Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but chuckle. "Sir, I'm truly sorry, but the 'National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance' gift box has a complex production process, and our shop has limited stock, so we cannot provide so many at once."
"How much can you give me?"
"Sir, this gift box has a long production time and needs to be ordered 10 days in advance. Moreover, only one can be ordered at a time."
The man frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. "I'll pay eleven taels. Get the goods to me as soon as possible."
He was thinking to himself that he had to get back to the capital as soon as possible and sell the gift boxes before the hype died down. He was worried that the price would change if he missed the opportunity.
"Sir, this is not a matter of price. Our shop has limited stock and we don't have that many."
"I'll offer fifteen taels each."
Meng Zhao shook his head again. "Sir, our shop never sets inflated prices, nor will we break the rules just because a customer offers a high price. However, I do have a suggestion. If you purchase other products from our shop and the total amount exceeds twenty taels of silver, you can become our VIP and enjoy one opportunity to reserve without a reservation. What do you think?"
"Twenty taels of silver? What can you buy with that?" The man hadn't expected that he would have to buy a bunch of other things beforehand if he wanted to buy something.
"The products in the shop are all good. I suggest you take a look at our single-layer kits. Each kit has a different function. There are toiletries kits, as well as whitening and moisturizing kits. We've sold a lot of these kits in the county, and everyone who's used them says they work well." After hearing Meng Zhao's introduction, the man began to carefully examine the items in the shop.
Meng Zhao's reason for using this distribution model was not to sell unsold products. The scented soaps, bath soaps, and bath beans in her shop were all daily consumables, and she never had to worry about selling them.
However, this product set has indeed encountered some bottlenecks. Those with the purchasing power have already bought most of what they need. A set can last for three or four months, so the speed of repeat purchases simply cannot keep up.
Opening a branch would require too much investment and would be inconvenient to manage due to the distance.
After much thought, handing the goods over to these merchants seemed like a good solution.
However, if customers were allowed to choose their own goods, and the profit from selling ten single-layer boxes was the same as that from selling one double-layer box, customers would definitely choose the double-layer box, which has a higher profit margin.
However, as a merchant, Meng Zhao values expanding brand awareness and customer base more. Therefore, he wants these customers to buy more single-layer boxes while purchasing double-layer boxes. After all, they are not stupid; once they receive the goods, they will not want to keep them in their hands but will try to sell them.
After listening, the merchant lowered his head and pondered for a while. He gritted his teeth and made up his mind, "Alright, then give me a single-layer gift box worth three hundred taels of silver, and fifteen double-layer gift boxes."
He wanted to buy more, but in order to make it easier to get back as soon as possible, he could only buy a little.
If he were allowed to take away fifty double-layered boxes, Meng Zhao would have earned five hundred taels of silver, but now he can only earn four hundred and fifty taels. However, Meng Zhao does not feel regretful.
After all, fifty double-layer boxes only served fifty customers, but now there are nearly three hundred customers. With a larger customer base and increased brand awareness, the double-layer boxes will definitely sell well in the future.
After the customer paid the deposit, Meng Zhao smiled broadly and said, "I'll get things ready right away. You can come pick up the goods at this time tomorrow!"
A few days later, a man in the same situation came to the door. Meng Jianqiu followed Meng Zhao's instructions and used the same excuse to deal with him. Sure enough, the man bought eighty single-layer gift boxes and five double-layer gift boxes. Meng Zhao then received another one hundred and fifty taels of silver.
That day, Meng Zhao received a letter from Gu Changwu. She didn't open it right away, thinking she would take it home and read it with Gu Shi. Halfway there, she saw someone selling freshly caught fish by the roadside. Meng Zhao saw that the fish looked very fresh, so she stopped and bought one.
"Zhao Zhao, you bought fish?" Gu Shi said after seeing Meng Zhao carrying a fish.
"Yes, Mom, this fish is so fresh. It was just caught from the river. We'll make crucian carp and tofu soup for dinner tonight."
As she was preparing to kill the fish, she suddenly remembered the letter. "Oh, right, Mom, my second uncle wrote a letter today. Take a look at what it says."
Upon hearing that it was a letter from her younger brother, Madam Gu quickly dried her hands and accepted it.
Meng Zhao turned around and found a stick, intending to stun the fish first. However, the fish was still jumping around even after being hit with the stick. When Gu Shi saw this, she quickly said, "Never mind, you watch it. I'll kill the fish. You usually go to the Treasure Pavilion. It wouldn't be good if you hurt your hand."
Meng Zhao didn't stand on ceremony and handed over the stick. By the time Madam Gu finished cleaning the fish, she had also finished reading her letter.
While busy with her work, Madam Gu looked up and asked, "What does the letter say?"
"My second uncle said in the letter that they joined Mengji Braised Pork as a franchisee and opened a shop in Hongnong County."
"Franchise a braised pork shop?" Gu paused in her work, her face full of surprise. "Why didn't they tell me about something this big beforehand?"
"My second uncle hasn't decided yet either; he just wanted to ask for my opinion in advance."
Madam Gu had a suspicion in mind and asked, "Did Third Sister bring this up?"
"It was indeed my second aunt who suggested it, but my second uncle also agreed."
“I knew it. Your second uncle was doing a good job in his workshop, why would he think of opening a shop?” Madam Gu said with an expression that said, “I knew it.”
Meng Zhao asked with some curiosity, "Judging from Mother's tone, it seems she doesn't quite agree?"
“It’s not that I disagree with opening a shop, but it costs a lot of money, plus the 50 taels franchise fee. Where will they get so much money? They’ll inevitably come after you again, making things difficult for you.”
Meng Zhao said with a smile, "What are you thinking? It's not just Second Aunt who wants to do this. Eldest Uncle and the others said that if Second Aunt is going to do it, they can put up a sum of money as an investment and then receive a share of the profits."
Ever since Gu Yun went to Hongnong County, Meng Zhao has called Gu Yu to help out at the workshop in Shenjia Village. Now, the two brothers are getting paid every month, and since their family is frugal, they should be able to scrape together enough money.
The letter said that the idea was proposed by her second aunt. Meng Zhao had met Zhao San Niang a few times. Ever since her second child was born, which was also a girl, she seemed to be in a bad mood and had become thinner.
Before going to Hongnong County, Meng Zhao was worried that she wouldn't be able to do the work in the workshop. Unexpectedly, in less than a few months, she had the idea of opening a braised pork shop.
Hearing that she hadn't borrowed money from Meng Zhao, Gu Shi was somewhat satisfied, but still a little hesitant. Although she had been working at the braised pork shop, it was just that—working. She had no idea how to open a shop, so she could only ask Meng Zhao.
"So, Zhao Zhao, what do you think about this?"
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