Chapter 42 The Cassette Tapes Sold Like Crazy

"Are you here to buy clothes too?" the boy asked Jiang Butong.

"My friend sells clothes here. I'm just keeping her company while she takes a break." Jiang Butong didn't reveal that he was the owner; he was afraid of hurting the boy’s confidence.

"Oh, I see. The decor looks pretty nice," the boy said, glancing around.

"I heard the owner spent tens of thousands just on the renovation," Jiang Butong whispered.

"That much?" the boy exclaimed in surprise.

"But the clothes aren’t expensive at all," the boy added, puzzled. He had always thought that shops with good decor usually sold pricey clothes.

"These are all made in factories that manufacture for major international brands. When the big brands can’t sell everything, they put their own labels on and sell them cheaply. It's basically a discount store, only without the brand logos. The fabrics and materials are identical; the quality is guaranteed," Jiang Butong spun his tale.

The boy believed him at once. No wonder the clothes seemed well-made, the prices were reasonable, and the styles were fresh. He decided he should visit more often.

"I heard you can get a membership card here, and with it, there are discounts on clothing purchases," Jiang Butong added, sharing his 'insider' tip as just another bystander.

The boy nodded eagerly.

At that moment, the girl had picked out two items. She emerged from the fitting room in new clothes and called her boyfriend over to take a look.

The boy nodded to Jiang Butong and walked over.

Everything Jiang Butong had just told him, the boy relayed quietly and faithfully to his girlfriend. When she heard about the deals, she wanted in right away.

Chen Pan’er had no idea what Jiang Butong had said. She turned her head, giving him a suspicious look.

In just half an hour, Chen Pan’er sold two pieces of clothing. The girl chose a floral dress for herself and picked out a men’s T-shirt for her boyfriend. Chen Pan’er also sold her a sunhat at half price; altogether, they made 75 yuan.

In the end, it was the boy who paid.

After the couple left, Chen Pan’er walked over, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

"We haven’t even officially opened, and we’ve already made 75 yuan," she said.

"Not bad, looks promising," Jiang Butong replied, quite satisfied. Altogether, he’d invested over ten thousand yuan in renovations and more than six thousand in stock—nearly twenty thousand in total.

"That dress cost us 25, the T-shirt was 12, and the hat 6. So our profit was 32 yuan," Chen Pan’er calculated happily. After all, they hadn’t even opened yet and already had their first sale.

"It’ll only get better from here," Jiang Butong said confidently. He was certain of his strategy, having already seen into the market’s future.

With the development of the economy, the Korean fashion wave was making a huge impact on the domestic clothing industry. Straight-leg pants were all the rage now, but soon, joggers and harem pants would be in style.

"So what time do I finish work from now on?" Chen Pan’er asked.

"You’re the store manager. You can clock out whenever you like," Jiang Butong replied. After all, he wasn't paying her a salary—this way, she’d be less likely to slack off during working hours.

"Hmph, you really are a classic capitalist," Chen Pan’er shot back, knowing exactly what he was thinking. If the shop didn’t make money, she wouldn’t see a penny of wages all year.

"Me, a capitalist? If I were a real capitalist, you’d have paid for the shop yourself," Jiang Butong retorted, sprawled on the sofa as he watched Chen Pan’er arranging the displays.

"You didn't buy enough of that floral dress. We should have at least one spare in every size. What if we run out?" Now that Chen Pan’er had made a sale, she started imagining scenarios where they’d be out of stock.

"You’re thinking way ahead. Don’t you know the biggest challenge in the clothing business is inventory?" Jiang Butong said with disdain.

He knew that as times changed, the fashion industry would enter a period of rapid development, but high inventory rates would become the industry’s Achilles’ heel. The fastest-growing companies would all eventually stumble over inventory issues.

To truly succeed in fashion, you had to turn over stock quickly and minimize inventory. That was the key to victory.

While they were talking, two more girls were drawn in by the shop’s decor and lighting. They wandered in, curiosity piqued.

