Chapter 79 Chapter 79 New Store Opening
The first Star Video Hall is located on Chenxi Road, next to Gongren Road.
This place is not as prosperous as Gongren Road, but the flow of people is also good. There are many restaurants on the street, and Liu Mianmian's fried chicken shop also opened a branch here.
When he occasionally came to check on the operation of the fried chicken shop, he found that a three-story building that originally belonged to the supply and marketing cooperative was for rent. After discussing it with Wu Heng, Liu Mianmian decided to open a flagship video store here.
There is a state-owned cinema on Gongren Road next door, which has the highest attendance rate among several cinemas in the south city. Although this small building is on Chenxi Road, there is actually an alley leading to Gongren Road just a few dozen meters away, and it is actually only seven or eight hundred meters away from the cinema.
The area has good traffic flow and is also well-served by the cinema, so it is a perfect location to open a video hall.
This store has the largest investment. The TVs are all imported, large in size and high in definition. The VCRs are also imported. The effects in all aspects are very good, not to mention the environment. If the original eight stores were decorated in a fresh style, then this one is in a light luxury style, with crystal chandeliers, leather sofas, carpets... Anyway, the first impression when you walk in is "expensive".
The renovation alone took over a month, and many people who witnessed it being renovated thought that this store must be extremely expensive.
At the same time, I am also very curious.
You said you were just going to watch TV, why did you make the place so nice and high-end?
But if you think about it carefully, how comfortable it would be to watch TV in such a high-end place!
Not many families have televisions these days, so going to someone else's house to watch TV is shameless. Many people have gone to other stores of Star Video Hall to watch TV series. Although they don't have a TV at home, they can watch it by spending some money. They can watch whatever they want. In front of neighbors who have TVs, they feel more confident.
Now that this flagship store is so high-end, it feels like more than just watching TV, it’s an experience you can brag about.
So even though he expected that this store would definitely be more expensive than the previous video halls, he was still eager to try it out and thought that he would come over on Eighteen to take a look and broaden his horizons.
So early in the morning on the 18th, when Liu Mianmian and Wu Heng arrived at the door of Store No. 1, they found that the door was already surrounded by people watching the fun.
They don't have to worry about the things in the store. Some of the people from store No. 2 to store No. 9 have been transferred here. They are all experienced and skilled workers, and everything is arranged in an orderly manner.
Liu Mianmian simply stood in the crowd and listened to what others said.
"It seems the fees at this flagship store aren't as high as I imagined. They're only 50 cents an hour more expensive than the original store, but the number of people in each theater is half the size, and the seats are sofas. Wow, the level of enjoyment is so much higher!"
"The top-up bonus can be used here too. I usually look at other stores, but it seems more cost-effective to spend here during the top-up period!"
"Any purchase gets you a free snack platter. I see there's quite a lot on this snack platter. Just browse for an hour or two and you'll get it. It's a great deal!"
"The couples' lounge has a double sofa, which is really nice. There are only ten couples in one theater, so it's much more comfortable than going to the cinema."
"Private halls can hold birthday parties. My dad said he'd hold a birthday party for me this year and ordered a big cake. He also asked me to invite all my close classmates home. I told my dad that I wasn't going home and would hold it at No. 1 Store instead!"
"You haven't even gone in to take a look yet, and you've already made your decision?"
"You can't be wrong just looking at it that way. Think about it, isn't watching TV together much more fun than eating at home?"
…
Liu Mianmian had several half-person-high standees made and placed on the open space outside Store No. 1. Not only did they have a clear price list, but they also had introductions to each theater and enlarged photos, including the complimentary snack platters, all of which were specially photographed and posted on the standees.
So people who had already assumed that this store was very expensive, after seeing the clear price list, realized that it was not expensive at all!
At least if you spend a few hours, it doesn’t cost much.
Especially looking at those photos, the high-end screening room, the expensive-looking sofas, and the generous portions of snacks... Originally, everyone thought that this flagship store was "expensive" and out of reach, but now after seeing the prices and actual pictures, they suddenly feel that it is great value for money.
Not only does it not feel expensive, on the contrary, because the price I preset in my mind was too high, I felt like "how can it be so cheap?"
Listening to everyone's discussion, Wu Heng gave Liu Mianmian a thumbs up.
He now feels that his decision to cooperate with Liu Mianmian in business was a perfect decision.
