I love comic books. And Superman is my favorite superhero. Batman, Spider-Man and the X-Men are more complex, but Superman embodies everything heroes aspire to be. That’s why I decided to pattern my own superhero story after him.
Most of the names in this story are clearly made up, but Kevin Clark actually does work in Fishbowl’s technical support department. I got his permission before using his name. Also, Dave Williams returns after solving the case of the missing inventory. Now on with the story.
Faster than a speedy barcode scanner. More powerful than an inventory locator. Able to cycle count inventory in a single walkthrough. Look, up on the shelves! It’s a burden. It’s a pain. It’s Inventory Man…agement!
Inventory Man, strange visitor from another world, has sworn to uphold truth, justice and the American way of doing business. To best be in a position to learn about inventory management problems, he has assumed the disguise of Kevin Clark, mild-mannered support technician at the FBI – FishBowl Inventory.
The first rays of sunlight were shining in the windows as D.W., head of the FBI, walked Clark around the office for the first time. Clark shyly introduced himself to coworkers as he tried to keep up with D.W.’s brisk stride.
“…And here’s the development team, nicest bunch of people you’ll ever meet,” D.W. said, coming to the close of his tour. “Oh, yeah. Over there’s the marketing team, but you’re better off keeping your distance from them. They can get rowdy.”
“Thanks for the heads-up, Chief,” Clark said. “It’s sure swell of you to give me this job and show me around like this.”
“It’s no trouble at all. And call me D.W.”
“All right, D.W. Thanks again.”
“Here’s where you’ll be sitting.”
Clark looked where D.W. was pointing and he instantly noticed a pleasant-looking, dark-haired woman sitting next to his seat. She was typing swiftly on her keyboard, focusing all her attention on her computer screen.
“How many s’s are there in ‘asset tracking’?” the woman asked without looking up. She spoke almost as fast as she typed.
“Two,” D.W. and Clark answered in unison.
The woman stopped and looked up to see the owner of the second voice. She liked what she saw. She mainly noticed the broad shoulders, likable face and buttoned-up suit. Then she saw a hand extended toward her.
“Hi, I’m Kevin Clark. I’m new here,” he said affably.
She regarded him for a moment and then shook his hand formally. “I’m Slowest Chain. I’m in charge of helping companies get their supply chains running smoothly. And I’m a little busy at the moment, so… nice to meet you, Clark.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Ms. Chain.” She had turned away before he spoke.
Just then, a red-headed college student ran by with a stack of papers precariously clutched to his chest.
“Oldsoon!” D.W. said, almost shouting to get the young man’s attention. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. D.W. continued, “This is Kevin Clark. Clark, this is Getting Oldsoon. He manages our supplies so they don’t pass their expiration dates. Oldsoon, I don’t see Mr. Clark’s computer on his table, do you? Would you be good enough to find that little piece of equipment?”
“You betcha, Chief, er, D.W. I’ll get right on it.” As he turned, Oldsoon suddenly lost control of his stack of papers, spilling them onto the floor. “Oh, no. I’m sure sorry, Mr. Clark, sir. It might be a few minutes.”
“That’s all right, Getting,” Clark said. “Here, let me help you.”
Before Oldsoon knew it, the pile of papers was neatly stacked in Clark’s hands. “Wow! How’d you get that cleaned up so fast?” he asked.
“I’m a good organizer. Say, where do you want these papers?”
Oldsoon directed him to his desk where a phone was ringing urgently. Oldsoon picked it up and spoke with the person on the other end for a minute. When he hung up, he anxiously shouted, “Chief!”
D.W. came running and asked what was wrong. Oldsoon answered, “There’s trouble downtown. I think it might be the work of Less Lucre again.”
“That villainous cad!” D.W. exclaimed angrily. “Clark, go downtown immediately and see what’s happening!”
“Right, D.W.,” he said, hurrying to the door.
“I’m going, too,” Ms. Chain said, putting on her coat. “Hey, Clark, can I hitch a ride?”
But Clark was suddenly nowhere to be seen. All that was left behind was a whoosh of air.
