Chapter 132: Hope to Open Up the Market (1/19 Thanks to "I Think You Love Me" with a 30,000 Reward)

Inside the shop.

Wang Qiang didn’t bring up the matter of leaving.

“Hey, Xiao Wang, help me move these four-piece bedding sets inside,” Sister Xu said without much thought, asking for his assistance.

He stood up and replied, “Sure. By the way, if you’re planning to sell four-piece sets, I have a suggestion.” He crouched down, picked up two bundles of the bedding sets, and began carrying them inside. The place was a bit messy, piled high with all sorts of clothes.

Sister Xu stepped out from behind the counter and grabbed two bundles herself. “What suggestion?”

After placing the bedding sets in the corner, Wang Qiang clapped his hands and said, “If you decide to go ahead, it’s best to put a few beds in the shop and lay the sets out. When customers come in and see how nice they look, it’ll boost their desire to buy.”

“That’s a good idea. I never thought of that,” Sister Xu chuckled, coming over to stack the sets on top of the ones already there. “You sure know a lot.”

Many sellers do it this way with four-piece bedding sets, but since Sister Xu hadn’t formally sold them before, she didn’t quite understand. Wang Qiang helped her move the goods while chatting.

Before long, except for a few displayed on the shelves, the rest were piled in the northeast corner.

Just then, a tall, slim man in his forties walked in. “Madam, long time no see.”

Sister Xu turned around and exclaimed, “Who’s this? Boss Wu, hasn’t been here for half a month, right?”

Boss Wu seemed very familiar with Sister Xu, completely at ease as he walked behind the counter to fetch a cup and pour himself some water. “Yeah, been away for a bit. By the way, have you got any long-sleeved T-shirts in stock?”

Seeing he was a customer, Wang Qiang didn’t think much of it.

“Yes, several styles. Let me show you,” Sister Xu said as she rummaged on the floor for a few items. She went to the counter, unwrapped a package, and shook out an orange long-sleeved T-shirt, holding it up in front of him. “What do you think of this one?”

Boss Wu sipped his warm water and glanced at it, nodding. “Not bad. What’s the price?”

“This one’s eight yuan per jin. How about this white one? Seven yuan per jin.”

“Okay, okay. Let me check the rest... I won’t take this one, it’s ugly... Nine yuan? Too expensive...”

Wang Qiang quietly observed their business talk.

After a while, Boss Wu picked five or six styles of long-sleeved T-shirts. “Weigh out twenty jin each, tie them up with plastic straps. I’ll load them into my car and leave right away.”

Unexpectedly, Sister Xu blinked and asked, “Hey Boss Wu, I’ve started selling four-piece bedding sets. Want to take some back to see if they’ll sell well?”

Boss Wu looked disdainful. “Why would I want that stuff?”

Without caring about his reaction, Sister Xu grabbed a purple polyester-cotton set from the shelf and said, “Look, such a good set, only fifty yuan per set.”

Initially uninterested, Boss Wu tilted his head in disbelief. “How much? Such a nice set for only fifty?”

“Yeah, I’m giving you this price because you’re an old customer. If it were someone else, it’d be at least sixty or seventy. Here, feel this,” Sister Xu unwrapped the wax paper and pulled out a corner. “It’s polyester-cotton, great quality. If you don’t want it, once I sell out, there won’t be any left.”

“Let me see.” Boss Wu took it, rubbed the fabric between his fingers, and nodded slightly. “Not bad. Really just fifty?”

Looks like he was tempted.

At the same time, Wang Qiang realized Sister Xu’s sales tactic: pitching to former regular customers.

They chatted quietly by the counter for a while longer. Sister Xu then brought out a pure cotton set for Boss Wu to examine.

After looking it over, Boss Wu immediately made up his mind. “Give me five sets of each to try out. If they sell well, do you have more?”

Sister Xu hurriedly replied, “Yes, definitely.”

Boss Wu grinned, “But didn’t you just say once they’re sold out, there won’t be any more?”

Sister Xu teased him, “You actually believe that? Don’t you say the same to your customers?”

Boss Wu rolled his eyes and urged her to weigh the clothes. Once done, he paid and carried the bundles out in two trips, naturally taking away ten sets of four-piece bedding as well.

As soon as he left, Wang Qiang couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Xu, is this how you sell the bedding sets?”

“Hehe,” Sister Xu smiled happily. “How else? Actually, I learned the trick from other customers. At first, I just put the sets on the shelves. Then a customer saw them and liked them, asked the price, and when I told her, she said it was cheap and bought two sets as gifts. I believed her at first, but not long after, she came back and bought more than ten sets at once. That’s when I realized she was probably reselling them. I thought, if she can sell them on the side, others can too. So I started pushing them.”

Wang Qiang pressed on, “Do many people want them?”

“Not everyone. Like Boss Wu just now—he only buys a lot because he heard the shop is big. Most first-timers buy two or three sets.” Sister Xu stretched lazily. “Hmm... if everyone bought like him, that’d be great. But generally, customers who come back for bedding sets tend to buy more each time.”

