Film and Television: Starting from the Journey to Guandong
Chapter 116 Goods
Chapter 116 Department Store (1w)
"Yes, we are now doing all the road and bridge projects ourselves."
Zhu Chuanren sneered, there really was a mouse, this is interesting.
He asked himself whether he treated his subordinates well. He dared not say that high salary would support integrity. At least it would stop them from worrying about money.
But even so, there are still some people who are greedy, so don’t blame them for turning against others:
"Check! Check everyone!"
Of course, Zhu Chuanren knew that when the water was clear, there would be no fish. If it was just a small amount of money, he believed that Zhu Chuanjie would turn a blind eye. But since he can be so serious about fiddling with the abacus, it means one thing The discrepancy is by no means a small number.
"Is this going to be too big of a movement? Why don't we investigate it secretly first?"
"No, this matter must be caused in a big way. It is best for everyone to be in danger, so as to scare the monkeys."
Zhu Chuanjie nodded calmly:
"I know~"
"Everything else is okay?"
"There must be problems, just more or less."
"Well, they can take what they should take, but they can't take a penny from what they shouldn't take!"
"I know, Third Brother~"
"In the past few years, the warlords have been fighting, and the people have had a hard time making a living. The efficiency of the Wangwang Sugar Factory has begun to decline. You must be more vigilant and respond in advance~"
"Renhe Trading Co., Ltd. has not been greatly affected. The throughput of the terminal has not decreased but increased. A large part of the reason is that warlords from various places have increased their material purchases. Landing from the Magic City is the best choice."
Zhu Chuanren nodded:
"The terminals in the future will inevitably move towards the coast, so we can stock up on land in advance."
Zhu Chuanjie was stunned for a moment:
"coastal?"
"Correct!"
"Let me have someone inspect it. There is no foundation there. If we develop it, the financial pressure will be too great~"
"Of course we can't develop it ourselves. Let's hoard the land first. With the land in our hands, we have the initiative."
"Okay, I will put this matter on the agenda~"
Zhu Chuanren stood up, looked out the window at the busy Huangpu River, and couldn't help but say:
"In another 100 years, this will be the most prosperous place in China!"
Zhu Chuanjie couldn't see that far, so he smiled bitterly:
"Whenever we stop fighting, I will be content."
"Haha, there will be such a day~"
Zhu Chuanjie laughed twice, suddenly remembered something, and turned to say:
"By the way, brother, there was a banquet held in the hotel downstairs a while ago. It was hosted by Xianshi Department Store, and their own employees were invited to celebrate together."
"Xian Shi Department Store?"
"Yes~"
"Have you talked to them?"
"Have a brief chat, isn't it because you are not here? The Ma family is quite powerful in the Magic City, so we have to give them this face."
"Oh, what do you think?"
"I think department stores are quite profitable. Although Xianshi Department Store is the overlord of the department store industry in Magic City, the Magic City market is huge, and Xianshi Department Store is not enough to win the entire market."
"You want to do department store?"
"I think I can give it a try. This is my old profession, brother!" Zhu Chuanjie's joke brought back Zhu Chuanren's memories from more than ten years ago.
Yes, Zhu Chuanjie was an apprentice in a warehouse. To a certain extent, warehouses are similar to department stores. This is indeed something Zhu Chuanjie is good at.
And department stores are indeed profitable.
The four major department stores on Nanjing Road, Xianshi, Yongan, Xinxin and Daxin, were not only synonymous with fashion, but also demonstrated the miracle of commercial prosperity in the modern magic city.
Can we add 'Ren He' now?
Zhu Chuanren fell into deep thought, thinking about the feasibility of this matter.
It can be said that it was the numerous innovations launched by these four major department stores that completely overturned the traditional business structure and started the modernization process of China's department store industry.
It is worth mentioning that these four companies were all founded by people from Xiangshan, Guangdong Province, and the founders all made their fortunes while working in Australia.
Among them, Xianshi Company is undoubtedly the leader.
In August 1914, a limousine drove up Nanjing Road, with Australian overseas Chinese Ma Hardbiao sitting in the car. His eyes were looking for Nanjing Road where there were many shops.
Finally, the car parked next to the Yi An Ju Teahouse located in the Risheng Tower area.
Here, it is located at a crossroads, with direct access to the train station to the north, which can attract tourists from out of town, and close to the residential areas of wealthy people to the south.
Coincidentally, Huang Huanan, who was sent to Shanghai by Ma Hardbiao to inspect the investment environment, also happened to be targeting this location.
During Ma Hardbiao's childhood, China was in turmoil. It was in an era when imperialist powers invaded one after another and became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country.
Rural areas along the coast have suffered from the bankruptcy of small farmers and years of war. Many people have had to cross the ocean to make a living overseas.
At the end of the 19th century, 17-year-old Ma Jibiao said goodbye to his mother and rushed to Australia with the gold rush, only to find that the gold rush had died down.
At that time, many people from Xiangshan made a living by growing vegetables in Australia.
In order to make a living, Ma Hardbiao, who was in a foreign country, also started a vegetable growing career.
But no one expected that Ma Hardbiao's choice would allow him to discover and reveal his business talent.
At that time, the Chinese who made a living by growing vegetables in Australia did not understand English and could not communicate with the locals. Therefore, the fruits and vegetables they worked so hard to grow were bought by white people at a low price.
This greatly hurt Ma Hardbiao. He was determined to learn English and was even willing to work for a British boss without receiving a salary.
By working as a free assistant for his boss, Ma Hardbiao not only mastered English proficiently, but also mastered the operation of the fruit and vegetable market.
He wrote the name and price of the goods in English on his stall, guaranteeing a consistent price, and his business took off immediately.
Local Chinese vegetable farmers entrusted him with selling fruits and vegetables, and the Chinese shops nearby also entrusted him with fruits and vegetables as an agent, and then took a commission in proportion. This made Ma Hardbiao's business gradually expand.
As the business expanded, in 1890, Ma Hardbiao and several fellow villagers founded the "Yongsheng Fruit Bar" in Sydney, Australia's largest city, to operate the fruit and vegetable trade between Australia and Hong Kong.
At the same time, he established a production base and used Xiangshan "Xiangya Plantain" seeds mailed from his hometown to grow bananas specifically in Fiji.
The ripe "Xiangya Plantain" has a sweet and smooth taste. After being shipped to Australia, it was loved by the locals and sold for a higher price.
This business opportunity was quickly seized by a group of overseas Chinese in Xiangshan, including Ma Hardbiao, who set up a series of "fruit bars" selling banana wholesale in Chinatown.
In order to expand the banana business as much as possible, Ma Hardbiao and Guo Le, who later founded Yongan Company in Shanghai, joined forces with another fruit shop called "Yongtai Fruit Bar" to form a new company "Shengantai".
Sheng Antai had abundant funds, and Ma Hardbiao and others were well-run, and they soon monopolized the entire banana market in Sydney.
At that time, Sheng Antai could earn 4 pounds a year (1 pound at that time was equivalent to 1.5 pounds today), which was enough to buy the entire Chinatown in Sydney.
Soon Ma Jiabiao became a famous overseas Chinese businessman in Sydney.
At this time, he and his cousins would pass by the famous David Jones department store in Australia every day when they were commuting to get off work. This made them very jealous, and they made a vow at that time: when they made the first pot of gold, they would return to China and start a business immediately. A department store like this.
Later, when Ma Jiabiao returned to Hong Kong to arrange for her wedding, in order to buy various wedding supplies, she often bought clothes here and shoes there, running around all day long, which was very inconvenient.
At this time, Ma Hardbiao remembered the department store he passed by when he was working in Australia. As soon as he entered the door, he could get all the necessary items without having to search all over the world.
His wife, with her unique acumen, felt that this was a very good business opportunity.
Therefore, Ma Yingbiao, who had accumulated a large amount of capital, and with the encouragement of his wife, took the lead in establishing Xianshi Department Store in Hong Kong in 1900.
After Xianshi Department Store opened in Xiangjiang, it quickly achieved impressive results.
Two years later, Ma Hardbiao, who had a lot of money, opened the Guangdong Xianshi Department Store in Guangdong Province, and then set his sights on the rapidly developing Shanghai.
He appointed Huang Huanan to go to Shanghai to inspect the investment environment and select a location for Xianshi Company.
After Huang Huanan arrived in the capital, he inspected the concession and ordered his entourage to go to several intersections of Nanjing Road, the busiest area in the capital at that time, to observe the flow of people by counting beans.
