The Tyrant Billionaire

However, their actions didn't go unnoticed by observant eyes.

A white woman pushed a shopping cart out of the store, with only a baguette in it one of the cheapest items, costing just twenty cents. After paying, she left with the bread, smiling. But just a few meters outside, several tall men stopped her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, wary.

"Take out whatever you're carrying!" the security officer demanded, with no patience for these kinds of people.

"You're accusing me of something I didn't do!" the woman immediately shouted, ready to cause a scene.

"Hold her down and take it out directly," the guards said, without wasting time on argument. They restrained her, and as she struggled, a pile of items fell from her body.

Toothpaste. A toothbrush. Sausages. Cookies.

In total, there were a dozen items.

The surrounding customers were stunned. No one had expected the woman to have hidden so much. Realizing she was caught, the woman began to cry and beg for mercy.

The security guards, however, were unmoved. They handcuffed her and carried her away.

Not far from the supermarket entrance, a police van was parked—a large vehicle with a cage welded in the back. The woman was handcuffed and thrown into the cage.

She wasn't the only one inside. Three or four others were already there.

Shoppers leaving the store would glance at those locked in the police cage, knowing they had been caught stealing from the supermarket.

The police van didn't leave right away. It stayed there, exposing the thieves to the public, almost like a modern day version of public shaming.

A few hours later, once the van was full, it headed back to the station.

At the police station, the women fared relatively well, but the men weren't so lucky—they would be beaten, sometimes even subjected to "the hand cranked telephone."

What's a hand cranked telephone?

It's an old fashioned telephone with its own large battery. To dial, you had to vigorously crank the handle, generating a strong electrical current. If someone held the wire ends, it felt like being shocked with a stun gun. Although this method was outdated, the police station still kept one.

The relationship between the police and the Hardy Group? As close as brothers.

The police chief had already issued orders: anyone caught stealing from a Hardy Group property would be severely punished upon their return.
Enjoy exclusive content from empire

In the interrogation room, the screams were chilling. After being tortured, the thieves were thrown into the iron cage.

The cage also held other criminals—drunkards, brawlers—and when they saw the sorry state of the new arrivals, they asked why they had been beaten. That's when they learned these people had stolen from a Hardy supermarket.

A few of the more hardened criminals sneered at them. "Let me tell you, even we, who live on the fringes of society, wouldn't dare steal so much as a bottle of water from a Hardy supermarket. Haven't you seen the name 'Hardy'?"

"Exactly. These guys are just a bunch of poor nobodies, not real criminals. They have no idea that even professional thieves wouldn't dare steal from a Hardy store."

On its first day of business, Hardy Supermarket caught over a hundred shoplifters. The next day, the number dropped to just twenty or thirty. By the third day, there were only a handful.

Why did the numbers drop so quickly?

In reality, the people who typically stole were always the same crowd. Catching one wave reduced their numbers significantly. Hardy Supermarket didn't let them off lightly, either. The store reported them directly to the police, and then filed lawsuits, aiming to set an example. At this time, there were no laws excusing theft under $950, so these thieves could face several months in jail.

Three days later,

Sam Walton reported the situation to Hardy.

Andy was also present.

"Boss, over these three days, we made $52,000 in sales on the first day, $36,000 on the second day, and $32,000 on the third. Right now, we're in the opening period, so sales are naturally higher. Based on our estimates, the average daily sales going forward should be between $20,000 and $25,000.

"After deducting expenses, the projected net profit is around 4% to 6%, meaning the annual net profit of this store should be about $450,000."

To be honest, Sam Walton wasn't satisfied with this profit margin, and neither was Andy. After all, given the large investment, the annual profit seemed too low, and it would take years to recover the investment. In comparison, a single Playboy magazine issue could crush the profits of several large supermarkets.

But Hardy just smiled.

"A 4% to 6% net profit isn't bad at all."

"Our products are cheap, yes, so the profit margins are low. But because they're cheap, we can attract more customers, and sales will naturally increase. In comparison to others in the same industry, we aren't earning any less."

"For example, take this cup in my hand. Other places might sell 100 of them a year, but we might sell 1,000, even though ours are cheaper. Do you still think we're making less money?"

"Sam, do you remember when I told you that once Hardy's chain stores expand, we can start charging vendors for shelf space? Because they'll be selling the most in Hardy stores, they won't dare drop us."

"We can also require them to cooperate with our discount promotions, like Christmas sales, which would increase profits even further."

"Additionally, our payment terms with suppliers are set at 60 days, while the average turnover period for goods is only 10 days. This means we can hold onto their money for 50 days, which could be more than the total value of our inventory, right?"

Andy and Sam both nodded.

With a 10-day turnover and a 50-day hold on payment, theoretically, the money held would be five times the value of the goods. This would amount to a significant sum.