Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1032 Mobile Marketplace

Xiao Wei glanced over there and saw a group of soldiers setting up some kind of sign. He said, "Brother Hou, you handle this. We don't have as much experience as you in handling large areas with dense crowds."

Commander Hou said, "People come in from this side and walk in one direction. The middle area is wider, so you can move freely. The passageways on both sides all lead in the same direction, so there shouldn't be any problem. There are a few soldiers and policemen standing at the entrance. I doubt many petty thieves would dare to come in. We'll also add a few patrol teams inside. The other side is for exiting, not entering. No problem."

The biggest fear when running a large, gathering-style market is disorder and overcrowding.

In the past two years, sales exhibitions and lucky draws have become popular. Department stores in various places organize such events in squares whenever they have free time. They bring out their stockpiled inventory, offer discounts, and then hold lucky draws. Some even don't sell any goods; you just pay a few yuan to enter the lucky draw. There have been quite a few incidents. In some places, the shelves have even collapsed due to the crowds, and people have been injured.

In those days, ordinary people didn't have much entertainment. Going shopping or visiting malls was their only form of entertainment. They would flock to any place that was lively, something unimaginable in later generations.

Commander Hou said, "You don't need to worry about safety. Just organize the supply personnel. Once we get past our mobile market, there won't be any problems."

Xiao Wei said, "It's too late before the New Year, isn't it? Besides, I haven't even discussed this with Manager Zhang and the others yet. You're in too much of a hurry."

Commander Hou said, "No rush? Preparing things will take some time. We'll start after the New Year; it'll take a year to visit more than a dozen cities."

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "Okay, I'll talk to them about it."

Commander Hou waved his hand and said, "Hurry up, hurry up, you two don't need to worry about this. Go get down to business."

The two men were kicked out by Commander Hou and went to the mall to find Manager Zhang.

Manager Zhang was busy with the Xidu plan. Xiaowei and Chen Hui went upstairs, where Manager Zhang, Deputy Manager Chen, Supermarket Manager Chen, Purchasing Director Liu, Li Wen, Shopping Mall Manager Zhang, Self-service Store Manager Li, and Warehouse Department Head He were having a meeting.

Xiao Wei pushed the door open and came in. The group stopped talking and turned to look at him. Chen Hui said, "They're having a meeting here, Xiao Liwen, what are you doing here?"

Li Wen rolled her eyes: "I'm not talking to you, I don't want to talk to you."

Manager Zhang stood up and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Xiao Wei said, "Are you guys discussing Xidu? I came over to talk about the mobile market."

Director Liu put down his pen and said, "Give me a bigger place for the warehouse. This little space is simply not enough to run anything."

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui sat down. Xiao Wei asked, "The warehouse, what about other aspects? Are there any other problems?"

Director Liu said, "At the end of the year, it's peak season everywhere, and supplies are tight."

Manager Zhang said, "We can't close the mall for the New Year's shopping festival, but we're short-staffed. If we were to set up a mobile market, the shortage would be even greater."

Deputy Manager Chen said, "At the beginning of the year, we need to prepare at least two hundred people for Xidu, not including the hotel and Xingcheng. Xingcheng still needs several dozen more, and that's mostly recruiting locally. You'll need at least a hundred or two hundred people for the mobile market, right? What about Dalian Andong?"

Xiao Wei thought for a moment, then took out his phone and said, "Wait a minute, let me ask." He dialed Commander Hu's number.

"Uncle Hu, this is Xiaowei. Uncle Hu, I need a larger place to use temporarily for a while, maybe half a year or more. Also, I'm short-staffed, a few hundred people. Could you help me out?"

Commander Hu asked, "What for? How big?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's about stocking up on goods and selling them. The warehouse alone would need to be at least several thousand square meters."

Director Liu held up two fingers, repeatedly making the numbers one and two, and mouthed, "Ten thousand, ten thousand."

Xiao Wei said, "Oh, it needs to be ten or twenty thousand square meters, is that feasible?"

