Chapter 74 Exclusive Storefront on Jinjiang

The clothing store didn't open until nine o'clock, but Su Ruyi arrived at the store before eight o'clock, and the staff hadn't come yet.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay and be your driver?" Lu Ting hesitated, unwilling to leave just like that.

He used to think that other men were so unambitious when they saw their partners being all lovey-dovey and wailing if they couldn't see their partners for a day. He believed that men should have ambitions beyond their own borders.

Now that it was him, Lu Ting understood instantly.

Su Ruyi was resolute and her heart was as hard as iron: "I'm at the shop today and don't need the car. You don't need to stay here. Go and do your own thing."

The hula hoop competition has ended, but there are still a series of things to come.

Moreover, Lu Ting is not only busy with this, he has just taken on a big project and is also preparing to start a decoration company, so he has a lot to do.

Since he started eating breakfast, his mobile phone and pager have been ringing intermittently.

Su Ruyi herself has a lot of things to do, and if Lu Ting is by her side, it's hard to guarantee that it won't take up too much time.

In the past, she might have stopped what she was doing to go on a date, but now it's different. She doesn't have dozens of properties to rent out as a backup, so she can't live a very relaxed life. She has to actively work on her career.

Lu Ting was frustrated; they weren't even willing to take time out for lunch together.

Although he was unwilling, Lu Ting did not insist, as neither of them really had much time.

The major project that Lu Ting is working on is very important. If he does it well, he will officially enter this field.

"See you tonight." Su Ruyi kissed Lu Ting on the cheek, then quickly got out of the car.

Lu Ting stood frozen in place, the warm touch feeling like a feather gently brushing against him.

His previously tense face relaxed instantly, and the corners of his mouth turned up, revealing a very bright smile.

Instantly, all the reluctance and frustration vanished.

Su Ruyi got out of the car, and not long after she opened the door, Luo Youqiong and Xu Lili arrived.

Luo Youqiong had heard Su Ruyi mention before that her shop was a small wooden cabin, but at the time she didn't really have a concept of it.

Now that I see it, I finally understand why it's called a cabin. I never imagined it really was a cabin!

Such decorations are very eye-catching on this street and can be seen at a glance, making the storefronts next to them look very shabby in comparison.

Although there are more ornately decorated shops on the main street, the log cabins still manage to attract attention with their unique features, offering a completely different experience.

"Wow, it's so beautiful! I never knew a store could look like this."

Luo Youqiong was extremely surprised. In her mind, stores were either either plain or sparkly, with the floor reflecting people's images.

Xu Lili grew up in the city and was more worldly than Luo Youqiong. She was also attracted by the unique style of the storefront decoration.

"Boss Su has a lot of ideas."

Such decorations are neither expensive nor difficult to make, but not everyone would think of this.

Just looking at the storefront made them very excited about their future jobs, and they felt that working in such a place would be a very respectable thing.

Stepping into the wooden cabin, this feeling intensifies.

Upon closer inspection, the decoration is actually quite simple, but the wood veneer is full of ingenuity, making it feel very special.

When the shop assistant left last night, he tidied up the store and restocked everything, hanging it on the hangers.

Su Ruyi was delighted to see the two of them. "So, are you interested in joining my shop?"

Luo Youqiong: "Yes! It's just that I'm a bit slow, and I'm afraid I won't do a good job."

"You'll be mentored by experienced staff, so don't worry."

Xu Lili pursed her lips and said, "Can I ask how the salary is calculated?"

After saying this, her ears turned a little red. She felt embarrassed to ask about money right away, as it seemed too materialistic.

But this is very important. Although she has some money in hand now, she can't just sit around and do nothing.

Both she and Luo Youqiong are from out of town and need to rent a place to live, which is a huge expense.

Su Ruyi smiled and said, "The staff's salary consists of a base salary plus commission, and accommodation is also provided. I'm still looking for a place to live, and a housing allowance will be provided during this period. If the business is good this year, there will also be a year-end bonus."

