Chapter 286 Wool Express...Have we stirred up a hornet's nest?
The first batch of wool felt material kits produced by Feiyan No. 2 Factory were placed in a corner of "Feiyan Fenghua" for trial use, priced at "eight cents", with a sign next to them: "Material kit for you to poke around with".
On the display case are sample wool felt dolls made by Qin Xiangxiang herself, including the twelve zodiac animals, as well as beautiful orange cats and giant pandas in different styles.
Qin Xiangxiang guessed that this thing would sell well, and as soon as it was launched, it became a bestseller on the whole street.
"Such an exquisite item? Made of pure wool, and only eight cents?"
"So beautiful?"
"Can this thing really be used to make such beautiful felted dolls?"
...
A kit costs eight cents, so it's a steal. Many people tried it out, especially young female workers in nearby residential areas, almost everyone had one.
These female workers and housewives are generally skilled with their hands. Even if they can't perfectly replicate the original, they can still make something that looks fairly decent. And since they made it themselves, they feel a sense of accomplishment.
"Look at this one I made, it's a little smaller than yours."
"This one you made looks good too!"
"This orange cat one is cute, and I want a giant panda one too! I'll buy another one and make one myself! This one's easy!"
...
Ordinary young students also like this handmade wool felt, especially students of this generation, who like to give each other gifts. When they graduate, they give each other graduation gifts, and when their good friends have birthdays, they also give each other birthday gifts.
At this time, birthday gifts are usually pens, handkerchiefs, notebooks, etc.
Especially handkerchiefs. Everyone's tired of giving each other handkerchiefs as gifts. Cheap handkerchiefs with tacky prints are too expensive, while nice printed handkerchiefs are too expensive for most people, costing at least a few dollars, or even more than ten dollars.
A wool felt kit for 8 cents – highlighting its cost-effectiveness.
It's made of pure wool, and once it's finished, it's not embarrassing to give as a gift!
Making a gift yourself and giving it to someone you like is a way of showing your heartfelt sentiments.
"Did you make one today? I made one for my child yesterday, and he loved it!"
"It's also a way to pass the time and earn some money. A guy wanted to make a panda doll for his girlfriend, but he was clumsy and didn't know how to do it, so he asked me to do it for him. I even earned a little 'handiwork fee'."
"This thing is simple and fun to make! It's a good way to pass the time."
...
The "DIY DIY kits" are selling like hotcakes at the gate, and demand is almost exceeding supply. The workers at Feiyan No. 2 Factory have to work overtime to produce the kits.
Secretary Li: "Factory Director, we need to catch up on the work!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
This thing? It's selling so well.
"Director Zhao, Director Qin has people selling 'wool felt material kits' at the factory gate, and they even call them 'Make Your Own Felt for Fun'!"
"This tiny package is only 80 cents!"
The people at the Northwest Wool Mill were ecstatic, because only they knew that although it was wool, it was wool scraps, and the cost of just one bag of materials was probably less than two cents.
Feiyan Textile Factory then sold them for 80 cents each, and even gave them the ridiculous name "Just Poke It Yourself for Fun".
This is four or five times the price.
Factory Director Zhao: "Just poking around with it for fun? Factory Director Qin doesn't even bother poking around, she's just selling material kits?"
What exactly is this "scrounging" behavior?
“They put a few samples at the entrance of their factory and sold the material kits for 8 jiao each.”
Factory Director Zhao was dumbfounded. "How are the sales? How are their material kits selling?"
"It's selling like hotcakes! Feiyan No. 2 Factory is urging us to ship more wool immediately."
Factory Director Zhao felt a chill run down his spine. He had just made a small profit from Feiyan No. 2 Factory by disposing of scrap materials, which he could use to give bonuses to the workers.
After dyeing and processing, Feiyan No. 2 Factory resold the dyed products at four or five times the price.
Bitter!
"Women from Shanghai are still better at making money."
Director Zhao's mouth was practically overflowing with sourness. While the Feiyan No. 2 Factory ate meat, they only got meat scraps and soup.
He wanted to slap himself a few times for making you sell it at such a low price!
Two hundred more cars were sold.
"Director Qin—please, please let us poor men from the Northwest have some meat soup!"
After realizing he had sold at a loss, Director Zhao ran to Secretary Li. This burly man was crying his eyes out.
"...We're all from the same brother unit!"
Secretary Li felt a chill run down his spine: "..."
Although their factory is doing better and better, they are also more likely to encounter strange and eccentric people.
Seeing this burly, steely man crying like a baby, Secretary Li felt utterly exhausted.
Ugh, just kill me. You might as well ask me, "'Old machines sunbathing,' which step in the Five-Year Plan does that fall under?"
Qin Xiangxiang covered her forehead, also finding the sight of this rough man crying at the grave unbearable. She couldn't let him cry every day at Feiyan No. 2 Factory, this "dirty" man!
"For this batch of goods, the price will remain the same as previously agreed."
