America: Starting with Daily Intelligence
Chapter 48 - 48 48 Convenience Store Shopping

48: Chapter 48 Convenience Store Shopping 48: Chapter 48 Convenience Store Shopping “Where are we headed now?” asked the person following closely on the bike.

“Going to the 24-hour convenience store; I haven’t used all my shopping vouchers yet.

There’s also a 20 US Dollar discount coupon, Blitz will give us a discount!” After calming down, Simone was still keen on economizing to the last penny.

“Good idea.” Allen Zhang agreed casually, it seemed they would be eating cheap food again.

At this rate, he was going to lose muscle mass, without professional nutrition plans and training equipment, even Superman would start losing muscle and strength.

There was no choice; this was the inevitable hardship that every poor soul had to endure.

A starving camel was still bigger than a horse, and that was enough for a street fight.

Getting a gym membership didn’t seem expensive, and it also came with the perk of a free hot shower.

But without a daily nourishing meal, it was just a waste of energy; training without proper nutrition just led to getting weaker.

The two arrived at the 24-hour convenience store where Blitz worked, just in time for the shift changeover.

Normally, the store would close briefly at this time to do the accounting, cash up, restock, and not serve the public, but since Simone was a regular customer and had an inside connection, she could take the back door.

“Hey, Blitz!

How’s your day going?” Simone parked the bike in front of the door and greeted him with enthusiasm.

Blitz said cheerfully, “Not bad, how about you guys?”

He had already changed out of his work clothes into his own attire, ready to help Sarah tidy up the food cart after work, now accustomed to running between two jobs.

It was precisely because he saw her hardship wandering the streets that Blitz chose to offer a helping hand.

After a while, they struck up a conversation and quickly warmed up to each other, the relationship cemented.

“I’m particularly happy today!

I gave my boss the sack and became unemployed again, rejoining the big family of wanderers.

Luckily, I got my own share of the salary back.”

Simone shrugged her shoulders, making light of her troubles.

She walked straight into the convenience store, picked up a blue shopping basket, and started shopping as if strolling and exploring the streets.

She casually said hello to the Black young man who was counting paper currency at the cash register, “Hey, Bas!”

“Hey, Simone!” As soon as the young Black guy saw Simone, he was almost rooted to the spot, eyes wide.

He flashed a smile, showing off a mouthful of white teeth.

Allen Zhang glanced over, with such white teeth, he must’ve used that Black people toothpaste, huh?

It’s no wonder he was so infatuated by a Black beauty; after all, Simone was very charming.

Her ex-boyfriend was also a handsome hunk who was very attractive even among white people, to compete with the white girls for a date, it’s clear to see her capabilities.

Popular with both Black and white; definitely meeting the standards of beauty for both.

You could criticize white guys for being losers, but you can’t deny they’re picky about appearances.

Seeing how they both behaved so familiarly, Allen Zhang also entered the convenience store and greeted Blitz.

This store was quite large, with a variety of snacks and daily necessities, and in a pretty decent location, several communities away from the Beggar Gang’s territory.

If you turned on the Waze app for navigation, you’d also notice that the police patrol tracks often looped around this area.

The officers would often pass by this street, pop into the store for a free beverage designated for special workers, donuts, and convenience stores would also give away extra shopping food vouchers and participate in relief services.

The owner was smart to tie the police to his business, which was equivalent to smooth sailing; participating in charitable events meant he could get tax deductions, making a small sacrifice for a booming business return.

He was paying protection fees anyway, and would rather allow the officers to freeload than to be subject to vandalism and theft.

Otherwise, being victimized by compulsive Zero-Dollar Purchases would be unsustainable; who could bear that?

Allen Zhang stood beside Blitz and glanced at the discount section in the glass cabinet, a little surprised.

“They even have grilled fish?

Oden?”

Eel rice?

Sashimi?

Ramen?

What kind of store is this, with all the vibes of a humble Japanese life.

It’s so unlike the authentic vibe of the West Coast, straight out of 1966’s street markets.

“The owner of this convenience store is from Japan.

Besides this store, he also has a Japanese restaurant on another street.”

