"Steps Challenge"
Corporate introduces a challenge to its individual stores — whichever store walks the most over the course of the week gets a lunch with the regional vice president. Amy, thinking that the lunch will increase her chances of making manager, induces a rivalry with the leading store Bel-Ridge. However, this quickly spirals.
Meanwhile, Glenn tries to compose messages to Bel-Ridge's manager, and Garrett nudges him into writing increasingly homoerotic ones.
Tropes:
- Injured Limb Episode: Glenn sprains his ankle and has to use a scooter to get around, leading to slapstick.
- Oh, Crap!: After Jonah directs an employee to the break room, he, Amy, and Dina wonder who it is, as they all assumed the guy worked here. Amy wonders if maybe it was a new guy or someone from another branch... then it dawns on her that it's a guy from Bel-Ridge.Amy: Oh, [bleep].
- Never My Fault: Marcus gleefully admits that nothing is their fault now that Bel-Ridge can be blamed for everything.
- The Scapegoat: Once the Bel-Ridge store rivalry kicks off, the Cloud 9 employees blame Bel-Ridge employees for anything. Sandra assumes Bel-Ridge broke her scanner, Marcus assumes the one night stand who stole his stuff is connected to Bel-Ridge, and when Isaac relapses on Vicodin and wakes up covered in vomit, he assumes it's Bel-Ridge's vomit.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Amy engineers an entire one-sided rivalry so she can get the store to number one and win lunch with the regional VP, as she thinks that would help her score a spot as manager, only to learn near the end of the episode that the regional VP has no control over manager positions, meaning she made everybody angry over nothing.
- Shout-Out:
- Brent uses the steps app to post #TheWalkingDead.
- Mateo suggests giving Bel-Ridge the I, Tonya treatment.
- Underdogs Never Lose: Discussed in the episode, as it's pointed out that the only reason it seems that underdogs don't lose is because they make movies about underdogs. In real life, for every Rudy, there's a skinny guy who just never made the team at all.
- Why Don't You Marry It?: Marcus tells a customer returning a Bel-Ridge product, "If you love Bel-Ridge so much..." and Sayid chimes in with, "Then you should marry it!" Marcus clarifies he was going to say the customer should just go back there, but compliments Sayid on the burn.
