We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 93

093

Negotiation (1)

“If that happens…”

Lee Seul-gi wore a very encouraging expression.

In fact, I hadn’t expected my wife to use imported ingredients and buy them at discount stores to reduce the cost of basic ingredients.

But this isn’t a big problem.

The country of origin is required to be marked and is clearly stated on the lunch box packaging. We mainly use Australian beef and sometimes American beef as needed.

Due to the basic cost of the lunch boxes, we also frequently use Chinese products. As long as the country of origin is marked, there is no problem.

The problem was the taste.

How healthy and excellent a taste can be expressed. It was difficult to extract that taste while adding a certain amount of preservatives.

“Are you worried about preservatives?”

“Ah, that’s right. Preservatives are inevitably added to lunch boxes.”

If even one person gets a stomachache from eating a lunch box, the head office has to take full responsibility. The system structure directly handles the distribution of lunch boxes, and even if a stomachache occurs due to a distribution error, the head office must provide compensation.

Unless the store owner makes a mistake in management during the investigation process. Originally, lunch boxes were designed to last for a few days even after the expiration date. If refrigerated.

That level of preservation was unavoidable.

The problem is that these preservatives can also spoil the taste.

“It’s also been preserved.”

“Really!?”

Lee Seul-gi was genuinely surprised.

I was the same.

This has been preserved.

“Moreover, it was refrigerated once and then microwaved.”

“Haa… But how can it taste like this…?”

“That’s because I used natural preservatives. Preservatives ultimately come from nature, right? I preserved it in a healthier way.”

“President!”

Lee Seul-gi looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“I think sales will skyrocket!”

“Increase in sales.”

Lee Seul-gi was very confident.

Even to me, a novice in convenience store management, it was obvious that sales would skyrocket if the lunch box was released as it is.

Lunch boxes had a kind of ‘halo effect’ [where positive perception in one area influences perception in other areas] that could attract customers and lead to an overall increase in sales.

In addition, CL Convenience Store also makes and sells convenience foods, so the quality of food will increase dramatically, and sales may increase by 10% to 20%.

Even if sales increase by only 10% in a convenience store, it’s a big deal.

“We can also improve profits, and maybe even aim for the number one market share.”

“Number one market share!”

“It’s definitely possible.”

While everyone was making a fuss, my wife was just smiling. I can feel that she has transcended material things.

Lee Seul-gi mixed the braised short ribs with rice and even ate dessert.

“Hoo! I’m so full.”

Lee Seul-gi, who usually looked so cold, was somewhat relaxed. It’s natural to relax after enjoying such a feast.

“My wife will give a lot of advice on the food side in the future.”

“Yes! In this state, we can definitely succeed!”

Lee Seul-gi was so excited and poured out various stories before returning.

Wife is cleaning the dishes.

I stared at Lisa and said a word.

“You worked hard.”

“Don’t mention it. I just did what I had to do.”

“If there’s nothing an angel can’t do, what should I do?”

“Sujung will say something again if she hears that.”

Sujung was watching TV.

I turned on EBS [Educational Broadcasting System, a South Korean educational TV and radio network] and was watching a documentary.

It was a hobby that Sujung had recently fallen into.

A peaceful daily life continued.

Of course, the protests of store owners were intensifying, but they were not causing any major problems yet.

The production of the dummy [likely referring to the android] was going smoothly, and my wife began to get involved in the taste of the lunch box in earnest. An improved version of the lunch box has not yet been released, but if it is released, the market share may change as Lee Seul-gi predicted.

While I was living my daily life without anything happening, a problem occurred.

“President. Store owners are gathering in front of the head office.”

“Gathering in front of the head office?”

“Look.”

People with red headbands were gathering in front of the head office. There were also banners hanging everywhere, and the contents were ridiculous.

[Guarantee the right to live!]

[The new CEO should stop reckless management!]

[We want to live!]

“What is that.”

“It looks like a protest is about to begin.”

“Did you report it?”

“Unfortunately, it’s not an illegal protest. They didn’t mobilize violent objects either. However, I have a feeling that the situation will get bigger as the media pays attention.”

“Of course.”

“They started media play.”

“This is troublesome.”

Soon, a large number of part-time workers will complete their training and come out.

Education was progressing smoothly, and if they started pouring out, management would be normalized in an instant.

The chronic problem of manpower shortage in convenience stores could be solved, and directly managed convenience stores would soon lead to the company’s profits.

From the beginning, they would receive 20% less than the minimum wage.

It was a trick, but they would stay as trainees for three months, take a break, and then move to another convenience store. If that happened, they could continue to manage with 20% less money. Then, when management was completely normalized, they could pay the minimum wage.

The money paid would come back into my pocket.

