A year had passed, and Pick Your Product was flooded with customers. The store was doing
exceptionally well, and the staff members were constantly on their feet, assisting customers all
over the place. Everyone was working hard to ensure that each and every customer was
satisfied with the service they received.
It was a busy day, just like any other.
As I made my way towards the office to greet Mr Adams, I noticed a new staff member standing
in front of his desk. The young woman had a panicked expression on her face, and she looked
as though she had no idea what to do.
Mr Adams stood in front of her with his arms folded, glaring daggers at the poor woman. From
the look on his face, it was obvious that he wasn't pleased about something.
This lady only started working here two days ago. Is she really in trouble already? I wondered to
myself.
I slowed my pace, curious about what could have happened. Whatever it was, it couldn't have
been good. Mr Adams wasn't exactly known for being the most understanding person in the
store, especially when it came to his employees.
As I walked closer to the office, I could hear his voice echoing through the doorway.
"Why didn't you greet me?" he demanded.
The young woman remained silent, looking increasingly uncomfortable as he continued.
"When you walk into this store, the first person you greet is me! Don't just ignore me as if I don't
exist."
I stopped for a moment, listening to the conversation. The poor woman looked completely
shocked. She probably hadn't expected to get into trouble over something as simple as not
greeting the manager.
But with Mr Adams, even the smallest things could turn into a problem.
"Try coming into this store again without greeting me, and I'll take my truck, run you over, and
put it in reverse again!" he threatened. "We greet in this place!"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
The young woman stood frozen for a moment before finally leaving Mr Adams's office. She had
a look of horror on her face, and as soon as she stepped onto the shop floor, she began
greeting everyone she came across.
I couldn't blame her. After an experience like that, I probably would have done the same thing.
As I watched her hurry past the shelves, I shook my head slightly.
Two days on the job, and she's already going through this?
Working at Pick Your Product certainly wasn't always easy.
Just as I was about to enter the office, one of my fellow staff members, Dylan, caught my
attention. He stopped me in my tracks before I could take another step.
"Hey, Layla! Come here. I wanna tell you something!"
I turned towards him, raising an eyebrow.
"What is it, Dylan?"
He motioned for me to come closer. There was something different about him that day. He
looked unusually excited, and the smile on his face made me curious.
Whatever he wanted to tell me, I had a feeling it was something important. I walked over to him, waiting for him to speak.
Dylan looked around briefly before turning his attention back to me. His expression was
practically bursting with excitement.
"I just wanna give you the good news," he announced.
I tilted my head, trying to guess what he was talking about.
"Oh, wait! Don't tell me. Did our store win the Customer Service Award?"
"Nope!"
His answer came so quickly that I immediately knew I had guessed wrong.
I folded my arms, pretending to think.
"Then what is it?"
"Even better!" he exclaimed, his smile growing even wider.
I stared at him, waiting impatiently for him to continue.
"Mr Adams is leaving in six months!" he revealed. "The store will be getting a new manager, so
no more being tormented by Mr Vincent Adams!"
For a moment, I simply stood there.
I was completely frozen.
I hadn't expected to hear that, especially not from Dylan, who looked as though someone had
just handed him the best news of his life.
Mr Adams was leaving?
In six months?
I blinked, trying to process what he had just told me.
"Wow, that's good news," I finally uttered, although my reaction was a little more confused than I
had intended.
Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the news. On the one hand, having a new
manager could mean a fresh start for everyone. Perhaps things would finally become a little
easier around the store.
On the other hand, I didn't know what kind of manager would replace Mr Adams. There was
always the possibility that the next one could be just as difficult, if not worse.
Still, I couldn't deny that the thought of Mr Vincent Adams leaving Pick Your Product was
enough to make anyone curious about the future.
Dylan, however, seemed to have already made up his mind about the situation.
He looked absolutely delighted.
And judging by the reactions of the other staff members, he wasn't the only one.
The employees of Pick Your Product had already started counting down the days until Mr
Adams's departure. Some were probably looking forward to the change more than others, but
one thing was certain: the news had spread quickly.
Six months.
That was all we had to wait.
Or so I thought.
Just as Dylan and I were about to continue our conversation, Mr Adams appeared behind us.
He was making his way back from the office towards the shop floor, and I immediately
straightened up when I noticed him.
"Layla, I have some important news to share with you," he said.
I turned to face him. "With me, Mr Adams?"
"Yes. Come into the office."
He gestured towards the office, and I followed him inside.
As I walked behind him, I couldn't help thinking about what Dylan had just told me.
Dylan has already spoiled everything, I thought to myself.
I had assumed Mr Adams wanted to discuss his departure. Perhaps he wanted to explain what
would happen to the store after he left, or maybe he had some other information about the new
manager.
Whatever it was, I was ready to hear it.
Or at least, I thought I was.
Mr Adams walked over to his desk and picked up a document before turning towards me.
"I have a new contract for you."
I stared at him.
"A new contract?"
He nodded and placed the document in front of me.
"Our store has expanded, and we'll be launching a new project. I need you to help make it
grow."
I looked down at the contract, then back at him.
A new project?
What exactly was he talking about?
Curiosity got the better of me, and I picked up a piece of paper lying on the desk. Written across
it in bold black letters were two words:
FAST ENOUGH.
