It’s holiday season and the end of the year at pilot fish’s company, and the really important clients get annual statements on high-grade, embossed stationery that reflects the exclusivity of the service provided by the firm.

A new employee gets the assignment to print the statements, but the first two runs don’t go well: The first batch is upside down, and the second is printed on the back. There is only enough stationery left for one more run, and the stationer won’t be able to supply more until well into the new year. Besides, it’s the last day of the year that the statements can be mailed, so before the manager takes the rest of the department out for a holiday lunch, he loads the remaining stationery for the new employee and watches the first few statements print.

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