Monday morning arrived soon after.
Even if it’s still early in the morning, the city outside was already alive. The cars were already moving in the street with horns occasionally cutting through the hum of traffic. The sunlight was also glinting off the tall windows of West Arcadia’s skyline.
Gray adjusted his tie as Daniel parked the car just outside the grocery store. His reflection looked better than usual. He also dressed more nicely just for today.
Today marked the start of sothing new for their store.
The grocery was officially launching its first major sales campaign after his takeover.
Gray stepped out of the car and looked up at the building.
The familiar signage above the entrance had been polished. They were now cleaner, with clear letters even reflecting the morning sun. There was even a modest red banner across the doors, announcing the new weekly discounts.
Below it, staff were busy arranging new carts, placing promotional flyers, and putting up the final touches before the opening.
It felt different already.
Gray walked through the front door. He was greeted instantly by a cool rush of AC and the scent of fresh bread from the bakery section that was now being displayed on their stand.
His eyes road around the area.
The layout had been changed completely over the weekend. Shelves had been rearranged to give way for the discounted items area.
"Good morning, boss," a familiar voice ca in afterward.
Gray turned to see Joel walking toward him from the checkout area. There was a clipboard in his hand and a walkie talkie clipped to his belt.
"Good morning," Gray smiled at him.
Joel looked far too composed for soone who had barely had rest in the weekend to take care of the entire grocery store while Gray was away.
"We’ve got the section moved where you suggested, Sir," Joel said as he flipped through his notes.
"The flow’s better now with less congestion near the checkout lanes. We also have the bakery to bake more bread.
Gray nodded.
"That was good." He was deeply satisfied by Joel’s performance so far.
"Yes, Sir."Joel smiled. "Our breads are well-known so I figured if there’s more people, then we might need more stocks."
Gray gave a quiet chuckle and glanced around again.
"You pulled this together pretty well."
"It helped that the staff were actually excited about it. Everyone pitched in with their ideas. Besides, you gave us a clean instruction Sir. We were just doing our job and following you."
Gray smiled at it. He just realized how good it was to have soone work under him. His workload was now lighter, and he also got so free ti on his hands.
"Thank you. Let’s make sure this promotion actually runs like we planned," he said to Joel. "Anyway, do we have spare uniforms? I wanna join in the staff for today."
"You’ll work, Sir?" Joel’s eyes widened as he looked at Gray.
Gray smiled and nodded.
"I can’t just leave you all to suffer, can I?"
Joel stared at him for a second, clearly taken aback.
"You’ll... really work the floor today, Sir?"
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" He playfully smiled.
Joel blinked, then let out a short laugh.
"Well, I’m just not used to bosses who want to wear the uniform and ring up custors, that’s all."
"I’ll take that as a complint then," Gray replied, lips twitching upward.
Joel laughed again, more genuinely this ti.
"But yes, we’ve got a few spare uniforms in the back. I’ll have soone grab your size."
"Perfect," Gray said. "I’ll get changed in a bit."
The two of them laughed after before moving on.
Joel radioed a staff mber to bring the uniform to the office, and Gray made his way inside to change. The polo shirt and black apron fit comfortably on him. There was even a na tag with his na already printed, probably prepared just in case.
When Gray stepped back out into the store floor in full staff uniform, a few employees looked up in surprise.
"Whoa," one of the cashiers whispered. "The boss is really joining us?"
Joel just grinned. "Yep. Better not slack off, huh?"
Gray waved a hand playfully.
"Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you guys."
He was used to working, so this wouldn’t be hard for him.
They all laughed, the tension lifting slightly as the countdown to opening ticked closer.
Then, right at 8:00 AM, the automatic doors unlocked with a soft chi.
They were expecting a crowd.
However, the morning crowd trickled in slowly. There were only a few regulars, so elderly neighbors, a mother with her toddler in a cart. They browsed the aisles, picked up their usual items, and made their way through the new layout without giving attention to the discounted items.
It wasn’t exactly the explosion of attention Gray had hoped for.
Joel hovered near one of the entrances, eyes scanning the floor.
Gray walked up beside him and folded his arms loosely.
"It’s okay. This is normal." He smiled at him.
Joel looked at him. "You’re not worried, Sir? We even promoted it on our socials..."
Gray shook his head. "We just need to trust. We’ll get more eyes once the word spreads."
He turned to glance at the staff, most of whom were standing by, trying not to look too nervous at him.
Gray clapped his hands together and raised his voice just a bit.
"Alright, team. It’s a slow start, but don’t lose heart, okay? Just treat every custor and inform them about our sale, alright?"
So of the staff straightened at that, smiling and nodding back at him.
"We got this," Gray smiled at them. "As long as we give them a reason to co back."
They nodded and smiled. So even cheered softly, more confident now.
The morning passed with a calm energy. Custors moved steadily through the aisles. Gray personally assisted an elderly couple near the discounted produce.
There wasn’t anything new, but the custors were giving more attention to the sale items.
They were expecting that the whole day would be like that.
However, noon arrived.
And with it ca the rush.
Like a sudden wave, people began walking in through the front doors.
They ca in groups. There were office workers from nearby buildings, families with kids, even delivery riders on break. Soone must’ve shared a post or taken a photo of the discounts because the number of custors spiked in under fifteen minutes.
It was very sudden.
Joel’s eyes widened as he looked around.
"What the—?"
Gray blinked, just as surprised.
"That’s... a lot."
The bakery staff scrambled to restock. The front lanes got busy. And a line ford by the free sample corner near the ats section. The staff also began radioing for backup to handle carts and bagging.
Gray adjusted his apron and moved quickly toward the registers.
"Damn, this is a lot." He muttered but there was a wide smile on his face. Even the staff suddenly looked more energetic with the surge of people.
Gray kept his hands moving.
He double-checked barcodes, packed items neatly, and handed out change with a calm smile. It wasn’t the kind of work CEOs usually did, but it didn’t feel bad.
He worked as a cashier. He quickly grabbed a few canned goods and stacked them into a brown paper bag, passing it to the older man across the register.
"Thank you for shopping with us," Gray said politely.
The custor gave a tired smile. "Thanks, young man. I like your bread. My wife even made co here."
Gray chuckled.
"Thank you. Then I hope we don’t disappoint."
Another custor stepped up almost imdiately. This ti it was a young woman holding two baskets filled with snacks and drinks.
Gray greeted her without missing a beat.
"You didn’t get a cart?"
"I didn’t think I’d get this much. The sale aisle was good." she said sheepishly.
"Haha. Don’t worry. It happens all the ti." He scanned item after item and handed them over to a staff mber beside him, who packed everything into eco bags.
He was halfway through ringing up the next custor when Joel suddenly jogged up to him from the side, holding out his phone with an incredulous look on his face.
"Sir, you need to see this."
Gray blinked and turned slightly, his hands pausing. "What is it?"
Joel showed him the screen.
It was a social dia post—a public video taken just outside the store. The cara panned across the polished shelves, and zood in on the discount signs.
There was a caption at the top:
📍Hidden gem alert!
Just discovered this newly-revamped grocery store near West Arcadia and guess what? Their breads are heaven-sent AND they’re on sale! 💯
It’s clean, it has friendly staff, and even the boss is working the register?? We love a hardworking king.
— ChloeEats 🍓 #GroceryGlowUp #WestArcadiaFinds
Gray stared at it for a beat.
"Isn’t that—?"
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