Chapter 33 You can sell clothes like this? : Why not when they're delivered right to your door?
Wang Xiao attended three investment promotion conferences in a row and collected a large box of business cards.
Tang Yicheng thought she needed to rest before visiting the remaining cities, but he didn't expect her to be lazy and directly contact the municipal governments by phone.
In short, the investment promotion conference at Jinning Grand Hotel was in full swing. Local governments from various cities and counties organized local entrepreneurs to come to the hotel and chat with foreign businessmen. The two sides reached a large number of cooperation agreements.
Are you interested in this news?
Would you like to attend the investment promotion conference? Then come and join us!
We were originally going to visit them in person, but there were just too many businesspeople coming, and we couldn't be there in person, so we had to notify them by phone.
Bring some of your local specialties when you come; they might catch the eye of foreign investors and attract investment, allowing you to expand this industry.
After making calls within her own province, she turned her attention to the neighboring provinces, calling them one by one.
Thankfully, she was using the phone from the Jinning Grand Hotel; otherwise, the phone bill would have been outrageous.
Nowadays, telephone installation fees not only cost several thousand yuan, but call charges are also very expensive. Long-distance calls to other provinces can cost a full two yuan per minute.
Of course, this is much cheaper and more convenient than traveling around by train.
Even Manager Huang, who had just been promoted to head of housekeeping, couldn't help but exclaim, "We knew we would call directly, and you still had to squeeze out time to travel around. It's too much trouble for you."
However, after saying that, she emphasized, "Your hard work has not been in vain. If you hadn't gone door to door to find them, things wouldn't have turned out this way."
Wang Xiao chuckled: "Anyway, it's a business trip, so I'm just running errands on the side."
Good heavens, if they hadn't gone door-to-door and prepared their pitch for the investment promotion meeting, who would have paid any attention to them if they just sat in their rooms making phone calls? They're scammers.
This is because the atmosphere for the investment promotion conference has already been established, which is why people quickly organize their teams to come over as soon as they receive a call.
Why?
Even though the cities may seem far apart, the officialdom is a closed circle.
The Party Secretary of the East City might have been the Mayor of the West City before him. It's perfectly normal for officials in the two places to exchange information.
In other words, the fact that the East Market arrived a step ahead of the West Market essentially served as an endorsement for the investment promotion conference held at the Jinning Grand Hotel.
Therefore, their previous visits to those seven cities were not in vain, but rather necessary.
After seeing Manager Huang off, Wang Xiao explained the reasons to Tang Yicheng in the office that had been temporarily assigned to her.
Alas, due to limitations, she couldn't directly recruit; she could only use whoever was available to her for the time being.
Even if it means dragging or pulling, we have to get the person out.
Tang Yicheng nodded obediently, then began to worry again: "Should we still go to the hotels in the remaining two cities? We haven't even talked about the toothpaste and toothbrush issue yet."
Wang Xiao picked up the phone and started calling the hotel, saying, "We have excellent disposable toothpaste and toothbrushes, great value for money."
How good was it? It was exported, supplied to the Soviet Union, who came specifically to buy it.
Tang Yicheng was dumbfounded. She hadn't even seen the old Russian yet, and she was already using him as a pretext?
Wang Xiao wasn't guilty at all.
It's common for celebrities to take out loans to secure resources; they can present even things that are far from being done as achievements.
She's already being overly kind.
Tang Yicheng was speechless. He opened his mouth for a long time, and finally managed to utter only one sentence: "What if the military overcoat and binoculars don't sell?"
"Don't worry, there might not be enough to meet demand." She raised her chin smugly. "Just you wait and see."
Half a month passed, and Xiang Dong grew anxious. He couldn't help but call Wang Xiao to remind her that if her goods didn't arrive soon, he really couldn't lend her the counter.
December is traditionally the peak season for clothing sales, with at least one-third of the annual turnover coming from this period before the Lunar New Year.
Wang Xiao quickly assured him, "It's here, it's on its way, it'll be here soon. Lunar New Year's Eve is February 14th this year, maybe we can return the counter to you before New Year's Day."
Everyone waited anxiously, and on Christmas Day, Wang Xiao finally picked up the person at the train station.
