008 at 10:11 pm rating: 0
#39
Concerned Observer
The real issue is… why is colour more expensive than black??
I mean at pre-school I used to get black by mixing all the other colours together!!
Doesn’t that mean blue, green and yellow should be cheaper considering you need all of them to make black??
Feb 10, 2008 at 11:52 pm rating: 0
#40
sven tamahgotchi
This stuff is great – we have the same thing but for environmental reasons whereas I don’t care either way
Mar 31, 2008 at 3:26 pm rating: 0
#41 currently on the table: a guest towel visa program | passive-aggressive (and just plain aggressive) notes
[...] related: this is not positive communication [...]
Sep 1, 2008 at 4:39 pm rating: 0
#42 pomp and circumvent
[...] related: this is not positive communication [...]
Nov 18, 2009 at 10:18 pm rating: 0
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