Chapter 21 Jinjiang Exclusive Hula Hoop [Second Update]...
Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting walked around for a while and finally found a shop that wholesaled hula hoops.
The shop doesn't specialize in wholesaling hula hoops; it mainly sells children's toys, and the hula hoops were just a few samples on display. The shop is filled with a dazzling array of colorful items, so much so that you might easily miss them if you're not paying attention.
There are more than one store selling hula hoops in the wholesale market, but they are just one of the small products in each store. Only one store seems to have a lot of samples and a wider variety of colors.
Wang Huiting inquired about prices very actively. With her previous experience, she had basically mastered the skills of chatting with these people, making herself appear very experienced.
Compared to the owners of small commodities, these owners were clearly more prestigious, and they treated Wang Huiting, a young girl, with great indifference.
"The small ones are five yuan each, and the large ones are six yuan each."
Wang Huiting gasped, but didn't show it on her face:
"Boss, this price is too unreasonable. Even retail prices outside aren't this expensive."
"My wholesale order starts at a minimum of one hundred pieces, and each type is worth a certain amount of one yuan."
As the owner spoke, he went to attend to other customers.
Wang Huiting overheard this and realized that other people were buying goods in quantities of several thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan, and they didn't even care about their small amount.
Su Ruyi didn't insist, and instead took Wang Huiting to other stalls to ask about prices.
The prices offered by other stalls were all about the same, not much cheaper.
"Sis, what do you think of this price? If it were really ten yuan each, it seems like we could make a profit?"
Wang Huiting didn't really know what a reasonable price for a hula hoop was. She just carried small things with her, and she knew exactly how much her travel expenses would cost.
Hula hoops are different; they take up a lot of space, and shipping and storage costs increase expenses.
She didn't know these things before; she only learned them when she was chatting with Su Ruyi earlier. She realized that doing business requires factoring these things into the costs.
If the amount is large, you also have to calculate bank interest. If the money you earn is not much higher than the bank interest, then it's better not to do it at all.
Su Ruyi was dissatisfied. She felt that ten yuan was a bit expensive considering the county's cost of living. She thought it shouldn't exceed eight yuan, and five or six yuan would be more reasonable. A lower price would allow it to spread virally, ensuring that every household had at least one.
Once this product becomes popular, others will quickly follow suit, and if the purchase price isn't lowered, you'll soon find yourself unable to make much money.
“Let’s go check out the plastics factory. These people are sourcing their products from Beijing and Shanghai, which is expensive. If a local plastics factory could produce them, the cost could be reduced significantly.”
Su Ruyi didn't know if the local factories were flexible enough. In her previous life, there were many small factories in her hometown that were extremely flexible in their operations. As long as you had enough quantity, they could immediately make a new mold for you.
However, the factories in the city where her university was located were relatively rigid, and bureaucratic practices were prevalent. When she went to communicate with them, she clearly felt the difference in the way businessmen operated between the two places.
The plastic factory that Wang Huiting knew was a newly opened private factory. Perhaps it was more flexible since it was newly established, but it also depended on what their main business was.
"Okay, but you have to transfer to get to the plastics factory from here. That place is quite remote, and it will probably be dark by the time you get there."
"Let's not rush over there today. We're closer to there, and there are buses that go directly to the area. Let's find a guesthouse to stay in first."
When the two arrived at the bus stop, Wang Huiting looked at the map for a while and quickly located the place.
"Sis, how about we go to the machine tool factory's guesthouse? It's a residential area, quite bustling, and close to the bus terminal. We might be able to snag a seat, and there are direct buses from here to the machine tool factory."
The plastics factory is located in a remote area, and it would be too uncomfortable to stand all the way there if there were no seats available.
"Okay, let's do it here." Su Ruyi was happy to relinquish her responsibilities and let Wang Huiting take full charge of the itinerary.
Wang Huiting was clearly happy to help, feeling that she could be of assistance.
The guesthouses are now open to the public and no longer require a letter of introduction as before. Su Ruyi had already obtained her ID card before arriving, and Wang Huiting had also brought her household registration book, so they checked in quickly.
"Sister, we can just stay in the dormitory-style room. A double room costs thirty yuan a night, which is too expensive." Wang Huiting felt extremely distressed.
"The dormitory is not safe. We are carrying goods and money, and it is easy for someone to steal them. In addition, we will be traveling around these days, and we can't do without a good night's sleep."
Wang Huiting had a long face. After paying the rent, she had almost no money left, and they didn't know how many days they would have to stay.
"Next, you'll be with me. Whether you come or not, I'll stay in this kind of room anyway."
