"Food Barn" is the second segment of the second episode of the first season of Pepper Ann. It aired on September 20, 1997.
Plot
Milo and Pepper Ann are assigned to work at a Costco-esque supermarket called Food Barn as part of their economics class, where Milo is favored over Pepper Ann by their boss.
Synopsis
Ms. Carlotta Sneed assigns the class with a week long project involving after school jobs to learn about economics first hand. Pepper Ann and Milo are assigned to work at Food Barn much to their dismay. Ms. Sneed reveals that she does not think that either of them is actually up to fully integrating into a capitalist environment, causing Pepper Ann to vow to prove her wrong. They meet with Bob, the Food Barn manager, who immediately takes a liking to Milo's lazy attitude and corner-cutting antics while mildly putting up with Pepper Ann's more by the book and responsible instincts.
Pepper Ann argues with her reflection about the situation. Despite her instincts telling her to quit, she refuses. Bob continues to get after Pepper Ann for minor offences while Milo keeps getting promoted. Pepper Ann is also accosted by Assistant Manager Millicent "the Militant" who has her wash her car and check on employee applications like clockwork. Nicky suggests asking Ms. Sneed to switch herself with Dieter (who has been eating the stock at Food Barn instead of working with Nicky), but Pepper Ann once again refuses.
Finally fed up, Pepper Ann makes a loud declaration in the store about working hard and not getting the credit she deserves. Her speech gets the arousing applause of everyone, except Millicent who promptly fires her. Pepper Ann gives her oral report to the class about her experience while Milo gives a less than impressive one, "It's not about what you know, but who you know". To Pepper Ann's surprise, she received an A+ while Milo got a C-. Ms. Sneed sympathizes with Pepper Ann's experience, having once held a job in her youth and fired by Millicent, and takes Pepper Ann on to help spread the message of economical capitalism much to her chagrin.
Cast
- Kathleen Wilhoite as Pepper Ann Pearson
- Jeff Bennett as Craig Bean, Dieter Lederhosen, Bob, Additional Voices
- Danny Cooksey as Milo Kamalani
- Clea Lewis as Nicky Little
- Pamela Segall as Moose Pearson
- April Winchell as Lydia Pearson, Millicent the Militant, Additional Voices
- Julia Sweeney as Carlotta Sneed
- Kath Soucie as Additional Voices
- Cree Summer as Tessa and Vanessa James, Additional Voices
- Tino Insana as Additional Voices
Trivia
- Nicky mentions a children's book author named Loco Yono, who is meant to be a parody of Japanese singer and artist Yoko Ono. An excerpt from her book reads "'It was not my fault,' cried the little Asian bunny, 'John made up his own mind'". This is a reference to the infamous, but false, claim that Ono was the reason for John Lennon splitting up The Beatles.
