"Thank you. It's $299."
"... Is this guy kidding?"
"What?"
I took my business card out of my pocket and placed it on the counter. The cashier looked at my card with a puzzled expression and then, upon seeing the name "N.H.E.S," her eyes widened. She seemed ready to explode.
"As you can see, I'm Kang Junhyuk, an employee of Nintendo. We sell N.H.E.S for $199, but why are you selling it here for $299? Can you please explain?"
Surprisingly, the cashier remained calm. "Why do you care about the price we charge for the products we purchase?"
What? Even if I apologize on my knees, is this audacious attitude acceptable? I was infuriated.
"What did you just say? You are selling our products for over $100 more than the regular price, and you say it doesn't matter!"
"We didn't request any products from your company, did we? The goods we sell are all purchased from nearby stores for $199. We're just reselling them to customers. Naturally, as businessmen, we should make a profit, shouldn't we?"
"Then why didn't you request products from us from the beginning?"
"You should have come with a catalogue and negotiated the price with us from the start."
Wow, they really aren't making any sense. Are there people like this everywhere? As the commotion at the counter grew, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the store manager approached us.
"What's going on here?"
"This gentleman here is from N.H.E.S, and it seems he came because he heard we're selling this machine for $299."
"Is that so? If you cause a disturbance in my store, it inconveniences other customers. Would you kindly leave?"
"Manager, and the cashier, have no shame. I can't believe this..."
"If you keep causing trouble, I'll call the police."
"Fine, I understand. Let's leave quietly today. But, remember, we won't let it slide next time."
"Sure, do as you please."
The manager smiled with a white-toothed grin, clearly enjoying the situation. As I walked toward the exit, I heard mocking voices from behind.
"The monkey can talk, but he can't do anything anyway. Haha!"
So, this is how it turned out, huh? I clenched the door handle and pushed it forcefully. Toy World... I swear, I'll make sure your store closes down while I'm in America.
Thunk. I was seething with anger to the point that I could taste the bitter bile in my mouth.
"Hmm!? You're changing the package design again?"
"Yes. We're going to insert the price prominently in the blank space on the current design."
Arakawa-san looked at me with a puzzled expression. "What? Hey, this isn't leftover snack crumbs for kids, and what's with putting the price on the package?"
"Is there a law that prohibits indicating the consumer price on electronic products?"
"Well, there's no such law, but does that mean you can change the packaging every time there's a price adjustment? And..."
"And what?"
"First of all... the market is expanding as we want it to, and Toy World is just buying devices from regular stores. Isn't it irrelevant to us?"
"What are you saying? If this continues, the American gaming market will take a big hit. The damage from raising the price by $100 will all be passed on to the consumers. For $100 more, you can buy two cartridges. We're also at a loss."
"Oh... right, right..."
This guy said he went to Kyoto University, but he's completely clueless. He used to be called the president's son-in-law, and now he has this kind of mindset. I'm disappointed. At that moment, Alice, who had been watching us, asked me with a worried voice.
"What should we do about the goods that are currently in stock? We keep getting inquiries from retail stores about when the goods will arrive."
Arakawa quickly nodded and said, "First, release the items for which the payment has been completed."
"Yes, understood..."
"Don't release them."
In response to my words, Alice was startled, clutching the payment documents, and looked at me. "Kang, what are you talking about?"
"From now on, not a single N.H.E.S can be released without my permission. Please contact the packaging company, and prominently display the price of $199 in the most visible place on the current package design."
"Understood."
Alice immediately nodded in agreement and headed for the manager's office. Then Arakawa scratched his head and asked me, "Kang, what are you thinking? Do you want to cut off the deal with the company that supplies us with goods? Do you know how much we've struggled until now?"
"We have more than enough demand. With the N.H.E.S devices already scattered in the market, they'll be sold out within a month."
"And then?"
"During the month when we run out of stock, we'll create a Nintendo Membership Club."
"A Membership Club?"
"We'll gather trustworthy businesses that can sell our products through official channels. That's the plan."
And so, the strategy to isolate Toy World with just one gaming console began.
The next day, I went to meet Wilson, the owner of Toy Box, who was the first to accept our N.H.E.S. After hearing about the situation, Wilson nodded in agreement with my plan.
"Indeed, Toy World's bullying is getting out of hand. They're not only monopolizing N.H.E.S but also buying popular toys at low prices and later raising them. Consumers have no other options, so they begrudgingly buy them. But a franchise? What's that about?"
"Like Mr. Wilson, we'll gather only cooperative people and form a club. It's about establishing a direct distribution structure with our headquarters."
"Ah, that's a great idea."
"If any of the member stores, part of the membership, is found to be supplying devices to Toy World, we won't do business with them anymore. The remaining stock will be collected and distributed to other member stores. We also plan to provide special incentives based on monthly sales rankings."
"Well, that's really good for us!"
Wilson expressed his satisfaction with my proposal and even applauded. He's getting too excited even though we haven't even started the main story. Could he get disappointed when he hears the next part of the plan? Alice, who had been on a market research trip with me, seemed to share my thoughts as she laughed brightly.
"And one more thing. There's a proposal I'd like to make to you, Mr. Wilson."