"Director Qin, what a coincidence?" Bai Weiwei got out of the car, saw Qin Xiaoyu's car, looked up and saw her at the door, and walked over with a smile.
"I heard you're opening your business soon, so I came to learn from you," Qin Xiaoyu said with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Then come in. What are you doing standing at the door?" Bai Weiwei was eager to show off and was afraid that the girl wouldn't come in.
Instead of a counter, a large pool with a small fountain and a rotating stone ball was built in the prime spot near the entrance.
It seems Bai Weiwei had consulted a fortune teller; the flowing water symbolizes wealth, a fitting and auspicious meaning. Looking to either side, one side has a food counter, and the other a hardware counter—just like a department store. Upstairs, in order, are fashion boutiques, general merchandise stores, shoes, and hat shops, with an additional bookstore on the top floor—a feature Qin Xiaoyu quite appreciated.
Standing in front of the fashion counter, Qin Xiaoyu saw several familiar-looking clothes and couldn't help but turn around and smile at Bai Weiwei.
During this time, Da Cui and the others had already resigned from the garment factory. However, before that, Xie Lanhua had secretly removed them from their original positions, so their departure did not cause any unease at the garment factory. It was as if they had been superfluous all along and should have left.
Now it seems that Aunt Cui was right. They stayed to try and copy the fashion styles, but their skills were limited, and their attempts at imitation never turned out quite right.
Bai Weiwei had been observing Qin Xiaoyu's facial expression, noticing her ambiguous smile, unsure if she had figured something out. A tightness in her chest pressed against her, devoid of any sense of vengeful pleasure.
"Mrs. Bai's shopping mall is very fashionable and modern. My small shop is far inferior to it. I will learn more from you in the future," Qin Xiaoyu said politely before leaving.
On New Year's Day morning, Qin Xiaoyu arrived at Hengchang early and found a long queue already formed inside, even extending to the upstairs corridor. There were quite a few people there to redeem their points.
Suddenly, a deafening burst of firecrackers erupted from behind, signaling the grand opening of Dafa Mall.
Qin Xiaoyu couldn't help but smile like an aunt. "Great success for the opening! Hehehe," she thought to herself.
Aunt Wang had already calculated that the most unfavorable time for business was the opening of the market on New Year's Day, and Bai Weiwei had committed a major taboo.
Bai Weiwei originally predicted that a big promotion would definitely bring a huge crowd to the store. Although the profit margin would be thin, the first day of opening was the most important, and she understood that.
Strangely enough, before the mall opened, there were always curious people loitering around the entrance, but as soon as the firecrackers went off, they all ran away and disappeared without a trace.
She sat upstairs for a while, but then she couldn't sit still any longer. When she went downstairs, everything seemed deserted, with only a few customers at the counters, touching and asking questions but not actually taking out any money.
This was completely different from the sparsely populated crowd she had imagined.
Bai Weiwei couldn't hold back any longer and called over Manager Ji.
"Where's nobody today? Didn't you post the announcement for the big sale?"
"They've put them up! They've been put up at every entrance of the residential area, the publicity is very effective." Manager Ji couldn't hold back any longer.
"Where did everyone go? Could it be that Qin Xiaoyu is behind this?"
Just then, a woman came running over.
"Come in and have a look, all items are on sale!" Manager Ji wanted to show off, so he grabbed a flyer and stopped the woman.
"Okay, okay." The woman impatiently took the flyer and tossed it on the ground.
"Hey! What's the rush?" Manager Ji said angrily, grabbing her arm.
"You're such a hassle. Even if it's cheap, you still have to pay for it. Hengchang is giving it away for free, so who would buy from you?" The woman got impatient and waved her worn-out points card, saying, "Who knew this thing was still useful? Luckily, I didn't throw it away."
Manager Ji glanced back at Bai Weiwei and understood immediately. He quickly followed the woman and ran towards Hengchang.
The queue at Hengchang for redeeming points has reached a peak. Because the announcement stated that there are only three days to redeem points, everyone is afraid of them expiring and becoming invalid, so they are holding on tightly and refusing to leave no matter how much they are persuaded.
Seeing that everyone was lined up in the courtyard, Qin Xiaoyu was worried that they would freeze. With no other choice, she opened two large heated rooms for people to rest temporarily, and then called the next people in line.
At first, the cousin-in-law was full of resentment, but seeing that Qin Xiaoyu had predicted correctly again, she realized that these people were bored in line and wouldn't stand there like idiots. So when they started calling out numbers again, they took their numbers and went up and down the stairs to buy things.
The New Year's goods are something you buy as soon as you see them, and before you know it, you've bought too much. There's never enough.
The sales staff are all trained and keep pushing the sales pitch: "Don't buy the couplets, they're free!"
This made some people who were just going to take a look and leave even more eager to wait.
From the 1st to the 3rd, in just three days, Bai Weiwei's grand opening was a complete flop.
Hengchang set a sales record.
Although the sales staff work hard, they all know that working for Sister Yu means they'll earn money. Payday is coming soon, and the bonus is even bigger than their paychecks—what reason is there not to work incredibly hard?
Bai Weiwei went to Hengchang herself and saw it for herself before she believed what Manager Ji had said. She was no match for Qin Xiaoyu.
“This business can’t be done by one company alone. In the future, this place will become the largest business district in the city. You and I are just part of it. No one can squeeze anyone else out of business. We must develop together and make money together. That’s the only way.” Qin Xiaoyu said, extending her hand. Bai Weiwei knew that this meant shaking hands to make peace. Although she had lost badly, she had to accept the defeat. She hesitated for a moment, then took Qin Xiaoyu’s hand.
The contest has just begun.
Qin Xiaoyu knew perfectly well that Bai Weiwei had some advantages that she couldn't match. Just in terms of sourcing, the price difference between a first-tier and a third-tier station was significant.
Although Hengchang made money in the early stages, it couldn't keep using profits for promotions. If the profit margin was too thin, it would lose its value. She needed to plan for the long term.
On the 4th, she gathered everyone together for a meeting to outline the work plan for 1986.
Ding Xiaoru, as a purely profit-generating department, already has its own development goals. Now, Liunian Xiaozhu is opening a new-style cake shop. A cake from A Lei last time opened a new world for her. Therefore, the next few years should be a period of growth for Liunian Xiaozhu, and Qin Xiaoyu doesn't need to worry about it.
Riyue Apparel has now been separated and is directly managed and accounted for by the garment factory. In the new year, it plans to open several more branches.
Therefore, Hengchang Department Store, Hengchang Hardware, and Hengchang Foodstuffs, which were under my sister-in-law's management, became the main departments that received support.
In the new year, they will face the biggest challenge from Dafabet Mall. Whether they can stand firm will depend on their strength.
“These ordinary people are very particular about every bag of salt and every handful of rice. You need to put your services into practice to truly connect with the people.” Qin Xiaoyu helped her sister-in-law come up with a new plan: buy a small truck for Hengchang. In the future, home delivery for orders over a certain amount will be a major trend. Even if they don’t do it, Bai Weiwei will, so it’s better to seize the opportunity first.
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