Based on the investigation results, it is recommended that Xianshi Company be built in the Rishenglou area of Nanjing Road.
After Ma Hardbiao made an on-site inspection, he happily agreed and soon started construction of the building.
On October 1917, 10, after three years of construction, the mystery of this five-story building (later changed to seven stories) on Nanjing Road was finally lifted.
This was the tallest building on Nanjing Road at the time and the first large-scale department store founded by a Chinese in Shanghai.
On the day the company opened, citizens of Magic City who loved novelty flocked to the company.
Because there were so many people arriving, the entire Nanjing Road was blocked.
At the beginning of the 20th century, both sides of Nanjing Road were paved with ironclad wood. Most of the shops opened by the Chinese were small workshop-style shops with low old-style wooden buildings and narrow pavements. Although there were a lot of them, the goods were messy and the prices were high. random.
Its scale and shopping experience cannot be compared with the British department stores such as Foley and Huiluo not far away.
Ma Hardbiao saw the huge market for opening Chinese-funded department stores in Shanghai, and was very dissatisfied with the British department stores occupying Shanghai.
He said: "If you don't set up a big company urgently, it won't be enough to compete with it."
The Xianshi Department Store that Ma Hardbiao pursues is completely different from the previous Huaxia stores. What he wants is scale.
He leased 3 acres of land in the area of Yi'anju Tea House from the owner Leishide Foreign Company on the harsh terms of "an annual rent of 30 taels of silver and a lease term of 10 years."
To build Xianshi Department Store, it is planned to raise NT$60 through IPO, of which the Xiangjiang headquarters will initially allocate 1/10 of the shares, and will conduct public IPOs in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangdong.
Due to the huge project size, it was decided to increase shares again, but some people expressed opposition.
Huang Huanan stood up and said: "If you refuse, you will lose the enthusiasm of the shareholders, and you will have no shares to respond to the suffering. After repeated consideration, the more capital you have, the more credit you will have, and the bigger the business will be, the easier it will be to develop. Instead of losing the shareholders, I am so enthusiastic that I can't help but expand the share capital." So he decided to increase the total amount by 200 million yuan.
After the IPO was completed, Xianshi Department Store established a board of directors in Shanghai, with Ma Jibiao as chairman and supervisor, and Huang Huanan as director and first general manager.
Ma Hardbiao's business methods are very Westernized and he is well versed in the art of packaging and facade. He spent most of the funds raised on the decoration of the company.
The new Xianshi Company was designed by Dehe Yang Company. The entire building has a Baroque style, and the facade adopts a three-section classical treatment. The ground floor has an arcade-style verandah along the street, and there are large display windows in the verandah;
Ionic columns are used between the second and third floors to support the arc-shaped eaves above the third floor.
The fourth floor is a cast iron balcony.
The highest floor at the southeast corner of the building is the "Moxing Tower" tower that is the landscape symbol of Nanjing Road Commercial Street.
The entire building has a construction area of 3 square meters and a shopping mall area of 1 square meters. The interior decoration is gorgeous and it even leads the trend by installing heating equipment.
As a large-scale retail complex, Xianshi Company sells daily necessities, men's and women's clothing, cultural supplies, silk fabrics, jewelry, watches and clocks, tableware, sanitary ware, furniture, carpets, luggage, etc. There are more than 1 products in total.
This is beyond the reach of any traditional store, even the British-owned companies such as Foley and Huiluo that dominate Shanghai.
The reason why Ma Hardbiao named the company "Xian Shi" is said to be taken from the sentence "Xian Shi Yi Yi Cheng" in "The Doctrine of the Mean".
Honesty and no deception have been his life-long credo, so no matter what measures he takes in business, they are inseparable from his purpose of "treating people with sincerity and building a career with sincerity".
For a long time, Chinese people have been accustomed to the business model of "asking for high prices and bargaining on the spot". The prices of goods sold in stores are never clearly marked.
Ma Hardbiao dared to be the first to do so. He wrote in big words on the pillar in front of Xianshi Shopping Mall, "The original price is the same, and the reputation for integrity is far-reaching." He used clear price tags to subvert the vague and ambiguous traditional distribution methods in business operations.
In addition, since ancient times, our country's businesses have often been advertised as "this is the only one". There are no counters, shelves, or goods specially set up for customers, and customers are not allowed to enter and choose.
First, bold reforms were carried out, and with the purpose of "comprehensive department store, all-inclusive", the business structure achieved a breakthrough for the first time. Large glass cabinets were installed in the spacious shopping mall, and 24 shopping malls had tens of thousands of products, allowing customers to browse and purchase freely. .
Xianshi Company is also the first merchant in Shanghai to issue invoices to customers.
If the customer finds that the purchased product has quality problems or does not like it, he or she can bring the invoice to the company for replacement.
In terms of business scope, Xianshi Company is the first store to use the slogan of "Global Department Store". It sends dedicated personnel to purchase the latest fashion products globally and provides customers with the latest mid-to-high-end products from all over the world.
Before the establishment of Xianshi Company, the department store industry in Shanghai was dominated by British-owned department stores, and its customers were mainly foreigners and Chinese celebrities in Shanghai.
They publicly declare that they do not sell Chinese goods and small commodities, and there is an Indian patrol guard at the door.
Xianshi Department Store went in the opposite direction, targeting Chinese and foreigners from all walks of life.
No matter whether you are a socialite or an ordinary person, you can feel like you are "being treated as God" here.
While distributing imported and foreign goods, it also distributes domestic goods with good quality and relatively cheap prices. It even combines some defective and squeezed goods into packages worth 1 yuan for anyone to buy.
Thanks to the implementation of a new marketing strategy, Xianshi Company quickly won the favor of consumers and a good reputation, and its business is booming.
In order to make shopping easier for female customers, Xianshi Company plans to recruit female salespersons in Shanghai.
Unfortunately, due to the influence of feudal consciousness, the recruitment notice was posted for more than a month, but no one dared to apply.
At this time, the proprietress personally went into battle and led the two girls to appear at the company's cosmetics counter for the first time.
She is not only dignified in appearance, but also good at rhetoric, familiar with the performance of goods, and able to deal with customers. She is very popular among male and female customers.
For a time, the story of "three women on the same stage" spread throughout the city.
The company's business has become more prosperous, and its operating income has doubled.
Xianshi Company is not only a department store, but also an amusement park. The entire department store includes high-end restaurants, tea rooms, bathhouses, cinemas, theaters, ice rinks, luxury hotels, top-floor amusement parks and other facilities. This is truly an unprecedented innovation.
On the opening day, the rooftop paradise, Yudechi bathroom, hair salon, East Asia hotel and luxury restaurant attached to Xianshi Department Store were opened at the same time.
Movies, vaudeville, Ningbo beach opera, Shaoxing opera, Beijing opera, magicians... all kinds of tricks are available.
Taking Xianshi Paradise as an example, there are Western European movies, songs and dances, as well as folk arts and drama performances. There are many varieties and rich programs, but only one ticket is required for entry, so you can enjoy it at will.
It seems that they are just side businesses of Xianshi Company, but they have made Xianshi flourish.
Ma Hard Biao boldly bundles and supports entertainment, catering, hotels and commerce, turning the shopping mall into a social center.
As soon as citizens step into Xianshi Department Store, they can not only realize one-stop shopping elegantly and calmly, but also integrate eating, drinking and entertainment to meet the needs of citizens at all levels.
As a result, many customers even lingered after entering Xianshi, and even did not return home for several days.
Creatively combining hotels, entertainment centers and department store retail business support - this monopoly business model of commercial complexes (used by later shopping malls) completely subverted the traditional business in the past and triggered a revolution in domestic business. , Xianshi attracted customers who flocked from all directions.
Xianshi's operators know that the success or failure of a company depends not only on hardware, but also on the quality of its employees.
Since we are openly selling "Global Department Store", most of the products we come into contact with and sell are imported, and the customers include compatriots and foreigners. This requires that the sales staff must be trained, understand English, Cantonese and Shanghai dialect, and be familiar with the products sold. .
In order to improve the quality of employees and create a good development environment for employees, Xianshi Company not only provides long-term English, abacus and other remedial training courses internally, but also provides one-hour classes to train employees every Tuesday and Friday night after the business is closed, which greatly improves the quality of employees. The professional level of employees.