Goodness gracious! It's said that Caucasians are natural supermodels. This whole bunch of young men and women appearing in the chaotic train station is truly a dazzling debut.
Passengers who were originally in a hurry to get on and off the bus couldn't help but turn around, wanting to take a closer look at the handsome young men and women.
Why did Wang Xiao insist on having young college students come and work as porters? It's because she's afraid that due to their racial characteristics, they might gain weight rapidly after marriage and won't be able to rely on their looks to help her sell products.
Now, she's truly smitten with all those long legs.
She accompanied the director of the chemical engineering institute to the front, warmly welcoming the Soviet university students to visit China. "We are all brothers and sisters in this socialist family," she said, "we should get along well and have more exchanges."
Wang Xiao maintained a smile, then seized the opportunity to remind the director, "Shouldn't we let our Soviet youth comrades put their luggage down first?"
What was their luggage? It was lots of bags and packages, of course.
Goodness, everyone who got off the truck was carrying a mountain of luggage, perfectly showcasing the style of early smugglers. If you didn't carry several hundred kilograms of goods at a time, you'd be embarrassed to be in this business.
It's simply unrealistic for them to carry so many bags and packages by hand.
Fortunately, although there are very few taxis in the provincial capital now, tricycles have never been absent.
The Soviet guests, laden with large and small packages, boarded the vehicle and then went to the People's Department Store. They then carried each package into the store and placed the items behind the counter.
Good heavens.
A group of Russians (this is not meant to be malicious, but rather friendly) walking on the streets of the provincial capital is already eye-catching enough, let alone the fact that they are all so young and good-looking, like stars from old Soviet movies. How could they not be conspicuous?
The onlookers followed the music all the way to the People's Department Store, and from a distance they could hear music coming from the counter, which sounded like "Moscow Nights"!
Goodness gracious, what did the Russians bring over? They're hanging them up one by one, and wow, they're military overcoats!
And what's that shiny counter with its lights on? Oh, a telescope.
Unable to find a suitable microphone, Wang Xiao grabbed a megaphone and started shouting, "Come and take a look! Genuine Soviet goods, brought here specially from our hometown by our Soviet friends. That's all, genuine military overcoats, genuine binoculars. You won't find this again!"
The director of the chemical engineering institute was seeing her selling things for the first time, and it was truly an eyesore. He subconsciously took two steps back, afraid that people would recognize them as a group.
But this military overcoat looks really sturdy.
When he was young, because of his bad class background, everyone else was wearing military overcoats, but he couldn't even get his hands on one.
By the time he finally made it big, green military uniforms were no longer fashionable, and anyone who wore them would be ridiculed for being old-fashioned.
But it's not tacky at all; it's clearly very sophisticated. You could totally get one.
Wang Xiao also realized that he had made a mistake.
She should have had these twenty-odd young men and women wear military overcoats all the way from the train station to the People's Department Store; that would have created a greater sensation and brought in more customers.
Now, she has no choice but to try and salvage the situation by negotiating with them and asking them to put on military overcoats and visit the People's Department Store.
The girl leading the group was their class's Youth League secretary, and she seemed a little troubled by her request. They had worn these military overcoats before, but they didn't have the money to buy new ones.
"It's alright, it's alright." Wang Xiao smiled broadly. "You guys wear them, and I'll give each of you a ski jacket later."
So what if they wore the clothes? They only put them on briefly. Nowadays, customers aren't so picky. If they like something, they'll just take it off the mannequin and they're happy.
As soon as the twenty-odd sets of mobile military overcoats came out, they absolutely slayed the entire scene.
Today is neither a holiday nor a special occasion, and it's currently a normal working day, so there shouldn't be many people shopping in the mall.
As soon as the handsome foreign men and beautiful women arrived, the People's Department Store became instantly bustling with activity.
Looking at the group of models, Wang Xiao had to admit one thing: the success of fashion depends heavily on looks and figure.
This is a perfect example of what it means to be a natural supermodel.
The mall management was alarmed, and the general manager personally came to greet the guests and accompany them on the tour.
The people of the provincial capital are quite worldly-wise; they've seen plenty of foreigners, not just in 1970, but also in 1990.
The problem was that at that time, things were very particular, and the authorities specifically emphasized that foreign guests were not allowed to gather around, and there were always many guards around.
