John raised his brows and glanced at the two staff members, who were looking at him with clear disgust.
He genuinely wondered what he had done wrong. It felt just like the scenes he had read in some Chinese novels, ones that never really made sense to him.
"I'm very sorry that you had to experience this sir. Would you still like to continue shopping? I'd be happy to give you a tour," the man said respectfully, while feeling sorry.
The sincerity on his face made John grow fond of him.
"Thank you," John said, and the man first led him to the phone section.
He showed John several phones, which left him confused. Their specifications and quality were quite poor and outdated, yet the staff member kept saying they were new.
This made John wonder if he was being lied to. On second thought, when he looked at the smartphone he was currently using, he realized it was also old.
It had fewer games, limited functions, and a very outdated user interface.
"Don't tell me that even though it's already 2025, technology still hasn't taken a major leap yet?" he wondered.
His phone did not even have apps, yet he had been asked before if he had a page, which meant that platforms like Facebook, or something similar, already existed.
He simply had not checked them yet, "Can you show me the least expensive phone? Something that can handle calls and messages," John asked.
The salesclerk nodded with a smile and guided him to a smartphone that was inexpensive yet fairly balanced.
It could handle calls, messages, basic apps, and internet access.
"This one here, sir, is one of our most affordable smartphones," the sales clerk said as he carefully took the display phone and showed it to him.
"This is called the Samsung Galaxy S Duos released a few years ago, but it's still reliable for basic use."
He then tapped the screen lightly and continued, "It runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich, so you can make calls, send messages, and use simple apps like Facebook and the browser, though it's not meant for heavy applications."
He glanced at John briefly before adding, "It has a dual-core processor and 768 MB of RAM, so it's enough for daily communication, but you may notice it slows down if too many apps are open."
"The good thing is that the storage is four gigabytes," the clerk said, turning the phone over.
"Also you don't need to panic if you run out of storage since most people add a memory card for photos and messages, since the built-in space fills up quickly." He pointed at the screen again.
"The display here is four inches not very large, but clear enough for reading messages and browsing."
"As for internet sir, it supports 3G," he explained.
"It's fine for messaging and more from what you wanted, but it won't be very fast compared to newer phones."
"So overall, this model is best if you just need something dependable for calls, texts, and light internet use, and it's also one of the cheapest options we have." he said.
The clerk handed him the phone, and the moment he held it he noticed how thick and heavy it was compared to the devices he had used in his past life.
It was only now after coming to the city, that he truly realized how underdeveloped technology in this world was.
As he slid his fingers across the screen, he could not help but sigh.
Smartphones at this stage were clearly low in quality, and it seemed he would have to wait for the future before things truly improved.
"Alright then I want to buy this one," he said.
Hearing this, the clerk was momentarily stunned before smiling brightly and nodding.
"But wait a moment. I came here to buy both a phone and a laptop, so for now could you show me the laptops?" John said.
At first, the clerk thought John had changed his mind, but when he realized John was planning to buy another item, he was naturally delighted and led him to the laptop section.
As they moved to another area of the shop, the earlier staff and cashier watched them with puzzled expressions, wondering what they were doing.
So again, they gossiped about them openly and rudely not caring that their voices could be heard. Soon after, they lost interest and shifted their attention to something else.
Meanwhile, they arrived at the laptop section. The salesclerk began explaining the different models, and John listened attentively while also scanning the displays, searching for something that caught his eye.
...
Dell Latitude E7440
HP ProBook 440 G1
ASUS X550 Series
Acer Aspire E5-571
...
From his point of view, all the laptops looked outdated, but his gaze finally settled on one.
Seeing him stop and examine it the salesclerk smiled, thinking that the customer had finally chosen what he wanted to buy.
His smile slowly widened as he gently pulled the laptop closer.
"Ah sir if you are interested in this one, this is called the Lenovo ThinkPad T440, it was released just about a year ago, so it's still considered new in today's market and very popular with professionals," he said since its true.
He then tapped the keyboard lightly and continued, "It runs on an Intel Core i5 processor, very stable and reliable for work, especially for programming and office tasks if you are working at home or during office hours."
Then turning the screen slightly he added, "It also comes with eight gigabytes of memory, so you can multitask smoothly, and a solid-state drive for faster startup and file access compared to older hard drives."
"The display is fourteen inches, clear enough for long hours of reading working," the clerk said.
"It also supports both Windows and Linux sir, so it's flexible depending on what system you prefer, and overall, it's known for durability making it a good long-term investment." he finished.
John on the spot just listened but inwardly he already knew about it, but he just nodded his head from time to time.
"I want this one," he said to the clerk.
Hearing this the Clerk was very happy as he jumped frantically like a little girl, John just glanced at him and thought.
"That feels a little gay," he mumbled in a low voice.
"Alright sir, I'll take you to the cashier," the clerk said eagerly, already carrying the new laptop with care.
"You forgot the phone," he reminded seeing him so excited.
"Oh yeah, haha," the guy laughed which he finds it silly.
With the phone and laptop in hand, the two of them headed to the counter. The earlier staff and the cashier were stunned when they saw them approaching.
"This customer would like to purchase this laptop and phone. Please process the payment," the salesclerk said.
Hearing this, the cashier felt a wave of embarrassment as she remembered her earlier words, she forced a smile and acted politely.
The saleswoman who had been gossiping about him earlier was so humiliated that she quickly excused herself and went to the bathroom.
Seeing this John smiled thinking that this kind of revenge is really satisfying. He was like a rich young master hiding his identity to slap some people.
But remembering that he was really a young master, he chuckled a little because right now he is not.
"Here is your laptop and tablet sir, please come again," the clerk said while passing him the phone inside of an unopened phone case.
Then the laptop with its own bag together with the receipt, but before going of course he give him some extra tip.
"Here take this three thousand and treat yourself to a good meal," he said with a wink.
He did it openly, making sure the women who had looked down on him saw everything, which made them swallow a bitter meal.
As for the salesclerk he was overjoyed. In this shop, any sale exceeding fifty thousand pesos earned a commission.
For purchases above that amount, he received three thousand pesos, which meant a lot when added to his low salary.
This was also the reason they ignored customers who looked poor. If they spent time entertaining them, they might miss better opportunities when other customers walked in.
They assumed that poorly dressed customers would not buy anything, and the commission-driven culture encouraged this kind of profiling.
That was why well-dressed customers received rushed attentive service, while poor-looking customers were ignored or pushed toward inexperienced staff.