8 a.m. Los Angeles.
All seven SpongeBob SquarePants stores opened on time.
"Alright team, let's get to work!" said James, the manager of the main store.
But today was different. The movie toys were gone. The best shelves were now filled with bright, yellow, square sponges!
SpongeBob, Patrick Star, Squidward, Sandy, and Gary the Snail were everywhere.
The shop assistants were chatting as they worked. And they were all talking about one thing: the TV show from last night!
"Susan, did you see SpongeBob on UPN?"
"Of course! It was great! My daughter loved it. That part where he says 'I'm ready, I'm ready!' was so funny!"
"Hahaha! I'm not even married, and I loved it. Even my parents laughed!"
James listened and smiled. He was so proud of his boss (and friend), Zane.
James had watched the show, too. He had expected it to be just for kids, but he found himself laughing out loud. It was fantastic!
In Zane's old life, SpongeBob became one of the most popular cartoons ever. It was the #1 show for kids for eight years in a row! But the amazing part was that half of the 60 million people who watched it were adults.
"My boss is amazing," James cheered in his heart.
"Hello, excuse me?"
A soft voice interrupted him. James looked up.
It was a young woman, about 20 years old, and her little brother, who was about 10.
"Welcome to the SpongeBob SquarePants store!" James said with his warmest, most charming smile. "Yes, we are restocking right now. Look!"
"Wow! Really?!" the little brother, Ardos, shouted.
"Look, sis! SpongeBob! Patrick! Sandy! I want them all!"
Ardos was hopping up and down with joy. He started grabbing every giant plush toy he could find.
His sister, Kylie, smiled at him. "Shall I buy them for you?"
"Yay! Long live my sister!" Ardos cheered. "I want this one, and this one, and this one..."
Ahem!
Kylie's face turned bright red. She realized she had made a mistake. Her brother had picked out way too many toys.
"Ardos," she said gently, "don't be difficult. We can't carry all of those! And... I didn't bring that much money today."
"No! I don't care! I want them!" Ardos yelled, throwing a little tantrum.
Kylie looked at James, embarrassed. "Sir," she asked quietly, "how much do all these cost? I only have a little less than three hundred dollars."
"Oh? How much exactly?" James asked kindly.
"I have $282," Kylie said, showing him the cash. Her face was burning.
It definitely wasn't enough. Anyone could see the pile of toys cost over $600.
"Hahaha!" James suddenly laughed a warm, friendly laugh.
"Congratulations, miss!" he announced loudly. "You are officially the 1,000th customer of the month! That means you get a super discount: 40% off everything!"
40% off?!
"Really?!" Kylie gasped, overjoyed.
James nodded firmly. "Absolutely. Your money is more than enough."
The brother and sister were thrilled!
James packed up the dolls with a smile. "You bought a lot," he added helpfully. "If you don't mind, we offer free delivery in the city after we close. Just leave your address and phone number."
Delivery, too? Kylie nodded eagerly. This was the best deal ever!
As they left, James watched them go with a dreamy smile.
"Manager," Susan teased him, "since when do we have a '1,000th customer' discount?"
"Yeah," another assistant giggled. "And free delivery? That's new!"
James's face turned bright red.
Darn it!
Of course, there was no discount! James had made it all up because he had a crush on the sister, Kylie!
"Stop gawking and get back to work!" James barked, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Susan, figure out the price difference. I'll pay for it out of my own pocket."
He ran into the back room before they could tease him anymore.
...
Even though SpongeBob was on a small TV channel, it was already a hit.
All day long, customers flooded into the stores.
And this was only the first day.
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