I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 28 Beichuan Goods Opening

August 31, 1986, No. 26 Jiefang Road, Yingcheng.

Lan Baojun, Zhang Dequan, and the others lit the firecrackers in their hands and threw them out.

The crackling sound of firecrackers quickly attracted the curiosity of many neighbors.

"Hey, Liu's Auto Repair Shop changed its sign?"

"Kitagawa Department Store...that name does sound quite catchy."

"I saw someone cleaning up a few days ago; they're moving pretty fast!"

Lan Baojun, dressed in a brand-new white shirt and black trousers, with his hair neatly combed, stood at the shop entrance grinning.

"Brother Xiao Chuan, does this mean we're officially open for business?"

Zhang Dequan seemed a little reserved, constantly rubbing his hands together and muttering to himself the words his youngest brother had taught him yesterday on how to deal with customers.

Lan Baoqiang and Lan Baohong, who came to help, had expectant looks in their eyes.

"Yes, it's open for business." Zhang Beichuan looked at the four large characters "Beichuan Department Store" on the varnished sign and felt a strange sense of relief. "Is everything ready?"

Lan Baojun nodded and said, "The goods are all on the shelves. There are 500 each of the grinding wheel lighters and piezoelectric lighters on the shelves, and 100 electronic watches are placed in the most conspicuous position in the glass cabinet."

"I have enough change, including five-yuan, two-yuan, and one-yuan coins, as well as small bills, for a total of 200 yuan."

"And the candy you asked us to prepare, we've prepared it all," the Lan brothers said excitedly.

"Alright." Zhang Beichuan took a deep breath. "Then let's prepare to open the doors and welcome our guests!"

"good!"

The three Lan brothers stepped forward and pushed open the two double wooden doors completely.

It was the weekend, and a crowd of onlookers had already gathered outside, craning their necks to see what Kitagawa Department Store was selling.

"Welcome, welcome! Everyone, come in and have a look!" Zhang Beichuan greeted the neighbors who were watching the commotion at the entrance, then turned and shouted, "Cuicui, hand out candy to everyone!"

"Uncle and Auntie, have some candy!"

"Oh, what a good girl!" A middle-aged man in gray overalls was the first to walk in, curiously looking at the items displayed in the shop.

"Comrade, what do you mainly sell here?"

Lan Baojun immediately went up to him with a big smile, "We mainly sell lighters and watches here now—all high-end goods from the coast."

Zhang Beichuan stood beside the counter, handing out candy to the children and adults who came running to see what was happening, while observing everyone's reactions.

Last night, he gave a brief training session, introducing the differences between the two types of lighters, the functions of the electronic watch, and how to sell it.

"This lighter...doesn't need refilling?"

The middle-aged man picked up a flint lighter and, imitating Lan Baojun's demonstration, flicked it lightly. "Hey! It lit!"

"Yes, this is called a flint lighter. One can last for more than half a year," Lan Baojun introduced fluently. "The one next to it is piezoelectric. You just press it once. It's more high-end."

"What's the price?"

"Eight pieces for grinding wheels, fifteen pieces for piezoelectric ones."

The middle-aged man clicked his tongue. "Not cheap..."

"Comrade, think about it," Lan Baojun explained, following Zhang Beichuan's instructions. "The kerosene lighters at the supply and marketing cooperative cost 18 yuan, and you still have to buy oil and flint frequently. Our lighter, on average, costs about the same as matches every day. It's more prestigious to have one, isn't it?"

At this moment, a few more passersby who had come to join the fun entered the store and were attracted by the exquisitely designed electronic watches in the glass display case.

"Why is this watch so clear?"

Zhang Dequan walked over nervously and stammered as he introduced himself.

"This...this is the latest coastal electronic watch, with an acrylic case that looks very clear. It doesn't need to be wound...it has an alarm, and...it can even indicate direction, and it glows at night."

"It can even glow?" A young man's eyes lit up. "Can I see?"

"Okay." Zhang Dequan tried to calm his nerves and took a black-faced digital watch from the glass display case and handed it to him.

The young man held the digital watch, carefully stroking its craftsmanship and examining it from all angles. He then had Zhang Dequan try out the alarm clock and how to tell if it was glowing.

After the demonstration, the young people were absolutely thrilled.

"How much?"

"thirty."

"Thirty?" an older woman next to me exclaimed. "Half the price of a Shanghai license plate! Want a ticket?"

