Game Market 1983

Chapter 20: Conquer the American Market!!

"Let's hang in there a bit longer, shall we?"

Toy World was not just a store here; it was a chain store that had several massive branches in other cities as well. As big as it was, it attracted a considerable crowd, and every toy company hoped to have their products stocked here.

Was that why? Toy World rarely placed orders directly with toy companies, and usually, the sales representative would visit with samples and catalogs, requesting orders.

After briefly touring Toy World, I quietly pushed open the store's door.

"It's so grand."

The interior of the store seemed even more luxurious compared to half a year ago. It was almost like a toy kingdom you'd see in a movie. However, I still couldn't find the video game corner inside.

"It's still the same."

Surveying the store with a thoughtful expression, I noticed that many people, especially families with kids, were happily selecting toys. Seeing the happy faces of the children, my own mood started to improve. At that moment, a child tugged on their mother's hand and asked a question.

"Mommy, where can I find M.E.S and Super Marigi?"

"Well, with such a vast store, I'm not quite sure. But in a store this big, there must be somewhere that carries them, right? Maybe we should ask one of the store employees."

Oh, are they here to buy M.E.S.? While I was browsing the toys in a corner of the store, my curiosity was piqued, and I followed them at a reasonable distance.

"Excuse me, do you sell game consoles where we can play Super Marigi here?"

The child's mother seemed clueless about M.E.S., and in response, the store clerk adjusted their glasses and replied with a bright smile.

"Would you come this way, please?"

Huh? As far as I knew, Toy World didn't stock Nintendo devices, so what was the store clerk about to introduce? I raised my eyebrows quizzically and followed them. After a short walk, the store employee guided us to a secluded area in the corner of the store, where they had displayed Atari's struggling inventory.

"Currently, we are offering Atari's gaming consoles from the largest American game company at a very affordable price. Cartridges are also available for around 1 dollar each. It's much better than the expensive M.E.S, which doesn't have many games yet."

...Is this guy trying to scam the customers? I stared at them in disbelief. At that moment, the child holding their mother's hand asked a question.

"I want M.E.S. I want to play Deokhun and Super Marigi."

"Sweetie, all games are somewhat similar. Nintendo will also release cartridges for Atari soon if you just wait a bit."

"Oh? Is that true?"

"Who said they'd release Super Marigi for the failed Atari 2600 console?"

Unable to stand it any longer, I approached them, and the surprised store clerk gave me a scrutinizing look and protested.

"Who... who are you?"

I walked up to them and handed a business card to the child's mother before replying.

"Hello. I'm a staff member from the M.E.S. company, and the games and console your child wants aren't planned to be released by this store's recommended Atari. There's a small toy store called Toybox about three blocks down the road from here. If you show them this business card, the store owner will kindly explain everything to you."

"Oh, thank you."

The child's mother nodded and, along with her child, left the store. Meanwhile, the store clerk who had missed a sale due to my interference glared at me and started accusing me.

"Who do you think you are, coming to someone else's store and diverting customers?"

"Yeah, and who do you think you are, confusing customers with baseless claims?"

"What did you say? Is this yellow monkey trying to pick a fight with me?"

"Are you ignoring me because I'm Asian? Is this how you treat customers here?"

As the store clerk argued with me, the onlookers' attention started to focus on us. Just then, Smith, the employee who had confronted me during my previous visit with Yamashita, rushed over and tried to calm us down.

"What's going on, Jason?"

"This person approached a customer I was attending to, redirected them to another store, and interfered with our sales. It's clearly obstruction of business."

When Smith turned his head to look at me, his expression stiffened.

"Who are you...?"

"Hello, Smith. How have you been?"

"You were an M.H.E.S employee, right?"

"You have a good memory, don't you? We met only once back then."

"Your name is Mr. Kang, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's right."

"If you have some time, our manager would like to meet you again. Can you spare a moment?"

Huh...? Why would I want to see that guy again? I glanced at my wristwatch and replied to Smith.

"I'm afraid I'm busy with a meeting at the moment, so I should head back. I'll get in touch later. If it's urgent, you can contact our M.H.E.S office."

"Would they even have the courage to call and lower their heads to make the call?"

After handing my business card to Smith, I left the store. Days passed, and there was no word from Toy World. They were probably too busy clearing Atari's struggling inventory to pay attention to calls. The more they act like this, the more their reputation suffers. It seems the owner of Toy World knows one thing but remains ignorant about everything else.

&

Whenever I returned from an external visit, my desk was piled high with approval documents. Most of them were contract papers for incentives and display fees for new stores. Ellis had a habit of sorting these documents by time and then neatly stacking them for my review and signature. That was the primary task back at the head office. But one day...

"Manager, this is an inquiry from a customer. Would you like to take a look?"

"Hmm? From a customer?"

"Recently, customers have been complaining that the prices of our products vary significantly from one store to another."

"Really? We've implemented a uniform pricing policy at the stores we manage, haven't we?"

"It seems there's a supply shortage, leading to a premium price in some places."

"Hah, it's so successful it's selling at a premium."

With a long sigh, I opened the letter from a customer.

-To the M.H.E.S Sales Representative-

I am a mother of a child who loves playing games. Our child is particularly fond of Super Marigi. Whenever they come back from school, they talk about Super Marigi, Marigi Brothers. They often urge us to play these games with their friends.

How many parents in this world can resist their child's wishes? Although I'm worried about their studies, I ended up purchasing M.E.S from Toy World last week because they wanted it so badly.

Wait a minute, she bought M.E.S from Toy World? This is strange. This sounds a bit odd.

As you may know, Toy World is a very large toy store known for handling products from various companies and enjoys a high level of trust due to the large number of customers it attracts. However, I was shocked to find that the price of M.E.S was excessively high.

Even if it includes a toy gun and a robot, the price of $299 seemed way too high to me.

$299... Not $200 or $300, but $100 more than that!? I couldn't believe it and began to read the letter carefully.

Although our child really wanted it, as far as I know, the price of M.E.S is $199, so I asked the store employee how such a price difference could occur, but I didn't receive a satisfactory answer. Other stores nearby also sell M.E.S, but the prices were similar to Toy World's. In my opinion, there must be a problem here.

I kindly request that M.H.E.S thoroughly investigate this matter so that consumers are not further harmed.

"Argh, this is crazy..."

"I read it too, and I was really angry. How can they do such a shameless thing at the most famous toy company in the United States?"

"It's because it makes money..."

"What?"

"I'm going to visit the Toy World store mentioned here for now. Ellis, please temporarily stop the delivery of all devices currently being prepared for shipment to each store until this issue is resolved."

"M-Manager, what are you saying!?"

"I mean to suspend inventory distribution until this matter is resolved."

I quickly put on my coat, opened the office door, and left. I got into a taxi waiting in front of the company and headed to the Toy World branch in question. After a brief moment of deep breath, I opened the store door.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Toy World! A land full of joy and wonder."

"As if we'd be welcome, you swindlers!!"

As soon as I entered the store and responded in Korean to the welcoming greeting from the staff, they looked at me with puzzled expressions.

"Huh?"

After clearing my throat for a moment, I asked in English.

"I'm here to buy M.E.S. Do you sell it here?"

"Ah~ Of course. Please come this way~"

The employee led me to the counter, satisfied that I could converse in English, and then asked with a bright smile if I wanted the game. I nodded, and when I asked about the price, they replied, raising the corners of their mouth slightly.

"Thank you. It's $299."

"... Is this guy kidding?"

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