Undercover Boss
on CBS
By Ally Matteodo
Undercover Boss
continues to be an inspiring and life-changing Best TV Show of the Week.
The episode airing on Sunday, September 19th (8:00 p.m. ET) focused
on Joe DePinto, President and CEO of 7-Eleven, who assumes the alias "Danny" and
visits several different 7-Eleven locations as an entry-level worker. Joe
DePinto comes from a working-class background, graduated from West Point, and
served as an officer in the U.S. Army. With a strong work ethic and military
discipline, Joe rose up the ranks of the 7-Eleven hierarchy. During his
undercover mission, Joe meets many fantastic employees. First is Dolores, an
employee at the Shirley, New York store. This particular store maintains a
special spot in the 7-Eleven family because it sells more coffee than any other
store, and Joe is determined to discover its secret. He quickly realizes the
secret to the massive coffee sales: Dolores herself. Dolores knows almost all
the customers by name, and her bustling, happy energy spreads cheer to everyone,
despite the fact that she has only one kidney and must undergo dialysis twice a
week. Next, Joe travels to Baltimore, where 7-Eleven maintains a large network
of commissaries and bakeries in an attempt to sell more fresh food at the
stores. At the largest of these bakeries, Joe is trained by Phil. Joe
struggles on the assembly line, and can’t manage to keep up with placing five
fritters in a row. Phil understands and jokes around with him; formerly a
sergeant in the Marine Corps, Phil has worked at this facility for eight years.
During a break, Phil shows "Danny" some of his artwork, some of which depict
doughnuts. The art reveals Phil's talent. Following his experience in the
bakery, Joe returns to New York and works the night shift in Medford with Waqas.
Joe wonders why Waqas works the night shift and how he stays motivated. Waqas
states that the night shift allows more flexibility while he works towards a
bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. When Waqas reveals that he views his job
at 7-Eleven as a dead end, it bothers Joe, as does the fact that perishable
items are thrown out instead of being donated to charities. Next, Joe journeys
to Long Island, New York to work at the highest-grossing 7-Eleven store in the
U.S., under the tutelage of Lori. Joe is again disturbed when he makes a
maintenance calls to the support center in Dallas to report burned-out lights on
the sales floor, and the request is deemed low-priority. On his final day
incognito, Joe returns to the Dallas area to make delivery runs with Igor, a
night-time driver from Kazakhstan who loves life, and who expresses his
gratitude at the opportunity to live the American dream.
Several positive developments
occur after Joe ends his undercover operation. First, he calls a meeting with
the company’s board of director’s and relays his findings, insisting that they
have much more work to do: the perishable items should not be thrown away but
donated to charity, and employees must feel there are opportunities for
advancement. Then, Joe reveals himself to his former workmates. For Dolores,
Joe creates an organ donation awareness program within the 7-Eleven company
named after her, and makes a large contribution. Regarding Phil, Joe encourages
him to pursue his artistic talents with an opportunity to work freelance for the
company’s marketing and advertising department. Joe tells Waqas that he would
like to mentor him if he wished to stay with the company, or would assist him
with his return to Pakistan if he so desired. Waqas accepts a consultant
position at the company. Finally, Igor is rewarded with a vacation for himself
and his wife, and Joe also gives him his own 7-Eleven franchise. In a climate
where many distrust CEOs and the heads of big business after tales of greed and
money-grubbing bosses have saturated the news, it is refreshing and inspiring to
see decent, honorable company heads taking responsibility for their corporations
and rewarding their employees for their effort and devotion. Undercover Boss
also demonstrates the importance of a sunny outlook; a job is never menial
unless you make it so yourself. Through any job, you have the power to brighten
a person’s day, and that power is priceless.
Best TV Show
of the Week
The Parents
Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
