FadedMoonlight
Level 60
It’s not everyday that you see a new shop open in the town of Karakura, some shops have been left unopened for months (even years) without a single drop of income, yet still manage to stand right where they are, not taken back by the bank or any other type of repossession. Not long ago, in the exact place of this shop, there stood a place called Joyoung. The shop itself was… for lack of a better term ‘mid’. It’s employees being rude and disheartening, it’s no wonder that it closed down and left holes in the pockets of its owners.
Now, there exists a new shop in its stead, a place not too different from a first glance, but when one looks closer, they begin to realize just what sets this place apart from its predecessor. Joi-Kon, a name in which the irony is laughable at best, provides an atmosphere that Joyoung could never in a million years have hoped to accomplish. Joi-Kon provides the customer with decency and a cozy, well decorated atmosphere to provide the customer with a sense of belonging in a place that fits their personality and interests to the T.
You may be wondering to yourself, ‘what does this have to do with the school, Ms. Tominaga?’ Well, let me clue you in on a well-kept secret in Karakura: the majority of workers in retail are students from our very own High School. That’s correct, almost the entirety of Joi-Kon’s staff are students from Karakura High and Karakura College. Whether this be because they are gullible and lucrative or because they are the largest mass of unemployment that plagues Karakura, that remains uncertain.
What is certain is the fact that Joi-Kon’s student-based labor force is both a blessing and a curse for this newly opened video-game store. While I did say that Joi-Kon’s atmosphere is quite lovely when compared to the rest of the shops in Karakura’s Shopping District, what I neglected to tell you was the mixed bag that is Joi-Kon’s work force. During the ‘Grand-Opening’ there was quite a few different personalities that showed up to work that day, myself included. For nearly the entire work-period, even from the safety of the backroom, loud shouting could be heard from one of the employees (a high school student), telling customers to go somewhere else. Another employee (another high school student) told a customer to ‘hurry up’ despite them only standing at the register for a mere ten seconds. And the final worker on the register maintained a proper, professional tone of voice the entirety of the shift.
Two out of the three workers at the cash registers managed to be rude on their first day of the job, and it soured my opinion of this new and exciting store quite quickly. That’s not to say that it can’t improve, but it’s quite interesting that people who were once happy and bubbly to be employed at such a lovely store, became rude. Just as the people who worked in the store who once stood in its place were. Could this be at fault of the students? Perhaps it was lack of direction that caused the employees to lose their vision. The student body that maintains the machine that is Joi-Kon seems to be in a bit of trouble when it comes to professionalism.
Enough about the downsides, let’s talk about the good. Joi-Kon provides students with a work background when going into other fields, this much is important when filling out a job application, as it let’s the employer know that they aren’t just any new kid on the block, they have experience in dealing with the best and brightest that walks into a store in the midsts of night. Furthermore, Joi-Kon is a very lucrative job to have in the city of Karakura, as housing becomes harder and harder to obtain, many turn to crime as a means to make money and afford the price gouging that occurs in the ‘black market’ of Karakura housing. However, Joi-Kon provides the employee with a fifty percent cut of what they make during their shift. This means that less students will be put in harm's way as a means to avoid homelessness, which is a great thing for both the school and our city, as many of Karakura’s gangs are made up of young students of Karakura High and its connecting college. We can all agree that less deaths in our student body is a very good step in the right direction.
Even though I am currently employed at Joi-Kon, I was not placed on the front lines during the grand opening. Rather I opted to spectate the entire ordeal while my co-workers fought for their lives in the name of retail and gaming. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to observe the behavior that both the customers and employees exhibited during the opening hours. However, to get a more up-close perspective of the chaos, I decided to interview my colleague: Byeol Seo-Jun. A fellow Karakura High School student.
Marilyn:
So, Byeol. What was it like working your first shift at Joi-Kon?
Byeol:
"Oh, it was great! The owner really is great, and most of the customers were pleasant. I made big bucks too"
Marilyn:
“Great, you say? Now, when I was in the back room I noticed one of our co-workers being... somewhat rude to the customers. However you were not. Why do you think that some of our co-workers decided to act in this manner?”
Byeol:
"Oh, um… I think what they did was reasonable. From what I heard, the customer was disrespecting them, and disrespecting the store by climbing on equipment. This is not only rude, but a safety hazard! If they did not react how they did, the customer's safety would not be guaranteed. This is very important to us. And so, I think their response was warranted."
Marilyn:
"Ah, that's very interesting. And in your neck of the woods, would you say that the customers were satisfied?"
Byeol:
"Yes, I do believe so. I received no complaints all shift, and I heard none."
Marilyn:
“Overall, how do you think the opening of Joi-Kon benefits the students of Karakura High? “
Byeol:
"I believe that it gives students a fun outlet for their energy! The arcade is great. for relieving stress, and also we do in fact sell many great things. Such as VR, Tomodatchi, and Gameboy's to name a few. These are all great for students and teachers!"
Marilyn:
“Do you believe that the student-based workforce helps quell the student-based gang violence in Karakura?”
Byeol:
"Of course it helps! Money is definitely a great motivation for students, and it spends their time on positive things unlike gang activities."
Marilyn:
“Ah, that's wonderful to hear. And if you had to tell your friends and fellow students a thing or two about Joi-Kon, what would it be?”
Byeol:
"Come visit! Even not as a worker, I still loved it. The whole store's aesthetic is GREAT, and so is the arcade. It's a wonderful place to go to, with many exclusive items too. Perfect for gifts for others, or yourself!"
Marilyn:
Thank you for your time, Byeol.
Byeol not only provided me with a much more optimistic view of Joi-Kon, but also provided context for the constant yelling that I heard during the Grand Opening… at least some of it. Supposedly, some unruly customers had been causing trouble, a standard in Karakura stores. Perhaps Joi-Kon may not have had the best start, but it has quite the bright future ahead of it. Its aesthetic and overall atmosphere is lovely compared to the place that came before it. While some may wish to keep the tradition alive, overall it’s a wonderful place to be. Not only for its customers, but for the students that work there. Guiding them in a better future rather than being killed over a pointless idea.