Ma Hardbiao also took the lead in implementing one-day off per week for employees in Shanghai, and hired full-time laundry workers and barbers to provide regular services to employees.
Refreshing drinks are also provided to employees on hot days.
At the same time, doctors are hired to diagnose employees all year round at no charge.If employees perform well, give them a raise.
Those who have received salary increases for three consecutive years, and if their performance continues to rise in the fourth year, can become shareholders and enjoy the company's year-end dividends.
These measures not only ensure Xianshi's own development, but also greatly stimulate employees' dedication and cultivate their loyalty to the company.
Xianshi Department Store has set many firsts in the industry, created a novel business model, and started the modernization process of China's department store industry.
And Ma Hardbiao, who was the first to eat department store "crabs" in China, finally got rich returns. In the second year after the company opened, its turnover reached 439 million yuan, and it reaped a return equivalent to twice the investment.
When operating a department store, a stable and reliable supply chain is very important.
For example, Qiulin Department Store in the Northeast relied on the supply chain of the Far East and the combination of local production and sales to survive the business shortage.
After the opening of the Xian Shi Department Store branch in Guangdong Province and the completion of preparations for the opening of the new building in Xiangjiang, the First World War broke out, and the supply of goods from Australia, Europe and the United States was not guaranteed.
Coupled with the impact of the war, transportation difficulties, freight and insurance premiums increased, which led to a business shortage in Xianshi.
Xianshi's solution is to replace European and American goods with Japanese goods and increase the proportion of self-produced goods.
Xianshi sent people to Neon to cooperate with local manufacturers, mainly imitating the styles, colors, and reasonable prices of products from European and American countries. Trademarks, factory names, origins, and markings were all handled flexibly.
Brands that do not originally indicate neon manufacturing do not need to be changed. Trademarks with patterns or no obvious neon colors can be used as they are. If the factory name is originally in Japanese, it should be changed to the abbreviation of English letters to NH&CO. or the like.
In short, it is only required that it is not obvious that it is made of neon. At this time, Japanese brand products do not have a good reputation, are of poor quality and are not durable.
At the same time, Ma Hardbiao opened supporting processing plants such as cosmetics factory, soda water factory, leather shoe factory, biscuit and candy factory, glass factory, and wooden box factory in Guangdong Province to solve the supply problem of commodities in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.
Merchandise purchases are based on customer demand.
Ma Hardbiao does not advocate that department stores carry all types of goods. He believes that doing so will divert manpower and material resources, so Xianshi operates based on the objective environment and customer characteristics.
Every month, Xianshi sends employees to Europe and other places to purchase the latest fashion clothing and food products from the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the United States, so that wealthy people can buy various products that are in sync with world trends in Xianshi Department Store.
In addition to overseas products, Xianshi also has products produced by its own factory, such as Xianshi soda, Xianshi toothpaste, snowflake lamb, soap, soap, toilet water, as well as deer brand sweaters from Guangdong Province, Zhou Yixing bicycle brand sweaters, and Zhou Zhongya lanterns. Dan brand sweaters, Feng Qiang rubber shoes, etc.
In summer, a cold drink department is also set up in the sales floor, selling self-produced fresh soybean milk and soda.
In addition, Xianshi Department Store has also set up China's first "one dollar store", which combines some defective and squeezed products into packages worth one yuan for anyone to purchase, taking into account the needs of ordinary consumer groups.
In later generations, global shopping and special offers are still important means for department stores to attract customers.
Of course, the methods mentioned above, including invoices, are also very groundbreaking.
Before the 20th century, the traditional transaction method of Chinese companies was to negotiate prices on the spot, and the prices of goods in stores were never clearly marked. Buyers and sellers "asked for high prices and paid back on the spot."
For single-store operators of Huaxia merchants, there are fewer products, fewer customers, and fewer employees. Price changes are also easy to remember. It is easy for the boss to control employees and prices, and the operating cost of negotiated sales is low.
For department stores with many types of goods, many customers, and many employees, multiple sales prices are inconvenient for employees to remember and financial accounting, but increase the overall management cost.
Xianshi Department Store adheres to the "no second price" principle, so customers don't have to worry about overpriced items, and it also reduces store management costs.
In the process of implementing clear price tags, Xianshi Department Store was the first to provide invoices to shoppers, so that if the goods are damaged or the buyer does not like them, they can return or exchange them based on the price tag, which enhances customers' understanding of the goods and the Department store trust.
Coupled with the diverse entertainment facilities to attract tourists, the rooftop playground is a tool for attracting fans.
Xianshi is equipped with an "elevator" to attract tourists' curiosity and make them want to try it out. In addition, Xianshi Playground has variety shows every night from [-] to [-] pm, usually including movies, Cantonese opera, acrobatics, magic and dance. Wait, the program is rich and deeply loved by the audience.
Whenever night falls and the lanterns are turned on, there is an endless stream of spectators.
Especially in summer and autumn, the amusement park is a good place to cool off and cool down. The admission tickets alone become a considerable amount of income for Xianshi Department Store.
Gift certificates – the precursor to prepaid cards.
In order to attract customers and expand retail revenue, they first printed and sold a large number of "gift certificates" to customers who wanted to give gifts but didn't know what to give. They used gift certificates to give gifts, and the recipients used the denomination of the "gift certificates" to purchase the goods they needed. .
The so-called Tongtian means that you can use local currency to purchase any product at Xianshi Company in places such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Lisboa and Guangdong Province.
Gift certificates do not bear interest, are not registered, and do not recognize the person who recognizes the certificate.
In this way, "gift certificates" can also play a role in promoting the company's business operations, and more importantly, they can absorb a group of interest-free funds from the society.
To this end, Xianshi issued "food coupons" internally, with a denomination of five yuan each, exclusively for employees to purchase goods in the company.
If the salary paid to employees in each period is more than five yuan, "grain coupons" will be issued in lieu of cash. The "grain coupons" can be exchanged for cash at any time in any department of the company without losing value.
In this way, the purchasing power of employees is transformed into the first-hand products, and the purpose of interest-free financing is achieved.
Before Xianshi, there were only salesmen in gray gowns at the Huaxia store. However, when Xianshi opened in Xiangjiang, it introduced the first batch of female shop assistants in Huaxia, which caused a sensation in Xiangjiang. People came to see the female shop assistants selling and caused traffic jams. .
Ma Hardbiao had to ask the Hong Kong Governor to send police to divert traffic.
But people came from all over the country to watch every day, and the traffic problem could not be solved. In the end, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs in Hong Kong asked Ma Hard-Biao to fire the female shop assistant on the grounds that it was "incompatible with Chinese customs and habits."
When Xianshi Modu Company first opened, Mrs. Ma Yingbiao personally took the initiative and led two sisters-in-law to work with her as sales assistants in the cosmetics department.
These three women are dignified in manners, good at speaking, and familiar with the properties of goods. They are very popular among male and female customers, attracting people to come one after another to see the service of the saleswomen.
Early saleswomen were initially assigned to positions similar to the cosmetics counter, where they could try out cosmetics.
In order to sell perfume, the saleswoman would put a large perfume bottle on the counter. When a customer walked by, she would spray it a few times to attract the attention of ladies and gentlemen.
Later generations improved on this approach and launched "fragrance marketing".
The departmental assessment system is also pioneered by Xianshi. The sales department is equipped with a deputy director and a part-time bookkeeper, and the counter is equipped with a counter manager, salesperson, and clerk.
The minister is responsible for the overall business of the department, participates in the company's business meetings and purchase meetings, and proposes purchase plans according to the fund turnover range approved by the department.
For products that are popular seasonally or at specific times, such as Christmas gifts and school textbooks, funds can be used flexibly according to ordering needs.
The deputy minister is responsible for investigating market prices and supply and sales conditions, and formulating selling prices for discussion.
Part-time bookkeepers regularly check the goods accounts with the warehouse. If there are unsalable or defective goods, they can provide information at any time and ask the minister to consider handling them. They rarely wait for centralized resolution.
Special meetings on service attitude are held every month to ensure service quality. At the same time, business meetings are held from time to time to study methods of promoting products.
In addition, goods are strictly managed. Regardless of the amount of goods sold at each counter, duplicate invoices are used. A cashier's office is set up. The counter and cashier's office reconcile daily to prevent errors.
A part-time bookkeeper at the counter visits the warehouse regularly to check inventory.
