Sales Boomed

Just a few minutes later, the first 21-inch Color TV sold for 1,100 yuan.

Fang Bai saw how lively the scene was. Even though many people only asked and few actually bought, quite a few genuinely wanted to purchase one.

He had not hired shills, run any giveaway promotions, or used many other sales tricks. Now, he felt there was no need for them.

As for the electrical appliance store, there was no need for that either.

Things really had not gone according to plan. It was completely unexpected.

By the time his father brought over the repaired TVs, half an hour had passed, and three televisions had already been sold.

Fang Bai handed his father the shoulder bag for receipts and cash, personally teaching him how to collect payment, write receipts, and watch out for counterfeit bills.

There were plenty of fake bills around these days. Some unscrupulous people mixed counterfeit money in with genuine notes, and if one was not careful while counting, they could end up accepting fake money.

People in the country had become highly skilled at such tricks. Fortunately, the counterfeits were not too sophisticated yet, and Fang Bai could easily identify them. He did not even need to look; he could tell just by touch.

By three in the afternoon, one or two hundred people had gathered around the stall. Some had gone home to get money before returning.

The tenth TV was sold. Six were Color TVs and four were black and white TVs, bringing in seven to eight thousand yuan in revenue.

Fang Shi touched the bulging shoulder bag, an excited smile on his face. He knew his son would recoup his investment today.

Wow, at this rate, it would be hard not to get rich.

Every time a television sold, Fang Shi felt immensely happy, and the wrinkles created by his smile deepened.

By four in the afternoon, fifteen televisions had been sold, and revenue had exceeded ten thousand yuan.

Fang Bai took most of the money back with him. After observing the sales for several hours, he felt reassured enough to leave the on-site sales work to his father and the four part-timers.

When he returned to the rental house, he saw that they had repaired another ten TVs over the past few hours.

Seeing Fang Bai return in such a good mood, Jing Tian asked with a grin, "Mr. Fang, how were the sales?"

The other students working on repairs were also curious about the day's sales.

Fang Bai smiled. "Not bad."

"If Mr. Fang says they were not bad, then they must have been booming. Congratulations."

"Haha, we're having dinner together tonight. Keep it up, everyone. Once you finish your tasks, don't leave yet. Wait for them to come back, and we'll go eat together." Fang Bai really was in high spirits. He had recovered his investment on the very first day, which greatly relieved him.

Everyone was thrilled to hear there would be a dinner gathering. Even those who did not know how to flatter someone learned from Jing Tian.

"Thank you, Mr. Fang. You're so generous."

"Mr. Fang is amazing."

If Mr. Fang was treating them, they would definitely get to eat some meat.

Quite a few of them normally ate poorly. At noon, they had eaten with Mr. Fang at the small restaurant and felt that they had been taken care of, which warmed their hearts.

Now that Mr. Fang said they were having dinner together, it would surely be even better than lunch. Many of them had already begun imagining a delicious meat dish.

"Then keep up the good work, everyone."

Hearing everyone's cheerful voices, Fang Bai's smile became even brighter.

He knew that dinner would not cost him much, and such a gathering could strengthen the team's cohesion and sense of unity.

Well, it would make them work even harder.

Students in this era were generally passionate about working. Even if Fang Bai merely dangled a carrot in front of them, they would like it. They did not understand how ruthless society could be.

Of course, Fang Bai did not particularly like making empty promises to these students.

If they were workers from a later era, they would definitely curse Fang Bai inwardly: You think one meal is enough to make me work my ass off? No way!

Fang Bai returned to the bedroom and planned the sales work for the next few days.

There had been thirty TVs brought to the sales site today. Apart from that 32-inch Color TV, which was for display and not for sale, there were actually only twenty-nine available for sale.

Fifteen had already been sold when he left, and he believed selling more than twenty today would not be a problem.

A surge of joy rose in Fang Bai's heart. He knew today's sales had been extremely successful, beyond his expectations.

There was no need to set up any specialty store. Setting up a stall wherever there was heavy foot traffic was the way to go.

What he did not know was that after he left, it happened to be the peak time for passersby heading home. Seeing a TV stall, more and more people gathered, joining in to ask about prices.

Some had not brought enough money and could only watch helplessly as the televisions were carried away, feeling regretful.

Others hurried home to discuss it with their families, hoping to persuade them to buy a TV.

Some even considered borrowing money from relatives and friends just to buy the television they wanted.

Fortunately, before Fang Bai left, he had written a sign with a single line on it: "Final sale the day after tomorrow."

That gave the passersby who had not brought enough money or needed time to discuss it another chance.

Of course, that "Final sale the day after tomorrow" sign would remain hanging there.

For everyone else, it was the final sale. For Fang Bai, it was only the beginning.