Because this street is connected to the main road in the city center, there are still quite a few people around 8 or 9 pm.

The shop doesn't close until at least 8 PM, and after closing, there's still the need to clear out stock and organize things, so I estimate I won't be able to leave until 8 or 9 PM.

The shop staff are all girls, and it's not safe to go home late at night, so it's best to go together.

Therefore, Su Ruyi will arrange dormitory accommodations, as it will be safer for several girls to go home together.

"The base salary is 100 yuan a month. The commission is currently calculated per piece, with different commission rates for different prices. This may change as more styles are added, but overall the difference won't be significant."

There are currently only two styles. The more expensive one is charged 50 cents per piece, and the cheaper one is charged 30 cents per piece. It's very easy to remember.

Luo Youqiong's eyes lit up when she heard that the base salary was one hundred.

In the small county where she lives, many people earn just over a hundred yuan a month.

If she can sell ten pairs of pants a day, even if they are all from the lowest commission rate, she can earn 190 yuan a month!

This salary is already quite considerable for Luo Youqiong.

Even if she doesn't do a good job and doesn't sell many pairs of pants a month, she can still make a hundred yuan.

She saves money by eating a little less each day, and can even send some home.

Xu Lili then asked, "Do we only sell leggings, not T-shirts?"

Upon hearing this, Su Ruyi smiled and became even more satisfied with Xu Lili.

"You're still interested in this? It's for sale, but it won't arrive for another two days."

Su Ruyi originally focused on bodybuilding pants, mainly because the garment factory had just opened and she didn't have the spare energy to do anything else.

However, for the purpose of promotion, she bought a batch of cotton fabric and temporarily made a batch of advertising shirts printed with "Ruyi Clothing".

Because it's a simple white T-shirt, it doesn't require much time or effort to make.

Su Ruyi thought that since that was the case, why not sell some T-shirts as well? T-shirts are quite popular now, with some rebellious slogans printed on them.

For example, phrases like "I eat the apple, you eat the peel" and "Making money is tiring, not having money is bitter" are typical Wang Shuo-style language.

The dyeing and printing factory is very easy to talk to; they're willing to accept small orders.

The situation in the dyeing and printing factory was even worse than that in the textile factory, so it was even less pretentious.

When Su Ruyi came to the factory, the factory director personally received her. His attitude was very warm, completely different from the state-owned factory director she had stereotyped about. Although he was old, he did not speak in an official tone at all and was just trying to find a new way out for the dyeing and printing factory.

They even printed the words as soon as possible, which allowed Su Ruyi to arrive in time.

Although these factories have various problems, they are all actively trying to save themselves.

Su Ruyi thought that T-shirts were quite popular now and went well with leggings, so she decided to try making them together. If they sold well, she could not only make money herself, but also help the printing and dyeing factory.

Su Ruyi added, "I am currently recruiting a cashier. The cashier's job is not just to collect money; they also need to record each employee's sales performance to provide data for salary calculation. The salary is 230 yuan per month."

This salary is quite good even in a provincial capital, but cashiers have a lot of responsibilities and need to be able to identify counterfeit goods.

With the current proliferation of banknotes, even with printing presses, cashiers still need to master the skills to distinguish banknotes.

Luo Youqiong shook her head repeatedly: "I still prefer being a sales clerk. I've never been very bright since I was little, and it would be troublesome if I miscalculated the money."

Xu Lili hesitated for a moment before saying, "I want to apply for the cashier position."

Su Ruyi explained the membership calculation method to Xu Lili, and after she was familiar with it, they began the test.

Xu Lili is very fast. She doesn't need an abacus or calculator; she can calculate quickly and correctly using only her mind.

Su Ruyi generates questions randomly, and she has to calculate the answers herself by hand, making her much slower than Xu Lili. She can do addition and subtraction mentally, but she has to use a pen for multiplication of multiple numbers.

