The New Year's Celebration was always a major holiday throughout Celestia. Families came together to celebrate, enjoy good food, and exchange gifts. Cities hosted festivals where many people gathered to celebrate, often continuing into the next day. In the evening, there would be light shows and grand fireworks across the city, creating a stunning and beautiful spectacle.
Lucien would always go to watch the fireworks, though he couldn't buy any food due to his lack of money. Sometimes, stall owners would gift him food when they saw him. He mainly went to soak up the festive atmosphere and the joy of others. Although he wasn't one to celebrate much himself, he enjoyed the uplifting ambiance and the happiness it brought to everyone around him.
This time, he did the same: he sat down near the festival stalls and watched the people celebrate. He enjoyed the lively atmosphere and the joy of everyone present, taking in the loud music, dancing, and the fireworks lighting up the sky. As he watched, he thought about how next year, he would definitely visit his family and celebrate with them.
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Luckily, the shop had a good location as well as a stable building, which made renovating it easy. The construction was going at full speed, and everything seemed to work out perfectly. The designed advertisements were also satisfactory, and the promise of a big amount of money seemed to have made them more enthusiastic since the results came after just a couple of days.
There was only one problem that still worried him somewhat. Lucien had decided to appoint Tom as the manager of the shop, with Lucien himself as the CEO, making him Tom's superior. Tom was initially surprised, as this was both a great opportunity and a heavy responsibility, but he eventually gave in and resolved to give it his all.
It was evening, and Lucien sat on his bed, looking at his laptop. He was watching a stream on EchoVerse, a streaming platform that had been growing in popularity over the past year.
Lizzie had asked him to watch her stream, so he felt like he had no choice. She had been so excited telling him about it that he thought he should at least understand what made her so happy. He didn't particularly like that she was streaming, as being a public figure always came with risks, but he would respect her wishes and support her regardless.
Earlier today, she had sent him a message letting him know she was going to stream, so he decided to postpone his work to watch her. Right at the time she said she would start, the screen changed, and Lizzie appeared. She greeted her viewers before diving into what she planned to do for the day.
All the items and functions that appeared were new to him; he had never had the time to watch streams before, so this was essentially the first time he'd ever watched one. He was surprised when virtual items popped up, but he quickly realized they were gifts her fans were purchasing. He was happy to see that there were people supporting her in what she did and even happier to see her smile so brightly because of it.
Lucien watched for quite some time and quickly learned how everything worked. As he saw how happy she was interacting with her fans, he found himself no longer opposed to it. Instead, he was pleased that she had found something that brought her joy.
He decided to support her, even though it was risky. He would just need to ensure her safety so nothing would happen to her. To show that he was behind what she was doing, he decided to give her a donation.
He entered his payment details but hesitated, unsure of the amount. He thought that $100 might be too little, but $1,000 seemed excessive.
He thought for a moment and then said to himself, "You know what? Why be stingy if I can afford it? I might as well give her $1,000. I'm sure she'll use it wisely and appreciate it. It's worth it if I get to see her so happy and to show her my support." With that decision made, he typed in the amount and sent the donation.
It took some time for the donation to arrive, but once it did, the whole stream was abuzz, and everyone was shocked by the large amount that was sent. The chat was flooded with messages. Felicity was also shocked but quickly composed herself. However, once she read the nickname and the donation message, she was even more surprised
Felicity read the donation message and was visibly moved. She took a deep breath, her voice catching slightly as she said, "Thank you so much, LucienW, for the $1,000 donation and your kind words: 'Lizzie, I will support you no matter what you do, so do what makes you happy.' Your support means more to me than you can imagine. I'm truly touched and grateful for everything you do." Her eyes glistened with tears, reflecting her genuine emotion.
Lucien was pleased and happy to see how much it meant to her. The stream chat continuously bombarded them with questions about their relationship—asking if they knew each other and more—but neither Lucien nor Felicity said anything about it.
Lucien also noticed that the viewer count had increased significantly after the donation. It had been just over 300 viewers before, but now it was close to 1,000. He was greatly surprised, but after reading the chat, he understood why the numbers had risen so dramatically.