On the other hand, there are many products to be displayed on the counter, but the display area of the counter is limited, so only a few samples of each product can be taken out. The samples are marked with hang tags with the product number and selling price. The samples are reserved for display and are usually not sold.
If the sample is sold, the tag will be left on display for timely replenishment.
Special accounts are set up at the counter and warehouses are checked, and a perpetual inventory system is implemented to detect errors in a timely manner, prevent the backlog of goods, and reduce losses.
Newly recruited employees must undergo short-term pre-job training, including: customer courtesy, product knowledge, packaging methods, display knowledge, product storage, etc.
Any employee who has worked for one and a half to two years will have the opportunity for a salary increase or promotion, and will be gradually promoted from apprentice, trainee salesperson, salesperson, deputy cabinet manager, cabinet manager, deputy director, and director.
Employees who perform well and have been employed for four years can become current shareholders and enjoy the company's year-end dividends.
The company has a three-day holiday every year during the Lunar New Year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the manager and deputy manager summon all employees of the company one by one to verbally evaluate each employee's performance over the past year and give each employee a letter.
The contents are: encouragement, salary increase, promotion, criticism, and dismissal.Those who received encouragement, promotion, or salary increase would have different amounts of bonus attached to the letter.
The company also has full-time laundry workers, barbers and perennial doctors who regularly wash coats, give haircuts and diagnose illnesses for employees at no charge.
Xianshi Department Store can be called the pioneer and enlightener of China's department store industry in terms of supply chain management, marketing and department store management system construction.
At the same time, Xianshi's success indirectly promoted the birth and development of latecomers Yong'an, Daxin and Xinxin Department Stores, making important contributions to the prosperity of modern Chinese commerce.
From a business perspective, Zhu Chuanren admired everything Xian Shi had done, and even more admired the Ma family as a person.
But if we open a company to compete with it, will both parties suffer?
Zhu Chuanren couldn't guarantee this.
But since Zhu Chuanjie wants to give it a try, Zhu Chuanren will definitely support it.
No one in his family is happier than him when his family is willing to make progress.
Of course, the cost of running a department store is quite high. Zhu Chuanren is worried about whether the company's funds are sufficient. After all, he has been using money to increase shipping efforts.
"Does the company have enough money?"
"I simply made a budget. If I buy a property, it will definitely not be enough, but if I rent it, it's not a big problem. After all, it's not a one-time investment."
"What's your budget?"
"200 million~"
"Where is the company's current funding?"
"It's about 370 million yuan, and 80 yuan of working capital has to be flowed out. But this is too extreme. Once there is any trouble, our capital chain will be easily broken."
Zhu Chuanjie learned many new words from Zhu Chuanren.
"If you are more generous, it would be 150 million, and the available funds would be 220 million?"
"Yes, it's enough. Only decoration will cost a lot of money in the beginning."
"Well, where are you going to buy the goods? Where are you going to buy them from?"
"Arrange buyers to purchase nationwide and globally. Smith's channels and Italian channels can all be used."
Zhu Chuanren tapped his fingers on the table:
"There is a question you have to think about. Should you move to a place farther away from Xianshi and carve up a piece of the market for each of you, or should you go near Xianshi and compete directly with the opponent!"
Zhu Chuanjie said without thinking:
"Nanjing Road is the best place to start a business. There is a huge flow of people there, and Xianshi Department Store has already brought the flow of people."
"How are you going to fight? A price war?"
"No, that is a way to harm others without benefiting oneself. My idea is very simple. Xian Shi's goal covers all people."
"And our department stores should target a group of people more accurately."
"for example?"
"High end!"
"We used the top luxury goods to snatch high-end customers away from Xianshi, forcing them to only engage in the low-end market. Over time, our brand style suddenly improved."
Zhu Chuanren's eyes lit up:
"Good boy, it seems you have a plan~"
"I've really been thinking about it for a while. If I don't want to know it clearly, I don't dare to tell you."
"What are you afraid of? We are brothers. Since you have the confidence, then go ahead and do it. It's only a few million, and we can afford to pay."
"If you say this, third brother, I'll let it go."
"Well, go ahead and do it. Let me give you a suggestion. You can add some catering in the department store. I mean high-end catering."
"FOOD?"
"Yes, catering is the best way to retain customers."
Zhu Chuanjie touched his chin and said thoughtfully:
"Brother, what you mean is to set aside a floor as a dining area, and then use the delicious food to attract customers. Now that they are here, they will not leave easily, and they will definitely want to wander around~"
"That's what it means. Put the sales area on the middle and lower floors, and put the dining and entertainment on the top floor, so that tourists who are tired from shopping can go upstairs to eat, drink and relax."
"I understand what you mean, brother. In this case, we will build at least five floors."
"Yes~"
If the current technology and materials did not allow it, he would even want to move the commercial plaza in future generations.
The essence is almost the same, but the commercial plaza also meets certain residential needs.
As we all know, whether a mall operates well depends on traffic. Only when the traffic is large enough can the mall be profitable!
Then after the operation of the mall has attracted enough traffic, the distribution of traffic is very critical.
First of all, the business formats of shopping malls are roughly divided into five types: lifestyle supermarkets, luxury goods, clothing, catering, and entertainment. The five business formats correspond to different groups of people.
Lifestyle supermarkets are usually on the ground floor.
Those who are satisfied with living at home are those who are over 35 years old. A large proportion of these people choose to go to the supermarket. They generally do not choose to buy low-frequency consumer goods such as jewelry or clothing. They are also less likely to go to entertainment and dining. Not big.
In this way, if the lifestyle supermarket is set up underground, these people can be diverted and "invalid traffic" can be prevented from entering other business areas.
Jewelry and clothing are mostly placed on the first or bottom floor.
As we all know, the first floor of a shopping mall is the only way to enter the shopping mall. The areas near the stairwell and elevator entrance are the areas with the largest traffic volume, and the rent is of course the highest.
This restricts the products sold by merchants on the first floor to high-margin, high-value items, which are generally low-frequency consumer goods (some shopping malls also have big-brand clothing stores on the first floor).
Similarly, the rent on the middle floor is lower than that on the first floor, and it is generally set up as a clothing area. First, people with direct intentions will take the initiative to go upstairs to buy.
Second, non-intentional people in the dining and entertainment areas can also see the clothing displays on each floor when going upstairs, which may also facilitate transactions.
Catering and entertainment are placed on the upper floors.
This type of target group is generally intended customers who want to go out for dining or entertainment. They are highly purposeful and don’t care how many floors of elevators they have to take.
At the same time, although high-rise catering and entertainment are high-frequency consumer goods, their gross profit margins and unit prices are low, so they can only choose high-rise buildings with lower rents.
In fact, it is not the purpose of the mall to let consumers go to the mall to eat and have entertainment. The purpose is to let consumers visit the jewelry stores and clothing stores on the first and middle floors of the mall before dining and entertainment.
Catering and entertainment are just the "drainage products" of shopping malls.
The so-called traffic-draining products are products that exchange profits or convenience for traffic.
Attract traffic through diversion products, and then make money through other profitable products.
The 1 yuan a can of Coke in the supermarket is also a traffic attractant.
When consumers rush to the supermarket for this cheap can of Coke, in addition to Coke, they grab a bucket of oil, two liters of milk, three packs of frozen dumplings and countless snacks. The supermarket's sales are naturally driven by Coke, a product that attracts attention. Went up.
For merchants, "draining products + profit products" is a required course in designing product portfolios.
If the traffic-draining products are successful, not only can they become popular items, but they can also enhance the company's reputation and increase the overall sales in the store!
What characteristics does a traffic-draining product have, and how should it be created?
Common traffic-draining products, in addition to the cola, catering, and entertainment mentioned above, also include products such as paper towels, shampoo, and facial masks.
These products have the characteristics of high frequency use, rigid demand, and popularity, which are also the characteristics of traffic-draining products.
If you want to create a traffic-draining product, the most important thing is low cost, which can be understood as the low production cost of the product itself.
But it does not completely mean that the price is low. It mainly considers the difference between input and output.
For example, the meatballs costing more than ten yuan a portion make people queue up every day; the milk tea costing more than ten yuan a cup.
In fact, from a certain perspective, making milk tea is also a money-making tool.
Of course, the main purpose of creating milk tea is not to make money, but to attract traffic.
Think about it, there is a long queue in front of the milk tea shop. Even if these people do not go to other stores to consume, as long as they stand there, it is a natural traffic diversion tool. Curious people passing by will definitely stop and watch, satisfying their curiosity.
