Chapter 127: First Volume, Chapter 127: Scarcity Marketing

First Volume, Chapter 127: Scarcity Marketing

"Everyone, don't rush—let me explain slowly. The third-class card is nothing special; any quality customer of our shop can obtain it!"

"The second-class card entitles you to the elegant rooms on the second floor. Each room was infused with countless efforts by my young master—beyond the dining table, they feature writing desks, painting stands, various precious flowers, and top-quality writing tools from Cuiyunzhai."

"And all of this is provided free of charge to second-class cardholders."

The previously noisy crowd gradually fell silent; those gathered around exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disbelief.

All upscale wine houses add elegant rooms.

But hearing this description, even Zui Xian Lou's elegant rooms cannot be compared to those of Wuhu Da Jiu Lou.

This isn't just an elegant room—it's practically a private study…

After a moment of silence, the literati in the crowd erupted in excitement.

"This… this is the true elegant room! It's exactly the refined haven we've dreamed of! Compared to a study, this wine house elegant room offers food service; compared to a wine house, it adds literary elegance! I could stay here all day without growing bored—then invite a few close friends, drink wine, chat merrily, compose poetry and paint—how delightful!"

"All elegant rooms are no more than twenty feet square—even Zui Xian Lou's best are only thirty feet by thirty feet. But Wuhu Da Jiu Lou's elegant rooms add writing desks and painting stands, even dedicated flower-growing areas—how enormous is this space?"

"Did I hear correctly? Cuiyunzhai's writing tools? Just one inkstone costs seven or eight taels of silver! And it's free? Just these four treasures alone exceed the cost of a meal—how can Wuhu Restaurant possibly recoup its investment?"

The literati were ecstatic.

The Liu literatus stared with burning eyes, urgently pressing: "This is only the second-class card—how luxurious is the first-class card?"

Not just the literati, but even the gentry and local magnates who came for the spectacle now looked toward the third-floor VIP rooms with boundless anticipation.

When mentioning the VIP rooms, even Lin Quqi himself felt it was "too much," but since this was Qin Feng's wish, he simply followed through—immediately seizing the momentum: "The VIP rooms contain everything the elegant rooms offer, but larger in size and more opulent in decoration. Moreover, they come with private musicians and attendants!"

The crowd had completely erupted.

In this Jingdu, even the sons of officials and the literati lived comfortably.

With nothing to do all day, they either feigned refinement or sought pleasure—ultimately, they exhausted their wits just to pass the time in their lavish boredom.

Wuhu Da Jiu Lou was tailor-made as a "private club" for every kind of person.

Fearing they'd miss out on the cards, everyone pushed and shoved forward.

Lin Quqi and Qin Xiaofu struggled to maintain order while distributing door cards—though calling it "distribution" was misleading; it was actually sales.

The third-class card cost fifty copper coins; the second-class card required five taels of silver—a hundredfold increase.

As for the first-class card, even if you had money, you couldn't buy it today—only the top three customers who spent the most today would receive it for free.

Throughout the entire process, Qin Feng sat behind the counter, legs crossed, calmly cracking dried fruit.

Soon, Qin Xiaofu ran over, panting and frantic: "Young master, the third-class cards are all gone—the second-class cards are nearly sold out too!"

We've only distributed a few hundred so far—this is nothing!

Qin Feng reached casually beneath the counter, pulled out a wooden box, and revealed thousands of neatly stacked door cards—this sight left Qin Xiaofu stunned.

He quickly lowered his voice, tense: "Young master, didn't you say scarcity creates value? Didn't you say scarcity marketing means making customers crave what they can't get? That's why they're so excited—they value the cards' rarity! But now you've prepared so many, aren't you turning them into common cabbage?"

Qin Feng leaned back in his chair, like a nouveau riche, delighting: "Running a business—especially a wine house—depends on customer flow. Scarcity marketing for first-class cards is fine, but if you apply it to second and third-class cards, you'll be shutting down. Stop talking—get these cards out!"

Qin Xiaofu didn't fully understand, but the scene was too heated to delay—he distributed the second and third-class cards in batches.

As a result, the bandwagon effect reached its peak: more and more people rushed over, even those who hadn't planned to eat, pushing their way in just to buy a card—afraid they'd miss out later and suffer a loss.

After all, it was only fifty copper coins—not much, just the price of a catty of pork.

Driven by third-class cardholders, more and more affluent customers arrived.

The second-class card was the real money-maker—one card cost five taels of silver; each sold equaled one hundred third-class cards.

In just about one Envoy, silver scraps and copper coins piled into a small mountain before Qin Feng.

Qin Feng swept his hand across them, wishing he could strip naked and dive right in for a "coin swim."

The sheer joy of making money made Qin Feng giddy!

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhangfu leaned against the doorframe of Zui Xian Lou, watching the empty street, muttering under his breath: "This is bizarre—what's going on today? Not a single customer…"

At that moment, the waiter ran back, panting, face pale with shock: "Shopkeeper, disaster! The threshold of Wuhu Da Jiu Lou is nearly trampled flat—not just these streets, but all of Beijing's customers have been drawn away by Qin Feng!"

Hearing this, Zhao Zhangfu staggered, grabbing the waiter's collar, eyes wide: "You… you're sure?"

The waiter turned ashen, stammering: "Shopkeeper, I swear I saw it clearly—the crowd outside Wuhu Da Jiu Lou has completely blocked the entrance! The Jingzhao Yin has sent officers to maintain order—and even said they'll charge Qin Feng with disturbing public order!"

Zhao Zhangfu swallowed hard, so stunned he slipped and collapsed onto the threshold, mumbling dazedly: "How… how is this possible? In recent years, has any newly opened wine house in the Jingdu ever been this crowded? What trick did Qin Feng use—could it be sorcery?"

The waiter wiped sweat from his brow, bewildered: "Sorcery? Yes—it's sorcery! Qin Feng makes every customer jump through hoops—before you even eat, you must pay for a door card! Elsewhere, this would've enraged customers and gotten the place smashed—but somehow… they're lining up to pay him!"

Zhao Zhangfu pushed himself up from the doorframe, took a deep breath, and barely steadied himself: "That damned Qin Feng truly has some tricks—but it doesn't matter… even if he pulls every casual customer in Beijing away, what does it matter? Our regulars alone are enough to keep Zui Xian Lou firmly on top of the Jingdu's wine house industry!"