Chapter 39 The Gloomy Little Poor Boy of the 1970s
As the doors officially opened, the crowd that had been waiting outside surged in, and the sight before them stunned everyone who was entering the supermarket for the first time.
The spacious and bright space is filled with rows of shelves piled high with goods, clearly categorized, and stretching as far as the eye can see.
This is... a mountain of goods! And there are no sales clerks at each counter. Aren't they afraid of these things being stolen just because they're left there?
Shen Ci picked up the prepared megaphone, and the sound clearly spread throughout the entrance area.
"Dear fellow citizens of Shanghai, welcome to Huilin Supermarket! Please feel free to shop here; all our products are clearly priced and of good quality!"
Not only can you look at it, you can also hold it in your hands and examine it properly before buying it!
"Please come inside. There are shopping carts and baskets at the entrance. If you have too many things to carry, you can use the carts to look around and choose at your own pace!"
Many customers curiously imitated others by pushing shopping carts, finding this easy and effortless way of placing goods anywhere incredibly novel.
Shen Ci followed the flow of people inside and arrived at the cooked food section.
The shop assistants, dressed in uniforms, were making some tempting snacks on the spot, with many samples cut into tiny pieces on small plates in front of them.
Shen Ci picked up the megaphone and smiled as he addressed the curious yet hesitant customers around him.
"Comrades, this is a free tasting service offered by our supermarket! Everyone can try a small piece of these snacks and cooked foods for free!"
If you like the taste and it suits your palate, then decide whether to buy it or not! Try it, it's free!
Free samples?!
The crowd instantly stirred. People looked at each other in disbelief. Where could such a good thing happen these days? No coupons, no money, just free food?
Food is such a precious thing, who would give it away for free! Don't let them eat it first and then try to take advantage of them! They can't leave without paying.
Seeing that no one dared to step forward, Shen Ci personally used a toothpick to pick up a small piece of fragrant braised tofu and naturally handed it to an elderly woman with her grandson who was closest to her.
"Auntie, would you like to try it? Is it good?"
The old lady took it with some skepticism. If anyone dared to cheat her, she would immediately lie down on the ground and say that she had killed someone. Then she put it in her mouth and tasted it, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"Wow! Really free? It tastes pretty good!"
The moment they took that first bite, the crowd erupted in excitement! Everyone finally believed it was real and rushed to the tasting station.
Free tasting! This was unprecedented in Shanghai, and even in the whole country, at that time! People didn't care about being full, but just wanted to try something new, and every bite counted.
This marketing tactic, which would be commonplace in later generations, brought an unprecedented shock at this moment, instantly pushing the opening atmosphere to a climax!
Is this how you do business?
Shen Huai had always been by Shen Ci's side, learning from her how to do things. He had never been to department stores or supply and marketing cooperatives before, firstly because he didn't have the opportunity, and secondly because he didn't have the money. After Shen Ci found him, she took him there a few times, and each time they spent a lot of money.
Shen Huai, who doesn't have high material desires, rarely thinks about going to supermarkets, but he also knows that this way of selling goods is unique; it doesn't exist in Huaicheng or Shanghai.
"Comrades, don't rush, don't scramble, there are still many more tasting events to come!"
There are sausage samples here, all air-freighted from Sichuan Province. And there's fried ribbonfish, freshly arrived this morning from the coast—it's still alive!
Shen Ci enthusiastically explained that tasting was a major selling point. In times of food shortages, being able to eat even one more bite was a matter of survival. People in Shanghai generally have higher incomes, but there are still people who live in poverty. Regardless of whether they buy anything or not, just coming in is a sign of popularity.
From the garment factory to the supermarket, Shen Ci took her son with her all the way, showing him what he needed to see and what he needed to learn. She shoved the loudspeaker into Shen Huai's hand.
"You've looked at all the materials I gave you before, right? Here, help Mom maintain order."
This supermarket will be yours from now on, so get to know it well.
Shen Ci's calm demeanor once again left Shen Huai bewildered. Was it something she left for him? The clothing factory, the supermarket—everything his mother did was for him. Her kindness was unabashed, her giving unreserved, warming Shen Huai's heart.
Is this what a mother is like, giving him unconditional love?
He must work harder, he must not let his mother suffer so much, and he will never let her down.
However, he did not know that Shen Ci had no other meaning in saying this. She would leave sooner or later. These things cannot be taken with you when you are born or when you die. If she does not leave them to her only son, who else can she leave them to?
Huilin Supermarket was packed with customers on its first day of opening!
The supermarket is divided into three floors, each with a clear division. The bottom two floors are like a normal supermarket, with all kinds of goods available. The top floor is a different clothing section, displaying clothing produced by Huaicheng's own clothing factory.
Men's clothing, women's clothing, children's clothing, everything is available. The third floor is relatively quiet, but you don't even need to ask. As soon as you get to the top of the stairs, you can tell what it sells by looking at the dazzling array of clothes on the third floor. In addition to the clothes hanging up, there are also some relatively inexpensive clothes piled up together.
"You can even buy clothes in this supermarket!"
Wow, I won't have to go to several places anymore! I can just come to Huilin Supermarket and buy everything in one go!
"It looks really good. Is this the style that came out a while ago?"
"Excuse me, how much does this shirt cost?"
These brightly colored and stylish clothes attracted many women. The supermarket said that you could ask the price even if you didn't buy anything. And these clothes were right there, so you could not only look at them, but also touch them. You could only know if the material was good by touching it yourself.
"This customer, everything at our Huilin Supermarket is clearly priced; the price is marked on every piece of clothing."
After you've chosen your clothes, you can try them on in the fitting rooms here. If they fit, then you can buy them. If you need any recommendations from us, just let us know.
The sales assistant was very friendly, always smiling, never rushing customers or giving them the cold shoulder, which made customers who had been treated coldly elsewhere feel a little uncomfortable.
"Wow, you're so kind, you're making me feel embarrassed by your smile."
I'll take it and try it right away.
The customer said that while picking up the clothes, she secretly glanced at the price tag. Fortunately, the price wasn't too expensive and was within her budget.
Otherwise, she would really feel embarrassed; the shop assistant was so kind to her, she was simply overwhelmed with gratitude.
On the other side, Shen Huai was helping to promote the supermarket with a loudspeaker when he ran into trouble. He had good eyesight and wanted to observe how the supermarket operated, but he saw someone stealing things.
The man was seen quietly stuffing items from the shelf into his pockets. There were so many shelves in the supermarket that it was difficult to notice these small actions.
Oh no, his mother's going to lose money!
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