(End of this chapter)
"Yes, we are now doing all the road and bridge projects ourselves."
Zhu Chuanren sneered, there really was a mouse, this is interesting.
He asked himself whether he treated his subordinates well. He dared not say that high salary would support integrity. At least it would stop them from worrying about money.
But even so, there are still some people who are greedy, so don’t blame them for turning against others:
"Check! Check everyone!"
Of course, Zhu Chuanren knew that when the water was clear, there would be no fish. If it was just a small amount of money, he believed that Zhu Chuanjie would turn a blind eye. But since he can be so serious about fiddling with the abacus, it means one thing The discrepancy is by no means a small number.
"Is this going to be too big of a movement? Why don't we investigate it secretly first?"
"No, this matter must be caused in a big way. It is best for everyone to be in danger, so as to scare the monkeys."
Zhu Chuanjie nodded calmly:
"I know~"
"Everything else is okay?"
"There must be problems, just more or less."
"Well, they can take what they should take, but they can't take a penny from what they shouldn't take!"
"I know, Third Brother~"
"In the past few years, the warlords have been fighting, and the people have had a hard time making a living. The efficiency of the Wangwang Sugar Factory has begun to decline. You must be more vigilant and respond in advance~"
"Renhe Trading Co., Ltd. has not been greatly affected. The throughput of the terminal has not decreased but increased. A large part of the reason is that warlords from various places have increased their material purchases. Landing from the Magic City is the best choice."
Zhu Chuanren nodded:
"The terminals in the future will inevitably move towards the coast, so we can stock up on land in advance."
Zhu Chuanjie was stunned for a moment:
"coastal?"
"Correct!"
"Let me have someone inspect it. There is no foundation there. If we develop it, the financial pressure will be too great~"
"Of course we can't develop it ourselves. Let's hoard the land first. With the land in our hands, we have the initiative."
"Okay, I will put this matter on the agenda~"
Zhu Chuanren stood up, looked out the window at the busy Huangpu River, and couldn't help but say:
"In another 100 years, this will be the most prosperous place in China!"
Zhu Chuanjie couldn't see that far, so he smiled bitterly:
"Whenever we stop fighting, I will be content."
"Haha, there will be such a day~"
Zhu Chuanjie laughed twice, suddenly remembered something, and turned to say:
"By the way, brother, there was a banquet held in the hotel downstairs a while ago. It was hosted by Xianshi Department Store, and their own employees were invited to celebrate together."
"Xian Shi Department Store?"
"Yes~"
"Have you talked to them?"
"Have a brief chat, isn't it because you are not here? The Ma family is quite powerful in the Magic City, so we have to give them this face."
"Oh, what do you think?"
"I think department stores are quite profitable. Although Xianshi Department Store is the overlord of the department store industry in Magic City, the Magic City market is huge, and Xianshi Department Store is not enough to win the entire market."
"You want to do department store?"
"I think I can give it a try. This is my old profession, brother!" Zhu Chuanjie's joke brought back Zhu Chuanren's memories from more than ten years ago.
Yes, Zhu Chuanjie was an apprentice in a warehouse. To a certain extent, warehouses are similar to department stores. This is indeed something Zhu Chuanjie is good at.
And department stores are indeed profitable.
The four major department stores on Nanjing Road, Xianshi, Yongan, Xinxin and Daxin, were not only synonymous with fashion, but also demonstrated the miracle of commercial prosperity in the modern magic city.
Can we add 'Ren He' now?
Zhu Chuanren fell into deep thought, thinking about the feasibility of this matter.
It can be said that it was the numerous innovations launched by these four major department stores that completely overturned the traditional business structure and started the modernization process of China's department store industry.
It is worth mentioning that these four companies were all founded by people from Xiangshan, Guangdong Province, and the founders all made their fortunes while working in Australia.
Among them, Xianshi Company is undoubtedly the leader.
In August 1914, a limousine drove up Nanjing Road, with Australian overseas Chinese Ma Hardbiao sitting in the car. His eyes were looking for Nanjing Road where there were many shops.
Finally, the car parked next to the Yi An Ju Teahouse located in the Risheng Tower area.
Here, it is located at a crossroads, with direct access to the train station to the north, which can attract tourists from out of town, and close to the residential areas of wealthy people to the south.
Coincidentally, Huang Huanan, who was sent to Shanghai by Ma Hardbiao to inspect the investment environment, also happened to be targeting this location.
During Ma Hardbiao's childhood, China was in turmoil. It was in an era when imperialist powers invaded one after another and became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country.
Rural areas along the coast have suffered from the bankruptcy of small farmers and years of war. Many people have had to cross the ocean to make a living overseas.
At the end of the 19th century, 17-year-old Ma Jibiao said goodbye to his mother and rushed to Australia with the gold rush, only to find that the gold rush had died down.
At that time, many people from Xiangshan made a living by growing vegetables in Australia.
In order to make a living, Ma Hardbiao, who was in a foreign country, also started a vegetable growing career.
But no one expected that Ma Hardbiao's choice would allow him to discover and reveal his business talent.
At that time, the Chinese who made a living by growing vegetables in Australia did not understand English and could not communicate with the locals. Therefore, the fruits and vegetables they worked so hard to grow were bought by white people at a low price.
This greatly hurt Ma Hardbiao. He was determined to learn English and was even willing to work for a British boss without receiving a salary.
By working as a free assistant for his boss, Ma Hardbiao not only mastered English proficiently, but also mastered the operation of the fruit and vegetable market.
He wrote the name and price of the goods in English on his stall, guaranteeing a consistent price, and his business took off immediately.
Local Chinese vegetable farmers entrusted him with selling fruits and vegetables, and the Chinese shops nearby also entrusted him with fruits and vegetables as an agent, and then took a commission in proportion. This made Ma Hardbiao's business gradually expand.
As the business expanded, in 1890, Ma Hardbiao and several fellow villagers founded the "Yongsheng Fruit Bar" in Sydney, Australia's largest city, to operate the fruit and vegetable trade between Australia and Hong Kong.
At the same time, he established a production base and used Xiangshan "Xiangya Plantain" seeds mailed from his hometown to grow bananas specifically in Fiji.
The ripe "Xiangya Plantain" has a sweet and smooth taste. After being shipped to Australia, it was loved by the locals and sold for a higher price.
This business opportunity was quickly seized by a group of overseas Chinese in Xiangshan, including Ma Hardbiao, who set up a series of "fruit bars" selling banana wholesale in Chinatown.
In order to expand the banana business as much as possible, Ma Hardbiao and Guo Le, who later founded Yongan Company in Shanghai, joined forces with another fruit shop called "Yongtai Fruit Bar" to form a new company "Shengantai".
Sheng Antai had abundant funds, and Ma Hardbiao and others were well-run, and they soon monopolized the entire banana market in Sydney.
At that time, Sheng Antai could earn 4 pounds a year (1 pound at that time was equivalent to 1.5 pounds today), which was enough to buy the entire Chinatown in Sydney.
Soon Ma Jiabiao became a famous overseas Chinese businessman in Sydney.
At this time, he and his cousins would pass by the famous David Jones department store in Australia every day when they were commuting to get off work. This made them very jealous, and they made a vow at that time: when they made the first pot of gold, they would return to China and start a business immediately. A department store like this.
Later, when Ma Jiabiao returned to Hong Kong to arrange for her wedding, in order to buy various wedding supplies, she often bought clothes here and shoes there, running around all day long, which was very inconvenient.
At this time, Ma Hardbiao remembered the department store he passed by when he was working in Australia. As soon as he entered the door, he could get all the necessary items without having to search all over the world.
His wife, with her unique acumen, felt that this was a very good business opportunity.
Therefore, Ma Yingbiao, who had accumulated a large amount of capital, and with the encouragement of his wife, took the lead in establishing Xianshi Department Store in Hong Kong in 1900.
After Xianshi Department Store opened in Xiangjiang, it quickly achieved impressive results.
Two years later, Ma Hardbiao, who had a lot of money, opened the Guangdong Xianshi Department Store in Guangdong Province, and then set his sights on the rapidly developing Shanghai.
He appointed Huang Huanan to go to Shanghai to inspect the investment environment and select a location for Xianshi Company.
After Huang Huanan arrived in the capital, he inspected the concession and ordered his entourage to go to several intersections of Nanjing Road, the busiest area in the capital at that time, to observe the flow of people by counting beans.
