Chapter 417

January 28th,

5 days until the Spring Festival Eve on February 3rd.

Five-Star Supermarket, Harbour City, officially opens!

Kangjia Supermarket, Mong Kok Center, officially opens!

Because of those 2+200 million red packets, the opening of these two supermarkets attracted the attention of citizens across Hong Kong.

8 o'clock in the morning...

ATV directly dispatched news helicopters to film the pre-opening preparations of the two supermarkets.

ATV first filmed the Kangjia Supermarket in Mong Kok Center:

"Dear citizens, everyone can take a look at the location of Kangjia Supermarket now..."

The helicopter filmed from above, showing a large number of dense buildings and 2-lane roads.

"Its location is next to the West Kowloon Corridor and next to the Mong Kok MTR station."

"Citizens who want to come here to shop, please take note..."

"If you drive here, you might not find a place to park, or there will simply be a major traffic jam because the traffic conditions are not good..."

"If you come by MTR, you also need to be careful. The 'Mong Kok Station' might be very crowded, and congestion might occur..."

"In short, Boss Li's red packets are there, estimated at 12 million. Everyone don't be in a hurry; off-peak shopping is the way to go."

"By the way, updating a new piece of news now: Boss Li, perhaps out of concern for traffic conditions, has canceled the live performances by singers. We hope all citizens of Hong Kong are informed."

Then,

the ATV news helicopter started flying toward Harbour City.

"Next, we have arrived at the Five-Star Supermarket in Harbour City..."

"In terms of traffic, there is a mature underground and above-ground parking lot system here in Harbour City, close to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, and the traffic is very convenient..."

"In addition, Five-Star Group has invited the famous singer Wu Ying to perform live for 2 hours. Furthermore, Legislative Councilor Mr. Liu Hua will also bring his song 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' to wish all citizens of Hong Kong a Happy New Year in advance..."

"In addition, we must announce a surprise piece of news brought by Five-Star Group: the Five-Star Supermarket in the Central and Western District is also holding a Spring Festival gift-giving event... there will be 100 million in cash red packets for all customers to draw, celebrating the New Year together!"

Once this news was broadcast, it again sparked heated discussion among citizens on the streets and alleys.

In a tea restaurant in Yau Tsim Mong, a group of neighbors were eating breakfast.

"This Kangjia Supermarket location is not very convenient. There's no place to park if you drive, and you have to squeeze if you take the MTR. I was originally thinking of going to grab a red packet, but now I'm a bit hesitant."

"It's better to go to Five-Star Supermarket. The traffic is convenient, and there's Wu Ying singing. This is too exciting!"

"Even if there are too many people in Harbour City, you can go to other malls in Harbour City, and you can also see the scenery... If you go to Mong Kok, I'm afraid you won't be able to get out or get in when the time comes."

Citizens across Yau Tsim Mong, as well as Kowloon East and the New Territories, saw the news and had the same thought.

"It's too much of a hassle for us old folks to go to Mong Kok. Let's go to the Five-Star Supermarket in Harbour City."

"I was originally looking forward to the red packet activities of both supermarkets, but the traffic situation at Kangjia Supermarket is really daunting. By comparison, Five-Star Supermarket is simply perfect."

"Five-Star Supermarket not only has stars helping out but also has simultaneous events at branches. This is true sincerity; we must go and support it."

Many families also started to re-plan their shopping plans. Those who originally planned to go to Kangjia Supermarket turned to choose Five-Star Supermarket one after another.

And the citizens of Hong Kong Island were originally disappointed that the Five-Star Supermarket in the Central and Western District didn't have a 100 million subsidy.

But today it was announced that there is a subsidy!

100 million HKD!

Brother Zu is really warm-hearted; he hasn't forgotten us old supporters.

Brother Zu, loyalty!

*Bang*~~~~

Kangjia Supermarket, dispatch center.

Boss Li arrived here early to sit in command!

When he saw this on TV, his face was very dark.

His face was dark not because ATV reported it randomly, but because of himself, because of his subordinates—why didn't they consider the traffic problem when choosing the location before?

Why did they choose Mong Kok at the time?

Right, location advantage!

Central location, radiating to more areas.

