America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 48 Shopping at Convenience Stores

"Where are we going now?" asked the person riding the bike right behind us.

"Let's go to the 24-hour convenience store. I still have some shopping vouchers left. I also have a $20 coupon, and Blitz will give us a discount!" Simone, after calming down, still wanted to be shrewd with her calculations.

"Good idea." Zhang Ailun casually agreed, it seems we'll be eating cheap food again.

If this continues, he'll lose muscle. Without a professional nutrition plan and training equipment to maintain his strength, even Superman would lose muscle and strength.

There's no way around it; this is a painful period that everyone who's poor has to go through. Even a starved camel is still bigger than a horse; it's enough for street fights.

Going to the gym seems inexpensive, and you even get free hot showers. But without a proper daily diet, it's just a waste of energy, making you feel weaker the more you train.

The two rode their bikes to the 24-hour convenience store where Blitz worked, just in time for the shift change.

Normally, they would close briefly at this time to check accounts, collect payments, and restock, without serving the public. But since Simone was a regular customer and had acquaintances working there, she could just use the back door.

"Hey! Blitz! How was your day?" Simone parked the car in front of the door, got out, and greeted him warmly.

Blitz chuckled and said, "Not bad, how about you guys?"

He had already taken off his work clothes and changed into his own, preparing to help Sarah tidy up the food truck after get off work. He was used to running between the two places every day.

It was precisely because he saw the other person's plight of being homeless that Blitz chose to lend a helping hand. After a few conversations, he warmed up the relationship and eventually made it a done deal.

"I'm so happy today! Because I fired my boss and became unemployed again, returning to the ranks of the homeless. But at least I got my wages back."

Simone shrugged, trying to find humor in her predicament.

I walked straight into the convenience store, picked up the blue shopping basket, and began shopping as if wandering through the streets and alleys.

I casually greeted the young Black man counting the money at the cash register, "Hey, Bass!"

"Hey! Simone." Little Black was so captivated by Simone that he couldn't move and his eyes widened.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth.

Zhang Ailun glanced at it and thought, "With such white teeth, they must be using Darlie toothpaste, right?"

It's no wonder he was so smitten with the black woman, Simone is a very charming type.

Her ex was a very attractive and handsome guy, even among white people. The fact that she managed to snatch him away from a white woman shows just how powerful she is.

They appeal to both black and white people, perfectly matching the aesthetic preferences of both sides. You can question whether white men are inferior, but you can't deny that they have discerning taste.

Seeing how familiar the two were, Zhang Ailun also walked into the convenience store and greeted Blitz.

This store is quite large, offering a wide variety of snacks and daily necessities. Its location is also quite good, being several communities away from the Beggars' Gang's territory.

If you use Waze for navigation, you'll see that police patrol routes often circle around this area.

Police officers often pass by this street of convenience stores, stopping in to get a free drink or donut, which is specially provided for workers with special needs. The convenience stores also give out shopping vouchers and participate in relief services.

The boss was also very clever; he knew that associating with police officers was equivalent to a business strategy, and participating in public welfare activities could offset taxes. He paid a small price in exchange for a thriving business.

Since they were paying protection money anyway, the other side preferred to let the police officers get away with it for free rather than be vandalized, looted, and burned.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to continue working if people were buying things for free every day; who could stand that?

Zhang Ailun stood next to Blitz and glanced at the glass display case in the discount area, somewhat surprised.

"They even have grilled fish? Oden?"

Eel rice? Sashimi? Ramen? What kind of restaurant is this? It smells like a run-down place. It doesn't taste like the authentic West Coast stuff; it's all from Zatoichi in 1966.

"The owner of this convenience store is from Japan. In addition to this convenience store, he also runs a Japanese restaurant on another street."

Blitz explained, "At the owner's request, this place also serves many Japanese exchange students on weekdays. In the evenings, a lot of leftover Japanese food that is nearing its expiration date is delivered to the shelves for sale, and they seem to have gotten used to buying these discounted dishes of the day."

