Comments on: Kinko’s is Gone, FedEx Office is Here – DUMB MOVE!

By: Rich

Rich — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 02:11:14 +0000

And if you’ll notice, the have a sign in the window that says “Kinko’s Inside” … LOL!

By: Zig Baird

Zig Baird — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:11:07 +0000

I just ran across this post and, apparently, the rebranding hasn’t worked in our house. Until reading this, I didn’t know they dropped the Kinko’s name even though there is a FedEx “Office” right near me that I have used before. Personally, I believe it was a mistake to rebrand a name that the general public understood. A FedEx Kinko’s automatically told me that I could make copies and ship items right from the store. It was just…understood. Seeing a FedEx Office only makes me think of shipping. Pretty boring name.

To coin an internet slang term:

FedEx – great!
Kinko’s – great!
FedEx Office – FAIL!

By: Instant News

Instant News — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:23:19 +0000

This entry was a great read! I couldn’t have explained things better myself.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:35:54 +0000

It’s funny that you in the end spoke up! I have been waiting for someone to bring this out to the open! Anyway… nice post. I will be back.

By: Rich

Rich — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:52:14 +0000

Since you didn’t use a fedex.com email, you may or may not work for the company, but thank you nonetheless for responding. A non-cash charge of $2.22 per share was taken, but that is not say there was no cost.

You state you are far more than a copy shop, but I would believe that the majority of revenue from these stores comes from copy-related activities.

Your CEO stated “…we are a different company now.” The problem is, nobody seems to know who the new company is! Everyone knows Kinko’s, regardless of the culture, or perceived culture.

As for competing with the UPS Store, the former Mailboxes Etc., that is an apples-to-oranges comparison. The UPS Store was never thought of as a place for copies or to use a PC Workstation – it was a place to drop off a package or rent a mailbox. Copies were an afterthought, as most stores had a circa 1985 Xerox machine and few had computers.

Again, my survey was non-scientific, but it was telling. You may want to focus a bit on the branding aspect and user awareness since shoppers less than 50-yards from a former Kinko’s didn’t realize there was a name change.

By: mattceni

mattceni — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:41:44 +0000

Thanks for thinking about our brand and getting others to talk about it as well. However, if you read the Bloomberg story closely you’ll see the $696M was a non-cash charge, meaning the company did not pay anything out of pocket, just followed accounting rules when retiring a brand name. It “did not affect cash flows or stock price”.

FedEx Office CEO Brian Philips addressed your point in a blog post earlier this year. “I also have a lot of respect for the culture and brand of Kinko’s that was described in the article. However, we are a different company now. We are far more than a copy shop, and our new name reflects the role we play with our customers as their office away from the office. In addition to generating almost $1 billion in transportation revenue for FedEx Express and FedEx Ground, we are providing a mix of products and services that customers can’t find anywhere else. We have an unparalleled digital and physical network of 1,800 locations where they can access printing and shipping expertise whenever and wherever they need it. I do understand the nostalgic association some people have for the Kinko’s store they remember from their old college days, but the world of office technology and networked communication has been completely transformed since then — and today’s FedEx Office reflects that.” The full post is here: http://bit.ly/2kwyyq

Regards,
@mattceni