Beijing. Wangfujing Shopping Mall!
In the biting cold, hundreds of citizens were gathered outside the mall, waiting for it to open.
The Chinese people’s enthusiasm for the Lunar New Year has persisted for thousands of years; even if they live on a meager diet all year round, they still make sure to stock up on New Year’s goods during the holiday season.
However, just as the crowd was waiting for the mall to open, several young women and one young man suddenly emerged from the side entrance.
These young women, all in their twenties, were dressed identically: each wore a woolen coat, stylish pants, and high-heeled leather shoes.
Their youthful beauty and fashionable attire made them look as if they had stepped right out of a television screen, instantly capturing the attention of everyone in the crowd.
Because these women were so eye-catching, everyone instinctively overlooked the man walking beside them.
Then, amid the puzzled expressions of the crowd, the women walked toward the front of the group.
Each of them was holding a thick stack of beautifully printed papers, though no one knew what they intended to do.
When they reached the front of the crowd, the women lined up in a row, leaving a space in the middle.
Then, Li Yi stepped into the center of the women and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: “Ladies and gentlemen, please quiet down!”
“I am Li Yi, General Manager of Feixue Apparel. First, allow me to introduce our company. Feixue Apparel is the first fashion apparel enterprise in the country, specializing in the production and sale of fashion clothing from overseas as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, including wool coats, batwing shirts, bell-bottom pants, and more. Any clothing you see on TV, Feixue Apparel will be rolling out one after another…”
“Today marks the grand opening of Feixue Apparel. To thank the public for their support, we’ve specially prepared these beautiful flyers. Simply bring this flyer to our store when purchasing clothing, and you’ll receive a 50-cent discount!”
Hearing that a single flyer could actually be worth 50 cents, the crowd immediately began whispering and discussing the offer.
Soon, someone shouted, “Is it really true that this can be used as a 50-cent discount?”
“Yes, of course—but only if you come to our store to buy clothes. This flyer is only valid for a 50-cent discount, and you can only use one flyer per item!” Li Yi replied.
“Are the clothes you sell the same style as what these ladies are wearing?” someone else asked.
“Yes, but we also have Zhongshan suits and Western-style suits for men!” Li Yi said.
A man in his thirties smiled and said, “These clothes are really nice. My wife would be thrilled if I bought her a set. Give me one!”
“Sure thing!”
Li Yi replied immediately and motioned to the woman standing next to him to hand the man a flyer.
As if his gesture had triggered a mechanism, the crowd gathered in front of the mall instantly sprang into action at the sound, swarming toward Li Yi and his group.
“Give me one!”
“Me too, give me one…”
Li Yi immediately called out, “Everyone, please don’t rush or push—there’s enough for everyone, enough for everyone…”
As he spoke, he immediately instructed the women to quickly distribute the flyers to the crowd.
The citizens who received the flyers immediately began studying them closely, and soon couldn’t help but let out a collective gasp of admiration.
The main reason was that these flyers were printed with such exquisite quality—not only was the paper thick and substantial, but they also featured a beautiful young woman dressed in fashionable attire.
It must be said that the factory’s beauty, Xu Taofang, was absolutely stunning; having her image printed on the flyers produced an effect that was simply off the charts.
Many elderly people happily remarked that even if they didn’t buy any clothes, they could still take the flyers home and display them as posters.
With the combination of the beautifully crafted flyers and the money-off incentive, the area was soon packed shoulder-to-shoulder with citizens lining up to pick them up…
Just then, the Wangfujing Department Store opened its doors.
As the mall doors swung open, a large crowd of people who had received the flyers immediately walked in and rushed en masse to the Feixue Clothing store on the north side of the first floor.
An Hong and her team were ready to welcome them, but what they hadn’t anticipated was that in the blink of an eye, over a hundred people had flooded into their store.
The greeting phrases like “Welcome” that Li Yi had specifically emphasized during training were now completely useless.
In an instant, the eight sales associates remaining in the store were overwhelmed by the throng of customers.
Meanwhile, the shoppers who entered the store were left speechless by what they saw.
The decor and service were completely different from other stores—even the way the clothes were displayed was entirely unique.
These days, whether at a supply and marketing cooperative or a regular department store, all merchandise is displayed behind the counter. Not only are customers separated from the goods by a counter, but if they want to check the quality, they have to ask a sales clerk to fetch the item.
If the clerk was in a bad mood or simply too busy, there was a good chance they wouldn’t give you the time of day!
However, this store is completely different.
Not only was there not a single counter in the entire store, but all the clothing samples were displayed out in the open for customers to inspect on the spot.
More importantly, the store has several mannequins dressed in the clothes, making the fit immediately obvious.
On top of that, the styles of these clothes really caught the eye of customers walking in.
Especially for the ladies—whether it was the wool coats or the flared pants, they found them quite appealing.
However, when everyone saw the price tags on the clothes, they were all startled by the staggering prices.
Although the country had already embarked on reform and opening-up, the vast majority of goods were still subject to the centralized purchasing and distribution policy, with fixed prices.
Whether you were shopping in the capital or in a small county town, there wasn’t much difference in price.
Moreover, prices for goods were generally quite low at the time.
A pair of pants cost 15 yuan, a light blouse 12 yuan, and a wool coat as much as 30 yuan—almost equivalent to an ordinary worker’s monthly wage.
For a time, the shop was crowded with onlookers and inquiries, but no one was willing to make a purchase!
Just then, a group of a dozen or so young people in their twenties walked in from outside.
The group included both men and women, and their attire made it clear they were no ordinary people.
The new arrivals were none other than Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying, along with some of their friends—all of whom Ye Jianhua had brought along to support Li Yi!
Ye Jianhua had heard from Jiang Longcheng that his brother-in-law had set the prices for the clothes exceptionally high, so he was a bit worried that the store would be deserted on opening day.
So, a few days earlier, he’d reached out to his friends, asking them to clear their schedules for the day of Li Yi’s grand opening, bring plenty of cash, and come show their support!
Most of Ye Jianhua’s friends were children of officials; while their families weren’t necessarily wealthy or powerful, they were all doing quite well for themselves and didn’t mind spending a few dozen yuan.
What they hadn’t expected, however, was that the shop—which they’d assumed would be deserted—was actually bustling with people, incredibly lively, with a long line even forming outside.
To save time, the group planned to get in and out quickly.
Upon entering, Ye Jianhua and his friends were stunned by the clothing styles and interior design. After just a quick glance, they quickly picked out the styles they liked.
They then immediately gave their heights to the attractive saleswoman so she could help them find the right sizes.
Once they had their clothes, Ye Jianhua and his group didn’t hesitate; they quickly headed to the counter to pay.
Their bold and decisive behavior caused quite a stir, stunning all the onlookers.
This also served as a powerful demonstration: customers who had been hesitating saw that people were actually making purchases and immediately made up their minds.
Soon, the checkout counter was swarming with customers waiting to pay.
But that wasn’t all. Just as Feixue Apparel was capturing the public’s attention, the arrival of Jiang Longyin and a group of district leaders sent the atmosphere into a frenzy!