As the store managers from several branches were talking, Zheng Hongshan, accompanied by his secretary and finance and other relevant personnel, walked into the office.
He gave the store managers of these branches a stern look, and they immediately became guilty, either rubbing their noses or looking down and glancing around nervously.
They clearly understood why Zheng Hongshan had called everyone over.
Zheng Hongshan suspected that the men were hiding something, which was why they were behaving so coyly.
"Hmph, I think you all know very well why I called you all here today."
"Tell me, what's going on with this month's revenue? It's dropped so much. Not only you guys, but I also need to think about how to explain this to the higher-ups."
Zheng Hongshan's words were firm and resolute, leaving everyone feeling guilty and speechless. No one dared to step forward and say anything, and they all waited for someone else to explain.
Seeing that this group was stubbornly refusing to talk back, Zheng Hongshan had no patience to wait for their finger-pointing. After waiting for less than half a minute and seeing no one speak, he casually pointed:
"Xiao Han, why don't you tell us?"
Xiao Han cursed inwardly, "What bad luck!" But since Zheng Hongshan, that living devil, had called him out, he had no choice but to continue the conversation:
"Manager Zheng, the root cause of this matter does not lie with any of us."
Once he said that, it was as if a floodgate had been opened, and everyone seemed to have found their voice, scrambling to shift the blame:
"Yes, General Manager, this really isn't our fault."
"Manager, if our sales had dropped, we would have no objection to your word. But now that so many companies have seen a drop, the problem definitely isn't with us."
"Manager Zheng, we also receive year-end bonuses. Now that our revenue is affected, aren't we also suffering?!"
"General Manager, you can't stand idly by in this matter; you have to help us."
"Yes, Manager Zheng, you can't just abandon us."
Zheng Hongshan almost laughed in anger as he listened to their cacophony of demands for him to take full responsibility.
"Alright, if you're incompetent, that's fine, but why make a fuss about it and make everyone laugh at you?"
"What exactly is the problem? How can I solve it if you don't tell me?" Everyone looked at each other. Things had come to this point; if they didn't speak up soon, Zheng Hongshan might not be able to cover it up when the higher-ups at Guangyuan Supermarket investigated.
"Manager, this really isn't our fault. If there's a problem, it must be with that newly opened supermarket."
"Yes, yes, it's called Baiyue Supermarket, it's basically targeting our Guangyuan." "Not only are the sources of their goods more diverse, but their unit prices are also much lower than our similar products."
"This is unfair competition, manager, we have to boycott him!"
"Are you guys also because of Baiyue? You're ridiculous! Why didn't you say so earlier? I'm experiencing the same thing over there!"
Zheng Hongshan only half understood what he was hearing, and seeing everyone giving the same story right under his nose, he couldn't help but become curious:
"So, the situation in your families is all because of this supermarket that I've never even heard of?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Zheng Hongshan's head nearly doubled in size: "Tell me, how exactly are they not competing?"
This brings us to the "comfort zone" of several store managers:
"As you can see, the vicinity of several of our branches is also covered by this Baiyue Supermarket branch."
"They're opening a new store, so they're offering big discounts and special deals. Aren't all the nearby residents and customers attracted by these benefits and offers?"
Zheng Hongshan was listening when he heard several store managers start analyzing the benefits offered by Baiyue Supermarket, and he became unhappy.
He slammed his hand on the table:
"Do you think I'm easy to fool? The opening benefits for the new store are great, that's fine, but your sales have dropped, even if it's still within a controllable range."
"But how do you explain the precipitous drop in revenue from the condiment category?"
Xiao Han, who had been called out by Zheng Hongshan earlier, quickly said:
"General Manager, you don't know this, but for some reason, Baiyue Supermarket is using condiments as promotional gifts for employee welfare."
Zheng Hongshan listened to Xiao Han's explanation thoughtfully, then looked at the other store managers:
"What you're saying is that the situation is the same?"
The managers of the other branches quickly nodded in agreement:
"Indeed, the discounts on the free gift packs from Baiyue Supermarket are substantial." "To be honest, I'm quite ashamed to say that my mother often shops at Baiyue Supermarket, and once she brought back this 'Lu's' brand soy sauce; the quality and flavor were quite good."
"This is probably why the revenue of the condiment category has dropped so much. After all, it's cheap, plentiful, and easy to use, which fits the consumption philosophy of older people."
"Even after the promotional offers end, the 'Lu's' brand of condiments has already established a foothold in the market and won over customers, so sales are expected to continue to rise."
Upon hearing this, one of the branch managers cried out in regret:
"General Manager, in principle, what products Guangyuan sells is decided by the senior management and the purchasing department."
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