Based on the investigation results, it is recommended that Xianshi Company be built in the Rishenglou area of Nanjing Road.
After Ma Hardbiao made an on-site inspection, he happily agreed and soon started construction of the building.
On October 1917, 10, after three years of construction, the mystery of this five-story building (later changed to seven stories) on Nanjing Road was finally lifted.
This was the tallest building on Nanjing Road at the time and the first large-scale department store founded by a Chinese in Shanghai.
On the day the company opened, citizens of Magic City who loved novelty flocked to the company.
Because there were so many people arriving, the entire Nanjing Road was blocked.
At the beginning of the 20th century, both sides of Nanjing Road were paved with ironclad wood. Most of the shops opened by the Chinese were small workshop-style shops with low old-style wooden buildings and narrow pavements. Although there were a lot of them, the goods were messy and the prices were high. random.
Its scale and shopping experience cannot be compared with the British department stores such as Foley and Huiluo not far away.
Ma Hardbiao saw the huge market for opening Chinese-funded department stores in Shanghai, and was very dissatisfied with the British department stores occupying Shanghai.
He said: "If you don't set up a big company urgently, it won't be enough to compete with it."
The Xianshi Department Store that Ma Hardbiao pursues is completely different from the previous Huaxia stores. What he wants is scale.
He leased 3 acres of land in the area of Yi'anju Tea House from the owner Leishide Foreign Company on the harsh terms of "an annual rent of 30 taels of silver and a lease term of 10 years."
To build Xianshi Department Store, it is planned to raise NT$60 through IPO, of which the Xiangjiang headquarters will initially allocate 1/10 of the shares, and will conduct public IPOs in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangdong.
Due to the huge project size, it was decided to increase shares again, but some people expressed opposition.
Huang Huanan stood up and said: "If you refuse, you will lose the enthusiasm of the shareholders, and you will have no shares to respond to the suffering. After repeated consideration, the more capital you have, the more credit you will have, and the bigger the business will be, the easier it will be to develop. Instead of losing the shareholders, I am so enthusiastic that I can't help but expand the share capital." So he decided to increase the total amount by 200 million yuan.
After the IPO was completed, Xianshi Department Store established a board of directors in Shanghai, with Ma Jibiao as chairman and supervisor, and Huang Huanan as director and first general manager.
Ma Hardbiao's business methods are very Westernized and he is well versed in the art of packaging and facade. He spent most of the funds raised on the decoration of the company.
The new Xianshi Company was designed by Dehe Yang Company. The entire building has a Baroque style, and the facade adopts a three-section classical treatment. The ground floor has an arcade-style verandah along the street, and there are large display windows in the verandah;
Ionic columns are used between the second and third floors to support the arc-shaped eaves above the third floor.
The fourth floor is a cast iron balcony.
The highest floor at the southeast corner of the building is the "Moxing Tower" tower that is the landscape symbol of Nanjing Road Commercial Street.
The entire building has a construction area of 3 square meters and a shopping mall area of 1 square meters. The interior decoration is gorgeous and it even leads the trend by installing heating equipment.
As a large-scale retail complex, Xianshi Company sells daily necessities, men's and women's clothing, cultural supplies, silk fabrics, jewelry, watches and clocks, tableware, sanitary ware, furniture, carpets, luggage, etc. There are more than 1 products in total.
This is beyond the reach of any traditional store, even the British-owned companies such as Foley and Huiluo that dominate Shanghai.
The reason why Ma Hardbiao named the company "Xian Shi" is said to be taken from the sentence "Xian Shi Yi Yi Cheng" in "The Doctrine of the Mean".
Honesty and no deception have been his life-long credo, so no matter what measures he takes in business, they are inseparable from his purpose of "treating people with sincerity and building a career with sincerity".
For a long time, Chinese people have been accustomed to the business model of "asking for high prices and bargaining on the spot". The prices of goods sold in stores are never clearly marked.
Ma Hardbiao dared to be the first to do so. He wrote in big words on the pillar in front of Xianshi Shopping Mall, "The original price is the same, and the reputation for integrity is far-reaching." He used clear price tags to subvert the vague and ambiguous traditional distribution methods in business operations.
In addition, since ancient times, our country's businesses have often been advertised as "this is the only one". There are no counters, shelves, or goods specially set up for customers, and customers are not allowed to enter and choose.
First, bold reforms were carried out, and with the purpose of "comprehensive department store, all-inclusive", the business structure achieved a breakthrough for the first time. Large glass cabinets were installed in the spacious shopping mall, and 24 shopping malls had tens of thousands of products, allowing customers to browse and purchase freely. .
Xianshi Company is also the first merchant in Shanghai to issue invoices to customers.
If the customer finds that the purchased product has quality problems or does not like it, he or she can bring the invoice to the company for replacement.
In terms of business scope, Xianshi Company is the first store to use the slogan of "Global Department Store". It sends dedicated personnel to purchase the latest fashion products globally and provides customers with the latest mid-to-high-end products from all over the world.
Before the establishment of Xianshi Company, the department store industry in Shanghai was dominated by British-owned department stores, and its customers were mainly foreigners and Chinese celebrities in Shanghai.
They publicly declare that they do not sell Chinese goods and small commodities, and there is an Indian patrol guard at the door.
Xianshi Department Store went in the opposite direction, targeting Chinese and foreigners from all walks of life.
No matter whether you are a socialite or an ordinary person, you can feel like you are "being treated as God" here.
While distributing imported and foreign goods, it also distributes domestic goods with good quality and relatively cheap prices. It even combines some defective and squeezed goods into packages worth 1 yuan for anyone to buy.
Thanks to the implementation of a new marketing strategy, Xianshi Company quickly won the favor of consumers and a good reputation, and its business is booming.
In order to make shopping easier for female customers, Xianshi Company plans to recruit female salespersons in Shanghai.
Unfortunately, due to the influence of feudal consciousness, the recruitment notice was posted for more than a month, but no one dared to apply.
At this time, the proprietress personally went into battle and led the two girls to appear at the company's cosmetics counter for the first time.
She is not only dignified in appearance, but also good at rhetoric, familiar with the performance of goods, and able to deal with customers. She is very popular among male and female customers.
For a time, the story of "three women on the same stage" spread throughout the city.
The company's business has become more prosperous, and its operating income has doubled.
Xianshi Company is not only a department store, but also an amusement park. The entire department store includes high-end restaurants, tea rooms, bathhouses, cinemas, theaters, ice rinks, luxury hotels, top-floor amusement parks and other facilities. This is truly an unprecedented innovation.
On the opening day, the rooftop paradise, Yudechi bathroom, hair salon, East Asia hotel and luxury restaurant attached to Xianshi Department Store were opened at the same time.
Movies, vaudeville, Ningbo beach opera, Shaoxing opera, Beijing opera, magicians... all kinds of tricks are available.
Taking Xianshi Paradise as an example, there are Western European movies, songs and dances, as well as folk arts and drama performances. There are many varieties and rich programs, but only one ticket is required for entry, so you can enjoy it at will.
It seems that they are just side businesses of Xianshi Company, but they have made Xianshi flourish.
Ma Hard Biao boldly bundles and supports entertainment, catering, hotels and commerce, turning the shopping mall into a social center.
As soon as citizens step into Xianshi Department Store, they can not only realize one-stop shopping elegantly and calmly, but also integrate eating, drinking and entertainment to meet the needs of citizens at all levels.
As a result, many customers even lingered after entering Xianshi, and even did not return home for several days.
Creatively combining hotels, entertainment centers and department store retail business support - this monopoly business model of commercial complexes (used by later shopping malls) completely subverted the traditional business in the past and triggered a revolution in domestic business. , Xianshi attracted customers who flocked from all directions.
Xianshi's operators know that the success or failure of a company depends not only on hardware, but also on the quality of its employees.
Since we are openly selling "Global Department Store", most of the products we come into contact with and sell are imported, and the customers include compatriots and foreigners. This requires that the sales staff must be trained, understand English, Cantonese and Shanghai dialect, and be familiar with the products sold. .
In order to improve the quality of employees and create a good development environment for employees, Xianshi Company not only provides long-term English, abacus and other remedial training courses internally, but also provides one-hour classes to train employees every Tuesday and Friday night after the business is closed, which greatly improves the quality of employees. The professional level of employees.
Ma Hardbiao also took the lead in implementing one-day off per week for employees in Shanghai, and hired full-time laundry workers and barbers to provide regular services to employees.