Unlike now, where everyone can see it up close.
Wow, they're so beautiful! They all have big eyes and high noses, and their eyes are as blue as a lake, like a quiet lake in winter. They look just like movie posters.
So handsome!
Wang Xiao watched with a smug look on her face. Judging from everyone's enthusiastic response, she knew that this business deal was in the bag.
The director, however, lacked her composure. She grabbed his arm and pulled him aside, her eyes filled with anxiety: "What are you doing? You really need to bring people to our research institute right away."
Wang Xiao was ruthless: "Make money, of course. We covered all their expenses for this trip. If we don't let them earn the money themselves, where are we going to find it?"
The director stammered, "Didn't you say it was sponsored by the soap factory?"
"The soap factory itself is still drowning in debt," Wang Xiao said seriously. "This is the soap factory's sponsorship. It's alright, Director. The People's Department Store is showcasing the achievements of our province's people in economic development. It's a good opportunity for our Soviet friends to see. I guarantee it will open their eyes."
She remembered seeing an old photograph before. It seemed that in the 1980s, the Soviet Union was already experiencing severe shortages of supplies, with many people queuing up in long lines on the streets, waiting a long time to buy rationed goods.
In this respect, we can certainly stand tall with pride. Especially after the failure to break through the price barrier, and with factories having overcapacity, shopping malls are now only worried about not being able to sell their goods, but have never worried about not having enough to sell.
Wang Xiao was quite pleased to see the amazement in the eyes of the group of young men and women.
The onlookers were also filled with pride, and their backs involuntarily straightened even more.
After circling the site, the leaders of the Chemical Engineering Institute finally got their wish and took away their guests who had come from afar, leaving only two for Wang Xiao.
These two were the result of Wang Xiao's reasoned arguments; she needed to keep them as models.
Without their presence, how could she clearly demonstrate that the goods she was selling were genuine Soviet products?
The shoppers rushed to the counter, then suddenly seemed to realize what was happening and began asking about the price of the military coats.
Wow, I never realized before that military overcoats could be so stylish.
Of course, military overcoats are a classic fashion item.
Wang Xiao smiled broadly: "Soviet military overcoats are world-famous; even the German devils envied them back then. One price, no exaggeration, 1000 yuan!"
Oh my god.
That's too expensive! A coat costing 1000 yuan is outrageous.
Everyone knows that big coats are expensive, but they only cost a few hundred yuan. This one costs two or three times that amount.
Wang Xiao held up the clothes for the man to feel: "Feel the material, look how well-made this is. 1000 yuan is the actual cost price; you'd pay this price in the Soviet Union. Besides, where's the expense? It's a coat; one can last for ten or twenty years. Pierre Cardin suits range from 1500 to 2000 or 3000 yuan. What's wrong with the Soviet Union's products?"
Well, compared to this, it seems to make sense.
Some people actually started counting their money.
Taking the opportunity, Wang Xiao emphasized, "This is really the only batch of goods. They brought these along while they were visiting. That's all. Once they're sold out, we can't conjure up any more for you if you want them back."
Some people looked at the military overcoat with envy, but because they were short of money, they could only sigh in despair and reluctantly turn their gaze to the glass counter.
There are quite a few telescopes inside.
Telescopes are quite rare these days; they're not something you see often.
Many people gathered around and asked, "How much is this?"
Price tags were still being rushed out, so Wang Xiao could only give verbal prices: "This telescopic monotube, 20x magnification, is two hundred yuan. This 12x twin-tube is three hundred..."
Before she could finish listing the prices, the customer exclaimed in shock, "So expensive?"
"What's so expensive about it? You get what you pay for. Soviet optical technology is unparalleled." Wang Xiao took out a 20x telescope, adjusted it, and gestured for someone to look. "Look over there, can you see what's hanging there clearly?"
The customer was skeptical, but after taking a look, he exclaimed: "Wow, it's really clear!"
Wang Xiao smiled broadly: "This, you can see the words on a book clearly from 200 meters away."
Someone nearby chimed in, "Is there anything better?"
“Yes, I do.” Wang Xiao pointed to the massive 20x binoculars and explained, “When the moon is fullest on the 15th of the lunar calendar, you can see the mountains on the moon. These cost 600 yuan, and there are only a few left. I can’t conjure them up once they’re all sold out.”
While these guests were still hesitating, the people behind them were getting impatient.
Some people paid 200, some paid 300, and some even borrowed money from their companions to scrape together 600 yuan to buy the binoculars.
What do these bumpkins know?
There are very few manufacturers in the country that can produce decent telescopes. You think something that costs a few hundred yuan is expensive? For the same specifications, domestically made ones that are presentable cost thousands of yuan.
The military overcoats over there are also selling like hotcakes.
As soon as the first customer asked to try it on, the sales clerks at the counter got busy, with people constantly placing orders.
Xiang Dong was a little confused.
He didn't think the 1,000 yuan military overcoat was expensive at all. Good quality overcoats aren't cheap these days, especially imported ones.
He was only surprised that so many people liked military overcoats.
He clearly remembers when he was around ten years old, he went out to do business with the adults from his hometown. At that time, he specially wore what he thought was the most fashionable green military uniform, but was ridiculed by the city people.
He secretly looked down the street and found that no one was wearing military uniform anymore.
During his years in the provincial capital, he never noticed that military overcoats would become popular.
It's really hard to guess what customers are thinking.
Wang Xiao gave him an explanation that wasn't really an explanation: fortunes change, and fashion is a cycle. It's normal for it to go around in twenty years.
Simply put, it's only natural that something popular in the 1970s would be popular in the 1990s.
It is euphemistically called: "Reincarnation of the past".
Xiang Dong, however, was very suspicious. He felt that the customer had been misled by the two Russians, thinking that he could look as dashing and stylish as them by wearing a military overcoat, which was why he bought it.
In reality, due to differences in body size, there aren't many people in the provincial capital who can wear a Soviet military overcoat with real style.
He felt he had broadened his horizons.
This was the first time he'd ever seen this outfit sell like this.
Despite his clothing counter being a top seller in the entire mall, his business secrets are actually just two things: high-quality clothes and excellent customer service.
The latter is especially important; it can be considered the key to victory.
Customers from other places even wrote letters to the People's Department Store to praise their clothing counters, saying that the friendly smiles of the staff made them feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze. This is the real People's Department Store, truly serving the people.
This made the mall itself a bit embarrassed, because the one being criticized as a negative example was their own legitimate counter.
Xiang Dong never imagined that selling clothes could attract customers in this way.
Wang Xiao thought to himself, "Why are foreign models so successful in China? It's because models can turn iron into gold."
Some ordinary items can suddenly become a hundred times more expensive when worn by a model with a great personal image.
Right now, who can say that these two models aren't on the set of a fashion shoot?
Wang Xiao stared at the customers, feeling smug, and boasted on the spot, "Judging from this situation, I'm afraid the goods will be sold out in less than a week."
She wasn't bragging.
On Christmas Eve, People's Department Store got a taste of the pre-holiday shopping frenzy.
The news spread like wildfire, and many people learned that there were two handsome Russians at the People's Department Store, so they came over specifically to see what was going on.
After seeing the stylish and warm military overcoat, quite a few people were tempted to buy it.
Telescope enthusiasts have their own circles, and through word of mouth within these small circles, people flock to buy their telescopes.
Well, thinking about it, that makes sense.
In this era, the work units of government agencies, public institutions, and state-owned factories basically took care of all the expenses for their employees, including family housing, medical care, and children's education.
With no worries about the future and the ability to receive wages on time, everyone is naturally happy to spend money.
Wang Xiao helped out behind the counter for a while, then turned to encourage her models: "It's okay, everyone only came to see you because they like you. Just do your own thing, don't worry about anything. By the way, what would you like to eat? I'll get it for you right away. There's a bakery right next door, would you like to try some of our bread?"
From a polite standpoint, she should at least treat them to a proper meal, like beef stew with potatoes or something. But sadly, they can't leave right now; their partner hasn't come to relieve them, so they have to stay and continue working as models.
To Wang Xiao's surprise, the two college students only exchanged a glance before making a request: what they ate wasn't important. "Do you have any Coke? They'd like a bottle, I wonder if that's possible."
Wang Xiao was dumbfounded.