Luo Youqiong exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't even hear clearly, and you figured it out!"

Xu Lili smiled shyly: "I've always been good at arithmetic."

Without saying a word, Su Ruyi immediately appointed Xu Lili as the cashier.

By this time, the other staff members had also arrived early. Although the store had been cleaned and tidied up the night before, they would still clean and tidy it up again every morning to ensure that the store was in the best possible condition to welcome customers.

Su Ruyi led Luo Youqiong to the oldest saleswoman among them and said, "Sister Wang, this is Luo Youqiong, a new saleswoman. You can help her mentor her from now on. During the time you mentor her, you can get half of the commission from the pants she sells."

Sister Wang smiled and agreed. She had originally thought that bringing people would delay her from making money, but she didn't expect there would be such benefits. She immediately took the job seriously.

It's been open for two days, and today is the third day. It's noticeably more organized now.

Xu Lili picked it up quickly. Except for the first order, when she was a little flustered and needed to double-check with an abacus, she was much more composed with the second order, and by the third order, she was no longer a novice.

Su Ruyi then stopped paying attention to this area and instead inspected the store's interior, intending to redesign its structure.

We were too rushed before, and some parts were not perfect.

Because the store not only needs to sell clothes, but also needs to receive wholesalers, it needs a space to discuss business.

Su Ruyi has already cleared space in the corner, but hasn't had time to buy suitable tables and chairs yet.

It needs to have some privacy and be decorated.

You can also put some flowers and plants at the entrance. But don't worry about real plants, it will be too cold here in winter to grow them. You can put some artificial flowers and vines there instead.

These also require a special trip to the market to find them. Su Ruyi needs to have a general idea of ​​what to buy.

The store was relatively quiet in the morning, with not many customers, but quite a few people came to inquire about wholesale.

Therefore, Su Ruyi spent most of her time receiving these people. Those who had hesitated before quickly signed contracts and paid deposits after seeing such a large storefront.

"Are you the girl who won first place in the hula hoop competition? I saw you in the Life Daily!" Someone recognized Xu Lili as soon as they entered the store.

Xu Lili stands out the most in the photo. She is beautiful, ranked first, and has a very interesting story, so she is the clearest in the photo.

"Hello," Xu Lili replied shyly.

Are you an employee of this store?

Xu Lili: "I just started working today. Boss Su knew about my predicament, so he gave me a job and made me a brand ambassador."

This was something Su Ruyi and Xu Lili had planned together. Xu Lili's first place win would definitely be in the newspapers, and they even did an exclusive interview yesterday. According to Lu Ting, the reporter was very interested in her story and found it very inspiring, showing how women bravely resist feudal arranged marriages and strive hard.

Qiong Yao dramas are very popular now. Many of the female characters in these dramas are bold in love and hate, bravely break free from their constraints, and pursue true love. Everyone admires this aspect.

Xu Lili also voluntarily donated half of her prize money to a charity organization, which further demonstrates her admirable qualities.

If all goes well, the interview will be published.

In this way, Xu Lili will gain some degree of fame.

Su Ruyi simply invited Xu Lili to be the spokesperson. She was good-looking and tall, so it was easy for her to create a good effect when wearing clothes.

Xu Lili had no objection to this, after all, she could earn an extra hundred yuan a month during her time as a spokesperson.

There will be extra compensation if a photoshoot is required.

Therefore, when someone asks, Xu Lili is very proactive in explaining and promoting her own products to everyone.

The visitor didn't actually understand what a brand ambassador was, but seeing that Xu Lili had a decent job made him happy for her.

"Oh, that's great! This way we have some security."

There were quite a few people like that, and some even recognized Luo Youqiong.

Most people are rational; they just sighed and didn't become fanatical.

However, the celebrity effect still exists, making people who were originally hesitant about buying pants readily take out their wallets.