Refreshing drinks are also provided to employees on hot days.
At the same time, doctors are hired to diagnose employees all year round at no charge.If employees perform well, give them a raise.
Those who have received salary increases for three consecutive years, and if their performance continues to rise in the fourth year, can become shareholders and enjoy the company's year-end dividends.
These measures not only ensure Xianshi's own development, but also greatly stimulate employees' dedication and cultivate their loyalty to the company.
Xianshi Department Store has set many firsts in the industry, created a novel business model, and started the modernization process of China's department store industry.
And Ma Hardbiao, who was the first to eat department store "crabs" in China, finally got rich returns. In the second year after the company opened, its turnover reached 439 million yuan, and it reaped a return equivalent to twice the investment.
When operating a department store, a stable and reliable supply chain is very important.
For example, Qiulin Department Store in the Northeast relied on the supply chain of the Far East and the combination of local production and sales to survive the business shortage.
After the opening of the Xian Shi Department Store branch in Guangdong Province and the completion of preparations for the opening of the new building in Xiangjiang, the First World War broke out, and the supply of goods from Australia, Europe and the United States was not guaranteed.
Coupled with the impact of the war, transportation difficulties, freight and insurance premiums increased, which led to a business shortage in Xianshi.
Xianshi's solution is to replace European and American goods with Japanese goods and increase the proportion of self-produced goods.
Xianshi sent people to Neon to cooperate with local manufacturers, mainly imitating the styles, colors, and reasonable prices of products from European and American countries. Trademarks, factory names, origins, and markings were all handled flexibly.
Brands that do not originally indicate neon manufacturing do not need to be changed. Trademarks with patterns or no obvious neon colors can be used as they are. If the factory name is originally in Japanese, it should be changed to the abbreviation of English letters to NH&CO. or the like.
In short, it is only required that it is not obvious that it is made of neon. At this time, Japanese brand products do not have a good reputation, are of poor quality and are not durable.
At the same time, Ma Hardbiao opened supporting processing plants such as cosmetics factory, soda water factory, leather shoe factory, biscuit and candy factory, glass factory, and wooden box factory in Guangdong Province to solve the supply problem of commodities in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.
Merchandise purchases are based on customer demand.
Ma Hardbiao does not advocate that department stores carry all types of goods. He believes that doing so will divert manpower and material resources, so Xianshi operates based on the objective environment and customer characteristics.
Every month, Xianshi sends employees to Europe and other places to purchase the latest fashion clothing and food products from the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the United States, so that wealthy people can buy various products that are in sync with world trends in Xianshi Department Store.
In addition to overseas products, Xianshi also has products produced by its own factory, such as Xianshi soda, Xianshi toothpaste, snowflake lamb, soap, soap, toilet water, as well as deer brand sweaters from Guangdong Province, Zhou Yixing bicycle brand sweaters, and Zhou Zhongya lanterns. Dan brand sweaters, Feng Qiang rubber shoes, etc.
In summer, a cold drink department is also set up in the sales floor, selling self-produced fresh soybean milk and soda.
In addition, Xianshi Department Store has also set up China's first "one dollar store", which combines some defective and squeezed products into packages worth one yuan for anyone to purchase, taking into account the needs of ordinary consumer groups.
In later generations, global shopping and special offers are still important means for department stores to attract customers.
Of course, the methods mentioned above, including invoices, are also very groundbreaking.
Before the 20th century, the traditional transaction method of Chinese companies was to negotiate prices on the spot, and the prices of goods in stores were never clearly marked. Buyers and sellers "asked for high prices and paid back on the spot."
For single-store operators of Huaxia merchants, there are fewer products, fewer customers, and fewer employees. Price changes are also easy to remember. It is easy for the boss to control employees and prices, and the operating cost of negotiated sales is low.
For department stores with many types of goods, many customers, and many employees, multiple sales prices are inconvenient for employees to remember and financial accounting, but increase the overall management cost.
Xianshi Department Store adheres to the "no second price" principle, so customers don't have to worry about overpriced items, and it also reduces store management costs.
In the process of implementing clear price tags, Xianshi Department Store was the first to provide invoices to shoppers, so that if the goods are damaged or the buyer does not like them, they can return or exchange them based on the price tag, which enhances customers' understanding of the goods and the Department store trust.
Coupled with the diverse entertainment facilities to attract tourists, the rooftop playground is a tool for attracting fans.
Xianshi is equipped with an "elevator" to attract tourists' curiosity and make them want to try it out. In addition, Xianshi Playground has variety shows every night from [-] to [-] pm, usually including movies, Cantonese opera, acrobatics, magic and dance. Wait, the program is rich and deeply loved by the audience.
Whenever night falls and the lanterns are turned on, there is an endless stream of spectators.
Especially in summer and autumn, the amusement park is a good place to cool off and cool down. The admission tickets alone become a considerable amount of income for Xianshi Department Store.
Gift certificates – the precursor to prepaid cards.
In order to attract customers and expand retail revenue, they first printed and sold a large number of "gift certificates" to customers who wanted to give gifts but didn't know what to give. They used gift certificates to give gifts, and the recipients used the denomination of the "gift certificates" to purchase the goods they needed. .
The so-called Tongtian means that you can use local currency to purchase any product at Xianshi Company in places such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Lisboa and Guangdong Province.
Gift certificates do not bear interest, are not registered, and do not recognize the person who recognizes the certificate.
In this way, "gift certificates" can also play a role in promoting the company's business operations, and more importantly, they can absorb a group of interest-free funds from the society.
To this end, Xianshi issued "food coupons" internally, with a denomination of five yuan each, exclusively for employees to purchase goods in the company.
If the salary paid to employees in each period is more than five yuan, "grain coupons" will be issued in lieu of cash. The "grain coupons" can be exchanged for cash at any time in any department of the company without losing value.
In this way, the purchasing power of employees is transformed into the first-hand products, and the purpose of interest-free financing is achieved.
Before Xianshi, there were only salesmen in gray gowns at the Huaxia store. However, when Xianshi opened in Xiangjiang, it introduced the first batch of female shop assistants in Huaxia, which caused a sensation in Xiangjiang. People came to see the female shop assistants selling and caused traffic jams. .
Ma Hardbiao had to ask the Hong Kong Governor to send police to divert traffic.
But people came from all over the country to watch every day, and the traffic problem could not be solved. In the end, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs in Hong Kong asked Ma Hard-Biao to fire the female shop assistant on the grounds that it was "incompatible with Chinese customs and habits."
When Xianshi Modu Company first opened, Mrs. Ma Yingbiao personally took the initiative and led two sisters-in-law to work with her as sales assistants in the cosmetics department.
These three women are dignified in manners, good at speaking, and familiar with the properties of goods. They are very popular among male and female customers, attracting people to come one after another to see the service of the saleswomen.
Early saleswomen were initially assigned to positions similar to the cosmetics counter, where they could try out cosmetics.
In order to sell perfume, the saleswoman would put a large perfume bottle on the counter. When a customer walked by, she would spray it a few times to attract the attention of ladies and gentlemen.
Later generations improved on this approach and launched "fragrance marketing".
The departmental assessment system is also pioneered by Xianshi. The sales department is equipped with a deputy director and a part-time bookkeeper, and the counter is equipped with a counter manager, salesperson, and clerk.
The minister is responsible for the overall business of the department, participates in the company's business meetings and purchase meetings, and proposes purchase plans according to the fund turnover range approved by the department.
For products that are popular seasonally or at specific times, such as Christmas gifts and school textbooks, funds can be used flexibly according to ordering needs.
The deputy minister is responsible for investigating market prices and supply and sales conditions, and formulating selling prices for discussion.
Part-time bookkeepers regularly check the goods accounts with the warehouse. If there are unsalable or defective goods, they can provide information at any time and ask the minister to consider handling them. They rarely wait for centralized resolution.
Special meetings on service attitude are held every month to ensure service quality. At the same time, business meetings are held from time to time to study methods of promoting products.
In addition, goods are strictly managed. Regardless of the amount of goods sold at each counter, duplicate invoices are used. A cashier's office is set up. The counter and cashier's office reconcile daily to prevent errors.
A part-time bookkeeper at the counter visits the warehouse regularly to check inventory.
On the other hand, there are many products to be displayed on the counter, but the display area of the counter is limited, so only a few samples of each product can be taken out. The samples are marked with hang tags with the product number and selling price. The samples are reserved for display and are usually not sold.