"I see." Zhang Ailun said with a hint of regret. It was such a pity that no one usually came to this store for the free purchase.

Turning around, I went to buy the ingredients I wanted. After all, it was a Dutch treat, and I felt a little embarrassed after getting a free meal last time. This time, I had some money in my pocket, so I was determined to treat myself and get plenty of nutrition and protein.

Let's have a good meal!

He took out his phone and texted Dominic to ask what he wanted to eat.

I received a very casual reply from the other party.

Sig, however, wanted to eat Italian sausage.

Zhang Ailun glanced around and saw that there were no Italian sausages, but there were plenty of grilled sausages.

A grilled sausage costs only $1, and the red sign also has the bold text "All grilled food is $1".

The price is reasonable.

However, the cans we found are still stored in the camp, and we haven't redeemed them yet.

You want to overspend, right?

Great! Pressure is a great motivator!

The Grand Master admires you.

Zhang Ailun decided to fulfill their dream by giving them several extra sausages, one for each person.

Simone carefully selected many sandwiches and fruit salads from the discount section. When it was time to pay, she took out her shopping vouchers to swipe her card and used coupons to buy a large bag of fries. In the end, she only paid an extra $2.8 on the bill.

Among them were some near-expiry foods that Xiao Hei had specially picked out for her, the kind that could be ordered within three or four hours of being taken off the shelves, saving her a lot of money. Sandwiches were $1.5 each, and hamburgers were $0.99 each. The bizarrely called cinnamon and star anise milk tea was $0.5 a cup.

You really can't buy this outside, right?

Zhang Ailun didn't hold back at all, picking only high-calorie, high-protein options: grilled fish, grilled meat, oden, and sashimi. Tempura was out of the question, and the fried shrimp, eggplant, and vegetables didn't seem very appealing.

Give us several servings of eel rice, one serving per person!

Xiao Hei was a little stunned when he paid the bill. "Hey buddy, are you here to buy supplies?"

Surely a few people can't eat that much?

This makes it impossible to time it perfectly, since it's a newly arrived product; it's a bit too much to ask.

I can't wait until I get off work tomorrow morning, can I? I might as well just buy it for free and take it home.

"Bro, I earn money to spend, not to save it," Zhang Ailun said confidently. "This isn't just for me. Several other people asked me to help them buy these."

"Okay, you don't have a shopping voucher? A coupon? It's $60 in total." Xiao Hei nodded.

It's rare to spend $60 at a convenience store.

After all, the Japanese food displayed here, if not leftovers, is certainly nearing its expiration date.

Many people specifically wait until evening to shop at convenience stores and buy late-night snacks, drawn by the cheap prices. Working the night shift is quite leisurely, but the risk factor is a bit high.

Xiao Hei glanced at the goods that were half gone and could imagine how those Japanese exchange students must have fought tooth and nail to find that there was almost no stock left, worried that they wouldn't be able to eat the food from their hometown.

If you're eating food that's about to expire every day, what's the point of studying abroad?

"Blitz, remember to come back early for dinner tonight! We'll save you a seat, and some new friends will be coming too." After saying goodbye, Zhang Ailun and Simone left with shopping bags and tied them to the car.

"I'll head back once I've finished taking care of things," Blitz said with a smile and a wave. "I'll also bring back two cases of beer."

Convenience stores mainly stock near-expiry foods, and they need to restock every day when shifts change. Unsold items are removed from the shelves, so it's better to take them home than waste them.

As an employee of the store, Blitz has an obligation to help the boss deal with those troubles.

P.S.: Thank you bbbxaa for the 500-coin donation, thank you 炎热的小河夏天 for the 100-coin donation, thank you 五明宫主 for the 100-coin donation, and thank you —Winds for the 100-coin donation.

(End of this chapter)