"We'll give you a discount on the next batch of wool."
Factory Director Zhao immediately stopped crying, stood up straight, and saluted: "We will follow Factory Director Qin's orders!"
“From now on, our Northwest Wool Textile Factory and Feiyan Textile Factory will be closer than blood brothers! Secretary Li, let’s have a ‘Three Sworn Brothers’ ceremony.”
Secretary Li: "..."
"Secretary Li, please take good care of Director Zhao. I still need to study, so I'll be going now."
The salted fish thought about it and decided to slip away.
The "DIY Felt Kit" sold for a while ignited the creative enthusiasm of citizens. Many people were no longer limited to the provided blueprints and created various different shapes of felt.
Meng Qiaoyun collected all these creations by citizens, and Feiyan No. 2 Factory even held a "Wool Felt Poke Competition" at its entrance.
Gu Zhihuai returned to Feiyan No. 2 Factory and saw the bustling scene of wool felt making. He then spontaneously composed a storytelling piece entitled "The Joy of 'Felt'":
"...Guess what? Just this little bag of wool and a needle, it doesn't feel heavy in your hand, but as you poke it and then look closely, hey! A cute, round, and lucky chubby orange cat is born in your palm!"
Gu Zhihuai uses vivid, colloquial language to depict scenes of women chatting and poking wool after get off work; he also portrays the sweet moments of young men and women subtly expressing their feelings by exchanging wool-felt gifts; and even the comedic scene of Uncle Wang from the alley being chased by the children of the alley because of his excellent wool-poking skills...
"Old Gu, what you said is really interesting! Tell me more!"
Gu Zhihuai: "Is it really that interesting?"
"This was just something I made up on the spot."
...
Gu Zhihuai returned to the radio station and told the editor what had happened at Feiyan No. 2 Factory. The editor discussed it with the leaders and arranged for Gu Zhihuai to tell stories about people making felt in the "Old Friends Storytelling" program.
"This has a touch of life, the fresh life of ordinary people, let's see if everyone likes it."
"I think it's quite interesting."
...
So Gu Zhihuai gave a speech on Shanghai Radio called "The Joy of Being Poked Out".
Just a week earlier, Shanghai TV broadcast an advertisement for an imported Swiss watch, which can be considered the first foreign-owned TV advertisement since the reform and opening up.
On the black-and-white television screen, exquisite wristwatches were displayed, accompanied by a deep male voice narrating. Suddenly, many people went to the department store to inquire whether they sold Swiss watches.
However, while there are many inquiries, relatively few actual purchases.
At this time, many experts were observing the effects of television advertising, and everyone was discussing and debating its role.
"These days, people are coming to various department stores to inquire about imported watches..."
"The publicity effect is very good."
"How does it compare to the XX health wine from the beginning of the year?"
What kind of effect can a TV commercial with a health tonic priced at 15 yuan and an imported watch priced at several hundred to nearly a thousand yuan have?
However, before a conclusion could be reached...
Even more shocking scenes appeared in the radio station's feedback... or rather, at the entrance of the textile factory.
Gu Zhihuai, along with the radio station's editors and leaders, originally only wanted to add some interesting stories about everyday life to the program.
As a result, the day after "The Joy of Poking" aired, the entrance of Feiyan No. 2 Factory was packed with citizens who had come after hearing the news, and the new batch of 5,000 material packages sold out in three hours.
Even the city buses that go to Feiyan No. 2 Factory are jokingly called "Wool Special Line".
"The new batch of material packages that the workers rushed to produce... sold out in less than three hours, and now there are still people queuing up to buy them. The supply can't meet the demand, factory manager! This is simply insane!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "...Have we stirred up a hornet's nest?"
"Factory manager, we need to work overtime to finish this!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
"Wow, I've really seen a lot on this trip..." Director Zhao of the Northwest Wool Textile Factory took out his notebook and recorded this amazing day.
For the first time, everyone experienced the power of "advertising".
The next day, the scene of the crowd blocking the entrance to Feiyan Textile Factory made the newspaper.
Daily headline: "Why could a single radio broadcast spark a 'wool-gathering craze'?"
"...While our propaganda remained at the level of lofty preaching, a radio broadcast full of everyday life achieved a 'miracle' in the sense of communication studies. It told us about the importance of emotional resonance with the people..."
Sun Xianjin, the director of the Shanghai No. 10 Textile Factory, has a habit of drinking a cup of morning tea and reading the day's freshest newspaper every day before going to work.
That day, he picked up his cup and took a sip of tea when he was shocked by the horrifying pictures in the newspaper.
—A large crowd gathered at the entrance of Feiyan No. 2 Factory, eager to buy wool.
"puff--"
A bloodbath! A bloodbath indeed!
Sun Xianjin: "...Has Qin Xiangxiang finally stopped causing trouble?"
"She's been working tirelessly to achieve results every day. Has this woman gone mad?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