Zhang Dequan smiled, looking at the onlookers, knowing that most of them wouldn't buy, but he still patiently explained the product to them.

"We're a private company, why would we need tickets?"

These words immediately attracted more attention, and soon, seven or eight people surrounded Zhang Dequan, asking him all sorts of questions.

Lan Baojun was in a similar situation, patiently introducing the product to people who came to learn about lighters.

The brothers Lan Baoqiang and Lan Baohong watched as more and more people poured in, maintaining order while keeping an eye out for anyone trying to take advantage of the situation.

Zhang Beichuan did not intervene immediately, but observed quietly.

He found that although Lan Baojun was a little inexperienced, he quickly got into the swing of things, introduced the products in a logical and organized manner, and would even take the initiative to ask customers about their needs.

Although Zhang Dequan was nervous, his sincere attitude made it easy for people to trust him.

The first sale was made half an hour after the store opened—the middle-aged man finally gritted his teeth and bought an eight-yuan flint lighter.

"Eight dollars... let's try something new!"

"Here you go. If you have any problems using it, come back anytime. Our store is right here, you can't run away!"

"Okay!" The middle-aged man walked away with a smile.

After the first order, everything went smoothly.

A young man wearing a polyester shirt and with his hair parted, ran to the glass counter where a crowd had gathered as soon as he came in, stood on tiptoe, and squeezed his way in with great effort.

"That's amazing! It can even light up on its own! Does that mean we don't need to turn on the lights at night to tell the time?"

"Does this watch light up using batteries?"

Zhang Dequan said with a smile, "The light doesn't use batteries; it's because there's fluorescent powder inside the dial. It glows in the sun during the day and then glows at night."

"Sure, how much is this watch?" After listening for a while, the man in the polyester shirt asked.

Thirty, no ticket required.

It's much cheaper than watches in Shanghai, and no ticket is required.

It has so many novel features, and more importantly, the watch's craftsmanship is so trendy; I've never seen a watch made of this acrylic material before.

If I were to buy one and wear it on my wrist, how impressive would that make me when I meet my blind date in a few days?

"If the battery runs out, can I buy a new one elsewhere?"

"You can find them at any watch repair shop, or you can buy them at our store. They're two yuan each, and one battery will last a year without any problem."

"Okay, give me one! The black one, please!"

Zhang Dequan was overjoyed. He had originally thought that something as expensive as a watch would definitely sell slower than a lighter.

Lan Baojun had just sold a lighter, and now he's made his first sale of a watch!

"Okay, please wait a moment!"

Zhang Dequan took out the watch's matching box from the drawer under the glass counter, put the watch inside, wrote a receipt by hand, and put it away.

"Within one year, as long as the watch wasn't damaged by human error, you can bring it back to us anytime for a replacement if there's a problem!"

The young man, who was counting his money, thought he had misheard.

These days, when you buy something at a department store or supply and marketing cooperative, the salespeople act all high and mighty.

If there's a problem with the product, then you're out of luck!

"Did I hear that right? If there's a problem within a year, I can get a replacement?"

Zhang Dequan didn't know what his younger brother was thinking. Neither the department store nor the supply and marketing cooperative dared to do this, but his younger brother insisted on doing it!

Yes, you heard me right.

The onlookers, hearing this, started discussing it amongst themselves.

"Your Beichuan Department Store has some good stuff!" The young man happily handed over the money.

Around 10 a.m., the number of customers in the shop reached its peak.

Jiefang Road is a bustling area in the county town, and the crowds attracted by the firecrackers had not yet dispersed.

Attracted by the free candy, more and more people joined in, and the entire shop was packed to the brim.

Zhang Beichuan then went to the counter to help Lan Baojun and Zhang Dequan, who were already too busy to handle everything, greet the customers.

The crowds dispersed around noon.

Taking advantage of the fact that there were no customers at noon, Lan Baojun wiped his sweat and said excitedly in a low voice.

"I roughly calculated that I sold 16 flint lighters and 6 piezoelectric lighters this morning, for a total of 218 yuan!"

Zhang Dequan also came over, his face beaming.

"The watch sold for 9 yuan, 270 yuan!"

The total sales amount of 488 yuan was quite exciting for everyone.

Zhang Beichuan did the math in his head: 488 yuan in sales, with a profit of nearly 450 yuan—and this was only half a day's results.