June 8th is an auspicious day.

The sky is as clear as a blue cloth, and although it’s already summer, it’s not yet hot.

Tong Huaqiong’s "Jufu Supermarket" officially opened on this day.

Due to earlier promotion, the entire Pingchuan County knew that Tong Huaqiong’s supermarket would open on June 8th.

Most people still vividly remember the grand opening of Taohua Dessert, especially the free tasting on that day. With such a precedent, everyone is eagerly anticipating what Tong Huaqiong’s supermarket will look like and what new tricks it will bring.

For a supermarket, Tong Huaqiong, as a modern person, is naturally familiar, but for people of this era, although it’s somewhat similar to a department store in definition, they still want to see what goods are actually sold inside.

It’s really not that everyone is unsophisticated, but rather that the commercial model of this era is still quite segmented.

For instance, there are special stores for buying rice, flour, grain, and oil; iron shops for buying farm tools; and peddlers’ stalls for small items...

Even in Gu Youtian’s department store in the bountiful southern regions, they mostly operated one type of product, primarily selling household items like tables and chairs, along with some crafts. It’s called a department store, but that’s just a fancy name.

Tong Huaqiong’s supermarket combines daily necessities, handicrafts, storable food, cultural supplies, and other diverse commodities into one commercial form.

Not only that, but it also includes services for writing letters and pawnshop business.

If Tong Huaqiong wants to establish her own commercial empire, she needs to have her own financial business and exclusive draft bank services.

Like Gu Jingzhe’s father-in-law’s family, the Lu Family, who have their own pawnshops and draft banks nationwide.

The pawnshop business is the most basic form of financial business. Starting from the basics, as Tong Huaqiong’s business scale expands in the future, she will have various forms of financial services.

Therefore, Gu Honglian told her that Gu Youtian’s shop had opened, but she didn’t care at all.

What’s in Gu Youtian’s shop?

She could imagine it all, at most specializing in some product while also managing some other businesses.

They simply can’t compare with the diverse array of products and services Tong Huaqiong offers.

The reason why there isn’t a supermarket-like store format in this era is mainly due to low goods circulation, with most merchants concentrated on one type of business.

It’s not that the people don’t need a centralized mode like supermarkets.

Therefore, Tong Huaqiong is confident that her supermarket will quickly be accepted and make a lot of money.

This time, Jufula Supermarkets in both Yan Guan Town and Pingchuan County were opening together, but she did not stay in Yan Guan Town and instead came to oversee in Pingchuan County.

The shop in Yan Guan Town is managed by He Chao, while she focused her efforts on Pingchuan County.

After all, the customer base in Pingchuan County is larger and more demanding, and she aims to make a name there.

The shop in Pingchuan County is located in the most bustling area, with a total of six rooms upstairs and downstairs, all connected as per Tong Huaqiong’s request.

This shop is owned by Gu Baishuang, and according to the business agreement, Gu Baishuang holds a 30% share, Tong Huaqiong holds 60%, and 10% is allocated as rewards for the clerks.

Tong Huaqiong has seemingly initiated the equity incentive system of this era.

The goods were fully stocked half a month ago, all neatly arranged in categories as per a modern supermarket, offering a fresh experience with a dazzling array of products.

The clerks who passed the training and assessment were in their uniforms at their places, ready and eager for the opening time to arrive.

Of course, these clerks aren’t all newcomers; the team leaders or supervisors were the excellent employees transferred from Taohua Dessert.

Among them, Liu Yueer serves as the chief leader.

As a leader trained under the high standards of Taohua Dessert, she is certainly capable of serving supermarket customers well.

Besides Liu Yueer, others weren’t idle either.

Tong Huaqiong, the chief coordinator and planner, naturally shoulders the success or failure of the venture.

Gu Taohua is responsible for the accounts, Gu Dahan for the allocation of goods, Gu Dashu for handling emergencies, Gu Baishuang for personnel coordination, and Tong Pandi for logistics.

Su Chengmin and Nie Xiaofeng are in charge of security. Tong Huaqiong mentioned that there’s always a chance of trouble on the opening day, and the reputation can’t be sullied on the very first day.

Everyone is watching the news of Tong Huaqiong’s supermarket opening, with congratulatory gifts sent by friendly families like the Lu Family, Huang Family, and Qian Family, as well as peers in the business world.

At the storefront, a row of congratulatory gifts and flowers is displayed, along with two rows of firecrackers, each a thousand shots long.

Performance troupes for drums and lion dances were ready to set the atmosphere for the grand opening.

Outside, quite a few people were already watching intently.

Of course, just like the opening of Taohua Dessert, Tong Huaqiong still arranged a few stooges to build up the atmosphere.

Everything was set, and as soon as the auspicious time arrived, the doors were pulled open with a flourish.

Immediately, the atmosphere group burst into action, with musical performances, drums, and firecrackers creating a lively scene.

The young clerks, led by Liu Yueer, smiled broadly, warmly greeting the customers.

"Jufu Supermarket Grand Opening, everything at 20% off."

"Come and see, we have everything here: oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, sewing needles and thread, gold and silver jewelry, rice and grain, tables and chairs, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, western mirrors and glass... we also offer letter-writing services."

The public was very curious about the supermarket. When they saw the transparent shelves and the neatly placed array of goods, along with the spotless floors and uniformly dressed clerks, the whole setup looked quite upscale, making them hesitant to enter.

"Come on in, madam, take a look inside."

"Young lady, we have rouge from the Capital, come in and take a look?"

"Young scholar, we have excellent inkstones from Huizhou inside, wishing you success in the exams." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The clerks called out enthusiastically, as trained by Tong Huaqiong, but people just watched from outside, not daring to go in and choose products.

"Is this the supermarket that has everything?"

The elder of County Magistrate Liu, Mrs. Han, and her grandson Liu Yanhong came to support the occasion.

"Oh, madam, do come in and take a look," Liu Yueer warmly invited her.

Mrs. Han gave her a subtle wink, indicating that she was there as a stooge, and to refrain from overly engaging her in conversation.

Liu Yueer quickly understood, treating her like a regular customer.

Mrs. Han then asked, "I want to buy a mirror, do you have any?"

Liu Yueer replied, "Yes, we have mirrors from Shengjing and ones from the West. You can come in and choose one."

Mrs. Han asked, "How much are they?"

Liu Yueer said, "Our prices are transparent, marked on the shelves. You can come in, try it out, and see it for yourself. If you like it, buy it; if not, there’s no obligation to buy."

Mrs. Han said loudly, "If it’s indeed like you say, where I can try and touch, and the prices are marked, then I must go in and see for myself."

Liu Yueer loudly responded, "Please go ahead."

Mrs. Han and Liu Yanhong walked in.

The crowd, intrigued by the notion of being able to try freely and having prices marked on the shelves, were eager to give it a try.

This was their first time hearing of such an operation, with prices upfront on the shelves.

Many hesitated to enter, worried that once they asked for a price and it exceeded their expectations, it’d be awkward not to buy it. Jufu Supermarket’s approach saved them this embarrassment.

Moreover, the elder of County Magistrate Liu is considered a trendsetter in Pingchuan County. When she went in to see what the fuss was about, how could the crowd resist? So they poured into Jufu Supermarket.