Manny, Moe, Jack & Sycamore

elSicomoro · 01-22-2003, 09:04 PM

As mentioned in the Liberation thread, I started a new assignment on Monday at Pep Boys Corporate Offices in Philadelphia.

(For those of you not in the know, Pep Boys is a car care/auto supply chain with 800 locations in the United States. They don't have them in St. Louis, but I was familiar with them through their commercials that would be shown on national TV. You may know them too, through some of their slogans:

Pep Boys. Everything but gas.

Pep Boys. Cars like us, people love us.

Pep Boys. We're car people.

The official name of the company is "The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe, & Jack"...and you can learn more about them here.)

So, you would think that, being a large corporation of 21,000 people with 800 corporate employees, that the corporate headquarters would be some pretty office building out in the suburbs...maybe in an office park of sorts. Or, they may hold several floors of a large building in Center City Philadelphia.

If you ever drive up Roosevelt Blvd. (US 1) north from the Schuylkill Expwy. (I-76), you will see the Pep Boys headquarters on the right hand side, just north of the Schuylkill. It is a factory-like, dilapidated building, with the Pep Boys name on an old water tower...located at Allegheny and Hunting Park Aves. in a fairly decent-looking part of North Philadelphia.

And so, some observations:

1) There are 3 human-sized statues of Manny, Moe and Jack (learn about them in the above link) that sit in front of the building. They stare at me when I step off the bus every morning...they're taunting me...only I can hear them.

2) The offices have an "old" feeling to them: fixtures, equipment, etc. (For example, they are just now converting to Windows 2000...from Windows 95. I believe I have an IBM that is just a step up from a PS/2.)

3) I only see daylight when I go out for a smoke. We are in one of those offices that was created cubicle-style...artificial walls and such. No windows to the outside world...it kinda spooks me out a bit.

4) There is a smoking room INSIDE the building...you don't see them much anymore. Unfortunately, it will be closed officially next Wednesday. And truth be told, I like being outside while smoking...better ventilation.

5) They have a full-service cafeteria, featuring reasonable prices and Starbucks coffee. Nice.

6) I have internet access, but truth be told, I'm too busy to use it. Not to mention, I don't know the company's policy on using it...and I'm not about to test it.

7) Hard core security. My suspicion is that they had people trying to get things from the company on a 5-finger discount. When you come in, you will go through a wrought-iron gate, then you will be monitored by two pissed-off looking security guards, then pass through a security gate. When you leave, you will again go through a security gate and have your bag searched.

At this point, I'm not going to say whether I like the job or not...I've only been there 3 days, and I don't want to pass early judgement. It's a job, it's temporary, and it's cool, baby!

But Manny, Moe & Jack...I've got my eye on them...I don't like them one fucking bit.

Undertoad · 01-22-2003, 09:57 PM

Best Pep Boys reference I ever saw was on the t-shirt of one Edward Van Halen, in the glory days. It had the usual logo, but instead of guys, they were girls done in the same style. And the tag: "The Pep Girls... Fanny, Flo and Jackie".

Obscure but true.

MaggieL · 01-23-2003, 03:14 PM

Then there was the pair of women in the Calvin Klein ad where the butch-er of the two had a tat that looked like a Snap-On tools calendar, execept it was spelled "Strap-On'.

warch · 01-23-2003, 03:35 PM

Interesting! See how it goes, I hope it turns out well. I noticed this tune by Louis Jordon rolling around my head when I learned of the conspiracy of the mysterious second Moe...

Five Guys Named Moe
(Jerome Bresler/Larry Wynn)

I gotta tell you a story from way back
Truck on down and dig me Jack
There's Big Moe, Little Moe,
Four-Eyed Moe, No Moe,

Look at brother,
Look at brother,
Look at brother Eat Moe
Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe

Who's the greatest band around
Makes the cats jump up and down
Who's the talk of Rhythm Town
Five guys named Moe

When they start to beat it out
Everybody jump and shout
Tell me who do the critics rave about
Five guys named Moe

They came out of nowhere
But that don't mean a thing
They rate high and you'll know why
When you hear them sing

High brow, low brow, all agree
They're the best in harmony
I'm telling you folks you just got to see
Five guys named Moe

There's Big Moe ...

One guy ... Big Moe
Two guys ... Little Big Moe
Three guys ... Four-Eyed Moe
Four guys ... No Moe
Five guys ... Eat Moe

Five little guys named Moe....

elSicomoro · 01-23-2003, 07:40 PM

Goddamnit! They are everywhere!

Every office, every corner...even on every paycheck...those 3 sonofabitches are staring at me...