At the time, they even mocked Director Guan Zu for opening in Harbour City, saying it was too remote and not city-center enough.

As a result, looking at it now,

*Damn*!

The clown turned out to be myself!

Boss Li couldn't help but think of the Five-Star Supermarket in the Central and Western District, which could withstand such great customer traffic pressure entirely by relying on surrounding parking spaces, the MTR, and parking attendants.

At the time, he was only focused on copying Five-Star Supermarket, so he didn't fully consider the problems of traffic and parking.

"I just hope nothing goes wrong with today's opening!"

8 o'clock sharp, 1 hour until the opening of Five-Star Supermarket, Harbour City was already bustling with activity.

At this time,

in front of the square where Five-Star Supermarket is located, there were red balloon dragons, red flowers, couplets, lanterns everywhere... all kinds of red festive decorations welcoming the Spring Festival, a riot of color.

Citizens arriving by MTR, bus, and walking poured in from all directions like a tide, crowding the square in front of the supermarket.

Family groups with young and old were everywhere, as well as young couples and many elderly neighbors.

Vehicles drove slowly toward the parking lot like a long dragon, searching for empty spaces in an orderly manner under the direction of experienced parking attendants.

8:30, the crowd became denser. Looking out, it was a sea of heads, like a surging ocean of people.

As time passed, more and more people gathered.

By 8:50, the scene was already a sea of people, and the noise had reached its peak.

Finally, at 9 o'clock sharp, Five-Star Supermarket officially opened.

"Don't crowd, enter in an orderly manner~~~~~"

The loudspeaker sound was exceptionally loud amidst the noise.

Under the patient guidance of the staff, citizens lined up in neat rows and slowly entered the supermarket.

Once they stepped into the supermarket, people were instantly shocked by its spacious and bright interior environment.

On the high ceiling, bright lights sprinkled down like stars, and soft light illuminated every shelf and product.

The supermarket's space was extremely open, and looking at it, it seemed endless. The shelves were filled with a dazzling array of goods—food, daily necessities, fresh produce, etc., everything one could expect to find.

All kinds of products were beautifully packaged and neatly arranged on the shelves.

In one word, pleasing to the eye!

In addition, there was another feature: bright red lanterns were hung everywhere in the supermarket, strings of lanterns hung down from the ceiling, golden "Fu" character stickers were pasted on the edges of shelves and walls, and exquisite Spring Festival couplets were also cleverly arranged in various areas...

The entire supermarket was immersed in a festive ocean of red, allowing all citizens to feel the thick festive atmosphere!

Soon,

at 9:40, the number of customers in the supermarket exceeded 8,000.

The supermarket quickly responded, limiting the flow of people outside.

"Dear citizens and friends, we are very sorry, because the number of customers in the supermarket has reached 8,000... very sorry!"

And at this time,

on the square outside the supermarket, Wu Ying finally stepped onto the stage and started singing for the waiting citizens.

During the period, Ah Hua was invited to the stage to sing.

"I wish you wealth, I wish you brilliance, the best come over, the bad please walk away..."

"Wish everyone smiles often, use your heart to irrigate love, tomorrow we will be even more amazing..."

"Swaggering, Letian will eliminate disasters for you, wish you wealth, shout it out boldly..."

"I wish you wealth, I wish you brilliance!"

The festive song instantly plunged all citizens into cheers.

That's right!

Wish you wealth!

In the new year, you must make a fortune! (To book friends!)

Everyone hummed along to the rhythm, and the atmosphere at the scene was extremely warm. Inside the supermarket, some citizens couldn't wait to start checking out and ran to draw red packets.

I saw a young mother holding her child's hand, walking toward the lottery area with a face full of anticipation. The child was jumping up and down on the side, shouting excitedly:

"Mom, draw quickly, draw quickly!"

Soon the mother drew a red packet.

"Wow, it's 50 HKD! So lucky!"

The child cheered, little hands clapping non-stop.

Beside them, an elderly man with gray hair also tremblingly drew a red packet. After opening it and seeing it was 100 HKD, he smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Good, good, this good omen for the New Year is really good!"

Some people drew 10 yuan and felt it was a pity, but thinking that this money was obtained for free, they became happy again.

