Gourd Farm Chapter 86
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 86: Supermarket Sold Out
Manager Liu came today because of the day he bought goods with Boss Qi.
That day was like any other day. He drove his small van with workers to the wholesale market. The market, bustling with people, operated every day of the year.
After finding Boss Qi's car, which he frequently bought goods from, there was already a crowd around it, shouting and clamoring for goods.
After half an hour of squeezing, Manager Liu's feet had been stepped on countless times, but he finally made it to the line.
"Boss Qi, your business is booming every day. Can't you hire a few more people? At this rate, I'll have to find someone else."
Boss Qi and his wife were sorting the goods in the car. "Manager Liu, it just happened that it's a bit busier tonight. Have a smoke first."
Manager Liu took the cigarette. "You're quite the smooth talker. Am I the only one who has good luck every time I come?"
The boss's wife on the side jokingly said, "Manager Liu, it means you bring good luck and wealth. Next time, we'll let you bet the car."
After some chit chat, Boss Qi said, " Manager Liu, I need to tell you something tonight. The regular tomatoes are sold out."
"What? Boss Qi, if you play like this, it's not fun. I've been waiting all night, and now you tell me there's none." Manager Liu exploded upon hearing that the goods were sold out.
Boss Qi quickly stepped forward to comfort him. "Manager Liu, I'm really sorry. It was just ordered by the boss of a construction site's canteen. But I still have high-quality goods."
"High-quality goods?" Manager Liu was surprised. Boss Qi seemed to have come up with a new idea.
"Take a look at these. What do you think?" Boss Qi carefully brought out a basket of well-packaged tomatoes.
Manager Liu picked one up. "Hmm, it's indeed good. This presentation is quite attractive. But the taste..."
"Try it, and you'll know if the taste is good or not. I eat it as a fruit myself." Boss Qi confidently washed one with water and handed it to Manager Liu.
"Splurt."
Juicy and flavorful, sweet and refreshing—indeed, a rare top-quality product. "Boss Qi, your skills are getting better and better. What's the price for these?"
Without even looking, Boss Qi knew he would be satisfied. "Manager Liu, the lowest price for these tomatoes is ten yuan per kilogram. I'm selling them at a loss to attract attention."
Hearing the price, Manager Liu furrowed his brows. The goods were indeed good, but the price also justified their quality.
After hesitating for a while, he said, "Boss Qi, considering our long-standing relationship, can you give me a little discount?"
"Lao Liu, with our relationship, if I could, you wouldn't need you to ask. Tell me, when did I ever let you down on prices?" Boss Qi wore a pained expression, as if losing a penny in a deal was a significant loss.
After biting his teeth, Manager Liu took a hundred kilograms and decided to try them out first before going back.
The next day, as soon as the sun rose, the salesperson arranged the new tomatoes from the previous night, priced at 13.99 yuan per kilogram.
In a big city like Shanghai, many imported fruits and vegetables are even more expensive than this. After all, it's a first-tier city with a high level of consumption.
The supermarket officially opened at 8:30 am, and quite a few people had already come in early in the morning. At this time, it was mostly middle-aged women or mothers with children, eager to buy the freshest vegetables.
Two people walked around the vegetable section, "Mom, look at these tomatoes; they're pretty fresh."
"Well, they are good, but the price is twice as much as those over there. Let's forget it."
...
Although many people looked at the tomatoes in the morning, there were few buyers.
Manager Liu came over energetically, "Xiao Wang, how are the new products selling today?"
The young woman in uniform next to the cargo container shrugged, "Not very well. We've only sold less than ten kilograms all morning."
Manager Liu frowned, "That shouldn't be. These are the best tomatoes I got last night. I thought they would be popular today."
After selling continuously for four or five days, and even offering discounts, it was not easy to finally get rid of the hundred kilograms of tomatoes.
On this day, Manager Liu went to the market again to buy goods. "Boss Qi, these tomatoes of yours aren't doing well; they're simply not selling."
"Pfft~"
Boss Qi couldn't help but laugh, "Manager Liu, you really know how to joke. I can't even keep up with the demand every day, and you tell me they're not selling?"
Manager Liu couldn't understand it either. Why weren't consumers accepting such good products? "It's true. The goods from the last batch were only sold last night, and I sold them at a loss."
"Are you taking more tonight?" Boss Qi looked at Manager Liu, who didn't seem to be joking.
After some consideration, Manager Liu said, "Let's bring two baskets tonight, but more than that would be a loss."
"Think it over. I only come every four days. If it's not enough to sell, don't blame me." Boss Qi kindly reminded.
Manager Liu couldn't make up his mind. The boss's wife on the side took over, saying, "Manager Liu, it's getting cooler now, and you can store them. If you're still worried, just take fifty kilograms first. I'm afraid you won't be able to sell them all, and this situation has happened elsewhere too."
Following the boss's wife's advice, Manager Liu took another fifty kilograms.
As usual, the tomatoes were packaged and placed in the vegetable section. At 8:30, people began to enter the supermarket with their shopping carts.
A pair of young women quickly approached the vegetable section, pushing a cart. "Come and see, these are the tomatoes I bought last time. Our child loves them. Before, it was exhausting to feed him, but now, as long as I cook these, he doesn't need to be coaxed."
"Today, I'll buy a few more. Last time, our son went to their house to play, and when he came back, he kept asking for your tomatoes. We bought some from the supermarket a few times, but they just don't taste the same."
After nine o'clock, more people crowded into the supermarket, coming in groups of three or five.
An elderly couple walked over. "Old man, see if these are the ones you bought last time." The old lady picked up a tomato and handed it to the old man.
The old man adjusted his reading glasses, "Hmm, it's the same. Last time, I heard the young girl working here recommend them. Unexpectedly, my wife also likes them."
Today, for some reason, at least half of the ten or so people buying vegetables were specifically looking for tomatoes.
The salespeople couldn't keep up with replenishing, so they had to use the intercom to call Manager Liu.
Manager Liu hurriedly rushed over, "Xiao Wang, what's going on?"
Xiao Wang, now exhausted from the busyness, said, "Manager, something's wrong. The tomatoes here are running out. You need to replenish them quickly."
"No way. Weren't the new products just put out this morning? I took fifty kilograms myself." Manager Liu found it hard to believe.
Xiao Wang pursed her lips, "See for yourself. There are less than ten boxes left here, and everything else has been sold out. Most importantly, it's only been half a day. What are we going to do in the afternoon?"
Manager Liu was a bit stunned. The tomatoes that didn't sell even after a discount in the past two days were unexpectedly sold out at the original price.
