Jeffrey Sutton was the former District Manager of the St Louis Region for Cloud 9. In 2018, he was promoted to Cloud 9 Headquarters. He is very business-like in his approach with people. He first appeared after the associates walked out in protest over Glenn being fired. He arrived to mediate the dispute and convince the associates to return to work. He is portrayed by actor Michael Bunin.
Character History[]
Season Two[]
The enforcer.
Jeff is first seen pulling up to the store in a Cloud 9 corporate car by those that have walked out in order to get Glenn his job back. He asks Dina to bring the walk out leaders, Amy and Jonah inside for a meeting. In the Break Room, Jeff asks what the staff want. Amy asks for Glenn to have his job back and Jeff agrees. However, he says that employees have to sign an apology letter. This angers Amy who lists grievances. Jeff mocks the walkout which results in Amy and Jonah leaving and announcing a strike to the staff. After numerous events, Jeff tells the strikers that everyone, including Glenn can return to work if they sign the apology letter. Eventually, everyone does and the strike is settled. Mateo tries to get Jeff to notice his work ethic ("Strike").
The corporate monster out for blood.
The day after the strike, in the Break Room, Jeff greets everyone with flowers. In the store, Jonah and Amy discuss grievances with Jeff but he interrupts them and says he wants to see the store at normal operations and then they can talk about how everyone can improve. Jeff finds out that Marcus cut off his thumb in the deli under Amy's supervision and is going to file a report until Dina blackmails him into changing his mind. Mateo keeps trying to impress Jeff with his work ethic but Jeff is too busy and later has to rebuke him for manhandling a customer. Mateo confronts Jeff and expresses his frustration that Jeff hasn't noticed his attempts to impress him. Jeff holds Mateo's arm and says he's definitely noticed him ("Back to Work").
I have something to ask you...
After the company spokesperson is arrested for murder, Jeff visits the store to discuss this with the staff. He keeps asking Mateo to do menial tasks in a misleading manner that suggests he might be interested in Mateo. At day end, Mateo is so discouraged that he doesn't realize Jeff is asking him on a date. Jeff says that Mateo can't tell anyone they are dating ("Spokesman Scandal"). On Halloween, Jeff is in town due to a stabbing at the Kirkwood store and asks Mateo on a date. At the end of the day at the loading dock, Cheyenne sees them leave in Jeff's car ("Halloween Theft").
Rex and the ass hat.
In the Break Room, Jeff is showing the staff a video about the new Cloud 9 brand SuperCloud which is replacing "Halo". Jeff tries to get everyone excited by playing a song. He takes corporate VP Rex around the store and seeing a messy display, he ties into Dina for not managing it properly. Dina insults Jeff behind his back which Mateo reveals to Jeff in confidence. Jeff repeats the insult to Dina who searches for the snitch. Mateo lies that Sandra was seen kissing Jeff. Wanting attention, Sandra lives the lie when confronted and later, flirts with a very confused Jeff in front of the other workers ("Rebranding").
Trying to hide the relationship.
After Myrtle makes a sexual harassment complaint, Jeff shows a training video to the staff in the Break Room. He tries to answer a number of questions on appropriate dating in the workplace. Later, he takes Mateo to a change room, gifts him a key chain and says Mateo is his boyfriend ("Valentine's Day"). Amy finds out about Jeff's relationship with Mateo when she sees him kissing Mateo outside a movie theatre. He comes to the store after Glenn and Jonah argue about abortion. Sandra's fake relationship with him comes to light, he admits he is gay and Mateo tells everyone he is with Jeff ("Wellness Fair"). After Mateo bug bombs the store and causes an evacuation, Jeff meets him in the parking lot with news that their relationship is known to corporate and Mateo must transfer to another store ("Integrity Award").
In order for Mateo to transfer to another store and maintain their relationship, Jeff asks Mateo to produce his SSN card. Mateo is undocumented so he breaks up with Jeff to cancel the transfer. Jeff also asks Dina and Garrett to file paperwork on their relationship ("Mateo's Last Day"). Jeff calls Glenn and tells him that he has to lay off 10% of the staff which Eugene overhears ("Spring Cleaning"). In order to change Jeff's mind on the layoffs, Glenn invites him to Cheyenne's wedding on the pretext that there's an emergency. Glenn introduces him to a number of staff and portrays their financial situations in the worst possible light in order to play on Jeff's sympathies. He then makes Jeff hold Cheyenne's daughter Harmonica for much of the reception. Jeff runs into Mateo and declares he hates him for ending their relationship. As he tries to leave, Glenn makes a public appeal to Jeff to stop the layoffs and Jeff runs out without replying ("Cheyenne's Wedding").