During lunch break, Sister Wang approached Su Ruyi and asked:

"Mr. Su, may I stay at the shop?"

Although Sister Wang has only been here for three days, she is very optimistic about the future of Ruyi Clothing. Su Ruyi is a generous boss, and the future will be good if she follows her. Moreover, this place is relatively close to her home.

She had originally wanted to observe further, but seeing the new colleagues and the job postings outside made her a little worried.

If the positions are filled, it won't be easy for her to stay.

"Of course, you're very welcome."

Su Ruyi had previously raised this issue with Lu Ting: what if someone wanted to stay?

Lu Ting was very generous: "If they want to stay, they can. I can spare some people, which means I don't need a few more."

Hula hoop stores don't stay open for very long. Once the hula hoop brand becomes well-known, they gradually scale back their business and stop opening exclusive stores.

Therefore, Su Ruyi accepted it without pressure. Sister Wang was the oldest in the group and also the most composed in handling matters.

Her sales performance wasn't high compared to other sales clerks, but she had excellent coordination skills. She proactively resolved any issues that arose in the store, which resulted in her spending less time serving customers and consequently, lower sales volume.

However, she will not change because of this. Even if Su Ruyi is here today, she will not push things onto Su Ruyi's side every time.

She will coordinate and resolve any issues that can be resolved.

Sister Wang was originally a store manager at a hula hoop store, and she was in charge of scheduling different areas. She was a very capable person.

Knowing Wang Jie's resume, Su Ruyi knew that this was someone Lu Ting had given her.

"Such an outstanding person, you're willing to put him with me?"

Lu Ting: "The plastic factory is too far from Sister Wang's home. She can only go back once a week when she has time off, which is very inconvenient for her. She is already married and will probably have a child soon, at which point she will resign and leave. It would be a waste to let such an excellent person go. As long as you are not worried that it will affect her work when she has a child, you can consider keeping her."

Su Ruyi herself is a woman and understands the difficulties women face in the workplace. Now that she has a certain economic foundation, she doesn't think it's a big deal.

Sister Wang was very happy to hear this. "Boss Su, thank you so much!"

"But if you come to work for me, the plastics factory will stop paying your salary."

Sister Wang knew perfectly well that this was just a temporary favor she was doing for the past few days, and that it would be canceled soon.

“This is only temporary. How can I keep taking money from both sides indefinitely?”

"We don't have a store manager yet, Sister Wang. I'd like to appoint you as the acting store manager. After your probation period, if there are no problems, you will be promoted to store manager. Are you willing?"

Sister Wang was surprised by such a good thing and quickly agreed.

"Boss Su, thank you for your high regard. I will definitely do a good job!"

Of the other three sales clerks, one girl stayed. The other two preferred to stay at the factory, not because they were dissatisfied with their jobs in the store, but more because of family reasons.

Staying in the factory, no one could find a better fit for them.

One of the girls complained, "I was originally quite happy to be transferred to work in the city. But I didn't expect that the closer I got to home, the more trouble I would encounter."

The girl's home is very close to the store, and the neighbors know that she works as a saleswoman there, so they always try to get close to her to get a lower discount.

What decision-making power could a mere sales clerk have? No matter how much you tried to reason with her, she insisted that you weren't doing your job well and that you looked down on your neighbors now that you had a good job.

When she got home, her family said she was stupid and inflexible, and that she should have just sold the defective products cheaply to the neighbors.

No defective products?

That's easy, just make it look like a flaw.

She had experienced something similar before when she was selling hula hoops, and now it's happening again, leaving the girl physically and mentally exhausted. She feels that she is better off staying in the factory.

The other girl was in a similar situation. She could keep her salary at the factory, but ordinary people couldn't get into factories, and it was too far away to go. It would be very difficult to do so in the city.

Su Ruyi selected another girl from among those who applied, and the store staff was basically stabilized.

After the shop was all set up, Su Ruyi chose an auspicious day to end the trial operation and prepare for the official opening.