I can't take this anymore!!!

Griff · 01-24-2003, 07:02 AM

If you make yourself indispensible we can have a cellar contest for your caricature, then you could walk by yourself every morning, look up at yourself in every office, wear sports gear featuring yourself, sip coffee from a mug sporting a stylized you...

wolf · 01-25-2003, 01:38 AM

This may have possibilities here ... someone do up the graphics, put it up on cafepress.com ... they'll put anydamn image on anydamn thing ... Syc could make a WHOLE lot of people nervous.

What the heck ... an entire line of CellarWear ... mousepads, clocks, teeshirts, totebags, hats, mugs ... the profit margin for the organization actually sucks rocks, but some money would dribble downhill into the Cellar tin cup.

perth · 01-25-2003, 11:22 AM

i would buy a mousepad with the monkeys/typewriters on it.

~james

elSicomoro · 01-25-2003, 11:34 AM

I'm all for someone trying to caricature me...that would be cool.

When Sycamore (the band) was in existance, we used to talk about having merchandise. And if I ever put it back together, I'd definitely hawk all sorts of merchandise, including the previously-mentioned Scream At You Sycamore.

I can see it now...kids around the world wearing t-shirts with an image like this:

It almost brings me to tears.

wolf · 01-25-2003, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore
It almost brings me to tears.

It may well also bring the world to tears, Syc.

elSicomoro · 01-25-2003, 06:12 PM

Wolf, you are absolutely correct. However, it will only be because of my attempt to "corrupt" the world. I'm too beautiful to make people cry.

elSicomoro · 02-01-2003, 12:12 AM

More observations:

8) No bums hanging around outside. No need to worry about some smelly bastard coming up and talking gibberish, or some deranged fool asking for a cigarette, then lighting it, and flicking the ashes at you.

9) Soft two-ply toilet paper in the bathroom...the first time I have ever seen this at a place of business.

10) Lots of outsourcing...several functions are done by other companies under contract with Pep Boys, yet they are housed inside the main building.

2 weeks in now, and it's not too bad. I don't want to get overly hyped about it, or overly brooding about it. It's a decent job, it's paying the bills, and it's all good.

I got a new computer yesterday, equipped with a sound card, a speaker, and Windows 2000. I can listen to NPR and CBC all day again...happiness.

01-22-2003, 09:04 PM	#1
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Manny, Moe, Jack & Sycamore As mentioned in the Liberation thread, I started a new assignment on Monday at Pep Boys Corporate Offices in Philadelphia. (For those of you not in the know, Pep Boys is a car care/auto supply chain with 800 locations in the United States. They don't have them in St. Louis, but I was familiar with them through their commercials that would be shown on national TV. You may know them too, through some of their slogans: Pep Boys. Everything but gas. Pep Boys. Cars like us, people love us. Pep Boys. We're car people. The official name of the company is "The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe, & Jack"...and you can learn more about them here.) So, you would think that, being a large corporation of 21,000 people with 800 corporate employees, that the corporate headquarters would be some pretty office building out in the suburbs...maybe in an office park of sorts. Or, they may hold several floors of a large building in Center City Philadelphia. If you ever drive up Roosevelt Blvd. (US 1) north from the Schuylkill Expwy. (I-76), you will see the Pep Boys headquarters on the right hand side, just north of the Schuylkill. It is a factory-like, dilapidated building, with the Pep Boys name on an old water tower...located at Allegheny and Hunting Park Aves. in a fairly decent-looking part of North Philadelphia. And so, some observations: 1) There are 3 human-sized statues of Manny, Moe and Jack (learn about them in the above link) that sit in front of the building. They stare at me when I step off the bus every morning...they're taunting me...only I can hear them. 2) The offices have an "old" feeling to them: fixtures, equipment, etc. (For example, they are just now converting to Windows 2000...from Windows 95. I believe I have an IBM that is just a step up from a PS/2.) 3) I only see daylight when I go out for a smoke. We are in one of those offices that was created cubicle-style...artificial walls and such. No windows to the outside world...it kinda spooks me out a bit. 4) There is a smoking room INSIDE the building...you don't see them much anymore. Unfortunately, it will be closed officially next Wednesday. And truth be told, I like being outside while smoking...better ventilation. 5) They have a full-service cafeteria, featuring reasonable prices and Starbucks coffee. Nice. 6) I have internet access, but truth be told, I'm too busy to use it. Not to mention, I don't know the company's policy on using it...and I'm not about to test it. 7) Hard core security. My suspicion is that they had people trying to get things from the company on a 5-finger discount. When you come in, you will go through a wrought-iron gate, then you will be monitored by two pissed-off looking security guards, then pass through a security gate. When you leave, you will again go through a security gate and have your bag searched. At this point, I'm not going to say whether I like the job or not...I've only been there 3 days, and I don't want to pass early judgement. It's a job, it's temporary, and it's cool, baby! But Manny, Moe & Jack...I've got my eye on them...I don't like them one fucking bit.

