Managers' Conference

## Episode navigation

**"Managers' Conference"** is the eighth episode of Season Four of *Superstore*, and the sixty-second episode of the show overall.

## Summary

*Jonah and Amy take Glenn's tickets to a managers' conference in Chicago so they can enjoy a free night on the town, but their plan hits a few bumps. At the store, Cheyenne helps Mateo damage control after his undocumented status is leaked, and Dina and Garrett struggle at gift-wrapping.*

## Plot

Glenn offers tickets to a managers' conference to Amy and Jonah who initially aren't interested until they find out it's in Chicago and they get to stay together in a hotel. Later at the conference check-in, they're denied access as the tickets are non-transferable. In the Break Room, Glenn announces that he's required to check all employees' citizenship status through an on-line system and has discovered a problem. Mateo, who is undocumented, becomes very nervous while Cheyenne tries to help him by making up flaws with the system. However, the issue is with Sayid who Glenn discovers is a Syrian refugee and feels bad for not knowing his status. Discussing the civil war in Syria leads Cheyenne to wonder if Sayid owned slaves and causes Garrett and Marcus to disagree on the cause of the American Civil War. Glenn welcomes Sayid to America and has everyone applaud him.

Dejected that they can't get into the conference, their former district manager Jeff sees them and says he can get them in. He unsuccessfully tries to persuade the registration lady to give them badges, claiming to know her. In the store, Marcus speculates that Sayid is part of ISIS which Dina counters, and everyone agrees that Marcus is a more likely terrorist. When Glenn hears that Sayid is shoveling snow, he feels Sayid has been through enough hardship and tells Mateo to take over for him and assigns Garrett to the gift wrapping station. Jeff steals badges for Amy and Jonah and over their objections that they want to go to their hotel room, insists they party with him at the conference. At the store front, Mateo complains to Cheyenne about the special treatment being afforded Sayid and that he should receive it since he's undocumented. Sayid passes by just as Mateo mentions his status causing Cheyenne to wonder if he overheard and will tell Glenn or Dina.

Entering the conference room, Amy and Jonah are surprised at the opulence, food and amenities. Jeff indicates the conference is an excuse for a party and they manage to convince him to mingle and leave them alone. Seeing Garrett send a customer away with a poorly wrapped gift, Dina confronts him and he admits he doesn't know how to wrap presents. Cheyenne asks Sayid if he had any harrowing experiences in Syria as an excuse to test his hearing. Finding Sayid hears well, she indicates to Mateo he might have overheard his status. Unable to leave the conference since Jeff is hovering at the door, Amy comments that all the managers there are selfish "d-bags" who don't care about their staff. Jonah disagrees and strikes up a conversation with Ted and Kent while affecting a southern accent. Amy is proven right as Ted and Kent put down their staff which, Amy joins in on.

Dina tries helping Garrett wrap a present but she's just an inept as he is. Talking to Sayid about to his immigration status, Mateo mistakenly mentions he's undocumented. Backtracking, he says he's in the country legally and was sworn in by the president which Sayid finds hard to believe. Feeling sorry for Jeff, who is pretending to see people he knows at the conference, Amy and Jonah make a break for the door. However, Amy is offered a free iPad and realizes that the staff in green shirts are all giving away free items. After getting an expensive coat, she and Jonah start drinking, get more swag and have fun at various booths. (♫ Santigold - Coo Coo Coo ♫) Jeff then joins them for a forced fun picture.

As Glenn shows Dina and Garrett how to wrap a present, Mateo approaches Cheyenne and loudly asks why she didn't tell him she was pregnant. Intending that Glenn would overhear, Cheyenne denies being pregnant which Mateo says he heard from Sayid. Mateo and Cheyenne then engage in an obviously practiced conversation that Syrians are liars and place doubt in Glenn's mind as to Sayid's trustworthiness. Marcus worries that Sayid lied about liking his haircut. At the conference and having drunk a lot, Amy and Jonah call Ted and Ken over to their table and start telling mean jokes about Cloud 9 workers. A man pulls a woman on a sled through the store. (♫ Andy Williams - It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year ♫) Getting better at wrapping presents, Garrett makes fun of a customer who looks like Santa Claus who insults Garrett.

Amy jokes with Ted and Kent that a full-time worker could be replaced with two part-time workers to save on benefits. Liking the idea and calling a company lawyer over, Amy realizes she's gone too far and leaves. Sayid confronts Mateo about spreading rumors that he's a liar which Mateo explains is due to Sayid hearing about his undocumented status. Sayid doesn't care until Mateo accidentally suggests Sayid might be deported if he hides Mateo's secret. Reading that Sayid intends to tell Glenn, Mateo starts following him. Later in Glenn's Office, Glenn tells Mateo that Sayid reported his undocumented status. Glenn checked Mateo's SSN which belongs to a woman in Buffalo. Mentioning that the SSN in his file is wrong, Mateo then hesitantly gives a new SSN which Glenn can see is a lie.

Dina and Garrett finally wrap a present correctly but they're so happy with it, they refuse to give the item to the customer they wrapped it for. Sobering up, Amy comments on the low intelligence of the Cloud 9 managers so Jonah suggests that she become one. In the hallway outside Glenn's office, Cheyenne tries to comfort Mateo and talks about visiting him in the Philippines. Glenn arrives and tells Mateo that his SSN checked out. Relieved, Mateo then realizes that Glenn is lying. Glenn wishes Mateo a Merry Christmas and giving him a knowing look, turns away. Cheyenne, thinking that Mateo really was documented all along, maligns him for lying about being undocumented to get attention.

## Cast

### Main cast

America Ferreraas Amy DubanowskiBen Feldmanas Jonah SimmsMark McKinneyas Glenn SturgisLauren Ashas Dina FoxColton Dunnas Garrett McNeillNichole Bloomas Cheyenne LeeNico Santosas Mateo Liwanag
### Featured cast

Jon Barinholtzas MarcusMichael Buninas Jeff SutinAmir M. Korangyas SayidDanny Guraas EliasSelisha Shertickas SarahMariana Toscaas HeatherJudd Lawrenceas HenryEliza Shinas DeniseFay Wolfas KristySean O'Bryanas TedBenjamin Arthuras KentJill Johnsonas Booth LadyEd Tayloras Fat Bearded ManNatalie Buckas Last Customer

## Running Gags

* Amy's name tag: Amy wears a different name tag in every episode. For this one it's "Louisa".
* **Crazy Customers and music**: For all customer interludes and music see Managers' Conference (music).
* Glenn's tie: Many clouds and large cartoon clouds.

## References

* Dina asks Sayid his opinion of Syriana and he rates the performances of George Clooney and Matt Damon.
* Marcus questions if Sayid is part of ISIS and when Garrett jokingly asks what that is, Marcus asks if Garrett uses Instagram.
* Mateo feels that Sayid is being treated like part of Janet Jackson's entourage.
* As Cheyenne fears Mateo may be deported or taken on a sex trafficer's yacht, he says that he's not Liam Neeson's daughter referring to the movie "Taken".
* Cheyenne asks Sayid if he was exposed to any action in Syria and mentions an IUD but probably meant an IED.
* Marcus hopes his haircut makes him look like Jeff Probst.

## Trivia

* Glenn's Office and Glenn's monkey puppet make an appearance.
* While the conference is stated to take place in Chicago, the exterior shot of the hotel is actually the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

## Quotes

“*Can you believe these are the idiots who lead this company?*”— **Amy**

## Video

Jonah and Amy Know How to Party - Superstore (Episode Highlight)