Song Wenyin, a very knowledgeable socialite, ushered them into the shop one by one, giving Xiuzhu and Yuya a simple manicure and a cosmetic from the shop. One of them, Li Mintong, came with a camera. Huang Wanzhen had originally wanted to find a photo studio, but then she heard from Song Wenyin that she knew a woman at a newspaper who had a camera. Huang Wanzhen asked Song Wenyin if she could come over and help take a few photos. Li Mintong agreed without hesitation.
Huang Wanzhen had a good impression of her, and since she didn't do manicures, she gave her a lipstick.
"This is our 10% discount coupon. You can use this coupon to enjoy a 10% discount in our store in one month."
Li Mintong looked over it and asked in a low voice, "Can it be used even if it's not the original person?"
Huang Wanzhen nodded. "Of course. We only accept coupons, not people. Just like money."
Li Mintong was puzzled and said, "I see that the process of making these coupons is very simple. Any newspaper company can print a lot of them. If someone really did that, wouldn't you be at a great loss?"
Huang Wanzhen smiled and said, "It's only valid for one month. After it expires, it will be invalid. At most, you will suffer a loss for one month. Besides, in business, there are gains and losses. The most important thing is to relax your mind. Otherwise, everyone in the company will suffer from poor eating and sleeping. What's the point?"
The cosmetics wholesaled by Jixiangtang are all sold at a 30% or 20% discount. Even if it is 10% off, there is still profit, it's just less profit. Not to mention that they make it themselves, so there is no loss. These principles are obvious to anyone with a discerning eye, but since Li Mintong asked this question, Huang Wanzhen could not say it openly in the shop.
At this time, Song Wenyin happened to come to Huang Wanzhen and said, "Wanzhen, don't you speak French? Come quickly."
Huang Wanzhen quickly nodded to Li Mintong and said, "Excuse me." Then she was pulled by Song Wenyin to a French lady.
"This is the daughter of the commercial consul in the French Concession, Miss Sidonie. Wanzhen, please entertain her."
Huang Wanzhen greeted Sidonie in French with a smile. Sidonie had just come to Shanghai with her father and was currently learning Chinese. She could only speak a few simple words. This time she came here to play with her tutor, Mrs. Ma. Mrs. Ma said that she wanted her to get familiar with the Chinese environment, which would help her learn Chinese.
"Miss Sidonie, how long have you been here?" Huang Wanzhen took two glasses of orange soda and handed one to Sidonie.
Sidonie took it and said, "Thank you" in Chinese. Then, she switched to French and said, "I've been here for over four months, but Chinese is so difficult to learn. I only recognize a few dozen characters now. I forget the ones I learned the last. Chinese is driving me crazy."
Huang Wanzhen listened to Sidonie complaining and occasionally interjected a few words, which made Sidonie complain even more fiercely.
Before leaving, Huang Wanzhen handed Sidonie a business card and said, "I'll be staying in Shanghai for a while. You're welcome to visit my shop. If you'd like, I can also teach you some simple Chinese."
"Oh! Thank you, Andy, you are such an angel." Sidonie gave a big smile without hesitation, which prompted Song Wenyin to keep asking Huang Wanzhen what Sidonie said.
Huang Wanzhen translated it for Song Wenyin, but Song Wenyin said, "How did you become an angel? Foreigners are really exaggerating."
Huang Wanzhen patted her shoulder and said, "Just know that they are exaggerating. Go and entertain the guests."
Many people came to the opening, but not much was sold. A lot of homemade cosmetics were given away. The next day, Huang Wanzhen did the math and found that she had neither made a profit nor a loss. After seeing this, Song Wenyin exclaimed, "What a huge loss! We prepared so many snacks and drinks, and we lost them all."
Huang Wanzhen pointed to the deposit at the bottom of the account book and said, "I haven't recorded these custom-made clothes in the account. If you calculate it this way, although we didn't make much profit, we didn't lose money either."
"Fortunately, we still have the clothing business to support us. It seems we have to work harder in this area."
Huang Wanzhen nodded in agreement. "The ladies and wives here in Shanghai all do their own makeup. Even if they're attending a banquet, they have makeup artists they know come to their homes. We've just opened Jixiangtang, and the important thing is how to attract ladies and wives to our store. Once they get used to buying things from us, they won't go back easily. So, we'd rather not make any money first, but we have to find ways to expand our customer base."
Song Wenyin finally understood this and immediately came up with an idea. "Then how about this? Let's work together to buy me a few more beautiful dresses. I can wear them to more banquets and hand out business cards to the ladies to promote our Jixiangtang."
Huang Wanzhen nodded, "And your skin, it's time to take good care of it. Don't stay up late these days, try to get more sleep, and let Xiuzhu help you with full body care."
"Also, Yuya and Haimi can't be left in the store to greet customers. Tomorrow I'll put up a recruitment poster at the door and find two or three waitresses."
Huang Wanzhen was a hard worker. After making a plan, she started recruiting people the next day. Unfortunately, after a day of interviews, she could only barely recruit a young girl named Wang Daya. Huang Wanzhen thought her name was not nice, so she gave her a nickname and said, "From now on, you will be called Hongying in the store."
Hongying opened her eyes wide and nodded vigorously.
"Also, everyone working here can read. When you're not working, you need to learn some words from the other girls. Got it?" Huang Wanzhen said a few more words, seeing how well-behaved she was. "If all the people here for the interview today weren't men and older, I wouldn't have kept you just because you couldn't read."
Hongying nodded with a puzzled look on her face. Huang Wanzhen saw this and said, "If you don't understand something, please ask me now. I'm usually very busy. From now on, Xiuzhu will take care of you. After today, it won't be so easy for you to ask me anything."
"Manager, are you looking to recruit young women who can read and write?" Hongying looked at Huang Wanzhen bravely.
Huang Wanzhen nodded. "Of course. People who can read are easier to communicate with and learn things faster. Of course, they are better than those who cannot. What's the matter? Do you have someone suitable to introduce?"
Hongying was confused and hesitated for a long time before she replied, "I have a way to help the manager, but I have to say that the manager can't abandon me."
Huang Wanzhen waved her hand, "You're asking for three dollars for an illiterate person. In this French Concession, hiring a literate person pays at least six dollars. If you work here for a while longer, it won't be a loss for me."
When Hongying heard this, she immediately smiled and said, "Shanghai may not have much in other areas, but there are quite a few girls' schools. Now, apart from factories, there are very few places that want female workers. Especially for decent jobs like our store, they are all reserved for men. Women are rarely hired."
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