Blitz explained, “At the owner’s request, we also serve many Japanese exchange students here.

In the evening, a lot of perishable Japanese food that’s left over from the restaurant is sent here to be sold, and it seems they are also used to buying these discounted daily dishes.”

“”

“So that’s how it is.” Allen Zhang felt a bit of pity; it’s such a shame that no one comes for the Zero-Dollar Purchase at this store on regular days.

He turned to select the ingredients he liked.

After all, it’s an AA system gathering, and he felt a bit embarrassed after freeloaded a meal last time.

Now that he has money in his pocket, he must spend generously to replenish his nutrition and proteins.

Time for a good meal!

He pulled out his phone to send a message to Dominic, asking what he’d like to eat.

He received a casual response from the other party.

It turns out Sieg wanted to eat Italian sausages.

Allen Zhang glanced over; there were no Italian sausages, but there were plenty of roasted sausages.

A roasted sausage cost only 1 US Dollar, and the red sign read ‘All roasted items for 1 dollar’ in bold and highlighted text.

The price was fair.

But the cans he picked up were still stockpiled at the campsite; they hadn’t been cashed in yet, right?

Wanting to spend beyond one’s means, eh?

Excellent!

With pressure comes motivation!

The General Sect Leader appreciates you.

Allen Zhang chose to fulfill that dream, grabbing several more roasted sausages, one for each person.

Simone was picky and chose many sandwiches and fruit salads from the discount zone.

When checking out, she pulled out a shopping voucher to pay, and used a coupon to buy a big bag of chips, ending up with an additional charge of just 2.8 US Dollars.

That also included some near-expiration products that Bas specifically helped her pick out; rounding up, these are the kind that get taken off the shelves within three or four hours, saving her a good amount of money.

Sandwiches for 1.5 US Dollars each, hamburgers for 0.99 US Dollars.

The “dark cuisine” cinnamon star anise milk tea was 0.5 US Dollars per cup.

You really can’t buy this stuff outside.

Allen Zhang was unapologetically more lavish, picking out calorie- and protein-rich meats, grilled fish, grilled meat, oden, and sashimi.

He passed on the tempura; fried shrimp, eggplants, and vegetables didn’t seem appetizing.

A few more servings of eel over rice, one for each person!!

Bas was kind of stunned when checking him out, “Buddy, are you here to stock up?”

A few people couldn’t possibly eat this much, right?

This wasn’t going to result in a discount, as it was fresh stock—it was a bit too much to ask.

You can’t really expect a discount until tomorrow morning when my shift ends, right?

In that case, you might as well just take it away with the Zero-Dollar Purchase.

“Bro, I earn money to spend it.

You can’t save what you don’t spend,” said Allen Zhang with conviction: “This isn’t just for me.

There are a few others who asked me to purchase on their behalf.”

“Okay, no shopping voucher?

Coupon?

That’ll be 60 US Dollars total.” Bas nodded.

Indeed, it’s rare to spend 60 US Dollars at a convenience store.

After all, the Japanese food displayed here might not be leftovers, but they are considered near-expiration products of the day.

Many people specifically come to the convenience store to shop and buy late-night snacks in the evening, since most are here for the bargains and savings.

Working the night shift is pretty relaxed, even if there’s a higher risk factor.

Bas glanced at the half-empty shelves, imagining how that group of Japanese students would freak out upon discovering almost no stock left, worried about missing out on their homeland’s cuisine.

Eating near-expiration food every day, why even bother studying abroad?

“Blitz, remember to come back early for the dinner tonight!

We’ll save you a seat, and there will be new friends coming.” After a greeting, Allen Zhang and Simone left the store with their shopping bags and strapped them to their bikes.

“I’ll head back after I’m done with my errands,” Blitz said with a smile as he waved, “I’ll also bring back a couple of cases of beer.”

After all, the convenience store stocks up mostly on near-expiration goods; having to restock every shift change, with unsold items taken off the shelves.

Rather than let it go to waste, better to take it along.

As an employee of the store, Blitz felt obliged to help the boss deal with those troubles.

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