Reborn as Tycoon's Wife in the Countryside
Chapter 172 Be the first one to eat crab (first update)

Chapter 172: 172 Be the first one to eat crab (first update)

Su Xiaotao could not refuse to register their marriage even if she wanted to. After what had happened between her and Liu An, some things had to be made clear. Moreover, Su Changgeng was a man who highly valued his reputation. Given Xiaotao’s situation, marrying Liu An and registering the marriage was bound to happen sooner or later.

In short, Su Changgeng would not allow the villagers to gossip about his family.

...

"Do you see him? That’s my uncle over there. Go ask him, and don’t forget my lipstick." After chatting for over an hour, the sales clerk had taken quite a liking to Su Xiaofeng. Of course, this favor was only because Xiaofeng had promised to give her a lipstick, so she hoped she would stay.

Su Xiaofeng saw a man dressed in a suit with a middle part come in, clutching a briefcase. His forehead was smooth, and his eyes were small, giving the impression that he might be difficult to get along with.

Seeing the newcomer, the other sales clerks hurriedly greeted him: "Good day, Manager Yao."

"Good day, Manager Yao."

"Uncle," Tong Min said sweetly to Manager Yao, "you’re here so early today."

Manager Yao glanced at her: "Didn’t your mother say she arranged a blind date for you and told me to have you clock out early? You can leave in half an hour."

"Thank you, Uncle," Tong Min pushed Su Xiaofeng forward. "Uncle, this is my friend Su Xiaofeng. She said she wants to work as a sales clerk here."

Su Xiaofeng hurriedly greeted him: "Manager Yao, hello, I am Su Xiaofeng."

He gave Xiaofeng a quick once-over, noting that her image was acceptable: "Come with me to my office."

Having the right image didn’t necessarily qualify one to be a sales clerk; he needed to see if she could communicate well with people.

Tong Min nudged Xiaofeng, signaling her to quickly follow.

Xiaofeng followed Manager Yao upstairs to his office on the third floor, where sales clerks greeted him along the way.

"Have a seat," Manager Yao set down his briefcase and pointed to a chair for clients: "You’re not from around here, are you?"

"No, I’m from Zhangjiang City." Xiaofeng took a seat in the client chair and extended her hand toward Manager Yao: "I’m Su Xiaofeng, currently in charge of the food factory in Xijiang County, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Manager Yao.

Listening to her introduction, Manager Yao seemed puzzled: "Didn’t you say you were here to apply for the position of sales clerk?"

Xiaofeng smiled: "If I hadn’t said that, Manager Yao, you probably wouldn’t have agreed to meet with me."

The food factory no longer had any cooperative relationship with Lida Department Store; mentioning her name was one thing, but whether the other party was willing to meet her was another matter entirely.

Manager Yao’s face showed a flicker of displeasure upon hearing this: "Miss Su, since you took over the food factory, you should be aware that our Lida Department Store no longer has a supplier-supplied relationship with the food factory. So Miss Su, if you’re not here for a job application, please leave. I’m very busy and I’m afraid I won’t have time to meet with you."

Su Xiaofeng had anticipated Manager Yao’s attitude: "Manager Yao, what if our factory is willing to pay a shelf placement fee?"

Speaking of shelf placement fees, it’s not a trendy practice now but in a few decades into the 21st century, it will be one of the most common business strategies in major department stores.

Manufacturers wanting to feature their products in a department store will first need to pay a shelf placement fee. Whoever offers a substantial fee gets the most prominent and best locations in the store.

Upon hearing this, Manager Yao became a bit more interested: "Let’s hear it."

"How fresh," a three-word novelty.

"Here’s the deal," Xiaofeng said. "As long as Manager Yao agrees to reserve a spot for our products in the department store, our factory will pay a monthly fee. At the same time, the store will continue to purchase goods at the initial price, and the profits won’t change. This model isn’t popular now, but there’s always someone who goes first."

"So, you pay us, but the purchase price remains the same. By doing so, won’t you be unable to make any profit? Also, there must be something else you hope to gain—it can’t just be for a spot in the store. Of course, we’re both in business, and some things might be blunt, but I still need to say it."

Although Manager Yao found Xiaofeng’s idea intriguing, he realized it would be useless for a product that does not sell well.

If a product doesn’t sell, it not only occupies valuable retail space but also prevents other, better products from being showcased.

What he couldn’t understand at that moment was, if a product was not selling and facing losses, why would anyone continue with such an endeavor?

The idea is beautiful, but the reality is harsh; doing business isn’t just about wild imaginations.

Manager Yao’s concern wasn’t unfounded: for a product that has yet to demonstrate its advantages and being an unknown brand, securing good sales volume in a major department store would definitely be challenging.

Currently, everyone was infatuated with products from Haicheng. Anything associated with Haicheng tended to sell well, such as clothing, biscuits, and so on from there.

However, there was still a way to solve it. One of the defining characteristics of the Chinese people is the tendency to follow the crowd. As long as she could tap into this mentality, she wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to sell her products.

"Manager Yao," Xiaofeng said, regarding business, she may not have been a billionaire in her previous life, but she was someone with financial comfort and had learned some business tricks. She took two bottles of chili sauce out of her bag and placed them on the table.

The packaging was simple but upscale, looking quite classy.

Manager Yao looked at the two bottles on the table and casually picked one up: "Miss Su, you’re not going to tell me that the food factory has stopped producing dried plums and started making chili sauce, are you? I just said I was quite interested in your model, but after seeing your product, I’ve suddenly changed my mind. I don’t think there’s any need for collaboration between us."

Chili sauce is just a common household condiment — nothing could be more ordinary. To put it bluntly, any family can make it themselves. Even if the product has unique characteristics, it probably won’t sell well.

Firstly, the product isn’t from Haicheng, so it lacks appeal. Secondly, the product is too ordinary and lacks uniqueness; therefore, it won’t likely be welcomed by customers. An unpopular product, no matter how well-placed in the store, is sure not to sell.

So, why should he waste the store’s resources and effort on this?

"Manager Yao," Xiaofeng wasn’t in a hurry. If she were in his shoes, she wouldn’t necessarily be willing to cooperate either. Department stores have a steady flow of customers, which allows them to choose what products to sell: "How about this? Give me half a month. Set a sales goal for our product. If it doesn’t meet the target, I will pay the shelf placement fee and leave. Additionally, if this model works out, Manager Yao, you could start charging other businesses for shelf placement. It’s a win-win strategy. What do you say?"

This was a novel sales model, and as long as Manager Yao wasn’t a total old-school thinker, he would certainly want to try it out.

Manager Yao, upon hearing her latter proposition, indeed felt tempted. If the model worked, it would be beneficial for the department store.

"A partnership isn’t out of the question," Manager Yao’s tone softened. "But I have one condition."

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