A $1,000 donation wasn't an everyday occurrence, so viewers were eager to see what made Lizzie so special. Curious about the hype, they flocked to her stream.
Since Lucien had just postponed his work, he decided to send Lizzie a message saying that he was going to leave now but that he was proud of her and wished her fun. After sending the message, he shifted his attention back to the reports from Tom regarding the store renovation.
The next day, Lucien decided to try a new function of his Insight skill that he had recently discovered. He arranged to meet up with Tom, pretending that he wanted to check in on how things were going and provide new instructions.
They met up at the convenience store, where Tom briefly showed and explained the recent changes. The renovation was nearly finished, and the advertisements were up—posters were not only displayed around the store but also throughout Starcity.
Lucien had invested some of his remaining capital to hire celebrities for recommendations and reviews for the store's opening. He also created several social media pages for the store and hired a company to design the advertisements.
Although Tom had made a few posts, he knew he needed to hire someone soon to handle the store's publicity. He hadn't yet found anyone who met his standards. To generate buzz online, he needed content that would not only engage the public but also pique their interest in the store's products.
Lucien had some ideas in mind but couldn't implement them himself, as he lacked the necessary skills. However, finding someone capable of bringing these ideas to life proved more challenging than he had anticipated. This meant that he would need to wait until he found the right person to make his plans a reality.
After the tour, they sat down in a nearby café to discuss the progress and any issues that had arisen. The problems were minor, and Tom would have handled them on his own, but he wanted to get Lucien's approval first.
Lucien told Tom to proceed as he saw fit, as long as it wouldn't negatively impact the store. He only needed to ask for permission if the expenses were significant or if he felt it was important to report. Otherwise, Tom had the freedom to make decisions he deemed necessary.
While talking, Lucien was a little distracted since he had used his new skill on him, but the information that he got was less than he thought; he was quite disappointed by it. He was also thinking about it, so he was deep in thought and sometimes didn't even notice if Tom asked him a question. He was sure of one thing after seeing the status of Tom, which was that he could at least trust him and that he would not necessarily betray him.
`System alert: Tom's status
Name: Tom Anderson
Age: 29
Loyalty: High Loyalty
Degree:
???
Background:
???
Personality:
???
Dreams and Aspirations:
???
Skills:
??? ´
His skills, personality, degree, and other details would likely be revealed only with a higher Insight level. For now, he had to rely on what Tom told him.
Lucien had made the abrupt decision to appoint Tom as manager because his final semester was approaching, and he wouldn't have much time once it began. He had considered postponing his last semester, due to his responsibilities but ultimately decided against it. It was his last year, and after graduation, he would have plenty of time to focus fully on the businesses. It wasn't even that he wouldn't pay any attention to the businesses; he would just shift his focus slightly to finishing up his studies first.
The only thing that would still take some more of his time would probably be the cafes, but that would be another day to worry about.
Tom was good at managing the shop, though his youth made him somewhat apprehensive about the opportunity. Despite this, Lucien had confidence in him. Tom had an enigmatic aura that naturally drew others' attention. His personality was also strong, and his high level of loyalty, despite their relatively short acquaintance, demonstrated his dedication and trustworthiness. Lucien wanted to reciprocate this trust by giving Tom a chance to prove himself.
Now the challenge was that he didn't have enough employees. While Tom was a valuable asset, he alone wasn't enough; Lucien needed additional reliable staff for his unique shop. Although he had Benjamin, he was still uncertain about where to best utilize him. For the time being, Lucien decided to leave the decision to Tom, as he had plenty on his plate. He instructed Tom to visit nearby recruitment agencies to find suitable and dedicated employees.
In the end, the employees would need to learn many new things, such as the shop's unique structure and detailed explanations of products they might have never encountered before. Therefore, Lucien needed skilled employees who were eager to learn. He gave Tom the authority to set the conditions for the employees' contracts but advised him to make them attractive since he had ample funds. The better the benefits, the more motivated and committed the employees would be; that was simply how the market worked.
