The Friendly Folks at FedEx Kinko's

By Danni Powell

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. To some, this place might actually be FedEx Kinko's (formerly Kinko's). On occasion, some very interesting people do business there.

With that in mind, I spent my Wednesday lunch hour observing the customers and employees at Kinko's.

As I approached the building on 11th Street just across from the TU campus, I was surprised to see that the parking lot that FedEx Kinko's shares with Subway was packed. I counted eight people waiting in line, with more people browsing the store. Most looked between 24-45, but there was one gray-haired older woman. It was obvious everyone was in a hurry, but no one was rude or pushy.

These questions in my mind were interrupted by a shout of “Leann!”

I looked to the door, expecting to see an employee walk in. Instead, it was another customer. One of the employees was hollering at the customer like she was a good friend.

Leann's friend is Greg, an employee of FedEx Kinko's for the past four years. Greg said that he had only met Leann in the store, and over the last few years they developed a rapport through casual conversation.

When asked if that is common, Greg said, “A lot of the time we see the same faces. You figure out how much family they have and where they work and stuff.” This is how he came to consider Leann a friend.

I asked him if he ever had any unusual people come in to shop. “You get the occasional crazy. But hey, that's Tulsa,” he said.

Danni Powell is a TU junior majoring in communication. She is a native of Muldrow, Okla., where she finished at the top of her high school graduation class.