If the sample is sold, the tag will be left on display for timely replenishment.
Special accounts are set up at the counter and warehouses are checked, and a perpetual inventory system is implemented to detect errors in a timely manner, prevent the backlog of goods, and reduce losses.
Newly recruited employees must undergo short-term pre-job training, including: customer courtesy, product knowledge, packaging methods, display knowledge, product storage, etc.
Any employee who has worked for one and a half to two years will have the opportunity for a salary increase or promotion, and will be gradually promoted from apprentice, trainee salesperson, salesperson, deputy cabinet manager, cabinet manager, deputy director, and director.
Employees who perform well and have been employed for four years can become current shareholders and enjoy the company's year-end dividends.
The company has a three-day holiday every year during the Lunar New Year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the manager and deputy manager summon all employees of the company one by one to verbally evaluate each employee's performance over the past year and give each employee a letter.
The contents are: encouragement, salary increase, promotion, criticism, and dismissal.Those who received encouragement, promotion, or salary increase would have different amounts of bonus attached to the letter.
The company also has full-time laundry workers, barbers and perennial doctors who regularly wash coats, give haircuts and diagnose illnesses for employees at no charge.
Xianshi Department Store can be called the pioneer and enlightener of China's department store industry in terms of supply chain management, marketing and department store management system construction.
At the same time, Xianshi's success indirectly promoted the birth and development of latecomers Yong'an, Daxin and Xinxin Department Stores, making important contributions to the prosperity of modern Chinese commerce.
From a business perspective, Zhu Chuanren admired everything Xian Shi had done, and even more admired the Ma family as a person.
But if we open a company to compete with it, will both parties suffer?
Zhu Chuanren couldn't guarantee this.
But since Zhu Chuanjie wants to give it a try, Zhu Chuanren will definitely support it.
No one in his family is happier than him when his family is willing to make progress.
Of course, the cost of running a department store is quite high. Zhu Chuanren is worried about whether the company's funds are sufficient. After all, he has been using money to increase shipping efforts.
"Does the company have enough money?"
"I simply made a budget. If I buy a property, it will definitely not be enough, but if I rent it, it's not a big problem. After all, it's not a one-time investment."
"What's your budget?"
"200 million~"
"Where is the company's current funding?"
"It's about 370 million yuan, and 80 yuan of working capital has to be flowed out. But this is too extreme. Once there is any trouble, our capital chain will be easily broken."
Zhu Chuanjie learned many new words from Zhu Chuanren.
"If you are more generous, it would be 150 million, and the available funds would be 220 million?"
"Yes, it's enough. Only decoration will cost a lot of money in the beginning."
"Well, where are you going to buy the goods? Where are you going to buy them from?"
"Arrange buyers to purchase nationwide and globally. Smith's channels and Italian channels can all be used."
Zhu Chuanren tapped his fingers on the table:
"There is a question you have to think about. Should you move to a place farther away from Xianshi and carve up a piece of the market for each of you, or should you go near Xianshi and compete directly with the opponent!"
Zhu Chuanjie said without thinking:
"Nanjing Road is the best place to start a business. There is a huge flow of people there, and Xianshi Department Store has already brought the flow of people."
"How are you going to fight? A price war?"
"No, that is a way to harm others without benefiting oneself. My idea is very simple. Xian Shi's goal covers all people."
"And our department stores should target a group of people more accurately."
"for example?"
"High end!"
"We used the top luxury goods to snatch high-end customers away from Xianshi, forcing them to only engage in the low-end market. Over time, our brand style suddenly improved."
Zhu Chuanren's eyes lit up:
"Good boy, it seems you have a plan~"
"I've really been thinking about it for a while. If I don't want to know it clearly, I don't dare to tell you."
"What are you afraid of? We are brothers. Since you have the confidence, then go ahead and do it. It's only a few million, and we can afford to pay."
"If you say this, third brother, I'll let it go."
"Well, go ahead and do it. Let me give you a suggestion. You can add some catering in the department store. I mean high-end catering."
"FOOD?"
"Yes, catering is the best way to retain customers."
Zhu Chuanjie touched his chin and said thoughtfully:
"Brother, what you mean is to set aside a floor as a dining area, and then use the delicious food to attract customers. Now that they are here, they will not leave easily, and they will definitely want to wander around~"
"That's what it means. Put the sales area on the middle and lower floors, and put the dining and entertainment on the top floor, so that tourists who are tired from shopping can go upstairs to eat, drink and relax."
"I understand what you mean, brother. In this case, we will build at least five floors."
"Yes~"
If the current technology and materials did not allow it, he would even want to move the commercial plaza in future generations.
The essence is almost the same, but the commercial plaza also meets certain residential needs.
As we all know, whether a mall operates well depends on traffic. Only when the traffic is large enough can the mall be profitable!
Then after the operation of the mall has attracted enough traffic, the distribution of traffic is very critical.
First of all, the business formats of shopping malls are roughly divided into five types: lifestyle supermarkets, luxury goods, clothing, catering, and entertainment. The five business formats correspond to different groups of people.
Lifestyle supermarkets are usually on the ground floor.
Those who are satisfied with living at home are those who are over 35 years old. A large proportion of these people choose to go to the supermarket. They generally do not choose to buy low-frequency consumer goods such as jewelry or clothing. They are also less likely to go to entertainment and dining. Not big.
In this way, if the lifestyle supermarket is set up underground, these people can be diverted and "invalid traffic" can be prevented from entering other business areas.
Jewelry and clothing are mostly placed on the first or bottom floor.
As we all know, the first floor of a shopping mall is the only way to enter the shopping mall. The areas near the stairwell and elevator entrance are the areas with the largest traffic volume, and the rent is of course the highest.
This restricts the products sold by merchants on the first floor to high-margin, high-value items, which are generally low-frequency consumer goods (some shopping malls also have big-brand clothing stores on the first floor).
Similarly, the rent on the middle floor is lower than that on the first floor, and it is generally set up as a clothing area. First, people with direct intentions will take the initiative to go upstairs to buy.
Second, non-intentional people in the dining and entertainment areas can also see the clothing displays on each floor when going upstairs, which may also facilitate transactions.
Catering and entertainment are placed on the upper floors.
This type of target group is generally intended customers who want to go out for dining or entertainment. They are highly purposeful and don’t care how many floors of elevators they have to take.
At the same time, although high-rise catering and entertainment are high-frequency consumer goods, their gross profit margins and unit prices are low, so they can only choose high-rise buildings with lower rents.
In fact, it is not the purpose of the mall to let consumers go to the mall to eat and have entertainment. The purpose is to let consumers visit the jewelry stores and clothing stores on the first and middle floors of the mall before dining and entertainment.
Catering and entertainment are just the "drainage products" of shopping malls.
The so-called traffic-draining products are products that exchange profits or convenience for traffic.
Attract traffic through diversion products, and then make money through other profitable products.
The 1 yuan a can of Coke in the supermarket is also a traffic attractant.
When consumers rush to the supermarket for this cheap can of Coke, in addition to Coke, they grab a bucket of oil, two liters of milk, three packs of frozen dumplings and countless snacks. The supermarket's sales are naturally driven by Coke, a product that attracts attention. Went up.
For merchants, "draining products + profit products" is a required course in designing product portfolios.
If the traffic-draining products are successful, not only can they become popular items, but they can also enhance the company's reputation and increase the overall sales in the store!
What characteristics does a traffic-draining product have, and how should it be created?
Common traffic-draining products, in addition to the cola, catering, and entertainment mentioned above, also include products such as paper towels, shampoo, and facial masks.
These products have the characteristics of high frequency use, rigid demand, and popularity, which are also the characteristics of traffic-draining products.
If you want to create a traffic-draining product, the most important thing is low cost, which can be understood as the low production cost of the product itself.
But it does not completely mean that the price is low. It mainly considers the difference between input and output.
For example, the meatballs costing more than ten yuan a portion make people queue up every day; the milk tea costing more than ten yuan a cup.
In fact, from a certain perspective, making milk tea is also a money-making tool.
Of course, the main purpose of creating milk tea is not to make money, but to attract traffic.
Think about it, there is a long queue in front of the milk tea shop. Even if these people do not go to other stores to consume, as long as they stand there, it is a natural traffic diversion tool. Curious people passing by will definitely stop and watch, satisfying their curiosity.
(End of this chapter)
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