I needed a job when I started college. Kinko’s seemed like a good place to work, so I applied at the location nearest to where I lived in Las Vegas. I immediately liked it. It was fast-paced and had just enough computer-related things to hold my interest. Best of all, I worked the second shift, which meant we were left without the store manager to fend for ourselves. The customers at this store were an interesting mix of local businesses and people, both needing something in a hurry. Best of all, Kinko’s was a transferable skill, which would prove valuable as I moved around in my youth. It was mostly the people I worked with who were fascinating and memorable.
The first store I worked in was Las Vegas, I met Brian who was a supervisor, relatively lazy, dated the owner’s daughter, but introduced me to a teriyaki bowl which was pure fast food magic. Fitz from Mexico was easygoing as he smoked a lot of weed in the back hall, liked to talk like a gang member, but had a heart of gold. Felix was in his forties and had a Brooklyn accent, didn’t own a car, and liked to talk about how his father told him a man should sweat every day. Joanna a tall girl who I went on two dates with, contracted mono which left me out sick for almost a month, and when I came back to work she was already dating somebody else. Mario talked slowly but when he did talk it was only about Santa Monica. Chris and Tara traveled around the country following the Grateful Dead and would stop and refresh the funds. Ray, a grumbly elderly gentleman who would yell at us when we congregated by saying one grenade would take us all out. Tammy was a beautiful redhead whom I crushed hard for, but it was not mutual. We became good friends and would hang out. I would eventually drop out of school and follow her to Marin County, California.
The next store I worked at was in San Rafael for about six months. My understanding is many of the people who worked here were from rehab. I met Lisa who wore a name tag that said Laminatrix, was a beautiful girl but was only interested in girls. I met Thomas who was in his fifties, had a martial arts vibe, was a writer, and warned me not to read too much Mishima because it would mess up my head. Robert, who was the outdoors guy, kayaked to work every day and took me on my first and last rock climbing adventure. Philip who was in his late forties, estranged from his family, seemed to be getting over some addiction, and would later show up when I moved back to Vegas at another Kinko’s asking if he could borrow a few hundred dollars.
After running out of money, I eventually returned to Las Vegas where my parents lived but worked at the Kinko’s closer to the college and Las Vegas strip. This was one of the largest and busiest stores in the country. All of the conventions that went through Vegas resulted in some huge last-minute print jobs. This is where I learned and became quite competent on the Xerox DocuTech 135 which was a phenomenal piece of software and hardware engineering. The powerhouse of the store during the day was Dan, Darla, and Mark. They had been working there for over a decade and were to be respected. There was also Von, a much older gentleman who wore a bow tie and brought in a big pot of lentil soup. Reggie was an aspiring fashion model who had lots of shaving tips. Gary liked to call everyone “chief” and we knew better than to ask about his past. We had a Xerox color copy repair tech who moonlighted as a Neil Diamond impersonator.
I cherish my time at Kinko’s and it truly was a stepping stone to much of what has happened in my life. I’ll never forget many of the people I worked with during the heyday of the copy center.