Chapter 46: Double Discount

Sev Steele originally wanted to wave her hand generously and declare, "Don’t worry, I have plenty of money!"

However, catching the shrewd gleam in the sales assistant’s eyes, she feigned hesitation. "Although there’s a discount for buying two, this price is definitely beyond my budget. If you have more discounts available, maybe I’ll consider it..."

Sev deliberately left some room for negotiation. In her past life, to keep her grandfather from working too hard, she had mastered the art of bargaining.

Hearing her hesitation, Bubbles hurried closer and whispered, "Madam, I know it’s not easy raising children. How about this? As an employee of this store, I get a twenty percent discount on purchases. However, these clothes are already on a buy-two-get-one-free promotion. You can only use my employee discount if you buy four pieces at once. With this store policy, it’s essentially a wholesale price. We’re not making any profit at all."

Bubbles was very clever. From Rusty saying "we don’t want new clothes" earlier, she deduced that their family had at least two children. That being the case, as long as this lady wanted a good deal, she would likely be willing to buy four pieces at once. Although the commission rate for items sold under the employee discount was only one percent, selling four items would yield almost the same amount as a two-percent commission on two items. More importantly, these clothes were slow-moving stock. If she could push two more sets, the boss would definitely be thrilled.

Hearing this, Sev didn’t immediately show any excitement. Instead, she said unhurriedly, "Ms. Bubbles, let’s get the ugly truth out of the way first. A discount is nice, but the quality of the goods must be guaranteed. Otherwise, I’d rather buy full-priced items."

"You can rest absolutely assured about that, madam. Our OmniMart is a five-year-old establishment, and our reputation is fully guaranteed," Bubbles hurriedly promised. "Moreover, for any clothes you purchase from us, within the three-month warranty period, as long as it’s not man-made damage, we will replace anything with quality issues."

Sev finally nodded. "Alright then, I’ll accept your kind offer and pick four sets of children’s clothes. As for the free ones, make them a size larger. Kids grow fast."

The joy on Bubbles’s face was impossible to hide. Even if the customer chose the cheapest options for the four sets, under the double discount, she would still earn over two hundred points in commission. This season was a slow period for clothing sales; sometimes she wouldn’t make a single sale all day. At the end of the month, if she failed to meet her basic sales quota, not only would she get no commission, but her salary would also be docked.

Sev carefully selected the clothes. Since the discounted items were relatively limited, she finished picking quickly. Seeing that they were all boys’ styles, Rusty didn’t raise any objections. In his eyes, these were already the best of the best anyway. He didn’t even dare to reach out and touch them, terrified that his rough hands might leave scratches on the fabric.

Sev hadn’t just chosen the cheapest options; she picked different styles based on the distinct personalities of the three boys.

The first set she chose for Rusty was a pair of dark olive-green overalls, paired with a multi-pocket tactical vest and a long-sleeved T-shirt. The second set was a dark gray lightweight protective suit. The top was a stand-collar zip-up jacket with reinforced wear-resistant patches on the shoulders and cinched cuffs, while the bottom was a pair of straight-leg pants featuring hidden knee pads. Considering he would turn eight next spring and could go out scavenging, these two outfits balanced functionality and flexibility, making them perfect for Rusty to maneuver in various environments.

For Firestone, she selected an orange and black color-blocked tracksuit. The top was a hoodie with lightning-bolt fluorescent strips on the sleeves, and the bottom consisted of jogger pants with large side pockets.

For Zephyr, she chose a predominantly silver-gray outfit. The top was a stand-collar jacket decorated with multiple webbing straps, while the bottom was jogger pants featuring zippered designs on the legs.

Firestone and Zephyr’s second outfits were both complimentary. Although the selection was small, Sev still tried her best to pick items she liked. For the free sets, she chose two versatile basics: solid-color crewneck T-shirts—one dark gray, one navy blue—paired with two matching gray-black casual trousers. Firestone and Zephyr were close in age, so wearing matching brother outfits would look quite nice on them.

Seeing that his adoptive mother had only picked clothes for the three brothers, Rusty grew anxious. "Mom, did you forget to pick clothes for Rose? Even though she’s small, if we all get some and she doesn’t, she’ll definitely be very sad."

"Don’t worry! How could I possibly forget my little girl? For you three smelly brats, I naturally chose the cheapest discounted styles. But Rose is a girl, and girls need to be pampered! So, aside from being practical and warm, her clothes must also be beautiful!"

Sev asked Bubbles to pack up the six sets of clothes she had chosen first before taking her time to select an outfit for Rose.

She picked a thermal protective suit. It used the same nano temperature-regulating material as the boys’, but the texture of this set was noticeably softer and more comfortable. The outer jacket was silver-white, treated with a waterproof and stain-resistant coating that repelled dust and wiped clean easily. The cuffs and collar were lined with detachable cherry-pink fur trim that was incredibly soft to the touch. The inner layer was a light gray turtleneck thermal top—thin, form-fitting, yet exceptionally warm. The bottom was a pair of dark gray slim-fit pants with invisible reinforcements at the knees and seat, making them both stylish and durable.

On top of that was a burgundy multi-functional hooded cloak. The outer layer of the cloak was made from Second Tier mutant jumping rabbit skin, lined with soft rabbit fur. The material was lightweight but offered excellent insulation. The buttons were crafted from smoothly polished Exotic Beast Bone, carved into the shapes of little stars. A ring of adjustable LED beads was sewn around the brim of the hood, powered by a built-in micro solar panel. It could provide illumination in the dark while looking like a sparkling crown when worn.

Fearing the little girl would be too reluctant to wear it on a daily basis, Sev specifically picked out another thermal loungewear set. It was made from the fur of a First Tier mutant sable, entirely pale yellowish-white in color. The top came with a hood that featured two perky, upright ears, making it incredibly adorable. The overall design of the set was loose and soft, but the cuffs were elasticated so as not to hinder movement.

Sev ended up selecting just these items for Rose, because their total price alone came to a staggering 48,000 points.

The total price for the four chosen sets for the three boys was 56,800 points, while the two complimentary sets had an original combined value of 26,000 points. The rules for the OmniMart’s buy-two-get-one-free promotion dictated that the value of the free item could not exceed the average price of the two purchased items. Clothes originally worth 82,800 points only cost 56,800 points thanks to the promotion, which Sev considered a great deal.

As for the twenty percent employee discount Bubbles had mentioned, Sev guessed it was nothing more than a standard supermarket sales tactic.

Calculating the costs, the total price of Rose’s clothes was roughly equivalent to the price of five sets of the boys’ clothes combined. Even though she was still very poor, a daughter still needed to be pampered!

Hearing the sales assistant quote the prices, Rusty clenched his little fists tight, terrified he might accidentally blurt out, "It’s too expensive, let’s buy the discounted ones!"

In truth, he wanted to give his sister the best too, but their family was just too poor. His adoptive mother had changed for the better recently, with her only flaw being her extravagant spending habits. She was far too much of a spendthrift!

However, seeing the money spent on his little sister, he didn’t feel quite as heartbroken.