Commander Hu thought for a moment and said, "The local government can spare one person for you for a while, no problem. As for the personnel, you can go to the city, get a standard and go to the personnel bureau, or just recruit through the general recruitment process. There are plenty of laid-off workers looking for jobs now, why worry?"

Xiao Wei said, "We're looking for salespeople. Can we just hire anyone? There's nowhere to train them right now."

Commander Hu said, "There are even more idle people in the commercial sector. Trust me, just go to the personnel bureau, tell them your requirements, and getting a few hundred people is no big deal. What? You want some ordinary soldiers to sell your goods?"

Xiao Wei said, "Some of them will have to travel for work, and their food and lodging will be a problem. It would be easy to hire people if we were just hiring, so that's why I came to you, Uncle Hu. Commander Hou said that we should set up a mobile market together, going to different cities and counties, and the sales staff will have to go with us."

Commander Hu paused for a moment, then said, "That is a problem." After thinking for a second, he asked, "Can the electricity problem be solved?"

Xiao Wei said, "The electricity is fine, it's fine no matter where we are."

Commander Hu said, "Well then, I'll get you some marching tents. You've seen them before, right? When we set up camp, as long as there's electricity, we can guarantee basic living conditions. We'll also provide a cookhouse when we go down. How about that?"

Xiao Wei said, "Is it feasible? Let me discuss it."

Commander Hu said, "I'll arrange for someone to clear out the space for you right away. Come and take a look when you have time."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Wei said, "We've got a location. Commander Hu said we can talk to the personnel bureau about recruitment. As for the mobile market, the army can get some military tents, right?"

Director Liu said, "It's fine for men, but it's not very convenient for women. We can't all be men selling things. If you ask me, we should just book a small hotel wherever we go. It won't cost much, and once the food problem is solved, things will be much easier."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's assign them to the mess hall. It's settled then. Manager Zhang, go to the personnel bureau tomorrow and discuss how many people we need to recruit and their qualifications. We'll be recruiting quite a few people over time, so let's establish a relationship first."

Manager Zhang said, "The mall itself has already prepared the number of staff to be drawn next year. What we need to address now is the logistics and mobile market staff, as well as the personnel needed for the opening next year. Training will take some time. Okay, I'll take care of it."

Xiao Wei looked at Director Liu and said, "Then it's just a matter of sourcing the goods. Now that we have the place, Sister Liu, you should hurry up and organize the goods. You're more familiar with the New Year's shopping festival, various shopping malls, and the mobile markets at the beginning of the year than we are. I don't care what goods we should prepare, your purchasing center can handle it."

"I'll just say one thing: get more affordable goods. How much money we actually make isn't important; the key is to build our reputation. We're targeting ordinary citizens, so please put more effort into pricing and quality."

Director Liu made a note and then asked, "Where is the temporary warehouse?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's over at Tawan, in the military compound. Okay, you guys continue your meeting, we're heading back. Xiao Liwen, is everything alright on your end?"

Li Wen looked at the notebook and shook her head, saying, "It's nothing. By the way, I need an assistant. Can I find one myself?" She looked up at Xiao Wei.

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, let's find someone reliable who keeps their mouth shut."

Chen Hui said, "Everyone will be changing before the New Year. Only you are in a hurry."

Director Liu said, "I'm not changing it. This one is fine; it's comfortable to drive and ride in."

Manager Zhang said, "I don't need to be replaced. You can assign me to another department."

Xiao Wei said, "We'll talk about it when the car gets back. Do you guys usually hold an employee meeting at the end of the year?"

Deputy Manager Chen said, "I was the one who organized it all before."

Xiao Wei said, "Then make another plan. It's an all-staff meeting, with all departments and the company participating. Confirm the agenda and location for me. Okay, I'm leaving. You guys continue."

Please? My laid-back folks, if you have any tickets, give them to me, swipe them! Add "Women, Flowers" to your favorites. How do you know if a dish is good or not if you don't taste it? A true historical novel, let's see those days in those years and months.

(End of this chapter)