Chapter 0:

You Can Sell Anything at Any Price.

The Paperclip Factory


It was a salesman with a clean yellow box. His goal was to sell it at the highest price to the young couple in front of him, newly wedded husband and wife. Inside the yellow box, a mere paperclip, but decorated with pink pedals.

"This is the Erlenmeyer Paperclip," the salesman claimed. It was not. It was just a generic paperclip shipped from china worth less than a penny. "Just as you put a diamond ring on your partner, you put this paperclip on your most treasured files, and it will bring it good luck."

The couple were not impressed. They thought it was dumb to buy a paperclip you could buy from your local supermarket. The husband said, "I don't believe in luck. I use my own skills to attain what I need."

"You do not understand sir, this is not merely good luck. It's an item you'll carry with you for the rest of your life," said the salesman, confident he could win the couples over as they tiled their heads. "This little paperclip is you ticket into the Erlenmeyer family. Obtain one, and your name will be remembered within our family forever."

Now the husband's eyes widened. He could just see it. A life with the riches, tuxedo events, and golfing with businessmen. It was a ticket to an entirely new environment. All of sudden, the purpose of the paperclip did not matter as his eyes were blinded with greed. "How much?" he asked. He was dipping his toes.

"Well...the Erlenmeyer family prices our paperclips the same way a luxury watch company prices their time telling devices. It's more about the substance." Their hands were ready to shake at any moment.

"So how much?"

"A ticket into the Erlenmeyer family, only $4999."

As their meeting ended with a handshake and an exchange of contacts, the couple drove off in their sports car. The salesman knew that whatever the price was, the couple would be willing to buy, so he just priced it at the maximum price he thought they could afford for the day. He had no intention of letting them into the "Erlenmeyer family." In fact, such a family didn't even exist. But just as people with expensive shoes never wear them, he knew that people who bought the Erlenmeyer paperclip would never use them either.

As the sun started to dawn, the salesman stopped at the nearest fast food burger place. Fancy restaurants weren't his thing. He liked his tasty food; Chocolate, candy, burgers and fries. This great salesman's name was Mongo. He got his job at the Erlenmeyer Paperclip Factory because of a high school friend who had inherited a company from her father.

Juuni Lee
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The Paperclip Factory


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