America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 506 Cut the weeds and nip them in the bud

Unlike the overall American media coverage, which focused on flash sales, in Pennsylvania, most media and public opinion regarding this incident has shifted towards Wawa.

At Wawa's headquarters, Gallup was dressed like a groom, wearing a well-tailored dark gray bespoke suit with a crisp white shirt collar and meticulously combed hair.

Inside the office, facing the recording equipment set up in front of him, he sat upright in his chair, facing the camera, looking calm and talking fluently.

"From the perspective of the company's long-term development, the financial losses caused by this incident can be fully made up for through subsequent business growth." Gallup's voice was particularly firm and powerful, and his gaze swept steadily across the camera. Anyone who saw him would say that he was righteous and awe-inspiring.

"But once the trust between businesses and consumers is lost, it is difficult to regain it no matter how much money is spent. So this is not a cost, but an investment, an investment in Wawa's reputation built up over many years."

"As the CEO of Wawa, I take full responsibility for this incident. Although this negative impact on Wawa was caused by a few corrupt individuals, as a manager of the company, I will not shirk my responsibility. When subordinates make mistakes, I should bear the consequences of their errors. Therefore, we not only need to compensate for the losses, but also demonstrate our determination to resolve the problem."

"Could you elaborate on the specific measures?" the reporter asked.

Gallup appeared sincere, saying, "We are already conducting internal checks. If any problems are found, we will terminate our cooperation with the suppliers involved and immediately remove all related products from Wawa stores to resolutely prevent any potentially hazardous food from entering the market and ensure that every product consumers purchase from Wawa is safe and qualified."

"In addition, we have added three new testing procedures, including foreign object detection, bacteria detection, and product quality testing. We will never allow the situation of short weight of ingredients to occur again, and we are also strengthening food safety."

"Although the crisis that Wawa experienced this time did not involve food safety, it has served as a wake-up call for us, so we must take it seriously."

"I heard that Wawa also negotiated with the WShop Group to facilitate a factory open day?" the reporter asked again.

Gallup nodded and admitted, "That's right. Some people may not know that our Wawa sandwiches, coffee, and some specialty products all come from a central kitchen company that belongs to the WShop Group."

"This company has a manufacturing plant near Philadelphia that supplies products to the whole of Pennsylvania and some surrounding areas."

"To demonstrate to consumers the safety of Wawa's food sources, we applied to the WShop Group to hold an open day, inviting consumer representatives and local mainstream media to visit..."

The interview lasted for nearly an hour. As the reporter and cameraman left Gallup's office, Elena, who was standing outside, handed each of them a not-too-thick envelope.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, nodded in acknowledgment, and then left, entering the elevator.

The elevator doors slowly closed, cutting off any view of the outside world.

Inside the elevator, the cameraman eagerly opened the envelope in his hand. When he saw the amount of cash inside, he couldn't help but frown and mutter, "That's so stingy, there's only five hundred dollars in here."

The reporter standing nearby remained remarkably calm, simply slipping the envelope into his pocket without even glancing at it. Upon hearing the cameraman's complaints, he nonchalantly remarked, "You should be content. We're just here for a routine interview, a field trip, and we're getting some extra cash. What more could we ask for?"

The cameraman thought about it carefully and agreed, then couldn't help but ask curiously, "I heard that Wawa didn't just invite our media outlet this time; at least ten media outlets throughout Pennsylvania received their interview invitations, costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars. Why do you think they invested so much money in this?"

When the reporter heard the question, he showed no surprise whatsoever. He glanced at the young cameraman and said, "What do you know? This is called maximizing profits."

"You haven't been in this industry long, but you'll gradually understand."

"The darkness and light of this world are not based on facts, but are in our own hands."

The reporter clenched his fist. "What we show the public is what it is."

"Just like with Wawa this time, through our report, they shifted all the blame onto some employees and management, while the company pretended to be a victim."

"Because they invested real money and won huge praise, now that they're presenting themselves as victims, do you think their sales will skyrocket?"

"Do you think they only contacted local Pennsylvania media?" he asked rhetorically.

"Isn't that right?" the cameraman asked.

The other party scoffed, "As far as I know, Wawa also contacted media outlets in Ohio, New Jersey, and Delaware."

"Publicity," the cameraman said, seemingly understanding.

That's right, it's advertising.

This matter has now become a hot topic across the United States due to the issue of compensation.

So Elena decided to use this incident to ride the wave of popularity.

Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars can bring Wawa tremendous positive publicity, which is unimaginable under normal circumstances.

To achieve the same level of public attention as before, the cost would likely increase tenfold.

Moreover, that was propaganda, but now it's a positive and widely discussed topic.

In Gallup's office, Elena felt even more contempt for her smug boss who enjoyed the media frenzy.

Even Elena, with her background in public relations, felt a pang of guilt about certain topics, but this man, who claimed to be a descendant of nobility, spoke his lies without a trace of remorse, as if it were the natural thing to do.

"Which media outlet is next for the interview?" Gallup stood in front of a full-length mirror, which he had specially purchased this morning.

He was checking his makeup at that moment, showing no signs of fatigue from the continuous interviews, and was even full of anticipation.

"A media outlet from New Jersey will be coming to interview you in forty minutes," Elena said, glancing at her schedule.

"Why forty minutes later?" Gallup stopped what he was doing, turned around, and frowned, somewhat displeased. "Shouldn't the schedule be more compact? My time is very precious."

Elena pouted. "Are you that impatient?"

Just as Gallup was about to say something, the office door was pushed open forcefully. Before he could reprimand anyone, Nathan, who opened the door, said anxiously and breathlessly, "The FDA is here. They say they're going to shut down Wawa."

"FDA?" Gallup was stunned when he heard the name, as if struck by lightning, and exclaimed in surprise.

In the United States, the agency that any business involved in the food or drug trade least wants to deal with and fears most is the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration.

"What are they doing here?" Gallup asked, somewhat panicked, then erupted in rage, "What right do they have to shut down Wawa?"

Nathan looked very upset. "Someone reported us for faking it."

With just one sentence, Elena and Gallup's expressions changed.