What danger will Inventory Man find downtown? Come back to the Fishbowl Inventory Blog for the continuing adventures of Inventory Man! And learn how inventory management software can help your business succeed.
Faster than a speedy barcode scanner. More powerful than an inventory locator. Able to cycle count inventory in a single walkthrough. Look, up on the shelves! It’s a burden. It’s a pain. It’s Inventory Man…agement!
Inventory Man, strange visitor from another world, has sworn to uphold truth, justice and the American way of doing business. To best be in a position to learn about inventory management problems, he has assumed the disguise of Kevin Clark, mild-mannered support technician at the FBI – FishBowl Inventory.
The first rays of sunlight were shining in the windows as D.W., head of the FBI, walked Clark around the office for the first time. Clark shyly introduced himself to coworkers as he tried to keep up with D.W.’s brisk stride.
“…And here’s the development team, nicest bunch of people you’ll ever meet,” D.W. said, coming to the close of his tour. “Oh, yeah. Over there’s the marketing team, but you’re better off keeping your distance from them. They can get rowdy.”
“Thanks for the heads-up, Chief,” Clark said. “It’s sure swell of you to give me this job and show me around like this.”
“It’s no trouble at all. And call me D.W.”
“All right, D.W. Thanks again.”
“Here’s where you’ll be sitting.”
Clark looked where D.W. was pointing and he instantly noticed a pleasant-looking, dark-haired woman sitting next to his seat. She was typing swiftly on her keyboard, focusing all her attention on her computer screen.
“How many s’s are there in ‘asset tracking’?” the woman asked without looking up. She spoke almost as fast as she typed.
“Two,” D.W. and Clark answered in unison.
The woman stopped and looked up to see the owner of the second voice. She liked what she saw. She mainly noticed the broad shoulders, likable face and buttoned-up suit. Then she saw a hand extended toward her.
“Hi, I’m Kevin Clark. I’m new here,” he said affably.
She regarded him for a moment and then shook his hand formally. “I’m Slowest Chain. I’m in charge of helping companies get their supply chains running smoothly. And I’m a little busy at the moment, so… nice to meet you, Clark.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Ms. Chain.” She had turned away before he spoke.
Just then, a red-headed college student ran by with a stack of papers precariously clutched to his chest.
“Oldsoon!” D.W. said, almost shouting to get the young man’s attention. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. D.W. continued, “This is Kevin Clark. Clark, this is Getting Oldsoon. He manages our supplies so they don’t pass their expiration dates. Oldsoon, I don’t see Mr. Clark’s computer on his table, do you? Would you be good enough to find that little piece of equipment?”
“You betcha, Chief, er, D.W. I’ll get right on it.” As he turned, Oldsoon suddenly lost control of his stack of papers, spilling them onto the floor. “Oh, no. I’m sure sorry, Mr. Clark, sir. It might be a few minutes.”
“That’s all right, Getting,” Clark said. “Here, let me help you.”
Before Oldsoon knew it, the pile of papers was neatly stacked in Clark’s hands. “Wow! How’d you get that cleaned up so fast?” he asked.
“I’m a good organizer. Say, where do you want these papers?”
Oldsoon directed him to his desk where a phone was ringing urgently. Oldsoon picked it up and spoke with the person on the other end for a minute. When he hung up, he anxiously shouted, “Chief!”
D.W. came running and asked what was wrong. Oldsoon answered, “There’s trouble downtown. I think it might be the work of Less Lucre again.”
“That villainous cad!” D.W. exclaimed angrily. “Clark, go downtown immediately and see what’s happening!”
“Right, D.W.,” he said, hurrying to the door.
“I’m going, too,” Ms. Chain said, putting on her coat. “Hey, Clark, can I hitch a ride?”
But Clark was suddenly nowhere to be seen. All that was left behind was a whoosh of air.
What danger will Inventory Man find downtown? Come back to the Fishbowl Inventory Blog for the continuing adventures of Inventory Man! And learn how inventory management software can help your business succeed.