Xia Xiaolan clapped her hands:

“Enough! Nothing gets done when you’re constantly fearing wolves in front and tigers behind. Let’s focus on what we can do, stay vigilant, and be ready with countermeasures whenever our competitors provoke or attack us! Only mediocre people avoid jealousy – why are the state-owned department stores fixated on us? Simply because they fear Asia!”

It’s human nature to fear something and then try to eliminate it through joint forces.

New things and innovative management models emerge in response to social development. Asia might face temporary suppression but couldn’t be permanently held down by a few state-owned department stores.

Asia’s retail department store model was correct. The state-owned stores, refusing to change, failing to keep up with the times, ignoring customer needs, and sticking to outdated business practices, would eventually be eliminated by the consumer market.

China has been implementing Reform and Opening Up for nearly 10 years!

By late 1988, industrial products were still scarce, though not as scarce as ten years ago.

Previously, it was a seller’s market – whoever had goods held power.

Gradually, it shifted to a buyer’s market – whoever had money held power. People previously had no choice, but now they could choose which store’s products to buy.

On the first morning of Asia’s card loading cash-back promotion, many customers came to watch, still harboring various concerns.

But once people used the shopping cards’ cash-back benefits to buy desired items at minimal cost, observed customers rushed in. The first-floor card counter never rested, with long queues forming. Staff had no lunch break, only rotating shifts for meals and rest.

While staff could rotate for meals, customers seemed neither hungry nor thirsty, refusing to leave without their shopping cards.

Their persistence proved correct, as even more citizens rushed to Asia by afternoon after hearing the news.

Being a weekend, people came not just from the provincial capital but also from surrounding counties and cities. Everyone had relatives and friends – once a customer confirmed the cash-back promotion was real, they’d announce it to all their connections. This was characteristic of the 1980s’ simple sentiment – whether it was a great deal or just winter cabbage being one cent cheaper at a street stall, people would tell their loved ones to stock up!

Word of mouth proved more effective than TV advertising. By evening, the card application queue showed no signs of shortening.

Someone shouted:

“Don’t queue if you want TVs – they’re sold out!”

The crowd instantly became agitated.

Many had indeed come for televisions.

How could they be sold out?

Song Minglan came to pacify them, “We had too many customers buying appliances today. We prepared 100 TVs, 100 washing machines… all major appliances are sold out. Oh, except for electric fans and some refrigerators.”

Of course, electric fans hadn’t sold out!

Though buying appliances with shopping cards was economical, it was already November. Electric fans weren’t urgently needed – people desired TVs and washing machines more.

TVs needed no explanation – the colder it got, the more people wanted to stay home watching TV! As for washing machines, while spring, summer, and autumn clothes were manageable to hand-wash, winter clothes were truly heavy, hard to wash, and wring out by hand. Washing machines made life easier.

Refrigerators and fans shared the same fate – in Yunan Province’s climate, winter food wouldn’t spoil even without freezing.

Hearing that the most desired TVs and washing machines were sold out, many queuing citizens were disappointed.

“We’ve queued all day, how can they be sold out?”

“You’re not backing out of the promotion, are you?”

As everyone spoke up, Song Minglan wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead and explained through a microphone:

“Dear customers, only today’s stock is sold out. Asia will replenish overnight – those wanting to purchase can return tomorrow with the same benefits. Please understand, that we’ll restock quickly to ensure everyone gets their desired items!”

Ah, who would have thought she, Third Miss Song, would see such days, patiently pacifying others.

Previously, she could just walk away from anyone who displeased her.

Now?

She had to explain repeatedly when customers didn’t understand, fearing their dissatisfaction.

Song Minglan repeated herself several times before everyone accepted the reality.

Asia couldn’t be blamed for the insufficient stock – when Shangdu Department Store held its big appliance sale, they only had 50 TVs, first come first served.

Asia prepared 100 TVs today, and with such low prices after discounts, no wonder they sold out before closing.

It wasn’t that Asia lacked sincerity – these people had come too late.

Yet this made people more determined to stay in line.

Leaving now meant requeuing tomorrow, risking missing out on desired appliances due to delays!

The long queue of citizens looked at each other, then slowly began moving forward again.

Song Minglan sighed in relief.

General Manager Xia was right – customers would accept this level of appliance stock.

But Manager Xia was quite crafty – stocking 100 TVs on day one, but tomorrow wouldn’t be the same number… This too was just math. For hot-selling items causing big losses, they naturally needed to limit stock. Even with inventory available, they’d claim otherwise. Without controlling quantities, selling 1,000 TVs in a day, losing just 300 yuan each, would mean a 300,000 yuan loss.

Adding other appliances’ losses, Asia couldn’t sustain an unlimited supply.

They needed to limit both supply quantity and purchases per person to one unit.

This policy will be announced tomorrow.

As Manager Xia said, first attract customers… ahem, first draw customers in, then flexibly adjust detailed promotion policies.

After all, Asia retained all rights to interpret the cash-back promotion terms – as long as the cash-back rate and card acceptance throughout the store remained unchanged, customers would accept other adjustments.

On Asia’s first day of the shopping card cash-back promotion, sales soared again from below 100,000 to 780,000 yuan. Though they hadn’t made money, Asia had issued 3,122 shopping cards from morning to night.

“Do you know what this means?” Xia Xiaolan asked everyone in the office.

Song Minglan quickly raised her hand to answer:

“It means we’ve captured 3,122 customers!”