Wang De reacted strongly when he heard that Chen Zhe wanted to open a supermarket.
"Hey bro, you're not running a fever today, are you?"
"No, I'm perfectly normal, why are you asking that, bro?"
"If you don't have a fever, why are you running a supermarket? Do you know how many supermarkets have gone out of business? Let's not talk about far away, just the one at the corner of our street, it's changed owners twice in the last six months, and it's going to close down again at the end of this month. I heard it's because it couldn't pay wages, the owner ran away, and the employees are still making a fuss there!"
"I know."
"I know you still want to do it? Do you have too much money to burn? Take my advice, there's no advantage to running a supermarket now. Prices are cheaper online, and everyone prefers to buy online. From large appliances like washing machines and rice cookers to small items like tissues and trash cans, you can buy everything online. The fastest delivery is the same day, and the prices are half the price of physical stores."
"I know that too."
"Do you know why you're still doing this? You're really out of your mind. I think you'd be better off working with Sister Hu. She's been good to us."
"Brother Wang, that's the reason!"
What's the reason?
"Have some foot massage parlors around here closed down too?"
Wang De paused for a moment, then nodded; "That's right, ever since our store opened, the other stores' businesses have been struggling, and they've gradually been unable to survive."
"Brother Wang, if you were that business owner who was about to go bankrupt, wouldn't you think that the foot massage parlor industry was doomed?"
"Well... how should I put it? If they're not doing well, it's because of their resources and connections. We have Sister Hu as our backer, so we're very secure."
"Brother Wang, let me ask you a question: has Sister Hu ever been to this store since it opened?"
Wang De thought for a moment, then shook his head; "No."
"That makes sense, doesn't it? This store is managed by that manager now, and Sister Hu has never been here. So why is the business so much better than others?"
"Well... our technicians are quite pretty, and those people like pretty people."
"Not necessarily? I remember there are a few clubs next door with pretty good masseuses, and they're all pretty young girls."
"That's different. We're not only young here, but we also provide excellent service, and most importantly, our techniques are superb."
Chen Zhe spread his hands; "See, we've found the problem, haven't we?"
"Huh...?"
Wang De thought for a moment and suddenly understood. He used to own a factory and had been a boss, so his thinking was more agile.
"Brother, are you referring to a service issue?"
"That's right, it's a service issue. Going back to our previous topic, the reasons why those supermarkets went bankrupt are nothing more than a few: first, price; second, service; and third, the system. Their prices are higher than online, so customers naturally don't want to buy there. Secondly, the service is problematic. Most of the employees in supermarkets are lifeless, or they try their best to push products with higher profit margins, which annoys customers. And then there's the system, which I think is the biggest problem!"
"How so?"
"The wages here, the supermarket clerks and sales assistants, are mostly around 3,000 to 4,000 yuan. Three or four thousand yuan is not enough to make a living in a big city like Donghai. Every day when they wake up, they worry about how they will survive this month. In the long run, do you think they will still have the mind to work?"
"That's true, but that's how wages are here for most people. We can't compare to the city center, so there's bound to be a wage gap here."
"Salaries aren't necessarily limited to a specific region. Aren't our technicians' incomes quite high? In the service industry, our technicians can earn tens of thousands of yuan, can't they?"
"Yes, it's generally between 20,000 and 30,000, which is indeed very high for this area."
"So the region isn't an absolute issue, do you agree with that, bro?"
"Well, I kind of agree, but this is an industry classification. Our technicians' services have a higher unit price, which is incomparable to those supermarket clerks."
“There will definitely be a gap. The problem lies in the distribution of profits and the content of services. If we adjust the distribution of profits and the content of services, and share some of the income with some employees, wouldn’t that solve the problem?”
"Dude, are you kidding me? Supermarkets are a business that relies on low profit margins and high sales volume. If you share the profits with your employees, how will you survive?"
"This is the thinking of most bosses. In fact, as long as the pie is big enough, even if most of the profits are distributed to the employees, we can still make a profit, and we can also maximize their enthusiasm."
"Brother, that's a more idealistic idea. But what if some people are just lazy? You give them so much money, they're satisfied, but they don't want to work?"
"That's why I say it's a problem with the system. Good positions are filled through competition, and we certainly can't do charity for those who just coast along."
Wang De hesitated for a moment; "Brother, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, I am very certain that I will not only do it, but I will do it on a larger scale."
"This... how big do you want to go?"
"I want to build the biggest supermarket in Xicheng District!"
Wang De was startled by those words; "Brother, are you crazy? Do you know what you just said? As far as I know, you just said you only have 10 million, right?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"Oh my brother! You're still too naive. You've never run a business before. Do you know how much the biggest supermarkets would cost, considering your size?"
"It could cost hundreds of millions!"
"You know that, yet you still dare to say it? Do you think you can get a loan of tens of millions from the bank? You can't get one anyway, brother. Listen to me, if you really want to open a supermarket, I'll help you. Let's open a small supermarket first. I don't have much money, you provide the capital and I'll manage it for you. I'll work for you. How does that sound?"
Chen Zhe smiled and said, "I came to see my brother not because I wanted you to work for me. We brothers have agreed to share hardships and make money together. Back then, my brother sold his house to start a business with me and even gave me shares. I am extremely grateful to my brother, so if I want to do something now, it will definitely be the same."
Chen Zhe's words brought tears to Wang De's eyes.
Most of my life has passed, and I still have many people who used to call me brother, and quite a few who, after drinking, promised to risk their lives for me.
But when something really happens and you need help, you can't find anyone.
He had only known Chen Zhe for a short time, but Chen Zhe was surprisingly loyal.
"Don't say anything more, brother, whatever you say, I'll do! I'll listen to everything you say!"
"Haha, I'm relieved to hear you say that, brother. Actually, it's not that I'm just throwing money away. I've thought this through carefully. Don't worry about the money, brother. I have a way to attract investment."
"Alright! Brother, you've got the skills, I believe in you!"
"Okay, bro, then go talk to the manager of that supermarket that's about to go bankrupt for me. I'm planning to buy it out together."
"Okay! I'll go in a bit!"
"Okay! I'll be going now!"
...
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