01-23-2003, 03:14 PM	#3
MaggieL in the Hour of Scampering Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Jeffersonville PA (15 mi NW of Philadelphia) Posts: 4,060	Then there was the pair of women in the Calvin Klein ad where the butch-er of the two had a tat that looked like a Snap-On tools calendar, execept it was spelled "Strap-On'. __________________ "Neither can his Mind be thought to be in Tune,whose words do jarre; nor his reason In frame, whose sentence is preposterous..."

01-24-2003, 07:02 AM	#6
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	If you make yourself indispensible we can have a cellar contest for your caricature, then you could walk by yourself every morning, look up at yourself in every office, wear sports gear featuring yourself, sip coffee from a mug sporting a stylized you... __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

01-25-2003, 01:38 AM	#7
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	This may have possibilities here ... someone do up the graphics, put it up on cafepress.com ... they'll put anydamn image on anydamn thing ... Syc could make a WHOLE lot of people nervous. What the heck ... an entire line of CellarWear ... mousepads, clocks, teeshirts, totebags, hats, mugs ... the profit margin for the organization actually sucks rocks, but some money would dribble downhill into the Cellar tin cup. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-01-2003, 12:12 AM	#12
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Two-week report More observations: 8) No bums hanging around outside. No need to worry about some smelly bastard coming up and talking gibberish, or some deranged fool asking for a cigarette, then lighting it, and flicking the ashes at you. 9) Soft two-ply toilet paper in the bathroom...the first time I have ever seen this at a place of business. 10) Lots of outsourcing...several functions are done by other companies under contract with Pep Boys, yet they are housed inside the main building. 2 weeks in now, and it's not too bad. I don't want to get overly hyped about it, or overly brooding about it. It's a decent job, it's paying the bills, and it's all good. I got a new computer yesterday, equipped with a sound card, a speaker, and Windows 2000. I can listen to NPR and CBC all day again...happiness.

01-22-2003, 09:57 PM	#2
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Best Pep Boys reference I ever saw was on the t-shirt of one Edward Van Halen, in the glory days. It had the usual logo, but instead of guys, they were girls done in the same style. And the tag: "The Pep Girls... Fanny, Flo and Jackie". Obscure but true.

01-23-2003, 03:35 PM	#4
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Interesting! See how it goes, I hope it turns out well. I noticed this tune by Louis Jordon rolling around my head when I learned of the conspiracy of the mysterious second Moe... Five Guys Named Moe (Jerome Bresler/Larry Wynn) I gotta tell you a story from way back Truck on down and dig me Jack There's Big Moe, Little Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, No Moe, Look at brother, Look at brother, Look at brother Eat Moe Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe Who's the greatest band around Makes the cats jump up and down Who's the talk of Rhythm Town Five guys named Moe When they start to beat it out Everybody jump and shout Tell me who do the critics rave about Five guys named Moe They came out of nowhere But that don't mean a thing They rate high and you'll know why When you hear them sing High brow, low brow, all agree They're the best in harmony I'm telling you folks you just got to see Five guys named Moe There's Big Moe ... One guy ... Big Moe Two guys ... Little Big Moe Three guys ... Four-Eyed Moe Four guys ... No Moe Five guys ... Eat Moe Five little guys named Moe....

01-23-2003, 07:40 PM	#5
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Goddamnit! They are everywhere! Every office, every corner...even on every paycheck...those 3 sonofabitches are staring at me... I can't take this anymore!!!

01-25-2003, 11:22 AM	#8
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	i would buy a mousepad with the monkeys/typewriters on it. ~james

01-25-2003, 11:34 AM	#9
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	I'm all for someone trying to caricature me...that would be cool. When Sycamore (the band) was in existance, we used to talk about having merchandise. And if I ever put it back together, I'd definitely hawk all sorts of merchandise, including the previously-mentioned Scream At You Sycamore. I can see it now...kids around the world wearing t-shirts with an image like this: It almost brings me to tears.

01-25-2003, 06:12 PM	#11
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Wolf, you are absolutely correct. However, it will only be because of my attempt to "corrupt" the world. I'm too beautiful to make people cry.

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