There were many things the employees would need to learn, which made the search for suitable candidates a bit more challenging. Fortunately, Tom had some friends he could reach out to. They readily agreed to join the team once they learned about the attractive conditions and pay offered for working at the convenience store.
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Finally, it was the 7th of January, 2013, when the grand opening of the Global Delights Market was happening.
Just yesterday, they had completed everything—from the renovation to the decoration. Fortunately, the storage unit was already equipped with all the latest technology. Lucien had made a few slight adjustments to the layout of the shelves, but otherwise, not much had changed. Tom had also hired employees to manage the storage unit, along with delivery drivers and packers to handle the groceries.
The storage unit was so expensive due to its prime location in the center of Starcity and its generous size of 12,000 sq. ft. It also featured two private bays for loading and unloading. Security was top-notch, with numerous cameras, fingerprint sensors, and an alarm system. The groceries were stored in designated areas: a climate-controlled zone, a dry storage area, and a section for specialty foods, which served as the main storage zones. Additionally, there was space for miscellaneous items, overflow, and seasonal goods, though these areas were smaller and reserved for special items not always in stock.
The storage unit also includes a dedicated packing and preparation area for handling online orders. This section is equipped with workstations where employees organize and pack the groceries into secure, neatly arranged packages. The packing area is optimized for efficiency, with shelves stocked with packing materials, such as boxes, bags, and padding to ensure that products arrive in perfect condition. Once packed, the orders are quickly processed for delivery, with dedicated loading zones making it easy for delivery drivers to pick up and distribute the goods to customers across the city.
Additionally, the space is set up with a real-time tracking system to keep both the store and customers informed of delivery status, ensuring timely and accurate service. This streamlined process enhances the overall customer experience, especially for those utilizing the store's convenient online shopping and delivery service.
Lucien had put in an immense amount of effort reaching out to various businesses to secure products from around the globe. Since the rebranding of the store began, he had been tirelessly calling suppliers and persuading them of the advantages of showcasing their products in his store. His persistence paid off, and he successfully negotiated numerous contracts for a diverse range of products. The result of his hard work was a source of great satisfaction for him.
The only contracts that were easier to secure were those from Ardenvale. Given his familiarity with some of the suppliers and his understanding of their mindset, negotiating these deals was significantly smoother compared to the others.
The store also changed considerably. Now, it has a cozy, foreign-style ambiance with a unique and comfortable layout. It is organized into sections representing different cities and countries, making it easy for customers to explore a wide variety of exotic and unique products from around the world.
Multiple stalls were set up throughout the store, allowing customers to sample different products. Tom had also hired his friends and other employees to assist customers, explaining the products' origins and uses. Currently, there are two cash registers in the store. Although the store wasn't very large, to begin with, Lucien had cleverly arranged the layout to maximize space. He planned to purchase the adjacent store later to expand if the current store proved successful, but for now, it had to remain as is due to limited funds.
He also implemented a Loyalty Program, where customers can sign up for a membership either in-store or through the website. Registration is free, quick, and easy. Membership benefits include discounts on product prices, occasional free items, and exclusive promotions.
The program features a point system where points are awarded based on the amount spent, with additional bonuses for larger purchases. Points can be redeemed for discounts, free products, and special offers. Members also receive regular updates about their points balance and available rewards.
He had also decided to hold regular events in the store, including monthly events and special day celebrations. Each event features different themes, offering special discounts, product launches, and exclusive in-store promotions. These events may include live demonstrations, tastings, and giveaways to enhance the shopping experience.
Special Day Events are similar but tailored to specific holidays, such as Christmas or New Year, with themed activities and promotions appropriate for the occasion.
Lucien had also arranged for the storage room in the back to be redesigned into a space for the employees. It included a seating area with plush chairs and a small sofa, a dining area with a table and chairs, a mini fridge, a microwave, a coffee machine, and a snack station for their use. Additionally, there were entertainment options such as a TV, books, magazines, and some board games.
He had also decided to set up a small office area for Tom. Although Lucien planned to have another business building later on with an official office, he thought it would be good for Tom to have an office in the store that he was managing.