Because it was the last week of school, I had tons of big semester-end projects due every day.
On Monday, I tried to film a short news package for my Broadcast Journalism assignment, only to be pushed from one place to another on campus due to the absence of permission from a higher authority. Lame. In the end, I didn't get to film and had to come up with another plan.
The mass communication department.
On Tuesday, I spent six long hours in Stanley Russ Hall (it's practically my second home now since I spent so much time there this semester) working in the editing lab. My favorite part about the lab is the generous array of iMacs. iMacs are the perfect desktop computers. I was in there from 2PM until 8PM, editing two broadcast packages on Final Cut Pro and a couple of Publication Design projects on InDesign. By the time I left, I was extremely tired and ravenous from such a long day. The last thing I had was a mocha coconut frap at noon. That wasn't even food! So I came home, fixed myself a quick microwaved meal and started writing my broadcast scripts. Then I had to read The Great Railway Bazaar and write a short essay on it for Travel Writing. By the time I went to bed, it was way past 2AM.
Decided to do a package story on News 6, UCA's student-produced news station
On Thursday, I did some finishing touches on the 6 projects for Publication Design and took them to Staples to get them printed for the final portfolio. These were projects given over the semester: two advertisements, a magazine cover, a 16-page tabloid newspaper, a broadsheet newspaper and a 4-page newsletter. My professor gave us a list of how our projects should be printed. She was specific about the paper and orientation so I took that list to Staples and explained to the girl how each project should be printed. She was a sweetheart. She took notes and told me they'd be ready the next morning before my 1PM deadline. Everything seemed perfect. I went home and miraculously produced a 1000-word critical essay in an hour for my Travel Writing portfolio. Time was an essence.
Editing the front page of the newsletter
Finally, Friday arrived. I woke up this morning and went to Staples to collect my printed projects. The girl I spoke to yesterday wasn't here today. Instead, it was just a chubby blonde wearing a grimace. I told Blondie I was here to collect my projects. She brought me a paper box and I lifted the cover to check the contents. It was a good thing I did. To my horror, my 16-page tabloid newspaper was printed in the wrong orientation. I'd told the girl yesterday that it needed to be printed in "booklet" form, as written on the list my professor handed out. All the specifics were there. I don't know how she messed up. But I wasn't annoyed, just a little worried because I only had a few hours until the deadline.
It was supposed to look like a book, not a poster.
I tried to explain to Blondie that it needed to be reprinted in the booklet form but I could tell she obviously hadn't done this before. Instead of apologizing and admitting the truth, she called one of the managers, a short blond woman with a really annoying voice. The woman's voice was flat and nasal-like. She sounded bored. Nasal tried to act like Ms. Know-It-All and said the file was too big and wasn't formatted to be printed in booklet form. She was wrong, of course. The file was pre-formatted to print in booklet form, but she tried to conceal her ignorance by droning on about how I hadn't formatted it right and that it was taking a long time to get to the printer. In the end, she said they might be able to print it and told me to come back in an hour's time. So I went home and patiently waited for her call.
She called a half hour later, her flat voice boring out of the speaker, "I just wanted to let you know that we tried our best... but we weren't able to print it out the way you wanted because the file was just so hard to format into booklet printing." Yeah, blame it on my file again.
I quickly called Conway Copies and emailed the file over so they could print it for me, and I rushed over to Staples to collect the rest of my projects. This time, I made a new horrific discovery.
My 4-page newsletter and broadsheet newspaper were missing. They were in the box this morning when I came, but now they weren't. I raised my concern to Blondie who was working behind the computer. She gave a nonchalant shrug and said, "They should be in the box. I didn't see them lying around."
"Well, they're not in the box."
"Oh. We might have misplaced them." Without the slightest hint of remorse of penitence, she lazily moved around the counters, her blue eyes sweeping the surfaces for my lost projects. "I don't see them anywhere..."
The manager, a pretty young woman wearing a bun, came over with a concerned look. "Is everything okay?" she asked. I explained two of my projects weren't in the box along with the other ones, as they had been earlier this morning.
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry. Let me look," the manager hurried away, scanning the floors and desks. Finally, a human! She asked Blondie some questions about the lost projects and Blondie simply shrugged again and muttered something like, "They were on the counter this morning... maybe they were misplaced. But I can't find them. I don't know where they are."
I couldn't believe the level of her professionalism. Why was she even working? I was surprised she wasn't fired a long time ago. Her aloofness and irresponsibility were getting on my nerves. But I forced myself to stay calm. My portfolio was due in 30 minutes, and Staples had lost two of my assignments. Nasal came over and like Blondie, didn't look the slightest bit apologetic. They acted as though this happened every day: things just randomly disappear, it's normal!
They said they'd reprint it for me, but their color printer wasn't working. Then, Blondie and Nasal grouped around the large green trashcan sitting among the computers and printers. For some reason, the lid was sealed shut and wouldn't budge, despite Blondie's numerous attempts to pry it open. That was the final straw. I called the manager over and said I needed to go.
She told me I could take the rest of my projects back for free and apologized profusely. She felt so bad for the inconvenience her staff had caused. I thanked her and left. At least someone at Staples was polite and professional.
I hurried to Conway Copies with only 10 minutes left on the clock. Thank God for Conway Copies! They rescued my portfolio from the wrath of failure. They printed out my 16-page tabloid newspaper the right way, without me having to explain how it was supposed to be. All I needed to say was "booklet form" and they handed it to me like this:
PERFECT. That was just what it needed to look like!
And they printed my broadsheet newspaper and the 4-page newsletter as well, the ones that Staples carelessly lost. I was so grateful to Conway Copies for getting everything done right and on time. They were professionals. They knew exactly what to do.
But because of the delay at Staples, I missed the deadline by 40 minutes. I don't know if my professor will count me off because I was late. When I explained the reason, she calmly replied, "That's why I told you all not to go to Staples. They're really bad."
I must have missed that part because if I'd known how bad they were, I wouldn't have gone there in the first place.
Staples is a fine place to get stationery, although most of their products are way overpriced. But if you want to get your printing done with reliability, that's the last place you should go. Expect some slip ups. I'm still scarred from this morning's experience and I swore to myself I'd never trust them with printing anything, ever again.
Do it at your own risk.
So yes, I've had a pretty rough week. But I'm done ranting. :) It feels great letting all the frustration out. I have finals next week so I can't declare that I'm free from school yet, but once finals are over, I'll feel the chains of the semester slowly breaking away. And then, I'll blog about freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment