Chapter 47 The Grand Food Festival (Bug Fix): Forced to Open Early
However, as it turns out, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Wang Xiao watched with amusement as Chef Fang and his colleagues from the Jinning Hotel busily set up the table.
hey-hey.
First, the restaurants in the provincial capital got involved; every restaurant with a name sent people to participate in the exhibition.
Oh, what a treat! 1991 wasn't the era of pre-made meals, nor was it about using "secret recipes" as a front for something else; anything praised for its quality truly had real, high-quality ingredients.
Ha ha.
Then, restaurants throughout Jiangdong Province sprang into action, forming their own representative teams in a grand procession.
This is fantastic! She's been so busy lately that she hasn't had time to travel around and try all the local delicacies (she's always on business trips like a special forces soldier, so she hasn't had the chance), but this is perfect for her.
Then, Jinning Grand Hotel, which took the lead, got excited and prepared to organize a culinary competition in Jiangdong Province.
Hey everyone, please get this straight: this is a street food festival, not your cooking competition.
It was only then that Wang Xiao came to her senses. She had overestimated the integrity of the Jinning Grand Hotel; these guys were clearly plotting to usurp the throne.
Sure enough, they've already started making arrangements to move the food festival to a restaurant, claiming that it has everything and is convenient.
Bah! Who do you think we're fools? The restaurants have clearly sensed the hidden business opportunities at the food festival and want to take advantage of the occasion to attract a wave of customers and increase their revenue.
How could Wang Xiao let someone take advantage of her for nothing?
The food festival is an important part of her efforts to attract customers to her clothing self-service supermarket.
Finally, she argued her case, and after three rounds of negotiations, both sides compromised and agreed that the Jinning Grand Hotel would serve as a long-tail effect of the food festival. After the festival in Dachang came to an end, a month-long food exhibition would continue at the hotel under the name of Jiangdong specialty cuisine.
As for the food festival, we definitely need to shine brightly at the venue in Dachang.
What can be done if the limited outdoor conditions affect the chefs' performance?
Sigh, let's get some street food! Street food is the best way to experience the vibrant, down-to-earth atmosphere of a city. With all the province's snacks gathered together, it's sure to satisfy your cravings.
As the scale of the festival increases, television stations naturally need to increase their publicity efforts.
Anyway, Chen Jingjing and her parents saw the food festival's advertisement on TV a week in advance.
It just so happened that the opening day was a Sunday, so Chen Jingjing pestered her parents to take her to the provincial capital to see the excitement.
Ha! Her sister organized it all; her sister is really amazing.
She'd never seen a food festival before.
There must be so many delicious foods in the whole province!
I don't know if others thought the same way, but on Sunday, the whole street was completely packed. It was like going to a temple fair during Chinese New Year; there were people everywhere.
Chen Jingjing originally thought that their whole family had arrived early enough.
They arrived at her aunt's house last night, and she slept with her sister. Her parents slept on the sofa in the living room.
At 7:30 in the morning, after everyone had breakfast together, we slowly walked out onto the street before realizing something was wrong. The dark mass ahead wasn't a gloomy cloud looming over the city, but people, a throng of people.
Early in the morning, while the sun was still lazily dozing off, the streets were already filled with the rich aroma of breakfast.
Chen Jingjing's eyes widened: "Sis, didn't you say there was no opening ceremony today?"
yes.
The food festival was originally planned to have a grand opening ceremony, such as inviting a lion dance troupe to perform, or even holding a street concert.
However, when Jinning Grand Hotel reported the matter to higher authorities, it is unclear what considerations led the relevant authorities to ultimately abandon the opening ceremony performance. Even the leaders of the relevant departments did not attend, attempting to turn it into a purely folk-oriented food capital.
Wang Xiao also couldn't understand it. What was the contradiction between a purely grassroots, spontaneous event and the opening ceremony performance?
Surely the leaders don't think the focus of the opening ceremony is listening to them read long, tedious speeches, do they?
You're overthinking it; everyone just wants to see what's going on!
Well, the focus of the food festival is eating, so if there are no performances, then there are no performances.
Look at this street! So much food! It smells so good! Every stall is filled with enticing aromas, and the chefs are all dressed in dazzling new white coats, their faces beaming with smiles.
Tsk tsk, I bet he won't want to smile after standing all day. Even a white coat can turn into an oily coat.
Wait a minute, beef potstickers, pan-fried buns, shredded radish balls, tofu pudding, or even soy milk and fried dough sticks with flatbread, or even chive boxes and vermicelli soup are all normal.
Oh my, the beef potstickers and pan-fried buns are sizzling on the frying pan, the aroma of meat and flour mingling together so tempting.
Radish balls rolling in hot soup, their aroma is irresistible.
She loves tofu pudding, whether it's sweet or savory.
No, no, no, look away and focus on the important part.
The key question is why there was a stall selling fried hairy tofu in front of it?
Sister, please stop.
Breakfast can be uncommon, but please don't go for anything unusual.
Even if you sell dried tea leaves to serve with porridge, it's still better than something as heavy-flavored as fried hairy tofu.
However, Wang Xiao underestimated the audacity of the people in 1991. Some people actually ordered fried tofu with soy milk early in the morning, not minding the greasiness.
You read that right, Wang Xiao also found it offensive and felt very wronged by the fact that soy milk is paired with fried dough sticks.
What's shocking is that Chen Jingjing saw it and was eager to try it too, so she rushed over and got the same one.
She had never eaten hairy tofu before and was very curious.
Honestly, this girl ate breakfast no more than fifteen minutes ago. She ate a whole basket of soup dumplings with noodles in one go; even her father couldn't understand where she got the stomach to stuff herself with food.
Wang Xiao was being pulled along by his younger sister. Unable to resist the stinky tofu that was stuffed into his mouth, he mumbled, "Snack, this is a snack."
Ahem, girls have four stomachs. Can the stomach for main meals and the stomach for snacks be the same stomach?
Tang Yicheng arrived a step too late from his house, just in time to see them eating fried hairy tofu, and was immediately astonished.
He wasn't surprised that they were eating this so early in the morning—sigh, he has more opportunities to interact with women these days, so he's indifferent to what they eat anymore; what amazed him was that Hongxing Village had actually made hairy tofu a local specialty.
They packaged the food in plastic bags, selling fried food while also promoting it to customers.
Isn't it delicious? It's very simple; you can buy it and make it yourself at home.
He examined it carefully for a while, then turned to Wang Xiao and exclaimed, "They actually managed to make it!"
He remembered that when they first dealt with Hongxing Village last year, the village officials actively promoted hairy tofu, but Wang Xiao rejected it. Then, a Taiwanese businessman came to inspect the village and set up a food factory. He remembered that the main product they promoted was dried tofu with tea leaves, which he had tried last time and found to be quite good.
Surprisingly, they never gave up on hairy tofu.
Chen Jingjing's ears immediately perked up, unable to contain her excitement.
She thought this was great material and could write it and submit it.
Just between you and me, she submitted an article to the middle school newspaper last time, but it was rejected. The editor said her writing was too ordinary and that she should explore more interesting things happening around her and meaningful events that reveal profound truths in small things, in order to reflect the changes of the times and the progress of society.
Isn't the hairy tofu from Hongxing Village a perfect example of perseverance?
Her sister immediately poured cold water on her idea: "You can't do it, you can't push this."
She pointed to the hairy tofu covered in white mold, her voice cold and calculating, “Hairy tofu has specific temperature requirements for storage. If the temperature is even slightly high, it will spoil immediately. This makes its transportation costs quite high, and even without a cold chain, it needs to be equipped with ice packs continuously.”
Moreover, even after it arrives at its destination and is purchased by consumers, those without refrigerators either have to eat it on the same day or wait for it to spoil.
Think about it, how many households have refrigerators now?
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.
Despite the current serious inventory backlog at refrigerator factories, in 1991, there weren't many families in cities, let alone rural areas, that could afford to buy a refrigerator.
Why?
A refrigerator costs over a thousand yuan, which is equivalent to a worker's annual salary.
Secondly, in urban areas where refrigerators are most needed, family housing conditions are generally poor, with many families having three generations living in one room. Even if they have the money to buy a refrigerator, they may not be able to find a place to put it.
Well, it seems that only some of the grocery stores outside have freezers. Besides, even if they do, they might not be able to preserve the fermented tofu, since they only have freezing functions, not refrigeration.
Tang Yicheng couldn't help but feel sorry for the food factory in Hongxing Village: "It seems that their hairy tofu really can't get out of the market."
After finishing his soy milk, Wang Xiao wiped his mouth with a tissue: "Let's wait and see. Once logistics develop, hairy tofu will be able to reach all corners of the country."
Whether something is good or not depends on whether it meets the needs of the times.
It's not the right time for food factories to make hairy tofu yet.
I can't take it anymore! There are so many soy products and snacks, why do I have to go after stinky tofu?
Wang Xiao stood up and ran straight to find the village official who was cheerfully greeting customers at the stall.
My comrade, please give up on hairy tofu, it's not that weird.
Dried tofu alone can be divided into a whole bunch of varieties, such as spicy, fragrant spicy, savory, and crispy. There's also fish tofu and vegetarian meat. Oh, and bean curd sticks. Most importantly, spicy strips. There are just so many ways to make it work.
Since we're talking about spicy snacks, we can't forget spicy dried fish! They're the perfect way to get rid of breakouts while binge-watching TV shows.
By the way, doesn't your village grow wheat too? Spicy strips don't necessarily have to be made from beans; they can be made from wheat. Wheat has a higher yield, so the price per unit should be cheaper than beans, which can save costs.
Anyway, Wang Xiao remembered that her roommate, who aspired to become a food blogger, used to make spicy strips covered in flour. Everyone in their dorm tried them and agreed that they tasted better than the ones sold in stores.
Yeah, my roommate even made it with leftover rice, and it really amazed all the girls in her dorm.
Oh dear, I can't think about it, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
Unfortunately, Wang Xiao hasn't seen spicy strips sold in any store yet, whether it's because spicy strips haven't become popular yet or because people in the provincial capital generally prefer milder flavors.
Wang Xiao strained with all her might, desperately trying to recall how to make spicy strips. Afraid that words wouldn't be enough, she added, "Wait a minute, I'll make some at noon and bring them over for you to try."
The village officials of Hongxing Village were particularly helpful: "No trouble at all, we'll try it ourselves, and we'll ask Engineer Wang for guidance later."
As he spoke, he cleverly slipped an envelope to the man, beaming, "Then we'll buy this formula. Engineer Wang, you have to have pity on us country folk, don't sell it to anyone else, at least not in Jiangdong."
Wang Xiao didn't care at all.
Anyway, she didn't create the production method.
It's better to make it early, so she doesn't forget about it later and then crave it but can't find anywhere to buy it.
However, she kindly reminded the village officials, "Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean others can't get it. There are no secrets in food manufacturing. When your business gets better, someone else will definitely do it too."
The village official was optimistic: "That's something that will happen after our business improves."
Although he expressed his full trust in Wang Xiao, Wang Xiao still made spicy strips by herself when she got home at noon.
Because Chen Jingjing was curious, well, she couldn't wait any longer and had to eat it right away.
It's very simple. Add flour, chili peppers, and starch to white rice, knead it into a dough, and add a little water as needed to prevent it from being too dry. Then roll it out into a sheet with a rolling pin, press a pattern into the sheet with the back of a knife, cut it into noodles about the length of your thumbnail, and steam them for 15 minutes.
While waiting, Wang Xiao prepared the oil, adding sesame seeds, salt, five-spice powder, cumin powder, and pepper to the hot oil, creating a rich and fragrant aroma that filled the room, causing Dr. Chen to sneeze several times.
Thank goodness, open kitchens weren't allowed in old-style two-bedroom apartments, otherwise Wang Xiao would definitely have gotten a beating.
Even so, Chen Yanqiu still scolded her: "You're always messing around. Instead of eating proper meals, you're busy with all this nonsense."
Wang Xiao let it go in one ear and out the other. Before she transmigrated into the book, her grandmother would scold her for not eating properly when she saw her eating spicy snacks.
Parents all over the world are pretty much the same; the only solution is to drag them down with you.
Cough cough, later she and her grandma were reversed, and she became the one who took care of her grandma and made her eat fewer snacks.
However, Wang Xiao couldn't care less today, because she had to bring freshly made food to visit Xiang Dong on set.
As the boss, she can't just sit back and do nothing; she still has to go to the site to check on things when it matters (to make her presence felt).
Chen Jingjing was munching on spicy snacks on the side. She felt that ever since her sister started focusing on making money, her tastes had also become more spicy.
Whether it's spicy braised chicken feet, roast duck, or even spicy strips, they're all so spicy that she wants to jump up and down but can't bear to put down the food in her hand.
It was inexplicably fun.
Seeing her sister leave with her lunchbox, she quickly followed, saying, "Sis, where are you going? Take me with you."
Wang Xiao replied nonchalantly, "Sure, let's go."
She was so busy watching the food festival that morning and even helped resolve a few minor conflicts that she didn't have time to check out the self-service supermarket.
When they arrived, Chen Jingjing was surprised to find a long red carpet laid out at the entrance of the self-service supermarket, at least thirty or forty meters long.
What... what are they trying to do?
Wang Xiao handed the lunchbox to Xiang Dong: "Try it. Hey, how's it going over here?"
Even though Xiang Dong was mentally prepared when he saw the bright red spicy strips, he still gasped for breath when he put one in his mouth: "Hiss—that's about it. I practiced well this morning. I just ate lunch. I'll get ready to go on stage soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, deafening music blared from the side, startling Wang Xiao.
Fortunately, the loud sound was incredibly refreshing on a lazy spring afternoon, and many people were immediately jolted awake, turning their gaze in the direction the music was spreading.
It was just past lunchtime, and the guests, having enjoyed a wave of delicacies from all over Jiangdong Province, were reluctant to leave (they wanted to eat the next wave when their stomachs were empty), and with nothing else to do, they were looking for some fun to do.
After the lively samba music ended and several hundred tourists had gathered at the store entrance, a young, fashionable woman walked up with a microphone, smiling broadly, her voice clear and melodious: "Welcome everyone to enjoy the fashion show at our Women's Street Self-Service Clothing Supermarket."
Then, accompanied by light and lively music, one after another, bright and beautiful young women walked out of the store at a leisurely pace.
To be fair, their catwalk was quite amateurish, and they weren't all wearing high heels; but their outfits were eye-catching, all of them were new spring clothes.
With her exquisite makeup, such a beautiful girl would definitely turn heads on the street, if not 100%.
Oh no, beauty has a cumulative effect.
When such a group of beautiful and fashionable women walk down the street, their head-turning rate is not just 100%, but a solid 200%.
Good heavens! Where did this store find so many beautiful girls?
Models? I think there are specialized modeling teams in the provincial capital.
But it doesn't look like it. Models are usually very tall, and these girls are mostly between 1.6 and 1.7 meters tall, which doesn't seem like a model's height. Besides, models are usually tall and thin, and while these girls are slim, there's still a difference between them and that kind of model thinness.
Tang Yicheng was unaware of the training content for the store clerks. At this moment, his eyes widened, and he couldn't say how to react: "You're still making the sales assistants act as models?"
Nonsense, a pretty face grows rice.
She should definitely make full use of such a beautiful girl.
It's important to know that the overall look of a fashion statement largely depends on the face!
Look how good the effect is!
Suddenly, a whole bunch of men, women, and children arrived.
Seriously, unlike what's often portrayed in works of art, unless someone is psychologically disturbed or competing for resources, ordinary women don't resort to sour grapes and slander when faced with a beautiful young woman. They too have eyes sparkling and are secretly drooling with envy.
If you don't believe me, just look at the gender composition of female celebrities' fans; they are definitely predominantly female.
Some viewers were already swooning: "Wow, this outfit is exactly the same as what Diana (the second female lead in 'The Greed of Man' and the male lead's ex-girlfriend) wore, it's so beautiful! Hey, how much does it cost?"
A shop assistant responsible for maintaining order came over and explained with a smile, "Sorry, comrade, our store is not open yet. We will not be open to the public until next week. For now, you are just enjoying the view."
That won't do.
The audience member became anxious: "But I can't come next Sunday. Comrade, please help me, I came all the way from Huyang City."
Uh, Huyang City isn't that close to the provincial capital; there's Danxi County in between. How did she manage to watch "I Am Kind-hearted" on the provincial city's TV station?
Sigh, because the provincial TV station also broadcast it.
Wait a minute, why is the provincial TV station being so inconsiderate, also airing Hong Kong dramas without copyright?
Wang Xiao could only touch her nose in response, realizing that she hadn't expected to overestimate the integrity of this television station.
The provincial television station had just launched a second channel, taking a lighthearted and artistic approach, and needed a compelling drama to attract viewers. Seeing the success of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," the staff at the provincial station wanted to broadcast it as well.
The city's TV station would definitely disagree.
It's one thing if it's just a radio station, but since everyone's not working together, it can even help the TV station attract viewers.
However, the provincial television station, at least within the provincial capital, is definitely in competition with the municipal television station.
How crazy must the city government be to be so eager to fund the enemy?
Of course, his family disagreed. No matter how much the provincial TV station tried to get help from leaders, the municipal TV station shook its head vigorously.
In the end, it was Wang Xiao who mediated and brought this matter to fruition.
How did she manage to convince the city TV station? Well, she didn't use any tricks or schemes; she simply presented the facts and reasoned with them, genuinely persuading the station.
It's a good thing that the provincial TV station wants to broadcast "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," it's like giving the municipal station free advertising.
She's not lying through her teeth. Think about it, when you're hooked on a show, don't you want to watch the whole thing in one go? Video websites make money by offering early access viewing, isn't that exactly what viewers are looking for?
If we're talking about a TV series like "The Greed of Man," and the provincial channel airs it after the municipal channel, then the update schedule will definitely be slower for the provincial channel.
In this way, when loyal viewers of Provincial Channel 2 are eager to know what happens next in the plot, won't they have to actively go and watch the dramas on Municipal Channel?
The provincial second station is basically advertising for the municipal station for free, attracting viewers.
Ahem, of course, Wang Xiao wouldn't say that in front of the city TV station. At the same time, this drama was also helping the provincial second TV station to attract viewers from the city TV station.
Since TVs don't have on-demand functionality these days, if you miss an episode, you can only wait for it to be rebroadcast or re-aired later.
The provincial second channel aired the drama after the municipal channel, which conveniently picked up this group of drama fans.
The municipal radio station was finally persuaded, and with a secret sense of pride that "I was right after all," it shared the Mandarin version of the videotape of "I Am Good" with the provincial second radio station.
Wow, I have to say, this drama is a paradise for fans of good looks! The male and female leads are so handsome, and Wang Xiao is even tempted by many of their outfits. She has several pieces of clothing in her store that she directly copied from the show.
Therefore, when Wang Xiao glanced at the provincial TV reporter who had come to interview him, his feelings were somewhat complicated.
You should have said so earlier! If you had told me your provincial TV station was so inconsiderate, I could have found a few more dramas. If you don't want the hassle of re-dubbing, Singaporean dramas aren't out of the question. The clothes in Singaporean fashion dramas are always so beautiful.
The photojournalist took pictures of the performance stage for a while, then started looking for audience members to interview.
Since this segment was not part of the food festival's planned activities, and no interviewees had been arranged in advance (to prevent interviewees from being too excited and unable to express themselves clearly, thus wasting film, enthusiastic tourists for such events are usually pre-selected), the reporter hesitated for a moment about who would be the most suitable person to interview.
Wang Xiao's eyes darted around, and suddenly an idea struck him. He took the initiative to strike up a conversation: "Reporter Li, our food festival has been very well received. I even saw quite a few foreign businessmen here today, which shows that the food from Jiangdong is very attractive."
Reporter Li's eyes lit up instantly.
Yes, that's the harsh reality. The same item can appear to be of a different quality depending on the buyer's background.
When it comes to food festivals, it's certainly good for people from Jiangdong to entertain themselves, attract a wave of local customers, and promote exchanges within the province. However, if they can promote their food and expand their influence, even if cultural confidence isn't emphasized in this era, it would still be quite remarkable.
Reporter Li immediately looked around: "Where is it?"
He has interviewed foreign businessmen and is very willing to do so. This is not only because foreign businessmen are popular nowadays when investment promotion is in full swing, but also because they are generally quite talkative and not at all shy in front of the camera, and they don't stammer for a long time without being able to say a word.
Wang Xiao smiled and led the way: "This way, they've personally brought products from their factory that they've invested in in our province to set up a stall and promote their products."
There were few customers at the moment. The village officials of Hongxing Village and Mr. Huang, a Taiwanese businessman who invested in a food factory in their village, were watching the models walk the runway.
Upon seeing Wang Xiao leading the reporters over, the village officials could hardly contain themselves and started talking.
See? He knew that spending two thousand dollars on the formula was the right thing to do. They immediately gave him positive feedback.
Oh my, this is the provincial TV station.
Once this was done, everyone in the whole province knew about their Red Star Village.
What excited the village officials even more was that after the interview, Wang Xiao warmly invited the reporter and photographer: "Can you eat spicy food? Try their food factory's new spicy strips. Oh my, they're really delicious."
Hongxing Village truly lived up to its reputation as the first place to attract foreign investment at the investment promotion conference held at Jinning Grand Hotel. The village officials immediately gave a wink to the young man carrying bags behind them, signaling him to hurry up and buy some sour plum juice.
Even though it's only early spring, the midday sun can easily make you thirsty. So at the food festival, some people have taken a different approach, selling various simple sweet soups, such as mung bean soup and plum juice, for five cents a cup, and quite a few people are buying them.
Therefore, when reporter Li and the photographer were spitting out spicy food, the sugar water could be handed directly to them to help relieve the spiciness.
Taking advantage of the moment when the other person was unable to speak, Wang Xiao launched into a tirade: "How was it? Pretty satisfying, huh? Hey, last time I came to the station I heard you guys say you were going to make your own program, when are you going to do it?"
After finishing a glass of plum juice, reporter Li was finally able to speak normally: "It's still under discussion; we haven't decided on the specifics yet."
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "I do have an idea. We could do a special feature on foreign investors. You see, Jiangdong has done a great job in attracting investment, which is obvious to all. But even the best wine needs advertising, so our TV station needs to promote it properly. The food factory invested in by Mr. Huang is a typical example. The two sides have worked together very harmoniously."
The village officials practically shed tears of happiness on the spot.
He knew that Engineer Wang was indeed an advanced worker, as he believed in immediate returns for any investment.
He wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that if the provincial TV station really did broadcast a program about their village, then viewers throughout the province would know about the existence of their Hongxing Village food factory. That would make distributing goods to the factory much easier in the future.
As soon as you open your mouth, people will know what it is.
They don't even need to say a word; the television audience will be curious on their own.
For example, his granddaughter saw the "Kissing Eight Treasure Porridge" on TV and wanted to buy it. Oh dear, it's as if her grandma doesn't know how to cook eight treasure porridge for her—such a small jar, costing several yuan. If she cooked it herself at home, she could make a whole pot.
This is outrageous!
Just thinking about how their Red Star Village can make money like this in the future makes me incredibly excited.
Mr. Huang was also happy. He thought that if all the provincial TV stations in mainland China produced programs for him, it would not only enhance his influence in the business world, but also serve as a guarantee that the mainland was genuinely attracting investment.
He immediately stated, "If it's going to be a program, I'll definitely cooperate fully. I can also help connect you with some friends and make introductions."
Reporter Li was also tempted.
As a television professional, who wouldn't want to have their own program?
After much thought, he realized that no television station had ever produced a similar program before. This meant that their provincial station was fully capable of being the first to try something new.
It's possible, I think it's achievable.
The government is targeting private capital and individual businesses, not foreign investment. Besides, the government has consistently emphasized the need to generate foreign exchange.
Wang Xiao gestured for him to come aside and whisper: "Once this program is produced, everyone will say that Jiangdong is the number one province in the mainland for attracting investment. In the future, when foreign investors want to invest in China, they will definitely consider Jiangdong first."
After quickly calculating in his mind, reporter Li readily agreed: "Okay, I'll go back to the station and report to my superiors."
Mr. Huang immediately handed over his business card: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Li."
Wang Xiao stroked his chin with satisfaction.
Great, at this rate, her freedom to eat spicy snacks should be largely guaranteed in the future.
And once this program is successful, the influence of the Jinning Grand Hotel's investment promotion conference will surely reach a new level.
Hey, by then, the number of her secondary wholesalers will have increased again.
Yes, we definitely need to do more business with the Soviets.
Let's try our best to resolve the steel mill's debt problem this year.
There was at most one year left until the spring of 1992.
By then, there will be too many people entering the business world with government connections and resources, so she has to make money while the competition is still low.
Wang Xiao originally wanted to chat with the reporter a little longer, but Tang Yicheng had already rushed over looking for someone.
Sigh, it's because the customers were so impressed by the sales assistants' fashion show that they wanted to buy the clothes today.
The sales assistant couldn't make the decision herself, so she had to turn to her supervisor.
Xiang Dong was moved but refused. Although he did not understand what the latter meant by "hunger marketing", he agreed with the idea that good products could be held back for a while and did not intend to let this out-of-town customer get what he wanted immediately.
The customer got anxious: "I'm going to Shanxi on a business trip next Sunday, and I won't be back for at least a month. By then, the season will be wrong, and even if I can buy it, it will be too hot to wear the clothes."
She then took out her ID card and a letter of introduction from her workplace, saying, "I really can't come next Sunday."
Several other people around chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, look, boss, we've come all this way."
The voices grew louder: "That's right, sell it today! What are we waiting for? Who knows what the weather will be like in another week?"
In the end, the clamor could only be described as "utterly deafening." A large crowd surrounded Xiang Dong, demanding that the sale begin that very day.
Although Xiang Dong often deals with women, he couldn't handle being surrounded by so many women, so he asked the boss to make the decision.
Honestly, Wang Xiao held on at first, and she even came up with a pretty brilliant idea: pre-sales.
Customers who claim to be from out of town can pay first, receive a receipt, and then have their clothes shipped to the address they left after the official sale begins.
However, she underestimated the current enthusiasm and passion of women for pursuing fashion.
Her insistence didn't even last half a day. By the afternoon, when the crowds were even larger, everyone couldn't hold on any longer and had to open the shops.
Wang Xiao swore that she didn't want this to happen at all.
Just look at the new clothes currently on the shelves of the self-service supermarket, and you'll know she's really not kidding. What's hanging there now is only a portion; all of them were shown off by the sales assistants today.
She planned to wait until later, when the sales assistants showcased the new styles. That way, everyone could clearly see the details of the clothes through the large window display.
Unfortunately, plans can't keep up with changes.
Forget about hunger marketing, right now everyone's just screaming, "I'm hungry, I need food!"
You can never predict a customer's actual purchasing power!
Wang Xiao quickly called for help: "Tang Yicheng, find Sister Jin and ask her to put on her uniform and come over as soon as possible."
Who is Sister Jin? She's the security guard at the factory.
Why bring her here? To deter thieves.
Theft is a crime that knows no gender, age, skin color, or race; there is no place where thieves have never been eradicated.
Even with so many sales assistants, Wang Xiao couldn't guarantee that she could stop the thieves.
So she sought help from the steel mill's security department, arranging for security guards to oversee the operation. It wasn't that a body search was absolutely necessary, but in most cases, unless someone was a professional pickpocket, many thefts were impulsive and highly random.
Simply put, when they feel that no one will see them and they won't get caught, they impulsively reach out and steal.
When they feel like there are countless eyes watching them, and that getting caught will land them in the police station or even jail, they are considered law-abiding citizens.
Sister Jin is the magic weapon behind this "I advise you to do good deeds" approach.
