Chapter 399: 409: First Battle_1
Gu Xiaobei has been extremely busy lately. With Lu Zhanguo away on assignment, she decided to simply stay in the small courtyard, allowing Ji Xiangdong and Bai Xiaolan to live in the staff quarters.
At the end of December, the boxes she had ordered from the cardboard factory - a total of twenty thousand - were delivered.
The boxes were brightly colored red with the four golden characters - ’Flourishing Age of Happiness’. Below these characters was an image of flowers blooming for good fortune. She folded one box up as a sample, and Qin Li and Chen Zhao both exclaimed in admiration, "It’s so beautiful and impressive."
Gu Xiaobei smiled at their surprised faces, then told Xiao Hong and Xiuxiu, "You two go home tonight and see if any of your neighbors are willing to fold these boxes. Just like how I did it - fold it, insert the handle string, tie a knot, and there we go. We’ll pay one cent per box."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hong and Xiuxiu immediately agreed - they calculated that they could fold a box every ten minutes.
Gu Xiaobei instructed, "Try to recruit as many people as possible. The more, the better. These boxes need to be folded within a week. If we’re short-handed, it’ll affect the business and your bonus." She worried that they might just find a few helpers to avoid sharing the profits, thereby delaying the process.
Xiao Hong and Xiuxiu nodded vigorously, not wanting their bonuses to be affected.
Gu Xiaobei had ordered two types of boxes, one large and one small. The larger one sold for fifteen yuan, containing two packs of tea, two cans of food, half a kilogram of sugar, and a kilogram of peanuts.
The smaller box sold for ten yuan, containing a pack of tea, a can of food, half a kilogram of sugar, and a kilogram of peanuts. The contents were divided by small cardboard dividers inside the box to prevent collision and damage.
Listening to this pricing strategy, Chen Zhao and Wang Wei were shocked. Chen Zhao worriedly remarked, "Older sister, we usually sell a pack of tea for one and a half yuan, and the cans for one and a half yuan too. Half a kilogram of sugar costs less than a yuan, and a kilogram of peanuts only costs a few cents. If we sell it for fifteen yuan, people may not buy it."
Gu Xiaobei responded confidently, "Don’t worry. People always look for good omens during the New Year. Only those who can’t sell will complain about their goods being too expensive." Her previous sales experience told her that a good salesperson could make straw seem as valuable as a gold bar. Only the incompetent salespeople would complain about unsellable goods or lack of market demand.
Chen Zhao and Wang Wei still had some doubts, but they trusted Gu Xiaobei. After all, every time she said something would work out, it did.
With nothing else to do, they started folding boxes in the shop. By mid-morning, they had folded two hundred boxes. They then began filling them with canned food, tea leaves, sugar and peanuts.
As they were filling the boxes, a regular customer stepped into the shop. He looked at Gu Xiaobei’s boxes and commented with a smile, "These are impressive. How can I buy them?"
Gu Xiaobei responded with a smile, "You can buy them if you order more than a hundred units. The large box costs twelve yuan and the small box is eight yuan."
The customer checked the contents of the boxes, and shook his head saying, "Your prices are too high. It would be reasonable if these were priced at five yuan."
Gu Xiaobei simply smiled and explained patiently, "What we sell is not just canned food and tea, but the festive joy, reunion, and the message ’Flourishing Age of Happiness’. During the New Year, we seek good fortune. Gifting this box of blessings is much better and more festive than just handing over cans of food and packets of sugar."
The customer agreed but was still hesitant about the price. "You’re right, but it’s still a bit expensive."
Gu Xiaobei didn’t insist. She just smiled and said, "Our common people save money for the whole year to spend during the New Year. They value status in society. Imagine how impressive they’ll look when they carry this big gift box down the street."
The customer was swayed by her words, and decided to order one hundred of each type. Gu Xiaobei let him do the packing to prevent any damage during transportation. She even suggested, "You could see if government departments in your city are giving out gifts for the holiday. Consumers in the city generally have a higher spending power than those in the county."
The customer nodded in agreement, praising her idea.
Chen Zhao, Wang Wei and the others admired Gu Xiaobei’s persuasive skills while they helped load the goods. Her way with words was truly effective.
Over the next few days, Gu Xiaobei had Bai Xiaolan and Ji Xiangdong help run the shop while she went to various organizations’ procurement departments with the gift boxes. Many said it was still early for the New Year and they hadn’t yet considered giving gifts. Despite that, Gu Xiaobei insisted on leaving the boxes for them.
Due to being in the first year of the business with lack of trained staff and workforce shortage, Gu Xiaobei had to go door to door for sales.
With her bicycle laden with piles of gift boxes, Gu Xiaobei made her way from one district to another, calling on government departments and state-owned factories.
The demure and articulate Gu Xiaobei managed to hold her own quite well. Even those procurement managers who didn’t make a purchase didn’t give her a hard time. Some were interested and promised to check out her shop.
Whenever Gu Xiaobei talked to the purchasers, she would subtly indicate that there was room for kickbacks. They took the hint straight away.
The purchasers were interested mainly because they could get a good discount. Unlike oil or flour, where prices are fixed, an item like Gu Xiaobei’s gift box was different. As she always said, once a product is clothed, its original price is no longer valid.
After leaving the coal company, it was already past noon. There was nowhere nearby to grab a bite, so Gu Xiaobei, feeling extremely hungry, was grateful she had brought along a water bottle filled with warm water and two flatbreads. She found a vacant spot, parked her bicycle, and started devouring the bread, washing it down with the now cold water. She thought of quickly finishing her meal so she could still visit several units under the Cotton and Hemp Company that afternoon.
Jiang Jiahua was heading to a nearby printing factory and happened to pass by the coal company where he saw Gu Xiaobei, clad in a red down jacket and a white scarf, standing under the sun, munching on a flatbread.
Stopping his bike, he asked with concern, "Comrade Xiaobei, why are you eating here? It’s just a twenty-minute ride into the city where there are plenty of restaurants."
Gu Xiaobei almost choked on her bread at the sight of Jiang Jiahua. After swallowing, she quickly explained, "I have to go somewhere nearby later. If I were to go into the city for lunch and come back, it would be too bothersome."