The entire lottery area was filled with laughter, making the festive atmosphere inside the supermarket even stronger.

!. Read

Backstage, dispatch center.

Director Guan Zu, Tan Tan Meili, and others had been controlling the entire opening process through monitoring and reports from various groups.

"It seems that this opening is a success!"

"I don't know what the situation is with Boss Li..."

"*Hehehe*~~~~"

On the other side,

Kangjia Supermarket in Mong Kok Center was also a sea of people.

At 8:20, the surrounding roads were already blocked by vehicles, the 2-lane road was a major traffic jam, and drivers were honking their horns one by one.

"The *damn* people in front, hurry up and drive forward!"

The "Mong Kok Station" of the MTR was also overcrowded, with crowds squeezed together in the narrow passages and platforms, people moving with difficulty through the crowd, trying to get to the supermarket.

"*Damn* it, I shouldn't have come if I knew!"

"Miserable!"

"For this red packet, I almost lost my life!"

As time passed, the traffic situation worsened.

By 9 o'clock, the long dragon of traffic jams was already 1 kilometer long, and the vehicles were like giant beasts trapped in a quagmire, unable to move.

Chen Chen Jiaju, that miserable guy, was again working as a traffic policeman, busy and flustered at the scene, constantly blowing his whistle, trying to direct traffic, but with it blocked like this, it was useless even if the police came.

Many traffic police, patrol police, and PTU police started cursing internally.

Boss Li, I *damn* you!

And the inexperienced parking attendants (cattle and horses employees) shuttled through the chaos, looking for gaps to park, but often caused more chaos and arguments.

Finally, Kangjia Supermarket opened.

"Opened, opened!"

The long-awaited crowd poured into the supermarket like a broken dam.

After entering the supermarket, people found that the interior decoration was high-end and bright, the products were neatly arranged, all kinds of goods were placed in an orderly manner, and there were all kinds of festive lanterns... Spring Festival decorations...

It really had 90% of the excellent performance of Five-Star Supermarket!

"Not bad, not bad!"

"Didn't come in vain!"

"Okay, okay!"

By 9:40, it was full, and the supermarket started to limit the flow of people like Five-Star Supermarket.

"Dear citizens and friends, very sorry... in order to ensure everyone's safety and shopping experience, we have temporarily stopped new customers from entering. We are very sorry for the unpleasant experience brought to the citizens!"

"Our supermarket has prepared enough melon and fruit water, please wait patiently for the citizens outside..."

Once the advertisement came out,

everyone expressed understanding... well, temporarily understood!

However, after a long time, they became impatient.

Why?

Too boring!

After all, they were all standing squeezed together, and there was no singer performing like at Five-Star Supermarket to relieve their boredom.

The longer it took, the more impatient they became.

"*Damn* it, when can we go in!"

"I want to draw a red packet!"

"*Damn*, I don't even want this red packet anymore!"

"I want to go back, I want to go back!"

"Go back? Go back to *damn* where, it's all blocked!"

All the waiting citizens started to become irritable, and the smell of gunpowder grew stronger.

And inside the supermarket,

chaos also appeared.

Because of the various discount regulations for that 100 million HKD, because there were too many rules, it led to trouble for the staff to handle, and trouble meant it would take a lot of time...

This was not the time for data processing by large computer computing centers like Alibaba and JD in later generations.

Everything was manual operation.

Usually, it wouldn't matter if there weren't many people, but now that there were so many people, trouble appeared.

"*Damn* it, I've been queuing for 20 minutes and haven't checked out yet!"

"What are you doing? If you don't know how to do discounts, don't do them, wasting everyone's time!"

"Right, wasting everyone's time!"

"Hurry up, I don't want your *damn* discounts, I just want to draw a red packet!"

The staff were scolded to tears.

"Sorry, sorry!"

"We've been as fast as possible!"

"Fast your *damn* head!"

"Sorry, sorry..."

The entire checkout system crashed directly.

It had been less than an hour since opening, and there were still 12 hours left to fight today!

How to do it?

Dispatch center,

Boss Li, who was sitting in command, received news from the staff maintaining order outside the supermarket, news from the parking group, news from the checkout group...

There were too many people, and all links had collapsed!

Boss Li: Numb!

(End of chapter)