Darkstone Code-Chapter 946 - 944: You Persuade Yourself

The old wooden door creaked open, and the bell hanging on the door jingled melodiously.

The salesperson behind the counter stood up, uttering the phrase "Welcome" that had long ceased to cause him discomfort.

Some people dislike saying this phrase, like the shop owner’s son, who feels that saying "Welcome" as someone walks in is humiliating to himself.

It makes him feel inferior to the customers; he is a free and equal person of the Federation, and he does not accept this job.

This might be his true thought or possibly why he doesn’t want to work here; regardless, he succeeded.

A father never wishes his child to grow up in the humility he describes, then that bastard occasionally comes asking for money when he’s broke, spending most of his time not knowing what he does.

In walked a well-dressed gentleman carrying a briefcase, and the salesperson, who was also the store owner, frowned slightly.

There was no particular reason; it was just an instinctive behavior.

People dressed like that rarely appear around here, let alone enter this inconspicuous, dingy store.

"May I assist you with anything, sir?" he approached the counter, lacking enthusiasm, embodying numbness and resignation towards life.

The well-dressed gentleman glanced at the display of cigarettes and assorted items in the first counter, then turned to the store owner, "I am a salesperson from Shi Haoyun Company."

The store owner raised an eyebrow, "We have your products here..."

Because of the Antitrust Law, any exclusive clauses could cause a flurry of litigation, so every store carries various brands of tobacco, not just one brand.

The Shi Haoyun’s salesperson didn’t leave but smiled and said, "I’m not here to discuss that today. May I come in?"

The store owner shook his head, "Sorry, there isn’t more space inside."

Indeed, besides squeezing in a dozen more people, there wasn’t extra room inside the counter; he simply didn’t want this unidentified person to come in.

Just because he said he was a Shi Haoyun salesperson, does that make it true?

Only a fool would immediately trust what a stranger says— the store owner had ample experience; he neither resisted nor agreed, just subtly hardened a bit.

The salesperson didn’t mind and laughed, "We are now offering new exclusive counters, if you can place it here..."

The salesperson pointed a finger on the first section of the counter, "We will offer you quarterly rewards based on your store’s area and hygiene level."

It’s a very old tactic: Every Moment used to do it this way, paying for counters, signing contracts, resulting in most store fronts having Every Moment’s exclusive counters.

Previously, other tobacco companies thought Every Moment’s people were not smart, but by the time they reacted, it was too late.

People’s shopping habits usually start with what they first see when entering a store; if someone needs tobacco and enters this store, they first see a full display of Every Moment’s tobacco.

Even though they know there are other brands at the back counter, they’re likely to think, "Why not buy a pack and try it?"

As long as the price range satisfies all consumer groups, this buying impulse will become a habit, which is why Every Moment has been more profitable than others, ultimately becoming an industry leader.

Facing audience groups with consumption habits, even if they launch a dung-flavored tobacco product, people would still rave about its taste.

It used to be hard to compete with Every Moment, but now the opportunity has come.

The store owner shook his head, "I can’t do that!"

Everyone knows how to use the law to protect themselves, including wanderers, which includes Every Moment.

They have a professional legal department strategizing for them; even buying counters is covered by comprehensive legal rights.

For instance, if someone violates the agreement by not placing Every Moment’s counter in the first position— they even outline real-life counter placement methods on design diagrams and provide sequence numbers for counters.

Regardless of how shop counters are arranged, Every Moment’s counters are always the most visible and the first to be approached.

Since they pay for this, shop owners have to comply with the agreement, or their lawyers will make trouble for them.

Shi Haoyun’s salesperson obviously knew this too, "Now you can. Every Moment has turned from a multinational company to a local company; they can’t secure raw materials and fail to keep producing tobacco products."

"By May at most, their remaining stock will likely be completely exhausted. They can’t bring out new batches; they violated first."

