Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 895 Repaying Favors

Manager Zhang said, "If we really decide to move here, I'll need to get a few department heads together to discuss it. This isn't something that can be done casually; we need to think carefully about how to arrange the layout and design the route."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, you guys figure it out. We'll move over in the next few days, mainly with clothing, shoes, hats, and imported goods. If there's not enough room for anything else, don't force yourself. I'll figure something out."

Upon arriving at the office, Xiaowei found the person in charge of handling stall rentals, a boy named Li Zhi, who was twenty-three or twenty-four years old.

"Li Zhi, how much of the second floor have we rented out?"

Li Zhi checked the documents and said, "Less than 200 square meters have been rented out in total. There are actually quite a few people who want to do business here, but after paying the rent and stocking up on goods, it would cost 120,000 to 130,000 yuan, and some would even cost 150,000 to 160,000 yuan. Most families can't afford it, or they don't dare to, for fear of losing money. I'm currently thinking about whether to come up with a solution, such as collecting the rent quarterly or something like that."

Xiao Wei waved his hand and said, "This is Manager Zhang from the trade city across the street. Manager Zhang has bought up all the spaces here that are not rented out, including the fourth floor. You guys can squeeze in and try to make room for the trade city while ensuring normal office operations."

Li Zhi asked, "You're renting out the fourth floor too? Then, do we need to put a door in between?"

Xiao Wei said, "You can discuss the specific arrangements with Manager Zhang. Try to cooperate with Manager Zhang and his team as much as possible without making major changes. The trade city is now our own shopping mall, so it's considered an internal lease. There should be corresponding procedures for the management and other aspects, right?"

Li Zhi was taken aback: "The trade city is ours? That's amazing! We're moving the whole thing over? There won't be enough space, will there?"

Xiao Wei said, "Move part of it; you just need to cooperate with Manager Zhang. Although they're our own people, we can't be lax in management. Everything must be done according to the rules. Manager Zhang, we still need to explain some of the rules and regulations here to the employees. They need to gradually adapt to the change in their status. After all, they're not state-owned enterprise employees anymore, so their service attitude, work attitude, and mindset all need to change."

Manager Zhang nodded and said, "That's for sure, don't worry, we'll definitely do a good job in this area. Actually, people don't care too much about that; they mainly care about the salary and benefits. These days, everything else is secondary; what really matters is how much money you get in hand."

Chen Hui said, "I feel that if we move here, shouldn't we change the sales method? Shouldn't we get rid of the counters? Would it be okay to set up stalls like in a free market? We could set up individual stalls, semi-open, where customers can come in and browse freely, and the sales staff would just introduce the products and supervise the invoicing process."

Xiao Wei said, "We can give it a try. I feel this method should be more popular with customers now. What do you think, Manager Zhang?"

Manager Zhang said with a smile, "You are the bosses, so you can change it as you please. Actually, there is not much difference. Just make sure it is not lost, dirty, or damaged. There are two people per stall, one for sales and one for watching the stall. They can switch every one or two hours and have some time to rest."

Xiao Wei said, "You also need to think about the personnel issues for opening stores outside. Andong Dalianxing City will definitely open next year, Xidu is uncertain now, and Bingcheng is estimated to open around the same time as Zhongjie. Regional managers and management personnel in all aspects need to be sent from here, and sales staff need to be recruited locally. We need to think about how to train these sales staff."

Manager Zhang nodded and said, "I know, don't worry. It used to be much harder for one person to manage dozens of cooperatives than it is now."

After settling things over here, Xiaowei, Chen Hui, Li Xing, and the other two split up to visit Director Wang at the Labor Department.

From a bureau chief at the prefecture-level city level to a division chief at the provincial level, although the rank remains the same, the scope of work and power increase significantly, and the chances of promotion increase greatly. This is why many mayors of prefecture-level cities, after failing to advance to the provincial level, often choose to become the head of a department in the province, even though the rank is the same.

I came here mainly to do someone a favor. Director Wang helped me a lot back then, and now that this school has been handed over to him, it's another favor to do. That's how life is; relationships and favors are all intertwined.

After clarifying the matter, Xiaowei took his leave. From then on, it was no longer Xiaowei's concern. Xiaowei would simply sign the agreement with Director Wang and give them a copy of the contract; he didn't need to worry about anything else.

As I left the Labor Bureau and was wondering where to go, the phone rang.

Deputy Manager Liu—now I should call him Director Liu—called to ask Xiaowei to go back and discuss the supermarket's leasing arrangements.

Xiao Wei drove back to Wanliu, locked the car, and went up to the thirty-first floor.

The sign for the Materials and Equipment Procurement Center has been put up, and the staff are the same people that Director Liu brought. The procurement department is a large department in the trade city, with more than 20 people. They need to travel all over the country and even go abroad. In this era, it is considered a very comfortable job.

"General Manager Zhang." Director Liu, who had just arrived at his new post, seemed quite radiant, as if he were a completely different person who had been lounging on the sofa smoking last night.

Xiao Wei smiled and nodded, saying, "You're quite fast. Don't you need to adjust? Is it okay to start working so soon?"

Director Liu smiled and said, "We're all experienced now. It's just a change of office; there's no real adjustment involved. I looked at the plan that General Manager Jin gave me. We have two large self-service stores opening soon, so this is a good opportunity for everyone to get used to it. The procurement for these self-service stores is relatively easier compared to that for shopping malls."

Xiao Wei was taken aback: "Easier than a shopping mall? I feel it's more troublesome than a shopping mall. Shopping malls are all about large items, while this place is full of small, miscellaneous things."

Director Liu covered his mouth with the documents in his hand and laughed, saying, "President Zhang, you really don't understand. It's true that big items in shopping malls are nice, but they are high-value. Everything from value to style and design has to be calculated and considered carefully. Purchasing staff have to make many trips to compare before placing an order."

Although self-service stores sell small, miscellaneous items, their value is low, and you don't need to worry too much about the style or design; just focus on the quality. Moreover, the quality of food and general merchandise is easy to control, and because of their low value, it's easier to resell them.

Xiao Wei scratched his head: "Sister Liu, have you done this before? I really don't know much about it."

Director Liu said, "When self-service stores first appeared, we considered whether or not to launch them. While the leaders were deciding whether to launch them, we, the staff, had to prepare everything from start to finish. We even went to Hong Kong and Guangdong for on-site inspections."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "And then we got it for free? That's quite a coincidence, it means we're lucky, we were just having a headache."

(End of this chapter)