Even though she doesn't usually take charge of things, she has a lot of weird ideas. As a partner, she basically doesn't need to consider anything else and just execute it.
Wu Heng felt that this video hall business was almost the most worry-free business he had ever done in all these years, because he didn't need to think about how to make this thing happen. Before he even thought about it, Liu Mianmian had already thought about it.
Seeing that time was almost up, the two of them walked through the crowd and entered Store No. 1 through the side door.
Not long after, the onlookers suddenly heard a melodious flute sound coming from Store No. 1. As the flute sounded, more than a dozen red banners were hung from the windows on the top floor at the same time, with a few large golden words on them: The Grand Opening of Star Video Hall Flagship Store No. 1!
Almost at the same time, eight strings of firecrackers hanging in front of the door were lit. Amid the crackling sound of firecrackers, a clear and pleasant female voice rang out: Store No. 1 is officially open, welcome, we will serve you wholeheartedly!
This method of hearing the voice without seeing the person made everyone outside the door stunned for a moment, and then the passionate theme song of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" that sounded immediately drew everyone's attention back.
"Come on, come on, the sound effects are amazing. I want to watch The Legend of the Condor Heroes again."
"I still have ten episodes of 'Dragon Slayer' to watch, so I'm going to watch it today."
"Watch the TV series first, then have dinner and go shopping on Gongren Road?"
"I just wanted to go in and broaden my horizons. Let's go to the Couples' Lounge. There's no saying that two grown men can't go to the Couples' Lounge. The sofa there looks comfortable, and the ticket price is twenty cents cheaper. What? Didn't you notice it's written right there!"
…
Everyone rushed in, talking and laughing, and the staff who had been on high alert immediately came to greet them.
At the same time, eight convenient video halls were opened in alleys in various corners of South City.
Tao Jie lives on Sanyuan Road. A while ago, a Metropolitan Video Hall opened near his home, and he was quite happy about it.
He didn't have a TV at home, but he loved watching martial arts dramas. After the Star Video Hall opened, he often went there. However, the Star Video Hall was quite far from his home, which was not very convenient. The newly opened Metropolitan Video Hall was only a few hundred meters away.
Tao Jie went there excitedly on the first day of opening, but then felt a little disappointed.
The ticket price of Metropolitan Video Hall is cheaper than that of Star Video Hall, but its environment is much worse than that of Star Video Hall. The seats in each hall are densely packed and every show is packed with people.
Tao Jie just likes watching TV. As long as he can watch TV, he can tolerate a slightly worse environment. After all, he can save some money and watch two more episodes.
But what he couldn't tolerate was that not only were every screening room packed with people, but the TVs were also very small. Sometimes he went too late and didn't sit in the right position, so he couldn't see clearly at all.
Moreover, the clarity of that TV cannot be compared with that of the celebrity video room. Sometimes there are obvious snow spots, and the viewing experience is very poor.
After watching Tao Jie's show once, I felt that it was cheaper but the experience was worse, so it was better to watch two fewer episodes of the more expensive one.
He spends money to watch TV for fun, not to cause trouble and upset himself.
After that, Tao Jie never went to the Metropolitan Video Hall again. When his neighbors in the alley called him there, he told them that it was a "fake video hall."
The neighbor, who had never been to a celebrity video studio, thought he was asking too much: "For something that's only a dollar or two, you can squeeze in a little. It's better than having to watch Old Man Zhang's face, especially in color."
Old man Zhang is also their neighbor. He has a black and white TV at home, which he usually shows off. When neighbors come to take a look at it, he turns a cold look and mocks them.
Tao Jie couldn't persuade him, so he gave up.
Then the next day he heard from another neighbor that the Star Video Hall convenience store in the next alley was about to open, and the ticket prices would be the same as the Metropolitan.
Tao Jie was already disappointed with the cheap video hall, but when he heard that it was a celebrity video hall, he started to have some hope again. So he went there early on the day the convenience store opened.
After the staff's introduction, Tao Jie realized that the reason why the convenience store had cheaper tickets was because the environment was worse than the ordinary store he had been in before. He felt a pang in his heart at that time and almost wanted to turn around and leave.
It was the staff who reminded him that he would get two hours of free movie viewing and a box of melon seeds as soon as he entered the door. Tao Jie thought that since he was already here, he could get two hours for free, so he might as well leave. Only then did he enter the door.