Looking at the shop owner, the salesperson continued speaking with his magnetic voice, "Would you want your counter to be empty and have nothing?"

"If you were a consumer entering a shop to buy cigarettes to refresh yourself, but you see empty counters immediately, what would you think?"

The salesperson fixed his gaze on the shop owner, knowing that since the latter didn’t stop him, he must be considering. This was a good sign.

He chatted more vigorously, "Would you think everything here is sold out? And it so happens even what you wanted is gone, then you surely would consider if the next store might have what you want..."

"But upon reaching the next store, perhaps you find nothing, yet after the previous attempt, you become more patient."

"You might then accept the shopkeeper’s recommendation to buy a pack and taste the cigarette you usually don’t consume..."

The shop owner unconsciously nodded; recalling previous instances when he went to buy bait at a usually frequented store only to find they didn’t sell it anymore, he chose a newly launched bait from a less-visited fishing store.

And noticed the usual shop owner spotted him upon leaving, he didn’t return to the frequent fishing tackle store since, opting for the one he previously rarely visited.

He quickly connected his personal experience to the current scenario: having nothing to sell isn’t scary, but losing loyal customers is.

Noticing the change in the shop owner’s gaze, the salesperson knew the deal was likely sealed.

His tone turned more candid and sincere, "The consequences caused by Every Moment’s inability to supply should not be borne by innocent people like you; I’ve helped some shop owners resolve this issue."

"I understand your concerns, but those issues won’t be issues because we will protect your rights!" With that, the salesperson placed some promotional flyers on the counter.

"We will have professionals win the lawsuits for you first, then fulfill our contract. You won’t bear any costs; we cover them all."

The shop owner’s expression had begun to show interest upon hearing this; he indeed knew Every Moment was facing problems, as news constantly mentioned it, and people in the ’circle’ talked about it too.

The impending halt in Every Moment’s production was something he took as a joke unrelated to himself, but now he began to feel nervous.

He held those flyers, which were all promotions about Shi Haoyun, including their actions to help shop owners affected by Every Moment’s contract.

The shop owner read them carefully; the salesperson swayed him with just a few words.

Actually, it wasn’t that the salesperson had special skills, but simply that he laid out his ideal scenario and worst-case result for the shop owner, offering him a choice.

As it concerned the shop owner’s personal interests, after witnessing the worst outcome, he naturally felt swayed.

If someone could immediately make you reconsider, it’s not due to their linguistic charm but merely showing your interests being harmed, nothing more.

Yet, in reality, it’s just one of the worst possibilities; people may first visit nearby stores, and finally come here, ultimately stopping to purchase some items.

When their interests suffer, people’s emotions fluctuate more intensely, becoming less rational, overlooking minor details.

The shop owner placed the flyers back on the counter; he shrugged and shook his head, "I’m not sure what to do..., he had some small gestures, "Do you have successful cases?"

"I mean, have you made Every Moment unable to continue using contracts to demand us to do this or that?"

A minute ago, despite not siding with Every Moment, he held a relatively neutral stance.

Yet now, his attitude had dramatically shifted... leaning towards Shi Haoyun or the third-party victim camp he established for himself.

Previously, every time he received subsidies from Every Moment, he never felt "wronged" as he did now, and his expression of grievance flowed naturally.

"This week, we will initiate about forty lawsuits. You can choose to wait a while or join us now, using the law to defend your rights."

"Rest assured, it’s all free, we will also provide more legal aid and cover all necessary expenses during trials."

The shop owner scratched his head, "I... can’t decide, I need to discuss with my family, come back tomorrow."

The salesperson left the counter front smiling, "I’ll leave the flyers here; you can show them to your family."

"We at Shi Haoyun differ from Every Moment; we won’t bind your freedom with long contracts— choosing us is the best decision you’ve made."

"Have a pleasant day, goodbye!"

The ringing bell couldn’t pull the shop owner’s attention; he frowned at the flyers on the counter, lost in thought.