Chapter 59 Report
The shop next door had been closed for business for a week after receiving its first shipment. Gu Yimin and Gu Erhui were both puzzled. Chinese New Year was approaching, and now was peak season for clothing. Even a single day off meant significant losses.
However, the store's business was very good these days, with customers coming in all day and night. They were too busy to pay attention to the neighbors.
On this day, the store next door opened. They set off firecrackers early in the morning, and then many people went to the store to celebrate.
"The people next door should be locals." Gu Erhui whispered to Gu Yimin, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people coming to celebrate.
“I don’t know what kind of clothes they sell.”
"Who knows? It's not easy for us to go over and take a look."
The two families were on bad terms, and if they went over there, something might happen. The woman next door didn't seem to have a good temper.
The two sisters were whispering while having lunch at noon. At this time, another customer came into the store. They quickly put down their chopsticks to greet the customer.
The two women who came in were in their thirties. They looked around the store and then said with some disdain: "You have too few styles of clothes. The store next door has a lot of styles."
After hearing this, Gu Erhui smiled and asked, "Sister, what kind of clothes are there next door?"
"There are so many. Coats, sweaters, pants, all in different styles. We also have jackets." The older sister held up a jacket and looked at it. "How much is it?"
Gu Erhui smiled and replied, "55."
The eldest sister curled her lips and said, "It's sold next door for 50."
Gu Erhui glanced at Gu Jianguo. She wondered if there was a cheaper source next door. Seeing Gu Jianguo shook his head, she smiled and said, "You get what you pay for. Sister, a puffer jacket is something you can wear for many years, so if you want to buy one, you must buy good quality. We've been selling puffer jackets for a while, and no one has ever complained about our poor quality. Since you're planning to spend around fifty yuan on a piece of clothing, you might as well spend five yuan to put your mind at ease."
The woman looked at the jacket from side to side. She took Gu Erhui's advice in her heart, but she also felt that saving five yuan could go a long way. She whispered to her friends about it, but Gu Erhui stopped trying to persuade them to buy it, acting as if her clothes were of good quality and would sell well.
The two women discussed for a while and finally bought two puffer jackets for 55 yuan each.
After sending them out, Gu Erhui whispered to Gu Jianguo, "Will the goods from next door be cheaper than ours?"
Gu Jianguo thought about it and said, "That shouldn't be the case. The goods we bought are already at the lowest price. It's possible that they are selling them at a low profit."
Then some customers mentioned that the shop next door was cheaper and had a wider variety of styles, but Gu Erhui and her colleagues insisted on not lowering the prices. This morning, sales of the clothes were significantly lower than before.
When a few people talked about this during lunch, they guessed that the clothes next door were most likely smuggled second-hand clothes.
"Or what if the goods they reported were smuggled?" Gu Yimin said.
No one responded to his words. They only had a minor conflict with their neighbors right now, but if they reported them, they would become enemies. Furthermore, they didn't know the background of the two people next door. If they were someone powerful, reporting them would only bring trouble upon themselves.
"They don't have many bread clothes, so it shouldn't affect us too much." Gu Jianguo frowned and said, "Let's wait and see."
Han Deyi also said: "Wait a little longer."
The afternoon's sales were also much lower than usual, and everyone felt a little uncomfortable. But they also knew that this kind of thing would happen sooner or later, and they couldn't always do the only business.
"Sanjing and Xiaosi are about to have their holidays. Let's call mom and ask them to prepare to come over." Gu Yimin discussed with Gu Jianguo.
Gu Jianguo hummed. He was considering whether to transfer Sanjing and Xiaosi's household registration. To attend school here, one needed a local household registration. If they followed the normal procedures, they would have to transfer Sanjing and Xiaosi's household registration here.
With a house, it's not difficult to transfer my household registration, but after the transfer, I lose my land. After being a farmer for so many years, I have always regarded farmland as the foundation of my life. Even though I am making money from business now, I feel empty when I think about losing my land.
Another option is to use money to find connections. If this method is used, Zhu Qingjun can help. As a police station chief, he should be able to find a school for the child.
He has been hesitating these days about which of these two methods to use.
He told his two daughters about his idea. Gu Yimin and Gu Erhui didn't know what to do. This was a matter that concerned their entire lives, and it was not a easy decision to make.
"Let's talk about it after we bring your mother and the others over." Gu Jianguo said finally.
The neighbor's clothing was indeed limited, and they sold out within two days. Their business picked up again. However, the neighbor's business didn't seem to be very good. Because they were all second-hand clothes, there was only one of each style, which greatly affected sales.
The woman next door often stood outside their store and looked inside, with a gloomy face, which made people feel uncomfortable.
One day, a customer heard that the price of a flatbread was 55 yuan and bargained for a lower price. Gu Erhui smiled and said to her, "It really can't be lower. Our profit is really not that much."
"The boss next door said that the purchase price of bread clothes is 35."
Gu Erhui was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then said, "You should have heard that competitors are enemies. Besides, if his store sells it cheaply, you can buy it from him."
"They're out of stock." The customer looked at the jacket, wanting to buy it but feeling it was too expensive. After a moment's deliberation, he finally put the jacket down and left. He'd lost 20 yuan on a single piece of clothing, which seemed like a huge loss to him.
Later, several customers said that the neighbor said the purchase price of the twill jacket was 35, and they had to get it cheaper, otherwise they would not buy it. After that, their sales were not very good all day.
After closing the door at night, several people discussed countermeasures.
Competition is normal in business, but playing dirty tricks behind the scenes is wrong. Business is all about making money. You've blown my bottom price, leaving me with no money to earn. I'm not going to be a pushover.
After discussing it, several people unanimously decided to report that the goods next door were smuggled.
"What if they have connections with the higher-ups?" Tian Huiying was a little scared. In the past, she would feel inferior to the city people when she saw them, let alone go against them.
"Aunt, even if they have connections up there, we have to do this." Gu Erhui said, "They're bullying us like this. If we don't say anything, their bullying methods will get even worse in the future. If this continues for a long time, we won't be able to do business anymore."
Kind people are often bullied. If you are a tough person, they will have to think carefully even if they want to bully you.
The next day, Gu Jianguo and Han Deyi wrote an anonymous letter of complaint to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, exposing that the goods next door were smuggled.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
