Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

At that time, state-run stores, supply and marketing cooperatives, and department stores coexisted, but these three types of stores were not the same.

State-run stores are state-owned enterprises, belonging to the state-owned system or the public ownership system, and are directly under the Commerce Bureau.

The main recipients were urban residents, who were required to strictly obey the national plan, had no autonomy, and were responsible for ensuring supply and stabilizing prices.

The goods sold were mainly necessities, such as rice, flour, cooking oil, and cloth. The variety of the same type of goods was relatively limited, and they could only be purchased with ration coupons.

Supply and marketing cooperatives are local enterprises, collectively owned, and managed at the county and township levels. They can adjust commodity allocation to a small extent on their own.

In addition to necessities, the goods sold included agricultural supplies, daily necessities, and production materials. While some items required ration coupons, many could be purchased directly at a premium without coupons.

Some goods have also had their ticket restrictions lifted and can be purchased directly at the fair price, such as light industrial products like matches, pencils, lunch boxes, and towels.

In addition, the supply and marketing cooperatives also take on the task of purchasing agricultural products, such as mountain products, medicinal herbs, furs, and bear bile.

Purchasing stations, hardware stores, and agricultural input stores in various townships or counties are actually the same entity as supply and marketing cooperatives.

The role of these stores was merely to alleviate the personnel pressure on the supply and marketing cooperatives. In townships and counties with smaller populations, these stores did not exist at all; all buying and selling transactions were conducted through the supply and marketing cooperatives.

However, starting in the 80s, the actual operation of supply and marketing cooperatives was very close to that of state-owned enterprises, and at this time they were also called "second state-owned enterprises".

As for department stores, they are managed by national or local commercial departments. They can be state-owned or collectively owned. Starting in the 80s, individual businesses were introduced, such as leasing to individual counters or shops.

In general, department stores are a more advanced form of state-owned stores and supply and marketing cooperatives, and the goods they sell are of a higher grade.

However, it is worth noting that department stores are mostly concentrated in large cities. In cities at the county level, there may be only one department store at most, while in townships, there are no department stores at all.

In conclusion:
State-run stores were the implementers of the urban planned economy.

Supply and marketing cooperatives are the core of rural material distribution.

Department stores, as "high-end showcases" of state-owned commerce, were among the first entities to experiment with private ownership.

These three entities share the responsibility of addressing the people's livelihood and needs at this time.

Wang An and his four companions excitedly entered the state-run store, their eyes practically gleaming with greed as they looked at the various goods behind the counter that were unavailable in the county town.

The first thing Wang An saw was the camera he had always wanted to buy but couldn't.

Wang An pointed to one of the cameras and said very politely:
"Excuse me, sir, how much does that Seagull camera cost?"

The sales clerk was a man who was reading a book. Hearing Wang An's question, he didn't speak, but just glanced at Wang An before lowering his head to continue reading.

The sales clerk's dismissive attitude immediately made Wang An frown.

The main issue is, what's with this guy not saying anything?
You know, even though the sales clerks at the county supply and marketing cooperative weren't very nice, at least they answered questions!
Furthermore, after Wang An beat up the two sales clerks at the county supply and marketing cooperative for buying a gun and a bicycle, almost all the sales clerks remembered Wang An's big face.

From then on, no salesperson dared to show off their superiority to Wang An whenever he went shopping.

To be honest, they weren't exactly enthusiastic towards Wang An, but when Wang An asked about the price, who dared to sit there pretending to be dead and remain silent?
Who would dare to try to fool Wang An with something that has defects?

They're just bragging. We'll take them down!
As a result, Wang Andu had become accustomed to the "special treatment" he received at the county supply and marketing cooperative.

That's right, normal buying and selling was already considered "special treatment." Because when many people bought things at the supply and marketing cooperative, they not only had to spend money to buy the goods, but also had to put on a smiling face and deal with the salesperson's deliberate harassment.

However, since this was in Harbin, Wang An decided to hold back for now.

So Wang An raised his voice and asked loudly:
"Hey buddy, how much does that camera cost?"

Wang An's sudden shout not only startled other customers in the mall, but also the sales clerks at other counters, who all turned to look in his direction.

The male sales clerk, perhaps feeling deeply insulted by Wang An's shout, immediately stood up, pointed at Wang An, and yelled back:

"What the hell are you yelling at? Can't you keep your voice down?"

The sales clerk immediately started swearing, which enraged Wang An. He clenched his fists, ready to strike, but then remembered that this was Harbin, and if he attacked first, he would be in the wrong. So, Wang An continued to shout loudly:

"If you have donkey hair stuck in your ears, who can you blame? Why didn't you answer when I asked you a question in a normal voice?"

The sales clerk glared at her and said matter-of-factly:
"I didn't hear it before, but I can hear it now. What's wrong?"

As she spoke, the saleswoman adopted a servile attitude, as if to say, "Come and hit me if you dare."

Wang An's eyes widened, and he said without hesitation:
"What else? What do you mean, what else? If you're deaf, you shouldn't be a sales clerk. You can't hear me when I speak normally, and if I raise my voice, you say I'm shouting. What? Do you own this state-run store? Do ordinary people have to learn how loud they should speak to you before buying anything? How can you be so arrogant as a sales clerk?"

Wang An's barrage of sarcastic remarks and accusations left the salesperson completely bewildered.

The onlookers couldn't help but laugh, and even the nearby sales clerks were all bowing their heads and shrugging their shoulders, clearly trying hard not to laugh out loud.

As for Wang Li, Mu Xueli, and the other three, they looked at Wang An with admiration. They never expected that Wang An, who always believed in "taking action rather than talking," was actually just as good with words as he was with his physical skills. They were equally awesome and equally domineering.

This guy's mouth is really talkative, he can really talk a lot.

After Wang An finished speaking, the sales clerk was naturally unconvinced. Pointing to a piece of paper next to the shelf, she excitedly tapped the paper and said:

"The prices on this list are clearly written down. Are you blind? Can't you read them yourself?"

To be honest, Wang An really didn't see the price list.

The main problem was that the print on the price list was small, and there were many other papers pasted next to it. There was also a counter and an aisle where sales clerks walked back and forth between Wang An and the price list, so Wang An didn't pay much attention to it.

However, things have already developed to this point, and Wang An certainly cannot admit his mistake so easily!

So, Wang An tilted his head, drooped his eyelids, and grinned widely, saying:

"What's the point of a price list? I can't read! So what? Is it illegal to be illiterate? Does being illiterate mean I can't buy things? Is it wrong to ask a price even if I can't read? I'm asking you, is there anything wrong with you?"

After a pause, Wang An said disdainfully:

"What are you staring at with those dead fish eyes? Am I wrong?"

As soon as Wang An uttered those words, the onlookers could no longer contain themselves and burst into laughter. (End of Chapter)