"But single rooms aren't that expensive."
"Then just give me the price difference between a single room and a double room."
The price difference between single and double rooms is not significant, only two or three yuan more.
Wang Huiting agreed, knowing she was getting a good deal, but she really didn't have much money left.
Su Ruyi smiled and said, "Having you with me has saved me a lot of trouble, and this is also your contribution."
"What I did is nothing; you could do it yourself."
"But I'll have to put in more effort. Look at the big bosses, how many of them do things personally? They all have to hire people to do things for them."
Upon hearing this, Wang Huiting felt less pressured and began to admire their room.
This guesthouse has been around for quite some time, and many of the items show signs of age. However, it was a very high-standard establishment in the past, so the overall layout is quite nice.
The room was spacious and bright, with a table and window between the two beds, as well as a wardrobe, clothes rack, washbasin, kettle, and other amenities.
However, there is no separate toilet, but there is a dedicated water room and a place to shower.
As long as you have the room key, you can take a free shower, which is a pretty good perk, since going to a public bathhouse would cost several cents.
After checking in, Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting went out to find something to eat. When they got to the front desk, Wang Huiting handed the receptionist a bag of dried mangoes that Su Ruyi had given her.
The receptionist was only seventeen or eighteen years old. Her eyes lit up when she saw the dried mangoes, and she treated them much better than before.
"Are you going out to eat? Turn left and walk about four or five hundred meters. There's a small alley. Go in and you'll find a small stir-fry restaurant. The food there is delicious and cheap."
"That's great! We were just wondering what to eat later." Wang Huiting said gratefully. "Sister, do you know where I can buy hula hoops? My sister is begging me to buy one, but I'm not from the provincial capital and don't know where to buy them. I haven't seen any along the way."
"Hula hoop? What a coincidence! I just bought one for my nephew a couple of days ago. You can see it just a few steps from the No. 5 bus stop near the light bulb factory. It costs eight yuan! I had to haggle for ages before they gave it to me, and it even had some minor flaws. They used to sell it for ten yuan."
The receptionist looked distressed; she really wanted to buy one for herself, but this month's expenses were too high, so she had to wait until next month.
Wang Huiting gasped, "So expensive, and it's just a plastic pipe? It's not worth it at all."
"That's right. I heard it came from Beijing and Shanghai, and it's very popular there."
As a receptionist at the guesthouse, the young woman had access to more information than the average person.
People who travel all over the country live here, so they have more access to information than ordinary people.
"Aren't there any plastic factories in our area that make this?"
The receptionist was taken aback; she hadn't expected her to bring this up.
"No, my aunt's brother works at the No. 3 Mold and Plastic Factory. They specialize in making TV back covers."
The two left the hotel to find something to eat, and following the receptionist's recommendation, they went to that stir-fry restaurant.
As the two approached the alley, they smelled a rich aroma. It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was already quite full.
The woks at the stir-fry shop are right at the entrance, so you can see what's going on at a glance. They look quite appetizing, and the portions are generous.
Su Ruyi ordered four dishes and a soup, and found a corner seat to sit down.
"Sis, what if the plastic factory isn't willing to do it? Should we still buy from the wholesale market?"
Wang Huiting felt that the prices offered by the wholesale market were not reasonable. If she wanted to lower the price, she would have to buy in large quantities, which would require a lot of money.
"Let's see how things go tomorrow. If this newly opened plastics factory doesn't work out, we'll look at other factories."
According to the map, there are six plastic factories in the provincial capital. The two of them don't know what their main business is, or whether they can find the time to do this. They have to go to each one one by one.
It's impossible to explain things clearly over the phone; I still need to go and ask in person.
The next morning, the two took the first bus to the plastic factory.
Although they were already in a relatively close location, the plastics factory was in the suburbs, and it still took them an hour by bus to get there.
When the two of them got out of the car, they were both feeling dizzy.
The road conditions on the latter part of the road were really bad, it was constantly bumping and jolting. Most of the people in the car were villagers from the surrounding area, carrying all sorts of things, and the car smelled terrible.
In the sweltering summer heat, the smell was unbearable; it almost made people vomit.
After regaining her composure, Wang Huiting looked around. The place was desolate, with only a wooden bus stop sign standing there all alone. She couldn't help but shrink back.
"Sis, this is way too remote."
Wang Huiting hurriedly checked the last bus time on the bus stop sign. There was only one bus here, and if they missed it, it would be terrifying for the two of them to be stranded in the middle of nowhere!
Su Ruyi took the map, looked at it for a while, and asked, "Is my aunt's house around here?"
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