Autumn in New York comes a bit later than in Brooklyn. The Atlantic breeze is refreshing as it brushes against Niall, offering a bit of comfort. Not having any school obligations, Niall spent the past week or so wandering the streets of New York.
Of course, he also took a moment to visit some of the slums and high-end residential areas. It's not every day you get to leisurely cruise around New York on a small motorcycle.
By the way, here's a side note: the Indian motorcycle Niall was riding, if properly modified, can reach a speed of nearly 300 kilometers per hour. This record was set by a New Zealand man named Bert Morrow (March 25, 1899 – January 6, 1978), using a 1920 model Indian motorcycle, when it was nearly 50 years old.
Back in the countryside, Niall used to think 30 kilometers per hour was fast enough—after all, things were slower in the countryside. But now in New York, he realized his little motorcycle was struggling to keep up with the times.
Today, Wilkie planned to take Niall to check out the baseball field in the suburbs, so Niall wrapped up his sightseeing in New York and headed to Wilkie's office in Manhattan.
Moses, Wilkie's assistant, was already waiting downstairs. Niall parked his motorcycle and went upstairs to grab Wilkie. They sped over to the construction site, where the progress was fast.
In the construction market, there's really no need for too much design—just enough space for housewives to roam freely, and enough room for numerous shelves to store goods. Besides areas that need refrigeration, the rest of the space doesn't require much special consideration.
The building would be two stories: the first floor for daily goods, and the second for fresh products. The foundation was already complete, and with the speed typical of American construction, the two-story building would be finished in no more than two weeks.
"How many parking spots will there be?" Niall didn't understand construction, so if they said two weeks, then two weeks it was.
"1,200 spots, but if we pack them closely, we could fit 1,400," Wilkie pointed to the flattened area, which would soon have asphalt laid down.
"That's a bit few. Can we buy the nearby land too? We need at least 1,500 spots," Niall surveyed the area, which seemed quite empty.
"Isn't that excessive…?" Wilkie didn't quite get why Niall was so fixated on parking spots.
"Even if not all the spots are used, you have to create the illusion that the supermarket is really busy." Niall grinned.
The logic was simple—just like some popular bubble tea shops, they hire professional line-standers to make it look like the shop is always packed. This creates the illusion of a trending spot, even though the queue may stretch for hours. It's a tactic that's been used online a million times, but it's still effective.
In America, while not exactly a country of pure hearts, many marketing tactics were just beginning to take off. Niall, borrowing some of these future "bad" tactics, didn't see any harm in it.
The supermarket was already conveniently located next to a main road, so the remaining task was to make it look like there were tons of customers. It wasn't just about building a large parking lot; Niall suggested they hire some actors to create the right atmosphere during the opening.
"Interesting…" Wilkie got it. This was a form of "psychological warfare."
"What's nearby, a farm?" Niall asked.
"A polo club, but it's been abandoned," Wilkie replied, clearly familiar with these types of properties.
Polo has always been an aristocratic sport. Over the past couple of years, with the economic crash, so-called "nouveau riche" trying to climb up the social ladder were now falling hard. The once-popular faux-polo clubs, created to affiliate with the wealthy elite, were now folding one after another.
"Let's buy it quickly, the sooner the better," Niall said. After all, it was Wilkie's money; he was just giving advice.
"I'll have someone inquire this afternoon."
Wilkie had already looked into the polo field before, but the area wasn't large enough, so he dropped the idea. Now, it was just a matter of spending a little extra money to merge the land—something that could be done in a day or two.
"By the way, we can set up a rest area near the checkout exit," Niall suggested, since he was already borrowing ideas from later large-scale stores.
"What's that about? Why would a wholesale supermarket need a rest area?" Wilkie was confused.
"It's simple. We can take the items in the market that are about to expire and turn them into cheap food to sell. Even if we just break even, it's better than throwing it all away. Plus, we can offer free coffee, milk, and juice in the rest area. Customers can have unlimited drinks as long as they show a receipt from the day," Niall explained.
These drinks were mass-produced and very cheap—just water and powder mixed together. As long as someone orders a meal, the cost of the drinks would be covered and there would still be plenty of profit left.
But the image it would create was worth a lot. Customers could relax and have a drink after shopping. Some familiar housewives could even turn this into a place to chat and relax. It would build a down-to-earth image for the supermarket, and even their children could have hot milk to drink. It would be great. During summer, they could even switch to offering ice cream made from powdered milk and sugar—free for everyone.
For Wilkie, this small expenditure was negligible. The main goal was to earn political capital and win over voters, not to run a business.
"You've got a knack for this! If you ever became a company manager, you'd definitely succeed," Wilkie agreed and decided to follow through with the plan.
"One week before opening, make sure to hire some paperboys to distribute flyers with the newspapers. As for radio ads…" Niall thought for a moment.
"Buy them!" Wilkie immediately decided. He was putting all his political hopes on the success of the supermarket. As long as it made him popular, he was willing to do whatever it took. After all, his law office made money every day, so spending a little extra was nothing.
It's all about spending where it matters.