I read the words a second time, trying to make sense of them.
"What's this, Mr Adams?" I asked, holding up the paper.
"It's called Fast Enough," he explained. "This project is for customers who are too tired or too
busy to come into the store and shop for themselves. We're introducing online shopping to our
retail store for the first time."
I looked at him in surprise.
Online shopping?
At Pick Your Product?
That was certainly something I hadn't expected.
Mr Adams continued explaining the project, seemingly pleased with the idea.
"And for this, we need pickers. You'll be undergoing training for the position. I thought of you
because you already know your way around the store."
I listened carefully as he explained what would be expected of me.
"You'll receive a device that shows you what the customers want to purchase. You'll use it to
locate their items inside the store and prepare their orders. Once you've finished picking the
items, a driver will arrive to collect the order and deliver it to the customer."
I glanced down at the contract again.
The idea sounded simple enough when he explained it like that. Find the items, prepare the
order, and let the driver handle the delivery.
But something about the entire arrangement made me feel as though there was more to it than I
was being told. I had spent plenty of time working on the shop floor, assisting customers and helping them find
whatever they needed. I knew the store well enough to navigate its aisles without much
difficulty.
However, preparing online orders for customers was an entirely different responsibility.
I wasn't sure whether I was ready for that kind of change.
I looked up at Mr Adams, still trying to understand exactly what he expected from me.
"I don't think I understand," I admitted.
He let out a small sigh before leaning back slightly.
"Let me explain it in simple terms, Layla. You'll be helping customers in an entirely different way.
Instead of them coming into the store to shop, you'll be doing the shopping for them."
I took a small step back, allowing his words to sink in.
"So, basically, I'm shopping on behalf of the customers?"
"Exactly."
I pressed my lips together, thinking about everything that would be involved.
The customers would be depending on me to select their groceries, make sure their orders were
correct, and prepare everything for delivery. I would have to work quickly while ensuring that I
didn't make mistakes.
And that was only part of the responsibility.
I glanced at the contract once more before looking back at Mr Adams.
"Mr Adams, you know I can't do this alone, right?"
He nodded as though he had been expecting me to say that.
"I know. That's why you need a team."
I waited for him to continue.
"Within a week, I'll put together a team for you. Once the team has been gathered, your training
will begin immediately. After that, Pick Your Product will officially go live with Fast Enough."
I took a moment to process everything he had just explained.
A new project. A new team. Training. Online shopping.
It was a lot to take in at once.
Nevertheless, I understood that this was a serious opportunity, and Mr Adams clearly believed I
was capable of handling it.
Even so, I couldn't help feeling a little nervous about what lay ahead.
"I understand, Mr Adams," I replied.
I paused for a moment before another question crossed my mind.
"But why is it called Fast Enough?"
Mr Adams gave me a small smile.
"The position requires you to be fast, Layla. Fast enough to ensure that the customers' groceries
are picked and delivered on time. Speed is important, but so is making sure that the customers
receive exactly what they ordered."
I nodded slowly.
That made sense.
"And since you know your way around the shop floor so well, I doubt you'll struggle with this," he
added confidently.
I wasn't entirely convinced, but I appreciated his confidence in me.
Perhaps I could do this after all. I picked up the contract and held it in my hands, giving it one last look before turning towards
the door.
"Thank you, Mr Adams."
With that, I left the office.
As soon as I stepped back onto the shop floor, I let out a quiet breath.
I had walked into the office expecting an ordinary day at work, only to walk out with an entirely
new responsibility.
Things were certainly beginning to change at Pick Your Product.
And with Mr Adams leaving in six months, I had a feeling the next few months were going to be
anything but ordinary.
For the rest of the day, I decided not to take on too much extra work. Instead, I figured I would
spend my time doing floor walks, checking on the staff, and making sure everything was running
smoothly.
I had enough on my mind already.
The thought of starting a new project, learning new responsibilities, and eventually managing an
entirely new team was more than enough to keep me occupied.
I walked through the store, checking the aisles and observing how the staff were handling the
steady flow of customers.
Everything seemed to be running as usual.
Customers were moving from one aisle to another, staff members were assisting wherever they
could, and the familiar sounds of the store filled the air.
For a little while, I allowed myself to forget about the contract and simply focus on my usual
duties.
Still, the thought of Fast Enough lingered in the back of my mind.
What would the training be like?
Who would be joining my team?
And would I really be able to handle everything Mr Adams was expecting from me?
I didn't have the answers yet, but I supposed I would find out soon enough.
As I continued my floor walk, I eventually found myself heading back towards the office.
Mr Adams was nearby, and I decided there was one more thing I wanted to ask him.
"Mr Adams?"
He turned towards me.
"Yes, Layla?"
I hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how to phrase my question.
"So, is it true that you're leaving in six months?"
For a brief moment, he simply looked at me.
Then, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"This is going to be the best six months of my life," he replied.
He paused, his smile growing slightly.
"So, let the countdown begin."
I stood there for a moment, watching him before turning back towards the shop floor.
Six months.
That was all the time we had left with Mr Vincent Adams as our manager.And judging by the way he had spoken, he seemed far more excited about his departure than I
had expected.
I didn't know what the next six months would bring, or how much our lives at Pick Your Product
would change before his final day.
But one thing was certain.
The countdown had officially begun.