Chapter 222 Two Centimeters Higher
Seven or eight years ago, this place was very lively. Every day, several lesbians lined up to get their hair permed, and young men also liked to have curly hair. But when the sports trend came, lesbians all tied their hair into braids or kept their hair at ear level, and there was no need to come to the shop at all. Occasionally, a few particular gay men came to get their hair cut regularly, and the rest stayed at home and let their elders or wives cut their hair with scissors. Once they became proficient, they learned the skill and could also enthusiastically help their neighbors and earn some money from buying matches.
No one knows how many barber shops have closed in Kyoto, and if their sales this year remain unsatisfactory and they continue to suffer losses, I'm afraid they will be cut back by the end of the year. The two masters will retire, and the apprentices will be transferred to ordinary factories to do boring and unskilled work in the workshops, and live a mediocre life.
"What's the matter, Comrade Xiao An, can our store be saved?" The more they thought about it, the more depressed they became. Another old master couldn't help but touch his chest and asked tremblingly.
An Zhixia sat on a chair, looking at the simple frameless mirror on the wall, and said with a smile: "Since this industry exists, there must be a way to make it flourish."
When the people in the store heard this, their eyes lit up and they gathered around her, looking at her expectantly.
"Comrade Xiao An, we don't sell real things here. These are all our craftsmanship. If people don't want to come to our shop to get their hair cut, how can we make them willing to pay to come in?" Master Mei thought a lot and felt that it was impossible. His brows were furrowed so much that he could pinch a fly.
The hairdressing industry has a lot of room for development, otherwise barbershops in the future would not be able to be opened everywhere. Just cutting out the perm and dyeing business can reduce profits by 70% to 80%.
An Zhixia narrowed her eyes and thought for a while, "I can help you attract new customers, but whether you can keep them depends on you, what do you think?"
The two masters looked at each other and said through gritted teeth: "As long as customers come in, we will definitely do everything we can to attract business!"
"Okay, I'll give you a barber shop business secret book tomorrow. Just wait for customers to come," An Zhixia stood up with a smile, "Once the turnover and profit are increased, you still have to decorate the shop well. We don't need to be too luxurious or fashionable, but we have to give people a clean, bright, high-end and grand feeling. Once consumption is linked to high-end, are you still worried about having no business?"
"Otherwise, Comrade Xiao An, can you give us some advice? We old guys can't keep up with the pace of you young people," the two old masters looked at An Zhixia eagerly.
"Okay, I'll just do it in one go," she responded with a shrug and a helpless smile.
When she got home in the evening and had dinner, she went into the house and started writing the business secrets of Gome Barber Shop. In fact, it was just to implement the details, add a few special items, and finally attach a decoration picture and its description.
After writing it, she took out red paper and a brush and wrote a notice.
The next day she gave the secret recipe to two barbers to study, and asked her brother to make some paste and post the notice at the entrance of the state-owned restaurant.
"What is Xiao An posting?" The morning rush hour at the restaurant had passed, and everyone was curious and couldn't help but come out to watch the fun. Even the three or two customers in the store leaned over to listen. A few guys from the barber shop next door came over, and colleagues from the supply and marketing cooperative next door, who were not busy, also sent a representative to listen to the gossip.
An Zhiqiu helped the girl to post it, then stepped back and read it out to everyone: "Announcement, dear and lovely diners... In order to thank everyone for their love and trust, Baifu State-owned Restaurant and Gome Barber Shop have specially organized a big reward event to give back to new and old customers! Any customer who spends 50 cents or more at Baifu State-owned Restaurant can get a free hair wash and massage experience coupon from Gome Barber Shop! If you spend more than 2 yuan, you can get a free fine-shaving experience coupon from Gome Barber Shop!
Each item is limited to 100 tickets per day. Our comfort starts from the belly, and our beauty starts from the head..."
Seeing the words "free" and "limited", everyone's eyes light up. The price of a men's haircut is only 80 cents, isn't this a big discount? !
Not long before the announcement, the place was surrounded by old men and women who were out for activities. They looked at An Zhixia and couldn't help muttering, "This pretty silly girl is going to do a losing business again."
They are reluctant to enter state-owned restaurants, but they can watch the fun and chat with others about new things.
"Comrade, do you have any meat buns left? Give me one more, so that it will make up exactly fifty cents, right?" a diner asked tentatively.
"Okay," An Zhiqiu looked at the girl, smiled and responded loudly, and served him another bun.
An Zhixia also handed over the two-finger-wide and palm-long coupon with a number on it, and said with a smile, "Thank you for your patronage!"
The diner quickly finished his bun, then, with his chest puffed out and opened the door next door, under everyone's gaze.
The young man cleverly opened the door of Gome Barber Shop and let everyone take a look inside.
In the past, customers had to bend over and stretch their heads to cooperate when washing their hair in the shop. Now, Master Mei has donated his own recliner and put a velvet cushion on it.
The customer lay down with his eyes closed and enjoyed the professional hair washing and massage by the waiter, feeling so comfortable that he wanted to snore. Twenty minutes later, his hair was blow-dried and combed, and the customer looked much more energetic than before. However, the thick hair was particularly eye-catching, and not only the customer himself, but also the onlookers started to make a noise, saying: "The master and the waiter have served you for so long, can you give us a haircut?"
The customer felt embarrassed, and seeing An Zhixia on the side, he asked, "Little comrade, if I spend another 1.5 yuan at Baifu, can I get a coupon for the refined repair experience?"
An Zhixia directly handed the experience coupon in her hand to the master, and picked up a fashion magazine and suggested very considerately: "Comrade, your face is square, which is the most ideal face shape for men. You don't have to cater to the unified aesthetic of the public, why not try these short hairstyles? In fact, this hairstyle is slightly thicker in the middle and neat on both sides, giving the illusion of being two centimeters taller..."
"Okay, this is it!" The customer immediately agreed when he heard that it could increase height, and took out a 1.5 yuan food coupon very readily, "Little comrade, please help me make 15 shepherd's purse and meat buns."
An Zhixia responded with a smile, shouted "Brother", handed over the money, and continued to stay in the barber shop to watch Master Mei work.
Master Mei has been in this industry for more than 30 years. Although he cannot innovate, he can reproduce the hairstyles in magazines on customers' heads without any error. Usually, customers specify what hairstyle they want, and the barber will do it accordingly. After all, the hairstyle is relatively simple, and no one thinks there is anything wrong with it.
But after listening to An Zhixia's suggestion, the two masters suddenly opened a door in front of them. They need to be bold and try to make customers willingly change to a hairstyle that suits their face shape. This is the most direct manifestation of their sharp vision and professionalism!
(End of this chapter)
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