Of course, it wasn't because Coca-Cola wasn't cheap in 1990; it cost several dollars a bottle.
Rather, she has a sense of the absurdity of history reflecting reality.
So the legend was true! The Soviets really loved Coca-Cola, and even traded warships for it because they couldn't afford it.
Not just one, but many. Submarines, heavy cargo ships, frigates, destroyers, cruisers—they have it all.
Even after this deal, PepsiCo was jokingly referred to as the world's sixth largest naval force.
Compared to that, trading canned goods for airplanes is child's play.
Wang Xiao smiled and readily agreed, "No problem, I'll go buy it right away."
When dinner arrived, the two college students showed little interest in the bread, but instead kept curiously looking at the preserved vegetable and pork flatbread in Wang Xiao's hand.
Without saying a word, Wang Xiao took out the bread and let them try it themselves. The two of them were surprisingly amazed by it, so they simply gave up on the bread and ate a piece of flatbread followed by a sip of cola, which was quite a strange way of eating.
Customers who came to buy things saw it and became very interested in the sesame seed cakes, wanting to try them too.
Tang Yicheng was dumbfounded. Engineer Wang was too ruthless. He was trying to do the work of several people.
It's bad enough that they were forced to be fashion models, but now they're being asked to help sell local specialty pancakes?
Seriously.
He felt guilty looking at the other person.
Wang Xiao clearly lacked this awareness.
On the contrary, she felt as if she had found another way.
She could sell those local specialties to the Soviet Union.
Due to historical factors, most of the local specialties in 1990 were unbearably sweet to Wang Xiao. But this sweetness was probably exactly what the Soviets liked.
She remembered several Russian specialties she had eaten, which were quite sweet.
Wang Xiao acted on his idea immediately, instructing Tang Yicheng to go to the Jinning Grand Hotel to pick up the local specialties brought by the investment promotion team.
Tang Yicheng was dumbfounded. How could this be? What has this become?
Wang Xiaoqi was puzzled: "They've traveled a long way to get here, so what's wrong with me treating them to some of our Chinese cuisine? Hurry up, hurry up, we have to get here before the mall closes."
Why?
According to her agreement with the Soviets, the young man and woman would only work for one day, and the next day they would be replaced.
After all, they invited people from Moscow under the guise of offering free sightseeing tours, including visits to chemical research institutes and soap factories.
If these young men and women don't take turns being models, how can they conveniently visit different places?
She had to let all the guests taste a local specialty so that she could select the most suitable products to sell to the Soviet Union.
Xiang Dong overheard a bit and didn't know what to say.
He considered himself to be very bold; locals were generally bold, and it was normal for teenagers like him to run away and do business with adults.
But the biggest one among them was someone who had only managed to lease a counter at the Xidan Department Store in Beijing. They never really thought about doing business with foreigners, not the kind where foreigners come to buy, but rather selling directly to foreign countries.
He felt like he had opened the door to a new world, and it seemed like nothing was impossible.
Wang Xiao brought over a bunch of local specialties and discovered a problem—the packaging.
Not only was the packaging of local specialties in those days generally rudimentary, but more importantly, there were no individual packages. Even if you opened a big bag of snacks, it would quickly run out of food if you didn't finish it soon.
Most importantly, Wang Xiao wanted all the young men and women from the Soviet Union to try the local specialties, but they came in shifts, and each time they opened so many bags. Putting aside the issue of high cost, they couldn't possibly eat it all; it was too wasteful.
No, we need to use smaller packaging.
Once you open this big bag, you'll find individual small packages inside, so you can take out what you need as you go.
Moreover, with the smaller packaging, it's easier for her to take a little of each specialty and then put together a gift pack of ten specialty products.
Wang Xiao was afraid that she would forget about it in the midst of her busy schedule, so she hurriedly borrowed the mall's phone to call the food factory.
The mall management wouldn't have paid any attention to her; phone numbers are precious, and they can't just lend them out so easily.
But business at the mall has been so good these past two days that people have been coming to see the Russians every day after hearing the news.
People are already in the mall, so naturally they won't just look around; they'll buy something, and other counters will also feel the New Year's atmosphere in advance.
Tang Yicheng, who had been running around following them, was very worried and muttered under his breath, "Aren't we going to help sell the clothes?"