Season Three[]
On September 28, 2017, Jeff calls Glenn to inform him he'll be arriving for the store's re-opening that day at 3:00pm, which is a surprise to Glenn. Jeff arrives and is wearing a toupée. He keeps trying to cut the ceremonial ribbon but is delayed by Glenn. Later, Mateo greets him and when he finds out that Jeff has gotten back together with his ex, Chad, tells him the toupée is garbage and he looks like a fry cook ("Grand Re-Opening"). On the day the store is robbed, Jeff visits, is wearing riding boots and holds a staff session in which he maligns Dina's actions and praises Jonah for just watching the robbery. He joyfully reports Dina to HR after Jonah accidentally reports her bullying and then holds another staff session on bullying ("Workplace Bullying").
Someone's going through something.
Jeff calls the staff into the Break Room to announce that café worker Roger has been fired for posting a video on social media of him farting into cups in the store. He's pierced his right ear and is sporting an electric guitar earring. Later, he calls another meeting after Amy posts a video showing rats in the store's kitchen. When it's revealed Jonah and Kelly are in a relationship, Jonah asks if they need to complete a corporate disclosure to which Jeff sarcastically says he'll call a board meeting ("Viral Video").
I guess it was when Mateo dumped me.
In the Break Room, Jeff announces that $80,000 more sales by day end will result in the store being re-classified as "quadruple A". He isn't honest about what this will mean to the store when Amy and Jonah question him. Jonah keeps Jeff in the Stock Room so he won't see the staff are discouraging sales and when Jonah says he thinks Jeff is going through something and he's available to talk, Jeff accepts his offer. Jeff tells Jonah his woes including his remorse over Mateo dumping him and mentions his odd behaviour including the boots, earrings and that he got lipo. When he learns that the store didn't make "Quad-A", Jeff goes into a tirade as he bought a car with the bonus money he would have received ("High Volume Store").
That is a lot of money.
After Mateo is injured on the job, Jeff meets with Mateo and Jonah in the Break Room and offers Mateo $1000. Jonah negotiates lamely on Mateo's behalf and then says they'll take it. After they find out a background check is required which will reveal Mateo's undocumented status, they inform Jeff they are turning down the offer. Jeff approaches Jonah and Mateo and offers a higher settlement figure which he says is the final offer. When they turn him down, he keeps offering higher figures, which to his frustration are also refused. In Glenn's Office, Jeff's boss is on the phone and Mateo is offered $50,000. When this is refused, Jeff and Mateo argue about their past relationship which embarrasses Jeff in front of his boss. In the hallway, Jeff gives Mateo a settlement check of $10,000 and considers the matter settled. When Mateo still refuses to accept it, Jeff accuses him of trying to make him look bad in front of his boss. Mateo admits that he is undocumented and that is the reason he can't accept the check and why he broke up with Jeff ("Safety Training").
Jeff appears in the store and isn't wearing a suit. He tells Mateo that he quit his job so they can date and leaves the store hand-in-hand with Mateo ("Amnesty"). A going away party is held in the Break Room for Jeff. Glenn reminisces a bland story about Jeff which causes Sandra to relate intimate details about her fake relationship with Jeff. Glenn mentions to Jeff that the café is popular with the unemployed, but Jeff says he's a manager at a Target store. He kids with Glenn about being the competition and they play fight until Glenn accidentally punches Jeff in the throat. After Garrett lies that Jeff tried to poach him to work at Target, he meets with Glenn who tells Jeff that they need to agree to not "pooch" (poach) each other's staff. Jeff agrees but Glenn still takes offence and continually sprays Jeff with water from a squirt bottle. Incensed, Jeff leaves and says he will poach Glenn's staff. Jeff marches into the store and standing on a movable ladder, asks who'd like to join Target. Jeff admits to Mateo he's doing this out of spite. Sandra offers to go to Target and Glenn gloats that Jeff can't poach Garrett. Glenn announces that Jeff is banned from the store and starts pushing the ladder towards the exit. Later, Jeff approaches Mateo who is setting up a new furniture display. Mateo knows Jeff lied about having a job and wishes he hadn't picked Target for his lie ("Target").
Kapow! Truth bomb!
Jeff, now sporting a moustache, surprises Mateo and maintains the ruse with Jonah that he's working for Target. Jeff leaves to shop and Mateo tells Jonah that Jeff is jobless. Jeff continually talks about Target to Jonah which prompts him to ask Jeff to tone down the work talk. Jeff figures out that Jonah knows his ruse and Mateo discusses this with Jonah. Jonah tries several times to play "bad cop" to make Jeff get a job but each time, Jonah gives into Mateo's "good cop" routine. Jeff wants to explore the outdoors and tries on hiking gear and mentions to Cheyenne at the gender reveal party that he wants to hike the Appalachian trail but will settle for hiking around the reservoir ("Gender Reveal").
Yeah, it's totally safe.
