Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading-Chapter 382: Sales Share of Old-Fashioned Wall Clocks
Early the next morning, Su Xiaoxiao had just arrived at the department store when Yan Guohua called her to the conference room.
She was always used to arriving right on time, but when she knocked and went into the conference room, she found that all the department managers and directors were already there.
Seeing her enter, Yan Guohua nodded seriously, "We can start now."
Su Xiaoxiao: "..."
So a whole bunch of leaders were just waiting for her alone? How embarrassing! If she’d known it was a group meeting, she would’ve tied her neck to the doorknob to get up earlier.
But, obviously, it’s too late now.
She sneakily found the corner seat with the lowest presence and was about to sit down when Yan Guohua called her, "Xiao Su, come sit here, your department is the main player today."
Su Xiaoxiao: "..."
This is no different from messing up in public — only a few people at the back noticed she was late before, but now everyone can see her, making her feel thoroughly embarrassed.
People say a new official’s first three actions are like burning fires; for her, it’s a public humiliation.
Under the scrutinizing gaze of a bunch of leaders, Su Xiaoxiao forced herself to sit next to Yan Guohua, and the meeting formally began.
The meeting primarily discussed solutions for the year-end sales target issued from above.
Yan Guohua looked at each person in turn, finally resting his gaze on Su Xiaoxiao: "Xiao Su, you just took office, so you may not know. In recent years, individual vendors have increased, and our department store is no longer the sole dominator like before. Unsold goods equate to lost money. Since last year, the headquarter has been clearing out inventory at the year-end, summarizing unsalable products and distributing them to our department stores for resale. If we meet our targets, we can all have a good year."
Su Xiaoxiao, having come from the modern era, certainly understood the current situation; in a few years, department stores might be completely replaced by private enterprises, becoming a relic of the past.
However, many employees of department stores have not yet realized this issue, still thinking that department stores offer lifelong jobs, regardless of sales, their salaries will be paid on time.
This has resulted in many salespeople being passive and indifferent at work.
Su Xiaoxiao nodded and listened to Yang Guohua continue: "This time, the sales task distributed from above is a batch of unsalable old-fashioned wall clocks from state-owned factories, totaling six thousand units. It’s a large amount and a heavy task. We can’t place the entire pressure on the sales department; each department should actively participate and claim some to help quickly accomplish the sales target."
After Yan Guohua finished speaking, the group of leaders present all lowered their heads, daring not to meet his gaze.
These days, everyone is keen on buying the new quartz clocks; who would want to spend big money on those heavy, outdated wall clocks?
In her mind, Su Xiaoxiao calculated: old-fashioned wall clocks haven’t completely exited the market yet; they’re just gradually less popular than quartz clocks.
Although wall clocks are slightly cheaper than quartz clocks, they require regular wind-up and oiling; otherwise, they stop working or break. Maintenance costs are too high.
Quartz clocks, on the other hand, only require periodic battery changes, making them cheaper and more convenient to maintain.
However, she remembered reading a modern-day news article where a 1970s old-fashioned wall clock, with a condition rating in the nines, sold for over fifteen hundred.
Currently, the price for an old-fashioned wall clock is about twenty to thirty bucks, and when processing inventory, the price might be even lower.
Calculating with a conversion rate of one to one hundred, if the clock costs twenty bucks, that would be equivalent to two thousand in modern times. Plus, she has a one-to-one rebate mechanism from the mall, as long as she sells a clock for more than a thousand, she can make a profit.
Moreover, selling clocks might earn bonuses from the department store, so looking at it, this deal is still very lucrative.
Clocks in the nines can sell for over fifteen hundred; hers are brand new.
Thinking of this, Su Xiaoxiao got excited right away; if one costs twenty bucks and she sells it for fifteen hundred, she can earn a thousand. Selling three clocks almost matches her month’s salary.
The meeting continued, with a bunch of leaders hanging their heads, fearing the general manager would assign the sales tasks to them.
Who cares about those antiquities nowadays? Even at a discounted price, people might not necessarily buy them.
Yan Guohua scanned the room, furrowing his brows — a bunch of slackers; usually, for any good things, they’re more eager than rabbits, but now, faced with sales tasks, they’re all retracting into their shells like turtles?
He slammed the table heavily: "All gone mute? Hurry, according to rank, come sign and claim sales quotas, at least fifty units per person."
Upon finishing his sentence, no one moved.
Fifty units? Even ten might end up stuck with them.
"General Manager, I’m willing to claim one hundred wall clocks."
Just when no one was speaking up, Liu Changjiang jumped in.
He’s just a regular salesperson at the department store now, nominally not qualified to attend the meeting, but he shamelessly crashed it.
As no one was claiming sales tasks, wasn’t this his chance to shine?
Seeing all eyes on him, Liu Changjiang’s vanity got greatly satisfied,
He glanced at Su Xiaoxiao beside him, who hadn’t spoken: "Manager Su, shouldn’t you also show some initiative, being newly appointed? I, a former sales manager, claimed one hundred units; you, being newly promoted, should be more capable, right?"
Su Xiaoxiao was contemplating claiming the right number — too many might make her seem showy, too few would hinder her earning — when she heard Liu Changjiang’s words.
Giving him a ’looking at an idiot’ expression, Su Xiaoxiao stood up: "General Manager, Comrade Liu is right. As the sales manager, this is naturally our department’s responsibility. I’ve thought it over; how about this: I’ll claim three thousand units, leaving the rest for other leaders to lend a hand."
Liu Changjiang’s smile instantly froze — does this girl think these clocks are hot sellers? Three thousand? More like three thousand screws loose.
He twitched his mouth: "Manager Su, you’re too young, perhaps not aware of the current market; everyone prefers quartz clocks now, and these old-fashioned wall clocks aren’t easy to sell."
"Comrade Liu, that’s not right — regardless of how sellable something is, we as salespeople have to face challenges, find ways to sell them, striving for our supply chain system’s collective honor. If we give up due to minor difficulties, then we might as well go home and lie flat."
"You... isn’t it just a few thousand units? General Manager, I’ll claim the remaining three thousand units; what Su Xiaoxiao can achieve, I, Liu Changjiang, can do better."
Not yielding to others, he just has to confront this stubborn girl.
He turned his head to look at Su Xiaoxiao: "Manager Su, how about we bet on who can sell these clocks faster?"