The decoration and environment of the convenience store are indeed a little worse than the previous store, and the location is also a little smaller.
But Tao Jie soon discovered that these were the only two shortcomings. Everything else was similar to the original store, especially in the screening room, where the number of seats had not increased.
It can be said that it is indeed a little worse than the original store, but compared with the Metropolitan Video Hall, it is many times better.
Of course, the most important thing is that the TV is much larger than the one in the Metropolitan Video Hall, and the clarity is much higher, so the viewing experience is completely different.
So, Tao Jie, who originally planned to experience the movie for only two hours, had to leave and go home when it was almost time for dinner. However, before leaving, he went to the counter to add 20 yuan to his movie card.
Because he found that this convenience store was perfect for him and completely met his movie-watching needs. It was cheap, but the movie-watching experience was good, and it was also close to home. He knew that he would definitely visit it often in the future.
Not far from the Star Video Hall convenience store is the Metropolitan Video Hall. The booming business in the past two days has made the people in the Metropolitan Video Hall full of confidence, thinking that even if that convenience store opens, it probably won't affect them much.
People are habitual. Once they get used to a place, they won't move easily.
These people don’t know what inertia is, but they understand this principle. They all think that their boss Sun is foresighted and has directly advanced the opening time, which is equivalent to cutting in the deal!
Listening to the crackling sound of firecrackers not far away, Liu Laosan leaned on the counter and glanced outside, curling his lips. He opened the shop so early in the morning and was hoping to have business in the morning.
Even though it's only the third day since they opened, Liu Laosan has already figured out the rules: the video hall is not full until after 10 o'clock. Even if he's not at work, he still has things to do at home before that time. How can he have the time to watch TV?
With nothing to do, Liu Laosan turned on the radio to listen to storytelling. While listening, he began to doze off. When he woke up, the radio had changed to a science program. He looked back at the clock hanging on the wall. Oh, it was almost eleven o'clock.
After work last night, he went out to play cards again and didn't finish until almost four o'clock. Isn't he going to fall asleep while sitting down today?
However, when Liu Laosan looked back at the empty corridor, he felt something was wrong. Normally, someone should have come to the door at this time, and would have woken him up even if they saw him dozing off.
Is there still no customer at this time?
Liu Laosan didn't quite believe it.
He stared at the door. Two middle-aged women walked past. Liu Laosan vaguely heard them talking about a convenience store, but then he thought he must have misheard. There are relatively few female comrades who go to video halls, especially the older ones. On the one hand, they can't stand the smoky atmosphere, and on the other hand, they are reluctant to spend the money.
No one came until lunchtime. When his wife came to deliver food to Liu Laosan, she saw how deserted the store was and couldn't help but say, "I just passed by that convenience store and took a look. It seemed quite crowded inside."
Liu Laosan was not happy: "The theater is inside, how can you see it clearly?"
It’s normal that there is no one here in the morning. Everyone is busy in the morning, Liu Laosan comforted himself.
Some people did come in the afternoon, but not many. Liu Laosan even heard those young people saying in the theater, "I knew there would be no one here today. Even though there are many stools here, they are useless without people. We finally have the whole place to ourselves today. It's so comfortable!"
"The ticket price at the convenience store is the same as here, but the environment is much better. Even if we rent out the whole place here, it's not as comfortable as over there. The chairs here are uncomfortable to sit on. Let's go to the convenience store next time!"
Liu Laosan was so angry that he almost rushed in and smashed a bench on their heads.
That day, until he got off work at night, Liu Laosan didn't receive much money.
Coincidentally, the situation was almost the same in the ten Metropolitan Video Hall stores. On the third day of opening, the total turnover of the ten stores was only a few thousand yuan. Compared with the previous day, it was no longer a cliff-like drop, but a plummeting drop.
That night, Sun Zhou smashed a set of teacups in his office at the Metropolitan Ballroom.
In the office on the top floor of Store No. 1 on Chenxi Road, Liu Mianmian and Wu Heng opened a bottle of wine and drank a celebratory toast.
Including the money from movie card top-ups, the nine new stores now have a daily turnover of 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, with store number one alone bringing in nearly 20,000 yuan. Adding the previous eight stores, the total daily turnover is 70,000 yuan.
This business is really profitable.
It makes more money than a dance hall.
Wu Heng was truly convinced by Liu Mianmian.
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