Chapter 693

I patted Shi Jinghe on the shoulder, smiled, and walked away.

Actually, everyone is growing; it's just that others can't feel it.

Shi Jinghe also has his own way of growing, such as his fondness for architecture and some of his ideas.

There must be something in this that Shi Yong cannot compare to.

Of course, Shi Yong also has his strengths.

Everyone has their own strengths,

Find the right stage, and you can shine your brightest.

After several days of our preparation, the New Year Goods Fair finally kicked off.

Ding Li arranged the shills from Zaocheng to bring people to spend, guiding others to make irrational purchases.

Li Jia collaborated with Director Qian,

conducting a lottery event,

plus strong publicity,

attracting countless people to the Ancient City to attend the fair.

This is not an ordinary fair for buying New Year goods; it is a frenzied shopping carnival.

Since the Huaihai Department Store also set up shop in the Ancient City,

the goods in the Ancient City became dazzlingly varied.

Everything is available—food, drink, entertainment, use—all satisfied in the Ancient City.

Director Qian's travel agency again brought in carloads of out-of-town tourists.

They were squeezed into the crowd,

participating in the New Year fair activities.

Sometimes we just need an atmosphere,

When this atmosphere is set right, everyone will enjoy being in it.

I was observing these tourists' consumption up close.

They were generous with their money; when out and about, they just spent to enjoy themselves.

Ding Li led the security guards in constant patrols to maintain order,

minor frictions were settled inside the Ancient City; we never let outsiders handle them.

Shi Yong also led a few people in supervising the shops, absolutely not allowing any shop to engage in cheating or overcharging customers.

Why did the Ancient City used to have so many incidents of shops cheating and overcharging tourists?

Mainly because the business environment was poor, leading to a bad money drives out good effect.

Everyone saw that only cheating could make quick money, so who would still operate honestly?

Moreover, business in the Ancient City was bad; when a customer finally came, everyone would ruthlessly overcharge them without a second thought.

Now it's different; with a good business environment, everyone runs their shops honestly, and no longer thinks of shady tactics.

Plus, Shi Yong's supervision is strict; if caught, they are heavily punished.

The cost of violations rises; who would still dare to do such things?

Even the same old shops, given a good lead, will all follow the right path.

I was walking through the crowded throng.

The shills from Zaocheng were leading a few people in a frantic buying spree at a shop.

They didn't bother haggling over price,

they grabbed the goods, paid, and left; the shop owner was thrilled.

Actually, a little observation is enough to see the signs.

But when the crowd is large, people's irrational consumption mindset emerges.

As soon as one person starts snapping up goods, other tourists will follow suit and buy.

They don't care whether the goods are useful to them or not.

All they think is buy, buy, buy.

Only when they have the goods in hand do they feel they've gained something,

if they can't get them, they feel they've suffered a big loss.

Even the shrewd Huaihai people are infected by this atmosphere.

They also flood into the shops and buy frenziedly along with the crowd.

The shop owners are already busy as frantic ghosts, spinning around.

Yet these shop owners all show that happy smile.

They are tired yet happy, fully reflected on their faces.

Including the managers of the big malls inside the Ancient City; they were able to set up there only for Zhuang Shi's sake, and they're just making a token appearance.

They never thought they would actually sell anything here.

But they were wrong.

Perhaps they haven't experienced such a frenzied buying pattern in a long time.

As soon as a group rushes into a store to grab goods, others immediately follow and buy frenziedly.

I watched an out-of-town tourist clutching a large color TV, not letting go,

he had already snatched it up and was overjoyed.

Actually, has this tourist ever considered,

why he came here,

Moving this TV set is a hassle no matter how he does it.

But I believe he no longer has those thoughts.

He must spend all the money he has, or he'll feel terrible.

Even home appliances are being snatched up, leaving the managers of these big stores stunned.

They immediately began a large-scale sell-off of the other products stockpiled in their malls.

Why are so many people buying just to follow the trend,

Having shills is only part of it; the most crucial element is the Lottery Mode.

They place importance on this,

Everyone can participate in the lottery.

If one happens to win,

Then the TV bought in Ancient City would be free—someone would reimburse the cost.

At the entrance to Ancient City, a large stage was erected.

On it, a screen displayed the winning visitors.

And the TV station conducted on-site interviews with them.

Li Jia and Qian Director supervised the lottery scene.

Each draw selected ten lucky people, announcing their names and ID numbers.

Under the notary's certification,

The lucky ones just need to show their ID at the scene to claim the prize, receiving a refund of what they spent.

I had Li Jia stack bundles of cash on the stage to prove our capability.

That is, we definitely have the money to pay out the prizes for you lucky folks.

But sometimes, the lucky winners aren't all happy.

One auntie won, even though she had only bought a bunch of celery in Ancient City.

She cried right then.

She regretted it deeply, wishing she had bought gold and silver jewelry in Ancient City instead.

After claiming her prize, she wildly clutched the money and headed into Ancient City to spend it, hoping to win again.

I believe more people will come to Ancient City to shop.

Unexpectedly, the tourist carrying a big TV ended up winning.

One TV costs over five thousand.

I saw Li Jia return all the money to that tourist.

The tourist, holding the money, became overwrought with excitement,

Having come here to play, he walked away with a free TV.

That's like a windfall from heaven.

The tourist, eyes brimming with tears, gripped Li Jia's hand and wouldn't let go; he would surely come back to spend more.

Everyone lugged big and small bags, standing before the stage, awaiting the lottery results and hoping luck would fall upon them.

Sometimes people don't care how much they spend,

You just need to give them a reasonable excuse to spend,

and they'll become immersed, unable to pull themselves away.

Shopping here isn't just buying; you can also claim prizes on the spot, getting cash instantly.

Where else could you find such a good deal?

Repeat spending to increase your chances of winning.

That's a normal person's thinking.

Even as the lights came on, Ancient City remained packed.

In Ancient City's eateries, every seat was taken; dining there also entered you into the lottery—eating wasn't just eating, you could still win, where else could you find such a deal?

Stores were crowded with people buying goods.

Whether outsiders or locals, everyone enjoyed the pleasure of shopping.

With this sales approach, is there any store that doesn't make money?

I believe every shop in Ancient City will be counting money until their hands cramp.

Every shop owner, upon seeing me, wore a smile that came straight from the heart.

They gestured their thanks to me; perhaps they could earn a year's rent in just these few days.

The more this happens, the easier it is to manage.

They all consciously upheld Ancient City's image.

They feared that their own misconduct would tarnish Ancient City's image and hurt their business.

Everyone's hearts and efforts were united: sell more, earn more.

In these days, who would still be at odds with money, unless they're a fool?

News of Ancient City's shops making money began to spread throughout Huaihai City.

Who doesn't have a relative or a friend?

Everyone was discussing just how much those shop owners had earned.