Through the window, Jiang Butong noticed that their physical store had quite a high visitor rate. As long as young people—especially girls—walked by, most would be drawn in.

Chen Pan’er didn’t have time to bicker with Jiang Butong anymore. Beaming, she greeted the two girls warmly.

Women always find common ground. In no time at all, Chen Pan’er was addressing them as sisters.

With its comfortable decor, fresh styles, reasonable prices, and enthusiastic service, the store already had a solid foundation.

One of the girls bought a dress, the other chose a denim skirt.

Chen Pan’er was becoming more adept by the minute. She even managed to sell them a sun-protective jacket and, perhaps because they’d grown so friendly, tossed in two pairs of socks for free.

The two girls left delighted, promising Chen Pan’er they’d bring their friends next time.

Even Jiang Butong was surprised. Chen Pan’er was a natural. The store wasn’t even supposed to open for another two days, and yet customers were already buying.

Business was almost too easy.

"We haven’t even opened, and we just made another 80 yuan…" Chen Pan’er was astonished.

"Why don’t we just open tomorrow?" Jiang Butong suggested.

"I think that could work," Chen Pan’er agreed.

"Why wait for tomorrow? Let’s open today and skip the grand opening ceremony," Jiang Butong decided.

Chen Pan’er thought about it and nodded. The logic was sound; she didn’t care for ceremonies anyway. Judging by how things were going, this shop was bound to take off.

"I’m going to check out the wholesale market. You keep an eye on things here," Jiang Butong said, noticing it was already the afternoon. He still needed to stop by Wang Yun’s shop.

After leaving the store, Jiang Butong drove his van toward the wholesale market.

The 4,000 yuan worth of tapes Wang Yun had ordered last time had arrived yesterday. He should have come by then, but the new clothing store had kept him busy.

When Jiang Butong arrived, Wang Yun was swamped with customers.

Boxes of tapes were being snapped up, and among the buyers was a familiar face—Cheng Dafu from the capital.

Cheng Dafu spotted Jiang Butong and greeted him warmly.

"Long time no see, young man," Cheng Dafu said, offering him a cigarette.

"Boss Cheng, how did those tapes sell last time?" Jiang Butong asked with a smile.

"To be honest, they flew off the shelves," Cheng Dafu confided.

"Then why haven’t you restocked?" Jiang Butong asked.

"Don’t mention it. My brother-in-law’s wedding tied me up for a few days. As soon as I had time, I came straight here. It took me two days by train," Cheng Dafu said with a helpless expression.

"Congratulations to you, then," Jiang Butong laughed.

"It wasn’t my wedding—why congratulate me? By the way, do you have any new tapes this time?" Cheng Dafu had realized these tapes sold far better than the old ones and were a hit with young people. He’d bought them for 4.5 yuan each and sold them for 15 apiece in the capital.

The hundred or so he’d ordered last time sold out in two days, netting him over a thousand yuan.

"In this business, we have to wait for new songs to be released before we can produce new tapes. That ‘Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies’ is enough to keep you busy for now," Jiang Butong said. He knew that in a couple of years another song would sweep the country: ‘Too Softhearted’ by Richie Jen.

"Anyway, I’m here to restock. I want four hundred tapes this time—please arrange it quickly," Cheng Dafu said, noticing a crowd at Wang Yun’s counter.

"Alright, Boss Cheng, please wait a moment while I help out."

Jiang Butong entered the shop and began filling orders according to Wang Yun’s list. This time, it was mostly returning customers—people who’d bought small batches before, unsure of how the new music would sell.

Now it was different. These seasoned traders knew exactly what would sell and what wouldn’t.

Zhou Jingchuan wanted 300 tapes, Yang Haitao wanted 400, and several new customers placed smaller orders—dozens, even hundreds.

Jiang Butong and Wang Yun worked nonstop until after six in the evening before things finally slowed down.

Wang Yun handed Jiang Butong a bottle of water.