After hearing her explanation, Wang Qiang had a rough idea.

If he guessed right, some of the smaller buyers, upon hearing how cheap the bedding sets were, would be tempted and buy a couple to test the waters. They’d avoid buying too many in case they lost money. Even two or three sets could be kept for personal use if they didn’t sell.

It had to be said, this method was clumsy but currently the fastest way Sister Xu could move the bedding sets, unless more people knew her shop offered them, then true customers might come by.

Understanding this, Wang Qiang kept chatting with Sister Xu all morning. She didn’t mind; their conversation was lively and engaging, spanning topics from one end of the country to the other.

During that time, about a dozen customers came in, three or four regulars, and others who seemed unfamiliar. Two of them bought two sets each after the pitch, and a returning customer took eight sets—four polyester-cotton and four pure cotton. Overall, the sales were quite good.

By eleven at noon, Wang Qiang checked his watch and prepared to leave. “Sister Xu, I’m heading off now.”

“Okay, no need to stay for lunch,” Sister Xu waved. “I’ll call you if anything comes up.”

“Alright, goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

After that, Wang Qiang stepped out of the shop.

—

Outside the shop.

After chatting all morning, Wang Qiang’s stomach growled fiercely. He was about to grab something to eat nearby when he noticed a large group of women—about seven or eight—walking by across the street. At first, he wouldn’t have paid them any attention, but the content of their conversation caught his ear. Although they spoke Cantonese, he managed to catch some of it.

“Shu Zhen, this is the only place selling four-piece bedding sets, and they’re really cheap.”

“You said you bought a pure cotton set here for only sixty-five yuan a few days ago?”

“Yeah, the polyester-cotton ones are even cheaper, just fifty. I don’t want those because I prefer pure cotton. If any of you are reluctant to spend money, buy the polyester-cotton.”

“Can I give cheap stuff as a gift?”

“Why would we bother coming here if we were going to buy cheap stuff? We might as well go to the mall.”

“The mall? I’ve been to the department store in Futian District. The same bedding sets there cost at least twenty yuan more. If you have money to burn, then go to the mall.”

The women spoke as they entered Sister Xu’s shop.

Then Wang Qiang heard Sister Xu’s happy voice, “Big Sister Wang, you even brought friends!”

“All neighbors. I bought bedding sets here the other day. After they saw them, they thought they were good and asked me to bring them here to take a look.”

Sister Xu replied, “You’re lucky to come today. If you’d come yesterday, we’d have run out of stock. Just yesterday, a lady like you came with two or three friends, but I had no stock, so I told them to come back in a few days. The new stock just arrived today. You’re really fortunate.”

Voices of the women chatting about bedding sets and other household matters filled the shop—loud and lively. Soon, Wang Qiang could barely tell which voice belonged to Sister Xu.

Curious, he peeked inside and saw the women gathered around a pale blue pure cotton bedding set, clearly examining it. Sister Xu was facing away from the door, explaining.

Wang Qiang stood there thoughtfully, as if a realization had dawned on him.

Not only merchants come to the Jia Hua Clothing Wholesale Market, but many bargain-hunting individual customers as well—like this group of women. These casual shoppers originally planned to buy clothes, but upon hearing about the cheap bedding sets, they added them to their purchases. When they shared this news with others, naturally more people would come knocking.

Often, whether a shop thrives is not just about location but reputation. If word of mouth spreads, even a poor location can attract customers.

Sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases are common household items. Though not bought as frequently as clothes, having one or two extra sets at home is normal—say, when the old ones are worn out or guests stay overnight, bringing out a fresh set shows respect.

Especially now, many four-piece sets are made of terry cloth, which fades with washing until barely presentable, so replacing them is natural.

What caught Wang Qiang’s attention wasn’t just this fact but the source of Sister Xu’s customers. It wasn’t only the wholesale merchants; likely at least half her sales came from retail buyers.

He lowered his head, lost in thought, when Sister Xu’s voice suddenly called out, “Xiao Wang, you’re still here?”

Startled, Wang Qiang looked up to see Sister Xu pouring out the half cup of water he had drunk from earlier. He said, “Oh, I dropped something and just found it. I was about to leave.”

“Good you found it. I won’t bother you now; there are customers,” Sister Xu said.

“Alright, you take care of your business.” Wang Qiang turned and headed out of the market, feeling very pleased.

Because he realized there was business potential for four-piece bedding sets in the wholesale market. Whether wholesale or retail, there were buyers. Though some merchants only took a couple of sets to try, Wang Qiang believed that as long as they sold well, those merchants would come back to Sister Xu for more.

Moreover, with Jia Hua’s huge retail customer flow, would there be few casual buyers like those women looking for bedding sets? Obviously not.

Even Sister Xu’s shop, tucked deep inside in a less favorable location, sold well. If shops in better spots got involved, sales could be even better.

Wang Qiang thought he might try pitching to other shop owners in the afternoon. Sister Xu’s shop was a good example. Whether or not he succeeded, one thing was clear—his stomach was growling loudly.

Well then, no more distractions. There was hope to open up a sales channel.