Amy and Jonah discover that after 30 years with no disciplinary notes in her file, Myrtle was written up many times in the 6 months by Jeff before she was fired. They talk to Jeff in his car and he reveals that Cloud 9 came up with a policy to falsely write-up any employee over the age of 70 as a pretext for firing them in order to save money. He offers to help with the situation which Amy takes him up on. They plan to have Jeff reveal the ageism policy at the town hall but Dina is skeptical Jeff is up to the task. In order to sneak Jeff into the town hall, Dina and Sandra hide Jeff in a packing box. Sandra has difficulty driving the forklift and she drops the box containing Jeff and has to kick and push it through the Warehouse. At the town hall, Jeff is disguised as an employee with a long shaggy beard, hair and glasses. Dina says the incriminating email will be delivered to him during the town hall.
Skinny, sexy Hagrid.
Amy and Jonah arrive and give the email to Jeff. Jeff runs to the mic, removes his disguise and announces himself, but CEO Neil doesn't know who he is. Jeff wants to talk about Myrtle but Laurie subtly informs Neil that Myrtle was an experienced employee let go due to performance issues. Jeff contradicts this but Neil interrupts him and offers him a job at Cloud 9 HQ. Jeff caves and lies that Myrtle was let go because she was a gang member. The town hall over, in a suit and cleaned up, Jeff approaches the staff and tries to convince them that his promotion is a good thing for everyone as they now have a man on the "inside top". Cheyenne asks if he'll get Myrtle her job back but Jeff is evasive. The staff look at him with disgust and Mateo rebuffs Jeff's kiss. Glenn approaches them and insults Jeff and Neil ("Town Hall").
Season Four[]
Jeff unsuccessfully tries to win Mateo back by inviting him to visit Chicago. When he learns the staff all hate him for having Myrtle fired to get a corporate job, he brings a virtual Myrtle to the store which only increases the acrimony against him ("Back To School").
One, two, best friends.
After Glenn gives Amy and Jonah tickets to attend a managers' conference in Chicago in place of him and Dina, they discover at check-in that the tickets are non-transferable. Jeff runs into them and says he can get them in. He unsuccessfully tries to persuade the registration lady to give them badges, claiming to know her. Jeff then steals badges for Amy and Jonah and over their objections that they want to go to their hotel room, insists they party with him at the conference. Entering the conference room, Amy and Jonah are surprised at the opulence, food and amenities. Jeff indicates the conference is an excuse for a party and they manage to convince him to mingle and leave them alone. They're unable to leave the conference since Jeff is hovering at the door pretending to see people he knows. After Amy and Jonah start drinking, getting free items and trying various activities, Jeff joins them for a forced fun picture ("Managers' Conference").
You need to squash this.
Skyping with Jeff in her office, Amy learns that Sandra's union activities could result in the store being turned into a distribution center. Amy learns from Jeff that the store is being shutdown but she convinces him to set a meeting with the corporate executives, so she can change their minds. At Cloud 9 Headquarters, Jeff meets Amy and Dina in the lobby and tells them that VP Claudia Lankow is the person to impress. Jeff is in the meeting where Amy is able to subtly blackmail Laurie to recommend that the Bel-Ridge store be closed instead of hers ("Sandra's Fight"). At HQ, Neil asks how the union situation at Store 1217 is going. Receiving a report from Dan, who indicates among other actions that ICE will be doing an on-site enforcement, Jeff comments on how extreme that is. Jeff loudly excuses himself to go to the bathroom and Neil says that Jeff makes him uncomfortable. After calling Mateo five times to warn him about ICE, Jeff is able to contact Amy about the situation ("Employee Appreciation Day").
Relationships[]
Mateo Liwanag[]
See Mateo Relationships.
Trivia[]
- A Running Gag on the show is Jeff's hotel room and the various things wrong with it. This is detailed in each episode page, for example Strike - Running Gags.
- He has an ulcer. ("Integrity Award")
- Jeff's ex-boyfriend is named Chad. ("Mateo's Last Day") He gets back together with Chad after Mateo breaks up with him. ("Grand Re-Opening")
- Jeff is part of a Goof in "Grand Re-Opening". At the store front, after Glenn timidly welcomes everyone to the store, Jeff approaches the microphone holding garden shears to cut the ceremonial ribbon. The camera cuts to the crowd for a second and when it cuts back to Jeff, the shears are now leaning against one of the ribbon poles and Jeff retrieves them.
- Jeff is part of another Goof in "Gender Reveal". At 14:54, Jeff is seen holding hiking poles in his left hand. A split second later, the camera angle changes and Jeff is holding the poles in his right hand.
- Jeff's surname is confirmed to be spelled Sutton in the blurb for "Strike", the episode in which he first appears.
Quotes[]
- “If you can be gay, that means anyone can be gay!”— Glenn to Jeff, "Wellness Fair".
- “In a perfect world people wouldn't fart in cups, but we live in the real world.”— Jeff, "Viral Video".
Gallery[]
