Terrence stared at the long line of people outside the grocery store. It wasn't even 12 in the afternoon, yet he couldn't see the end of the line already.
He looked at the side and saw Edwin with a massive smile on his face. The two of them were inside the grocery store, waiting for the clock to strike at 12.
Since he knew he would be very busy today, Terrence went to work two hours early. He organized the stocks in the stock room and made sure that the shelves were filled with products.
On the other hand, Edwin stayed up late in the store and went early today. He designed the whole store with balloons and posters that said, "All Items are for sale". He changed the prices of the items on their system, too, so it would be easier.
"I didn't know this was possible," Edwin exclaimed. He looked so excited as he stared at the people from the inside of the grocery store.
At his estimate, there were more than 100 people outside.
"Did you make sure that we have enough plastic bags?" Edwin asked as he looked at the side where the plastic bags were stored.
"Yep. If ever you run out, they are just in the bottom drawer of the table." Terrence answered.
He looked at the clock. Only 5 minutes left, and they will already open the door.
"Terence, go to the door already. Make sure that you're going to welcome them with all smiles." Edwin gave the final instructions.
Edwin fixed the cashier counter for the last time and made himself presentable. He looked very nervous. It will be his first time serving a lot of customers. He just hoped that everything would go well.
Terrence went to the door just like what Edwin instructed him to do. When the clock's arrow hit exactly 12, he unlocked the door.
He opened it widely before putting a smile on his face.
"Our store is now open, everyone!" He happily announced, even though, on the inside, he was already tired.
Fortunately, the people were patient and respectful of each other. They were lined up perfectly, waiting for each other's turn to finish.
So that they would accommodate everyone, they decided that only 30 were allowed to go inside the store first. Once someone leaves, then they will allow another one to enter.
It was a tiring process, not just for them, but for everyone.
Terrence smiled at the first customer who had just entered. It was an old woman who was carrying a toddler in her arms.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am." Terrence smiled as he gave the woman a shopping cart.
Although their store was small, it still had equipment to make grocery shopping faster and easier.
"Thank you!" The old woman smiled at Terrence widely. She took the cart and placed her child in the little seat.
That became Terrence's routine for the next 29 customers. When the last customer entered, he closed one side of the door.
"Hello everyone! So that your shopping experience with us is of high quality, we limit the number of people going inside. Rest assured, all of you will have your own chance. We have more than enough stocks to accommodate all your needs." He announced to everyone.
Although his announcement had caused different kinds of reactions, Terrence was glad that all of them followed what he said. No one tried to force themselves inside the store.
After his announcement, Terrence closed the other door as well. He locked it to ensure they wouldn't try to enter without his knowledge.
Terrence walked around the store. Since he filled the shelves with stocks, there weren't a lot of questions getting asked aside from the location of certain items.
And since everything was organized, going through all the aisles and checking out at the counter became just so easy.
On average, it only took about 15 minutes for a person to shop.
When one customer was done checking out, Terrence led him towards the door. He opened it and bid goodbye to the customer before letting another inside.
"Wait, Sir." Terrence smiled as he gestured to the man who just entered to go to the side first.
Terrence took out the alcohol from his pocket and a piece of cloth at the table. He sprayed alcohol on the grocery cart's handle and wiped it with the towel.
Terrence noticed how the people who just went inside their shop had such poor hygiene. He wasn't trying to judge since he knew life could be difficult for them. However, he needed to do this just for health measures.
When he was done, he quickly gave the cart to the man. "Here, Sir." He smiled before taking a step back.
"Woah! Your service here is good!" The man commended what Terrence did.
It was his first time getting such service. Usually, they would be discriminated against when going to different shops or stores, especially those in the city.
Because of embarrassment and the look they were getting, they usually just stayed quiet and shopped fast.
"I'm glad to hear that, Sir." Terrence smiled.
"I will surely tell this to my daughter and my friends! Now, we have a place to shop! Did you know in the past? We rarely come here because of the ridiculous prices! I'm glad that you changed it already." The man continued before giving Terrence a pat on his back.
"This is good! You're making a change in our area. Don't be like those corrupt politicians who would just focus on the rich while not giving any attention to us." The man smiled at Terrence.
"I commend the two of you, young man." The man added before walking away.
Terrence stared at the man who just walked away, blending with the crowds. He didn't know what to answer.
"Is this making a change?" he asked himself.
Terrence's eyes roamed around.
He could see the people's smiles as they shop for items they couldn't afford in the past. Even though the item was still not that cheap— prices range from less than a dollar to 10 dollars— it was already enough for people with a limited budget.
Terrence felt an unexplainable happiness and satisfaction in his heart. He tried to disregard what he was feeling.
'I'm not like this in the past…' he uttered, trying to make sense of what he was feeling. For fortune's sake, he was a killer in the past.
A killer of his own kind—the poor.
However, even if he tried to ignore and disregard the feeling, it still left an imprint on Terrence's heart.
That's how a question formed in his head.
If this was already a small change to some, then he wondered what would the world look like if it was completely changed?