The Kinko's Threat

"Get them hooked. Get them in the door," Lee explains. This led to erratic pricing, though, she notes. "You get one price one day. It could be something else the next day."

Many in-plant managers have noticed the same tactic in their regions: Kinko's offers prices for copying that are so low the in-plant cannot compete. The company makes it up, managers say, by charging more for other services, like binding.