Watching the two of them run back and forth, Chen Lishu suddenly had the idea of buying a car.
The country had officially introduced a policy allowing individuals to purchase private cars the previous year. However, besides the exorbitant price of tens of thousands of yuan per vehicle, the most crucial requirement was a permit. Without a permit, nothing else mattered.
"Lishu, should we hang the clothes out now?" Wang Aixiang deliberately kept a package downstairs, opened it, and took out a piece of clothing to examine its style. It was quite good.
She then put it on and turned left and right in front of the mirror, immediately falling in love with it.
The garment was a short, stand-collar style with slightly longer sleeves, reaching about the palm of the hand. Once worn, it made the person look much more spirited than usual.
"Comrade Wang looks really good in this outfit."
Wang Dazhu's voice sounded from not far away. Wang Aixiang was about to retort that what looked good had nothing to do with him when he added, "Sister-in-law, you have excellent taste. This dress is really beautiful."
Wang Aixiang was so angry she immediately took off the dress.
Chen Lishu keenly sensed that something was going on between the two, as Wang Dazhu had previously called Wang Aixiang "Big Sister."
"Aixian-jie, did you and Dazhu quarrel?" Chen Lishu asked quietly as they arranged goods on the shelves.
"Him? He's just a blockhead. Getting angry with him would only be looking for trouble for myself." Wang Aixiang pouted. Thinking of Wang Dazhu's foolish actions, she couldn't help but complain to Chen Lishu.
It turned out that a few days ago, the salesperson Xiao Li at the Yimin Store across the way had a broken counter partition and asked Wang Dazhu to help repair it. After the repair, not long after, a piece of merchandise on the shelf was discovered missing.
If goods were lost, the salesperson would have to pay for it themselves. The other party insisted that Wang Dazhu had stolen it. It was Wang Aixiang who smoothed things over, finding the item under the counter.
"That Xiao Li is so affected, always talking with his voice pinched as if he's wagging his tail. I told him to mind his own business, but he wouldn't listen. Now he's in a pickle. If I hadn't stepped in, I don't know how he would have handled it; they probably would have held him there to settle the debt."
That day, Wang Aixiang thought about it more and more, and in her anger, she even forbade him from calling her "Big Sister."
Wang Aixiang said with exasperation, "Why are you still calling me 'jie'? I don't have such a foolish younger brother."
Chen Lishu turned her head and looked at Wang Dazhu, who looked wronged in the distance. She couldn't help but chuckle. Wang Dazhu was also sincere; since he wasn't allowed to call her "jie," he changed it to "Comrade Wang."
Wang Aixiang was actually all bark and no bite. Chen Lishu wasn't worried that their relationship would remain strained; it would likely just be a bit of bickering.
After placing all the cotton coats on the shelves, Chen Lishu gathered everyone for a brief meeting.
"The price for these cotton coats is thirty-five yuan, with a wholesale price of thirty. Aixiang-jie will be responsible for sales in the store, and Dazhu will handle the distributors." Chen Lishu then looked at Liang Chunsheng. "You'll have to work hard these next few days. Go out and, whether it's cashmere sweaters or cotton coats, ensure you secure several orders within ten days."
She urgently needed to recover funds so that she could pay the remaining balance to the national cotton mill in full when they delivered the five hundred cotton coats in ten days.
Once everyone's tasks were assigned, they dispersed to get busy.
For the next three days, Chen Lishu made time to visit the store daily to check on the situation. However, the sales of cashmere sweaters and cotton coats were not particularly ideal. After all, considering the price point, they were selling only six or seven items a day, and at most, not exceeding double digits.
Besides the two distributors who ordered fifty pieces, Liang Chunsheng had not yet responded. In three days, the store had only sold a little over twenty of the five hundred cotton coats.
This would have been fine if sold slowly over time, but a thousand pieces amounted to twenty-five thousand yuan. Chen Lishu had only paid three thousand yuan so far. Even including the seventy pieces already sold, the total was less than two thousand yuan.
After waiting another two days, Liang Chunsheng finally replied. This time, he had secured orders for two hundred pieces. Two hundred pieces, at a unit price of thirty yuan, amounted to six thousand yuan. This was barely enough to reach ten thousand yuan, leaving over ten thousand yuan still short.
Chen Lishu pondered and decided that she needed to organize an event to stimulate consumer spending.
"Anniversary sale?" Wang Aixiang and Wang Dazhu were both stunned when they heard her words. Wang Aixiang, in particular, exclaimed, "Sister, our store has been open for almost a year and a half, why are we having an anniversary sale?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "It's just a gimmick." She hadn't intended to hold a big event, believing that quiet profit-making was sufficient. However, given the current situation, she had no choice but to try.
"I plan to set up first, second, and third prizes. On the day of the event, anyone who purchases cashmere sweaters or cotton coats at the store will have a chance to win a prize."
Wang Dazhu asked curiously, "Three prize tiers? Sister, what are the prizes?"
"First prize is a watch, second prize is a radio, and third prize is thirty yuan in cash."
Wang Aixiang was surprised. "Isn't that too expensive?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "If it's not a bit pricey, how can we entice them to spend money?"
The matter was settled, and the event was scheduled for three days later.
Soon, Chen Lishu wrote a promotional poster and displayed it on the shop window. The commercial street had a large flow of people. Chen Lishu didn't deliberately publicize it much, only re-writing the promotional flyers on cardboard. Then, along with Wang Dazhu, she took them to Zhao Xingwang. Since he interacted with many people daily and had a wide network, she asked him to help spread the word.
After explaining to Zhao Xingwang and thanking him, Chen Lishu and Wang Dazhu went to purchase the prizes for the event. Some watches and radios were now available without coupons, although their prices were slightly higher. Chen Lishu didn't choose the best ones. She spent one hundred and twenty yuan on a watch and sixty yuan on a radio. The remaining cash could be prepared later.
The waiting period was the most difficult, as success or failure hinged on this. She didn't know what the final promotional outcome would be or if people would respond.
After anxiously waiting for two days, on the third day, Chen Lishu had no classes in the morning. She got ready early. Not knowing how many people would come, but to be safe and in case they couldn't manage, she also brought Zhao Qiuyue to help.
However, as soon as they arrived, seeing the long queue stretching almost to the end of the street outside the shop, Chen Lishu was shocked. She knew there might be many people, as the last event had attracted quite a crowd. But this time, there were even more people than before. She then realized it was understandable, as the prizes were substantial, practical, and valuable.
Looking at the long queue, Chen Lishu was very grateful that she had brought Zhao Qiuyue. Otherwise, with just herself, Wang Aixiang, and Wang Dazhu, she wouldn't have known how to manage the workload.
"When does it start? I've been queuing since early this morning, and they won't even let us inside in this cold weather," a woman complained from within the crowd.