The television advertisement caught the attention of not just the citizens of Shangdu, but also Lu Hongbo and his group.
While everyone publicly claimed that Asia Department Store was finished and wouldn’t amount to anything, they were waiting to see if the store could make a comeback – this move would determine everything.
Upon seeing the shopping card advertisement, Lu Hongbo quickly calculated in his mind:
“Deposit 10 yuan and get 5 yuan free, using 10 yuan as 15 yuan is equivalent to a 66.6% discount storewide!”
The ratio remained the same whether depositing 10 yuan to get 5 yuan or 20 yuan to get 10 yuan.
At the 50 yuan tier, it became a different rate – deposit 50 yuan and get 30 yuan free, equivalent to a 62.5% discount.
Going higher, depositing 100 yuan would get 70 yuan free, making it a 58.8% discount.
The best value came from depositing 200 yuan to get 150 yuan free, reaching a 57.1% discount!
Common folk were excellent at managing their daily expenses – they knew which store sold matches for one fen cheaper, so they would understand Asia Department Store’s deposit and cashback system.
The more money deposited, the greater the discount.
Lu Hongbo clutched his chest as he sat down:
“That woman surnamed Xia is simply shameless. She claims not to do promotional discounts, but this is even more terrifying than a discount promotion!”
The highest discount reached 57.1%!
And it wasn’t limited to specific items – it applied storewide with no time limit!
Even when Shangdu Department Store previously held its big appliance sale, the discounts never reached 57.1%. At most, they sold at cost price, making no profit. Unlike clothing where they could make 50% profit margins, selling appliances at a 57.1% discount would surely result in losses for the store.
If used wisely, this 57.1% discount would greatly benefit shoppers at the Asia Department Store.
With such great deals available, people would naturally return to Asia… Lu Hongbo now understood why something had felt off – this was exactly it!
The managers of other state-owned department stores weren’t foolish either. Upon seeing the advertisement, they rushed to discuss countermeasures with Lu Hongbo.
“Old Lu, this situation isn’t right!”
“This is more aggressive than big discounts. Asia is trying to pull the rug out from under us. If Shangdu’s citizens accept these shopping cards, won’t they just keep shopping in Asia?”
“Yes, Old Lu, we need to think of something.”
“Wait, everyone calm down. The suppliers said they cut off Asia’s inventory – how long can Asia last? Even if this shopping card cashback attracts customers back, they don’t have much to sell!”
“That’s hard to say. The suppliers might start working against us in secret again.”
“A 57% discount storewide – Asia is trying to drive us to death. Do these Hong Kong merchants have enough money to keep this promotion going?”
Lu Hongbo felt dizzy from their clamoring.
“Enough! They’ve just made their move, and we haven’t even seen the results yet. Why are we losing our composure? What’s there to panic about? Everyone calm down!”
Did age not bring wisdom?
That woman surnamed Xia wasn’t very old either, but even after being pressured by several department stores for two months, she hadn’t panicked. She ignored their siege and quietly prepared her big move, creating this “shopping card.”
The small card’s ability to process payments wasn’t the most amazing part.
What was truly remarkable was that Asia could create such a thing while they couldn’t!
Even if they wanted to copy it, they wouldn’t know where to start. How was the card made? How was money loaded onto it? Did it display the purchase amount and remaining balance as shown in the advertisement?
How did they achieve this technology?
Lu Hongbo wrung his hands, unwilling to acknowledge the vast difference between people.
Since Asia had Hong Kong’s backing, this thing probably came from Hong Kong.
Never mind the card for now – the main issue at hand was how they should respond.
“Asia can’t keep this deposit and cashback promotion going forever. Even Hong Kong merchants can’t keep losing money. Moreover, it’s unclear whether Shangdu’s citizens will trust Asia’s shopping cards.”
Lu Hongbo’s composure influenced the others.
“Old Lu, you mean…”
Lu Hongbo snorted, “You all know what I’m thinking. Don’t pretend you don’t know how to handle this, acting in front of me just to make me be the bad guy. Fine, I’ll do all the dirty work, and you can all be the good guys!”
“Ah, Old Lu, don’t be so petty.”
“We’re all in the same boat. If you as our leader don’t speak up, how dare we make decisions?”
Their panic was partly an act.
Let’s see how many customers Asia could attract first.
It remained uncertain whether customers would trust the “shopping cards.” After all, it was just a small card storing money – what if they couldn’t buy anything? What if Asia went bankrupt – who would refund their money then?
Being one step ahead makes you a genius, but being three steps ahead makes you crazy!
…
The state-owned department store managers weren’t completely incompetent.
Their predictions were correct.
Regarding Asia’s new ‘shopping cards,’ Shangdu’s citizens found them novel. The next day Saturday, many people went to Asia to see what the fuss was about.
However, few people were like Zhuo Weiping, who was determined to support Asia and directly purchased the highest-value card.
Zhuo Weiping bought two 200-yuan cards – one for her sister Zhuo Na and one for her parents. She usually gave them her wages, but they wouldn’t accept her money, so she could only show her filial piety by buying things for the family.
Few people were as decisive as Zhuo Weiping. When she bought two shopping cards at once, onlookers gasped:
“Comrade, aren’t you afraid the store staff will take your money and run?”
One person asked, but many others were listening intently.
Zhuo Weiping disagreed with their logic but understood their psychology!
“Comrade, it’s good to be cautious about fraud. We should view any new thing with skepticism. We shouldn’t believe everything we’re told – we need our judgment!”
Indeed.
This female comrade had voiced everyone’s thoughts.
The shopping cards were novel, and people found the deposit and cashback system attractive, but they worried about what would happen if they didn’t use up the balance the first time – what if Asia Department Store later refused to honor the cards?
The questioner was puzzled: “Comrade, you understand the principle, so why did you deposit so much at once? Without knowing if it’s real or fake, why not try with 10 yuan first? 10 yuan gets you 5 yuan free, making 15 yuan total – you could spend that on anything in the store.”
Even if scammed, such a loss wouldn’t be devastating!
Yet Zhuo Weiping went ahead and bought two cards of the highest denomination.
Zhuo Weiping pointed at the store, “It’s fine, I’m not worried about it being fake. If you’re unsure, I’ll test it for everyone. You’re worried about the store running off with your money, but I’m not concerned.”
Why wasn’t she worried?
Zhuo Na, who had been listening nearby, couldn’t help but laugh:
“Why worry? 200 yuan is a lot for us common folk, but not for a department store! I heard building this store cost several million yuan. Would they abandon such an expensive store just to scam my sister out of a few hundred yuan? Is that even possible?”