Reborn in America: Starting as a California Resident

That evening, Henry spent a fortune to once again book the Hilton Hotel's banquet hall, sharing the grand occasion with all the employees of Dreamsoft.

The music was rousing, the lights were dazzling, and every employee was surrounded by a joyful atmosphere as they celebrated the company's significant achievements.

The highlight of the celebration was naturally the red envelope giveaway.

Each of the 157 employees present received a bonus of at least $500, and the amount doubled for each additional month of service.

The initial eighteen employees were delighted to receive a $16,000 bonus, which brought the atmosphere of the banquet to its peak.

After the party, Henry organized a two-day technical workshop with all the company's technical staff to discuss how to turn their innovative operating system from concept to reality.

During the workshop, Henry outlined the project's key technical challenges and encouraged everyone to brainstorm through group discussions.

Alexander and other team members actively participated and had in-depth discussions on the architecture of the operating system, the design of the graphical user interface, and how to optimize existing hardware resources.

Everyone was full of passion and worked together to achieve this grand goal.

After initially establishing the company's new goals, Henry hurriedly ended his three-day, two-night trip to San Francisco.

He returned to Montevideo High School on May 25, 1979.

The reason I returned to school this time was not for any other reason than that a grand graduation ball (Prom) would be held in the school auditorium tonight for the twelfth-grade students.

In the United States, prom is an important tradition in high school life, marking the end of high school and the beginning of adulthood.

For American high school students, prom is a glamorous celebration, marking their first time attending a formal occasion as adults.

Students usually attend the ball in pairs, with girls wearing elegant floor-length gowns and boys in sophisticated suits adorned with handkerchiefs or a rose.

Since the 19th century, this custom has gradually become more elaborate and luxurious with the development of the American economy and social changes.

Especially after World War II, as the United States became one of the world's two poles, the living standards of the American people improved significantly, and the prom, which is exclusively for young people, became one of the most important experiences of high school students during their four years of high school.

The difference between American High School and Huaxia High School is that American High School started using a flexible class system.

The classroom is not fixed for any particular class, but changes according to the subject being taught.

The moment Henry's left foot stepped into the classroom, Jerry Price, the chubby boy who had been dozing off in the corner, immediately perked up.

He stared in disbelief at the dashing figure before him, then rushed over to Henry in a few quick steps and exclaimed excitedly, "Hey, Henry, long time no see!"

You're finally back, buddy!

How have you been doing out there lately?

Where did you go having fun?

Bruce and I both miss you.

Tell me, what interesting things have happened?

"Yo, Jerry, you're still as muscular as ever!"

Henry looked at his "left protector" at school and patted Jerry on the shoulder with a smile, "I thought you would get thinner and thinner because you missed me!"

Looks like you're pretty physically fit!

The two of them burst into laughter.

During his time at Montevideo High School, Henry also had two inseparable friends—Bruce and Jerry.

The three of them became inseparable brothers since middle school, and they have faced many challenges together, both academically and in life.

Only after Henry crossed over did they maintain a certain distance from them.

Even so, when the two met again, the deep-seated closeness between them could not be avoided.

Jerry scratched his head, his eyes narrowing into slits as he laughed: "Haha, Henry, are you kidding me?"

My father told me that you recently started a software company in San Francisco, is that right?

How have you been lately?

Do you need my help?

Jerry had something to rely on to say that!

It is said that one's conversations are with learned scholars, and one's interactions are with no uncultured people.

The fact that Jerry was able to attend Montivetta School and become close friends with aristocratic children like Henry is enough to prove that he was by no means from a poor family.

His father, Saul Price, was the founder of the American retail giant FedMart.

Perhaps the names "FedMart" or "Saul Price" are not yet widely known;

But if we mention another company he founded—Costco, the well-known Costco supermarket, wouldn't everyone know who he is?

Costco, the world's seventh-largest supermarket group, had an annual turnover of over $260 billion in 2023. While this figure is only about half of Walmart's $6113 billion, considering that Walmart has over 10,000 stores worldwide, while Costco only has 871 stores, Costco's per-store turnover is arguably the highest in the world.

All of this is thanks to its unique business model: warehouse-style chain supermarkets.

This model actually appeared in the United States as early as the 1950s, but it was initially not aimed at the general public, but rather served a specific group.

For example, FedCo, the most famous supermarket in the United States in the 50s, mainly served civil servants. Because its goods were priced far below market prices, civil servants would drive hundreds of miles to shop there to meet their families' needs for several months.

This unique phenomenon caught the attention of a customer who had been turned away at the door—Saul Price.

After careful research, Saul returned to his hometown of San Diego in 1954 and founded his own warehouse-style supermarket, FedMart.

In just one year, FedMart’s first store achieved sales of over $300 million, far exceeding expectations.

This success made Sol realize its enormous commercial value, leading them to cancel some of the initial franchise projects and instead adopt a fully self-operated model.

He quickly opened a second store in Phoenix, Arizona, and it was just as successful.

This further validates the feasibility of the FedMart model.

In the late 1950s, Sol Price officially transitioned from a lawyer to an entrepreneur.

As FedMart's business continues to grow, the range of products it offers is also becoming increasingly diverse.

It started with food, then FedMart introduced toys and decorations such as Christmas trees, as well as pharmacies, and later added gasoline products.

FedMart gradually developed a strategy of low prices, multiple categories, and few SKUs (only one product is selected for each category), which has become one of the classic cases in the industry.

By the time it went public in 1959, it had five branches, annual revenue of $2600 million, and net profit of $47.

Everything seemed to be thriving.

However, as the 1960s approached, discount stores began to flourish in the United States, and FedMart faced increasing competitive pressure.

In 1963, FedMart eliminated its $2 membership fee, but customer traffic did not increase significantly.

In 1964, FedMart began to open up its franchise system, allowing franchisees to purchase goods independently. Although most goods still came from FedMart's supply chain companies, and franchisees had the right to set their own prices, FedMart pressured them to maintain the same price levels as its own stores.

In 1974, FedMart sold a majority stake to a German retailer.

Due to differences in business philosophy and management, Saul had a conflict with the major shareholder, and he eventually left FedMart.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Saul started another business in 1976, founding Price Club with loans from Bank of America and personal loans.

This time, Price Club adopted a formal membership-based warehouse club model, which was the predecessor of the later renowned warehouse club chain Costco.