[Chapter 876: Oranges from Huainan]
William White felt good today. Filson had told him that the negotiations with Oceanwide had wrapped up, and the outco had been satisfactory.
William never envisioned taking over 7-Eleven. If he had that much ti, he would prefer to start sothing entirely new. Furthermore, the success of certain consur habits in Japan wouldn't necessarily guarantee similar results in the U.S.
He thought about an old adage that went sothing like, oranges grown in the south taste different than those from the north. The leaves might look alike, but the flavors varied greatly--proof that environntal factors played a significant role.
He chuckled, realizing that invoking such sayings could sound forced. Yet, he found it hard to pinpoint better words in his limited knowledge.
7-Eleven was not rooted in Japan; if one were to reference a proverb, sothing along the lines of blooms from the wall might be more fitting.
As he surveyed the rundown gas station, William couldn't help but grimace. The convenience store inside was a far cry from what one would find in Japan.
"Filson, is this gas station also under 7-Eleven?"
"Not anymore. It used to belong to Southern Company. We bid on it back in the day, but that old man was just too greedy."
William watched as a group of people filed in, the clerk inside showing no emotion, wearing a long face.
"Man, we're your bread and butter. If you had a gun in your hands, wouldn't your expression be a bit more lively?"
After scanning the store, William shook his head as he exited. Dust coated the bottled water, indicating just how poor the business was.
"Filson, let's have so stats on these types of stores. They're not worth keeping open. I hope the others perform better."
"Sir, are we talking about all the gas stations?"
"Yes, in principle, all of them. If they're not generating profits, we'll close them all down."
"Got it."
"Also, I don't think Hispanic employees fit the cashier role well; if possible, let's hire Asian staff."
This directive didn't need to be formalized; a word to HR would suffice.
William felt torn. Such asures ran the risk of provoking backlash and drawing attention.
Discrimination?
The thought amused him; after all, he possessed Asian heritage himself.
The group left the gas station and drove straight into downtown Los Angeles.
While looking over the shops, Filson felt puzzled. "What's with all the scrutiny? Is this so sort of performance art?"
William viewed this project positively, though many in his advisory group were less than convinced. If they aid to invest in retail, Costco was evidently a better option.
Through an Arican lens, one must prioritize investing in Costco first and then in Walmart. Without question, these two companies represented what Warren Buffett dubbed as great businesses.
He considered their input but decided against investing in Walmart. At Costco, his investnt could carry weight, whereas at Walmart, he would be just one of many.
Besides, Costco even sold diamonds. If he anticipated high volu, doing business with them was an excellent choice.
Surprisingly, Costco did sell diamonds and charged custors an annual fee. Most amusing was their fiercely loyal custor base, who solely patronized Costco and shunned Walmart.
Despite planning to invest in Costco, William's views on 7-Eleven remained unchanged; it still held significant importance to him.
By evening, William felt utterly overwheld. He began to understand why Southern Company had abandoned this hot potato.
He imagined that old man sowhere enjoying a good laugh, thinking, "The Japanese are foolish, but you, William White, are foolish too. Ha! How entertaining."
Due to the differences in lifestyle, the U.S. lacked suitable locations.
Gas stations?
In Arica, these were self-service; you fill up your tank and then pay inside. Occasionally, you might grab a bottle of water, but that was about the extent of it.
Glancing around, no one seed to be watching--there would be no reason to run away, would there?
There were reports of people skipping out without paying when gas prices spiked. The U.S. even had statistics on the number of gas station thefts. If those numbers kept growing, unemploynt rates would worsen, and the economic situation would spiral further.
Thus, Southern Company managed its own refineries and gas stations to extend their supply chain.
With the supermarket not turning a profit, the gas stations provided so support; if that failed too, they could refine their own gasoline and diesel. William figured that had the company not faced operational challenges, they might have considered purchasing oil fields as well.
William also entertained supply chain extensions, but he wasn't looking to sell gas. 7-Eleven was a pri platform for selling books and periodicals. He wanted access to an offline platform if he needed to venture into mobile paynts in the future.
"Filson, let's start in Los Angeles and New York. Have you seen the 7-Eleven in Japan? If the na were obscured, who would think it belonged to the sa company?"
"Well, boss, it's true that they aren't anywhere close to those in Japan; they're a far cry from what we see there. Let's begin with high-rise offices, shall we?"
"Good idea. Target high-rise offices, upscale neighborhoods, and proximity to luxury boutiques. Oh, and add exhibition centers and high-end hotels."
With that one statent, William was on the verge of closing 70% of the U.S. locations for 7-Eleven. Thankfully, employnt levels were still decent; otherwise, the bigwigs in Pentagon Town would have been throwing fits.
"Damn it, is he buying these stores just to shut them down?"
"Mr. President, that's not entirely accurate. From what I hear, he has plans to open plenty of new locations as well."
"If it were a different ti, this would be quite the headache, Alan," said Greenspan, scratching his head. With his ager economic theories, he couldn't possibly grasp William White's perspective. To put it plainly, once you rose to a position of power, it was advantageous to align yourself with smarter players rather than consult about every little thing.
"Bill, one thing I'm sure of is that Mr. White is a patriot, not a greedy vampire."
Bill's face darkened imdiately. A mule is a mule, and Bill Clinton was his own man; those two were entirely different.
"Albert is an idiot; he doesn't even realize what he's doing.
But I never expected them to elevate one person to such heights. The praise was so excessive, and now it will all reverse into doubt. Albert's career is over; he's going to sha his family."
Greenspan didn't know what to say. Here he was, with dirty hands himself, planning to provoke a dia mogul; it seed like asking for trouble.
Albert was a minor character, and few would care about his fate. What truly mattered was that William White began to play hardball.
Both were astute individuals, and William certainly didn't need to go this route. As a dia tycoon, suppressing a piece of news that wouldn't make headlines was no big deal.
Yet he chose not to go that route. He fired off the dynamite directly, which was likely to terrify the wise guys. The ssage was clear: you old monkeys better behave, or he wouldn't hesitate to deal with the lot of you.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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