Chapter 603: Southern Goods Transferred to the North

Ma Tou took Fu Jingyou around in many twists and turns.

Seeing Fu Jingyou stopped on the overpass and looked at the street, Ma Tou turned around and shouted:

"Hurry up, if you're any later all the good sellers will be closing up shop!"

Fu Jingyou withdrew his gaze, picked up his things and followed him.

The stall is near the train station.

It's just a ten-minute walk after crossing the overpass.

When Fu Jingyou was halfway there, he heard noisy sounds of people clamoring and bargaining.

"Comrade, please give me a discount. I'll come back next time!"

"It's not cheap, it's not cheap... If you want 30 or 50 pieces, I can give you a discount. For these 35 pieces, I'll give you credit at this price... Take a look, if you want it, take it. If not, go to someone else's store."

"Th-this...Okay, give me five."

A long row of three-story buildings comes into view, like an enlarged version of the department store in northern Beijing.

There is a small shop with a door curtain outside the first floor, and there is also a vendor dressed similarly to Ma Tou, selling loose goods in snakeskin bags.

"Don't just look outside, there's more inside."

Fu Jingyou turned his head and nodded, his eyes a little overwhelmed.

Walking along the road, you can see everything for sale.

Such as stationery, toys, pots and pans, as well as bundles of various fabrics, sweaters, shoes and socks, cotton thread, etc.

As the New Year approaches, there are many people selling New Year pictures, red lanterns and red candles.

“Are these available for purchase?”

"No, it's not that blatant."

Ma Tou waved his hand, approached him, pointed at some shops and said:

"Look at that one, and that one... The ones with red ropes or ribbons wrapped around their door knockers or hanging on the shelves at the entrance mean they can sell wholesale goods. It's industry jargon, and I don't tell anyone."

Fu Jingyou smiled and nodded, patting his shoulder with gratitude.

Ma Tou is actually an honest guy.

I just got five dollars, and there is also a reward from the Great Unity. The total is more than ten dollars, which is not a small amount of money.

If you take money, you have to do practical things for people.

Ma Tou has done his best to guide Fu Jingyou.

He racked his brains along the way and told Fu Jingyou everything he had learned in the past six months:

"There are so many things here. If you're not sure what business to start, just look around and make a decision... Since you're just starting out, small items are definitely safer. Even if you don't make much money, you won't lose money either."

"The stall owners here supply goods. Generally, they can give discounts on small items over 50 pieces. For large items like pants and ready-made clothes, they can get discounts or even get a small amount for 15 or 20 pieces."

"When you see something you like, you must be polite when speaking to people. Only when you have a good relationship with them can you have a smooth journey."

"Um."

Fu Jingyou nodded.

When I was in my hometown, Nanhu Town, I had been to the black market many times.

He is still clear about some general "rules" in business.

The buildings of this era are generally different from the skyscrapers of the future.

The windows are just ordinary square windows with limited size and limited number of areas.

There were so many people and goods in the building that most of the windows were blocked.

The air was barely circulating, and with people crowded together, there was also an indescribable smell.

The lights were on indoors during the day, but even so, the light was still dim.

"Downstairs is all cluttered and small, so upstairs it needs to be more concentrated."

Ma Tou carried a snakeskin bag on one hand and pointed casually with the other hand while introducing Fu Jingyou:

"Young, beautiful students in the city love to come here to shop during holidays. They find cheap goods and don't require cloth coupons."

"No cloth coupons?"

"Yes, it also started in September last year."

“Is buying clothes the same as buying cloth?”

Ma Tou nodded and said affirmatively:

"It's all the same."

Fu Jingyou raised his eyebrows and looked more carefully.

There is a new policy here, which is that cloth coupons are not required.

At this stage in Beijing, cloth coupons are a necessity whether you are buying ready-made clothes or buying cloth to make clothes.

If you don't need cloth coupons, then this is a solid way to make money.

Fu Jingyou had some ideas, but he was worried that without the cloth coupons, the prices of goods would be very high, so he kept silent for the time being.

After looking around up and down the stairs twice, I roughly figured out what items were sold, what patterns and quality they had.

Fu Jingyou began his third lap.

Ma Tou was so tired that his legs were weak. He pulled him and said:

"No, take a break, take a break! I'm starving, it's already past lunchtime!"

Only then did Fu Jingyou realize that he was a little hungry too.

I glanced at my watch and it was almost three in the afternoon.

After a brief moment of thought, Fu Jingyou pulled up his hair and squeezed into the crowd again:

"Take another look around, and I'll treat you to dinner after you're done."

You should also allow some time to find accommodation.

You can rest anywhere and deal with it at ordinary times.

I brought a lot of money with me this time, so I decided to find a decent place to stay to stay safe.

Fu Jingyou had a general impression of the patterns he had seen before.

The purpose of this trip was mainly to confirm which shops could provide wholesale goods.

While walking around, Fu Jingyou would go up to ask about something he liked when he saw one.

He spoke in a very organized and polite manner.

There was also someone around who occasionally joined in and spoke Cantonese.

The shop owners saw him as an insider who came to buy goods, so they quoted honest prices.

For example, some very thick cotton cloth costs 30 cents per foot in department stores in northern Beijing.

Here it is sold by the meter, 50 cents per meter.

Buy more and it will be cheaper.

For example, if it is over fifty meters, it is 45 cents, and if it is over one hundred meters, it is 40 cents.

Of course, this is based on the premise that there are cloth coupons.

During his communication with the shop owner, Fu Jingyou came to a deep understanding that what Matou meant by not wanting cloth coupons was actually that cloth coupons were not a necessity.

Without cloth coupons, the price would be five cents higher.

Most people cannot afford so many cloth coupons to purchase the goods, so only retail investors can buy them for their own wear, so they can get a cheaper price.

Fu Jingyou's mind was working rapidly.

Five cents more is also appropriate.

One meter is equal to three feet. In addition to cloth coupons, the Jingbei Department Store also charges an extra thirty cents.

Even if we calculate it based on the price in the department store, if we bring goods from the south to the north, we can make 40 cents out of the price difference of one meter.

If you don't need a ticket, the price can be even higher.

The fabric is of very good quality, soft and warm to the touch, so there is no need to worry about selling it.

After chatting for a long time, the shop owner asked:

"How about it? How much?"

Fu Jingyou raised his chin towards Matou and said with a smile:

"I'll discuss it with my brother."

"That's all right."

The shop owner nodded, not too concerned.

Once a vendor has too much goods, he sometimes worries that he won’t be able to sell them.

After all, in Guangzhou, these resources are relatively abundant.

But the shop owner is different.

With more and more vendors pouring into the industry every day, there is no shortage of buyers for the goods in their shops.

Under this circumstance, it is possible that some shop owners may have the idea of ​​giving up their business.

The one that Fu Jingyou and his friends encountered was exactly a salted fish.

If the customer wants to buy, the shop owner will naturally be willing to sell.

It doesn’t matter if the customers don’t buy.

Business is all about fate.

Harmony brings wealth, which is always better than forced buying and selling.

…