The counter staff were practically fighting over the place, and the two of them were still out there trying to sell local specialties. It was really a bit unreasonable.
Wang Xiaoqi was puzzled: "Didn't we all do the work?"
She decided on the sales methods, attracted the traffic, sourced the goods, and even provided the models. Even the old Soviet records like "Kalinka" playing in the mall were borrowed from the Jinning Grand Hotel by her.
We've already gone this far, what more can we ask her for?
She does everything for others, so why should she give a third of the revenue to the counter?
Note that this is not profit, but simply income.
It's like a manufacturer selling goods. They pay a slot fee and a commission, so why should they go to the live stream to promote their products? What's the point of having a top influencer like you?
What are job responsibilities? Everyone should just do their own job and not meddle in everything. If everyone meddles in everything, in the end, everyone will be relying on others, and things will end up in a mess.
She's keeping an eye on things at the mall to ensure she can handle any unexpected situations immediately.
Can she just sit there doing nothing? Of course she has to quickly start another business.
Tang Yicheng was stunned by what she said, his mouth agape for a long time, but he wisely kept it closed in the end.
Just then, Soviet university students came to switch shifts with their classmates.
Making people stay behind the counter all day is too much of a test for college students in the prime of their youth, so after discussing it, they decided to have half-day shifts so that everyone could have more fun.
Wang Xiao patted Tang Yicheng's arm, reminding him, "Call me on my pager if anything happens."
She waved to her foreign guests with a beaming smile.
Hi, where are you guys going to shop today? I'll take you to the Friendship Store.
Don't know what a Friendship Store is? You know the Little Birch Shop in Moscow, right? It's the same thing, it's specifically for catering to foreigners.
The college students immediately perked up. What was the Little Birch Shop? It was a symbol of privilege, right?
In the Soviet Union, only foreigners and privileged individuals could enter and shop at the Little Birch Shop; it was a symbol of special privileges.
Although in 1988, all the Little Birch Shops closed down amidst great anticipation, symbolizing the disappearance of the special supply system.
But judging from the reactions of these young men and women, it's clear that perhaps the reason people dislike privilege is because they cannot enjoy it themselves.
If they are not unusual in their own country, they are VIPs on Chinese soil and are absolutely entitled to enjoy special privileges.
Let's go, let's enjoy ourselves.
If they don't enjoy it, how can she take advantage of special privileges?
Hey!
She's dressed up to 1990; it would be a shame if she didn't go to the Friendship Store to snag some antique bargains.
————————
According to encyclopedia entries, "Little Birch Shop" was a nickname for special-supply stores and foreign exchange shops in Soviet-era Russia. In 1988, the Little Birch Shop was abolished. This was a true reflection of how the privileged class disregarded the hardships of ordinary people and used state power to satisfy their personal desires.
If you're interested, search for it yourself.
In addition, binoculars, night vision devices, watches, and automatic cameras were popular Soviet goods in the domestic market in the early 1990s. After the rise of the Yabao Road Market in Beijing, Russian traders often brought these over to exchange for the domestic goods they wanted.
The price mentioned in the article was the market price at the time. Ajin checked several sources, and they all stated the same thing.
According to a news report in the Heihe Daily, on September 2, 1987, Heihe donated 208.19 tons of watermelons to Blagoveshchensk, at a rate of one kilogram per citizen. The overjoyed Amur Oblast government of the former Soviet Union reciprocated by donating 306 tons of fertilizer to China, signifying the resumption of barter trade along the Sino-Soviet border. Barter trade quickly became a major player in Sino-Russian border trade.
In the early days of restored trade, the old barter system was still in use; a tracksuit could be exchanged for a high-quality Soviet-made woolen overcoat. In the newly established civilian trade market in Heihe, coffee makers, gold and silver jewelry, children's toys, and small utensils were readily available. Although there was a language barrier, people used calculators and body language to open the door to civilian trade. At that time, large quantities of Chinese daily necessities such as salt, sugar, vegetables, rice, instant noodles, canned goods, fruits, clothing, and shoes were exported to Russia, while Russian KamAZ automobiles, BelAZ heavy machinery, cars, fertilizers, and steel became highly sought-after imports for Chinese border trade enterprises.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