To get her to come out of retirement, Wang Xiao paid an extra 300 yuan every month.
Two hundred yuan will be distributed to the security department, since Sister Jin is stationed at the store long-term, and the rest of the staff will have to take over her original work. More work will definitely require more pay.
I'll give 100 yuan to Sister Jin herself. Staying in the store all the time is exhausting. Not to mention the workload, she spends at least ten hours a day selling to the store; it's very hard work.
Therefore, the store has to pay for it.
After Sister Jin arrived fully equipped, Wang Xiao went to the store for a walk and only dared to let her in after he felt that it was barely acceptable.
She originally wanted to stick to her principles and only entertain tourists from other places first, so that they could go back to work or school.
As a result, many people, even those speaking with a typical provincial capital accent, insisted they came from out of town. As for their ID cards and letters of introduction—documents that could prove their identity? Sorry, they were left at the hotel. Nobody carries their luggage around all the time.
The self-service supermarket couldn't find any solid evidence to prove they were lying, so they had no choice but to reluctantly let them in.
But once they were allowed in, the customers who entered the store didn't rush to buy the clothes they liked; instead, they stood there dumbfounded.
As well-traveled residents of the provincial capital, they had seen many large shopping malls such as Renmin Department Store and Huayang Department Store. Some even made a special trip to the famous Asia Department Store when they went to Zhengzhou on business.
But I've never seen anything like this. It's a full 800 square meters, with clothes hanging out open and no counters blocking the way. It's like the kind of walk-in closets you see on TV, the kind only capitalist heiresses have, but a super-sized one. I heard it's 800 square meters.
So many clothes! Even in broad daylight with the lights on, the clothes sparkled and shimmered under the light, just like the crystal shoes handed out by fairies in fairy tales.
There were even sofas in the store. Were they for them to sit on?
Wow, that chandelier up there is so beautiful! It's comparable to those in big shopping malls.
The most crucial point is that there's no counter; it's just displayed directly in front of them without any cover or obstruction.
It's huge, much bigger than the self-service supermarket in the People's Department Store.
What beautiful clothes! Much more impressive than those at the People's Department Store.
People were looking around for a while; in addition, the local tourists who were watching had become shrewd, and even the employees of the big factory were lying through their teeth, emphasizing that they came from out of town. As a result, there were quite a few customers flooding into the store; Wang Xiao had to remind everyone: "You can look around freely, and you can try on any clothes you like."
These words were like flipping a switch, and instantly a bunch of young ladies and older women transformed into unbridled... no, they were like rabbits, rushing straight to the clothes rack and starting to grab clothes in a sweeping frenzy.
The sales assistants were so startled that they quickly followed up, smiling and saying, "Let me get it for you."
What a joke! This is real silk; you can't treat it so roughly.
But the female customers didn't see through his real intentions. They just thought the shop assistants were incredibly friendly, unbelievably so, and so pretty. Seeing them smile made them smile too, the kind of pretty smile that made them smile along with them.
That feels so good.
What shocked customers the most was the service attitude of the sales assistants in the store; they would even squat down to help customers straighten their trouser legs.
Good heavens! The customer, experiencing this level of service for the first time, was so shocked she almost jumped up. It took a lot of reassurance from the sales assistant before she reluctantly accepted the service. Then, as if she'd seen a ghost, she grabbed the overalls and rushed to the checkout.
Wang Xiao felt a little sorry for the young lady who was so frightened.
It's alright, it's alright. After experiencing it a few more times, you'll find it easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.
Don't be shy, with your spending power, you can definitely afford this level of service.
It's like you go to a small shop on the street to buy shoes that cost a few dozen yuan a pair. The shop owner helps you try them on, so it's only natural for you to jump up.
But if you buy a pair of shoes from a designer store that cost tens of thousands of yuan, what's wrong with them helping you put them on? They get a commission of several hundred yuan per sale.
If you pay this money, you can enjoy this kind of service.
Ah ha, once customers get used to shopping at the self-service clothing supermarket on Women's Street, why would they want to go elsewhere and suffer any inconvenience?
This is the spell she cast on all the young ladies and older women.
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