A month later.
The sun was bright that morning, shining over the newly constructed building in West Arcadia. The building looked fresh and clean. The painting still had some remaining smell, and the perimeters still had some dust and dirt on them.
Gray stood in front of the entrance with Joel, Mara, and Marcus beside him. Behind them, the new employees were lined up. There were about 50 of them. They were all wearing their fresh uniforms.
Some were fidgeting with their name tags, while others were whispering quietly among themselves. Each one was trying to hide their excitement.
"It’s hard to believe that it’s finally done," Marcus said with a grin, folding his arms. "Three months went by fast."
Gray nodded as he looked around. Everything was already done. All they needed to do was stock up the inside, clean a little, and test-run everything.
"Yeah," Gray said softly. "It did."
"You’ve done well, Boss!" Joel smiled beside Gray. "All that’s left is for our staff to be familiar with everything! And then we’ll be ready to open."
"Yeah," Gray looked at the group behind them. Most of them looked nervous. He smiled a little and stepped forward to catch their attention.
"Before we start," he said in a calm tone, "I just want to say something."
Because of the seriousness of his voice, everyone stopped talking to look at him.
"This place," he muttered before glancing around the store, "is more than just another branch. It’s proof of what we can do when we work together. Every corner of this store came from people who worked hard and cared about doing things right."
He kept quiet for a second and gave them a reassuring look.
"You’re all part of that now. So take pride in this place. Treat it like your own. If you take care of it, then I promise that I’ll take care of you, too, in return."
With his words, the employees couldn’t help but nod. Some smiled widely, while some became more nervous.
Joel stepped up beside Gray.
"We’ll start the tour now with the lead of our beloved boss," he said warmly. "You’ll each be assigned to a section by the end of the day. We’ll go over schedules, rules, and how things work as we walk."
"Thanks for that, Joel," Gray nodded. "Now, let’s head inside and see it."
It will be everyone’s first time looking at the final construction, except Gray and Marcus, whose opinions were important for the construction. That was why Gray was excited to reveal everything to everyone.
As Gray began to walk, everyone followed him closely from behind.
The automatic doors slid open with a soft sound, and the group entered together. The lights inside were bright. What immediately greeted them was the neat rows of shelves and shiny new equipment.
Marcus and Gray led the way.
"Do you see the rows of fridges in there? That will be for produce. You have to make sure the temperature stays the same temperature everyday. Then, for the cashiers, you will take turns on the front counters. Break room’s through that door on the back side. We will go there later for you to check."
"Yes Sir!" Everyone quickly replied.
Gray chuckled after watching everyone’s reactions. It reminded him of his first time meeting the staff at the first store, too. The feeling was a mixture of excitement and uncertainty.
As they continued walking through the store, Gray noticed how each of the new employees seemed eager to look around. Some of them quietly whispered things like "Wow" or "It’s bigger than I thought."
Gray led the way down the first aisle, explaining each section as they passed.
"This area will be for dry goods such as canned food, condiments, and all that. Keep things arranged properly so it’s easy for customers to find what they need. Clean the shelves every morning before opening."
Everyone nodded quickly, a few even taking notes on their small notebooks.
Joel followed behind, adding, "And if something runs out, don’t wait until it’s empty to restock. Always report it to your section leader early. That way, we won’t have empty shelves during rush hours."
"Yes, Sir!" several employees answered at once, once again.
Gray smiled quietly. The group’s energy reminded him of his old employees back at the main branch.
After a few more turns, they reached the back area. Joel opened the door to show them the staff room. "This is your break room," he said. "You have lockers here, a small kitchen corner, and tables where you can eat or rest during breaks. Please keep it clean. Remember to respect each other’s space."
Some of the employees murmured in approval. "It’s nice here," one of them whispered, impressed by the simple but comfortable setup.
The group stepped inside, and almost everyone paused at the doorway the moment they saw the room.
It was much bigger than anyone expected. It was easily double the size compared to the one at the first branch. The floor was tiled and clean. There were also a few boxes of furniture around already.
On the right side, there was a really small kitchen. There’s a long counter with a sink, an electric kettle, and a new microwave already plugged in. On the other side, there was a row of neatly arranged cabinets and lockers that lined the wall.
In the middle of the room, there were boxes of tables that had yet to be assembled. There was also a sofa on the back side that was still wrapped by plastic. And all around, there’s boxed coffee tables and even a brand new tv.
"Woah!"
"This is so nice!"
"This is complete with things!"
The employees exchanged surprised looks with one another.
Gray playfully grinned. He was clearly pleased with their reactions. "I told you it’d be nice here. You’ll be spending a lot of time here, so we made sure it’s comfortable."
"You all deserve a proper space to rest. It’s one of the things we wanted to improve from the first store." Joel nodded at it. He agreed with Gray’s words.
"This is your space," Gray said, turning back to the group. "Use it well, and take care of it."
The employees nodded eagerly, still glancing around the room with widened eyes. The mood lightened up, and some of them started chatting with each other to express their excitement.
It was as if they hit a jackpot with Gray as their boss!