Once everything was sold out, he would tell those who had missed out that there would be one final sale left.

It might create a misleading impression, but it would make customers more decisive about paying.

Seeing so many people at the site, and even people rushing to pay for TVs, Fang Shi had to step in when two customers nearly came to blows over one television. Fortunately, Li Meng successfully helped resolve the conflict.

At five-thirty in the afternoon, Fang Bai was reading when he suddenly heard footsteps in the hallway. Looking up, he saw that it was his father.

His face was full of delight, and the shoulder bag at his waist was bulging.

Fang Bai put down his book and asked with a smile:

"Dad, did you sell them all?"

"All sold out. We packed up and came back. Sales were insane. If you hadn't said not to bring any more TVs over, we could have sold another dozen or so."

"If we brought more over and sold them, there would be fewer goods left for the day after tomorrow. Dad, we're creating the appearance of booming sales. It's called hunger marketing. The day after tomorrow will definitely reach a peak. A moderate supply will make consumers think more favorably of us and improve their purchasing experience. Those onlookers will definitely go home tonight and spread the word for us, saying our TVs are cheap, everyone is scrambling to buy them, and getting one means getting a bargain. That will attract even more customers. Besides, this isn't a one-time deal. We plan to sell for a long time."

Fang Bai patiently explained. He was teaching his father some business concepts. Maybe his father was not particularly quick to grasp them, but with enough time and experience, he could eventually become a leading figure in some field.

Most businessmen in the 1990s were not highly educated. Many started by setting up street stalls, accumulating experience and wealth. Those who did well became major figures in their industries.

His father was an honest farmer through and through, usually a man of few words. Unlike his mother, who smiled and greeted even strangers—such a little social butterfly.

"Oh, I see."

Fang Shi seemed to understand a little. "Someone wanted to buy our large color TV and offered six thousand yuan. I almost sold it."

"Hehe, there really are plenty of rich people. Don't sell it for now. It wasn't easy for me to find that one. If I find another one next time, it won't be too late to sell it then. Good things will always find buyers." Fang Bai said, "I told them we're having dinner together tonight. Let Li Meng and the other three know. If they don't know, they might head back to school."

"When you left, two customers nearly got into a fight over a TV. Luckily, Li Meng helped talk them down, so there was no conflict. That girl is pretty good."

Fang Bai gave an "oh" and said, "All right, I know. I'll reward her separately."

Fang Shi took off the shoulder bag, intending to give it to his son so he could check the day's revenue.

Fang Bai had no interest in counting money, so he told his father to keep it for now. After going downstairs, he saw that Li Meng and the other three had not left, so he told them about the dinner gathering.

In fact, Fang Bai did not need to say much. As soon as the part-time repair students saw Li Meng and the others return, they told them that Mr. Fang was treating everyone to dinner. They were even more enthusiastic about it than Fang Bai.

At six o'clock, the part-timers' workday ended, and Fang Bai had his father settle everyone's wages for the day.

Everyone was delighted to receive their money, especially since there was still a dinner gathering that night.

Afterward, Fang Bai praised Li Meng for mediating the afternoon conflict. He gave Li Meng a special reward of ten yuan, while everyone else was recognized and given two yuan each.

Li Meng had not expected that simply helping break up an argument would earn her a special reward from Mr. Fang, and she was very happy.

Chen Xiaofang was extremely envious of Li Meng and regretted not stepping forward to mediate earlier. Still, she had received a two-yuan reward herself, which made her feel better.

At first, Fang Shi did not quite understand why his son was handing out so much reward money. Wouldn't a few words of praise have been enough?

But thinking of how much money they had earned, he felt it was not a big deal to pay the workers a little more. He was only afraid that his son would start giving out rewards carelessly in the future.

After handing out the money, Fang Bai told everyone to wash their hands, pack up their things, and head out for dinner.

Travel was inconvenient these days, so Fang Bai chose the same restaurant where they had eaten lunch. They simply ordered more substantial dishes, along with soft drinks and beer.

Everyone sat around together in the restaurant, enjoying the simple food and cheerful atmosphere.

The dinner gathering went very well. Everyone drank to their hearts' content, and their relationships grew closer.

After dinner, everyone headed back to school, while Fang Bai and his father returned to the rental house.

Fang Bai felt very satisfied. His father pulled him into the bedroom to tally up the day's sales.

"Dad, can't you just count the money yourself?"

"You need to count your own money so you know what you have. You don't even care how much you earned. You really have a big heart, kid." Fang Shi patted his son on the shoulder. In truth, he simply wanted his son to count the money with him and share the joy.

"Fine." Fang Bai no longer felt like reading. He did want to know exactly how much revenue they had made.