When the androids came out, the store owners’ worries would disappear, and they were looking forward to the day when the lunch box would be released, but something happened before that.

Soon, a loudspeaker was installed, and store owners shouted for the abolition of the policy.

-Lower the monthly fee!

-Lower it!

-Raise the margin rate!

-Raise it!

As expected, there were two things they were questioning.

CL Convenience Store had more than 20,000 stores nationwide, and it seemed that hundreds of store owners had come to the capital, but even that made the perception of convenience stores worse.

I can’t stand to see that.

“Let’s go out.”

“Can’t we just not respond?”

“We have to cover it up with another issue before it becomes an issue.”

“Another issue?”

“This is my first time managing a mid-sized company, but I think that’s how it is.”

“Ah, that’s.”

Lee Seul-gi couldn’t refute it either.

She was just watching.

A loud song was ringing out, and the head-shaving ceremony was about to begin.

Convenience store owners were preparing a clipper to shave their heads, as if they had seen it somewhere.

They sang songs similar to labor songs and demanded the abolition of the policy. The media was paying more and more attention, and even the police gathered, making the front of the head office quite complicated.

The police are defending the front of the head office. There was no need to do that, but it was further stimulating the media.

“This is in front of CL Retail headquarters. Convenience store owners are protesting against the policy of new CEO Lee Yoo-sung and are confronting the police.”

“They are demanding a reduction in monthly fees and an adjustment in margin rates. Experts point out that this is not only a structural problem of CL Retail but also of convenience stores.”

“The issue of the so-called ‘slave contract’ between store owners and the company is likely to be raised again.”

“Hmm.”

The situation is flowing more seriously than I thought.

If I do something wrong, I may have to give up a lot.

What I have to do is to seal it before things get bigger. Right now, individual business owners are testing the waters. Their attitude will change depending on how the company reacts. Due to the nature of convenience stores, they cannot go on strike, but they can take actions that damage the company to some extent. It may be possible if they move as a group, not alone.

So I have to defend myself appropriately here.

I came up to the platform without hesitation.

At that moment, the music similar to the labor song stopped, and the voices of store owners shouting against the protest subsided.

The media was focusing on this place, and their leaders stopped the head-shaving ceremony.

“Who is the leader here?”

“I am.”

It was a man in his late 40s with a bear-like build who had already shaved his head.

He moved his huge body and came up to the platform.

He was so big that a small vibration occurred every time he moved.

He was about 190cm tall [approximately 6’3″].

My height was 176cm [approximately 5’9″], and my build was only that of an ordinary person, so I felt like I was being pushed back from the momentum.

But I was the president of CL Retail, and he was just a store owner. Above all, after learning black magic, I was not pushed back by intangible momentum.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Yoo-sung.”

“I’m Seo Bok.”

“Mr. Seo Bok. What’s the problem? Are you doing this because of the monthly fee and margin rate?”

“That’s also a problem, but the contract that is unilaterally favorable to the company is also a problem.”

“Didn’t you all recognize and sign the contract?”

“It’s time to improve it.”

“Even if the fee increases and the margin rate decreases, it is more generous than other companies. I made this decision after a lot of consideration. I think store owners can make money only if the company survives.”

“The quality of the products is deteriorating, and the company has already faltered once, so customers are falling off, but you’re imposing conditions that are favorable to the company!? Why don’t you squeeze dried squid?”

So-called squeezing dried squid [a Korean idiom meaning to exploit someone to the point of exhaustion].

It is an expression used when squeezing the blood of people who have nothing.

There’s even a murderous look in his eyes, so I can roughly guess what his previous job was.

He didn’t stop there.

“Not only that, but the part-time workers are causing trouble, so it’s a pain in the ass.”

“It’s up to the store owner to manage the part-time workers.”

“Support itself is decreasing. There are many cases where we have to watch the store all night. This is a big problem.”

“I see. I understand what the problem is.”

“Withdraw it.”

“All these problems will be solved if sales increase and profits improve, right?”

“That’s right. It could be solved if sales increase by about 10%, but that’s realistically impossible.”

“A new lunch box prototype will be released soon. Starting with lunch boxes, convenience foods will also be improved and released. I can say with certainty that sales will increase.”

“Will that be possible with just one lunch box?”

“In addition, employees are currently entering the training center to hire a large number of employees. The training is thorough and the appearance is neat. If you apply from a deficit convenience store that is difficult to manage, we can send them down. And we are also building a fully automated Android system.”

“……!”

Silence flowed for a moment.

The fact that I am developing Android was announced for the first time today.

People were just staring at me in shock.

I shrugged my shoulders lightly.

“Have you forgotten who I am? I’m a person who has risen to this position with science and technology alone. I am confident that a new era will open.”