Chapter 65: Competition (Part 3)

At 6:30 in the morning, Li Dong set off for the bus station.

Sitting on the bus, he couldn't help but think: Maybe it's time to buy a car? Whether it's returning from Pingchuan to Dongping or inspecting branch stores, not having a car is quite inconvenient.

Just like now, being the CEO and still needing to catch a bus to the Qingyang branch—if people saw him, they would surely laugh at him.

...

At the bus station, Xie Hong was there to pick up Li Dong.

Xie Hong had his own car, a Volkswagen. Although it wasn't expensive, it was still a car.

Seeing Li Dong getting off the bus, Xie Hong wanted to say something but hesitated.

Noticing Xie Hong's smirk, clearly trying not to laugh, Li Dong said irritably, "Can't you understand that I'm being frugal? We need money for development in the distant areas. If I don't set a good example, how will you all know how to avoid waste?"

Xie Hong quickly nodded, feigning agreement.

Since Xie Hong wasn't very familiar with Li Dong and he was his direct superior, Xie Hong didn't dare to joke around.

Li Dong was quite annoyed. He regretted not bringing Sun Tao's Audi. It would have at least helped maintain some dignity. Now it was really quite embarrassing.

...

The Qingyang bus station was not too far from the Distant Branch Qingyang store—about a ten-minute drive.

With little conversation, the two arrived quickly at the Qingyang branch.

The new store in Qingyang was the largest among the four branches, with a total area even larger than Dongping's. The usable area across two floors was nearly 3,000 square meters.

When Li Dong got out of the car, he checked the time. It was 7:50. The opening time was set for 8:08, so there were just a few minutes left.

Xie Hong led Li Dong into the store. For the opening day, Xie Hong had creatively arranged for several attractive employees to wear red cheongsams and serve as greeters at the entrance.

Seeing the store manager accompanying Li Dong into the store, the greeters looked somewhat curious.

Noticing this, Xie Hong cursed inwardly and quickly instructed, "Mr. Li is here to preside over the branch opening. Don't you know to greet him properly?"

Realizing it was the big boss, the greeters quickly greeted, "Hello, Mr. Li!"

Li Dong nodded. He had been minimally involved in the hiring of staff at the branches, and this was his first time meeting the store manager, let alone these employees.

Several employees at the store entrance were arranging flower baskets. Li Dong took a quick glance and saw Wang Yunqing's name on one of them.

Li Dong wasn't surprised that Wang Yunqing sent a flower basket. Wang Yunqing had called him earlier on the bus.

What did surprise him was that Longhua Group also sent a flower basket. That was unexpected.

His relationship with Longhua Group was merely that of tenant and landlord. While it was acceptable for Wang Yunqing to send a flower basket privately, it was quite considerate for Longhua Group to send one officially.

After all, compared to Longhua, Distant Branch was still a fledgling and unlikely to be noticed by such a large group.

Seeing Li Dong staring at the oversized flower basket from Longhua Group, Xie Hong quickly explained, "This was sent by the Longhua office this morning. The basket was delivered and then they left."

Li Dong nodded, not saying much more, but mentally noted the gesture.

Entering the store, Xie Hong asked, "Mr. Li, should we call a staff meeting?"

Li Dong glanced at the clock again. It was almost eight. He replied, "No need for that. I'll just look around."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young woman in her mid-twenties, wearing the Distant Branch staff uniform, ran up to them.

Without stopping, she addressed Xie Hong urgently, "Store Manager, we have a problem!"

Seeing one of his employees acting out of turn in front of the boss, Xie Hong felt it was embarrassing and immediately scolded, "What's the hurry? If there's something wrong, speak slowly. Can't you see Mr. Li is here?"

Turning to Li Dong, Xie Hong explained, "This is Assistant Chen Jia. She's new and doesn't understand the rules yet."

Li Dong chuckled. The whole store was new, so naturally, the employees were too.

He didn't laugh at Xie Hong but asked, "Assistant Chen, what's the problem?"

Chen Jia realized that the young man before her was Mr. Li and felt a bit nervous about her earlier outburst. Seeing Li Dong's calm demeanor, she felt slightly relieved.

After catching her breath, Chen Jia said, "I just passed by Yonghui and Century Lianhua. Both are having big promotions today. Spend 100—get 5% off, spend 1000—get 12% off!"

As soon as Chen Jia finished, both Li Dong and Xie Hong's expressions changed.

Xie Hong was particularly agitated, exclaiming, "Shameless! Holding a promotion without any occasion, clearly targeting us!"

Li Dong's face was somewhat grim but gradually relaxed as he responded calmly, "Whether they hold promotions or not is their business. But we can't let them mess up our opening day."

The first day was crucial for making a strong impression. If the response was mediocre, it would be difficult to turn things around later.

"We're also offering discounts for our opening. They don't have an advantage in terms of price…" Xie Hong began but didn't finish.

While the prices were comparable, the difference in reputation and popularity was significant.

Those two stores had been open for one or two years, and their customer base and reputation were already established.

With Distant Branch just starting out, its only price advantage was neutralized by these promotions. This put Distant Branch at a disadvantage.

Under equal pricing, consumers would naturally prefer the established brands, just as Li Dong had easily defeated Longsheng in Dongping previously.

Li Dong pondered for a moment on how to regain the advantage.

Continuing a price war was pointless. An 88% discount was already the bottom line. Not only was it uncertain if it would win, but Li Dong didn't want to engage in a money-losing business.

Moreover, price wars could be mutually destructive, and Li Dong was unwilling to engage in a bloody battle with these stores.

As the opening time approached, there was no crowd outside the store, unlike the bustling scene during the Dongping opening.

Li Dong frowned. Was he just going to give up?

No!

An idea struck Li Dong. He asked Xie Hong, "Store Manager Xie, what are the prizes for the store's lottery?"

Xie Hong thought Li Dong was considering using the lottery to salvage the situation and quickly replied, "Computers and phones! That's our advantage. Computers are quite popular."

Li Dong shook his head, "That won't work. Most shoppers are housewives. Not many people use computers these days. It might sound good but isn't practical. It can be a gimmick but won't reverse the situation."

Clenching his teeth, Li Dong said, "We can't back down on opening day. Otherwise, we'll lose our competitive edge!"

"Mr. Li, what about…"

"Go, have someone stand at the entrance and use a loudspeaker to announce that we're celebrating our opening with a lottery for a car!"

Xie Hong was stunned, "A car?"

"Yes, a car. People want value for their money. Cars and houses are the most attractive." Li Dong was clear in his thinking. If even the CEO himself wanted to buy a car, ordinary citizens would be even more interested.

In this day and age, owning a car elevates one's status. People love buying cars and houses the most.

Since a house was out of reach, giving away a car was entirely feasible.

Li Dong didn't wait for Xie Hong's response and continued, "Go to the auto city and bring a new car here. Just put it at the entrance and get it done immediately!"

"And, delay the opening by half an hour. We'll start once the car arrives!"

Xie Hong was bewildered by the flurry of orders. This wasn't a few years down the line; cars were still a luxury. Mr. Li was really going all out!

But Xie Hong, being the Qingyang branch manager, wasn't without his merits. He quickly said, "I'll call right away. I know someone at the auto city. I'll have them deliver the car directly, and we'll handle the paperwork later."

"Good, move quickly. We need to open before nine, no matter if the car arrives or not. I want to see if they're willing to spend this much!"

Li Dong gritted his teeth. Damn it, he didn't even have a car himself.

Xie Hong went off to make the call. After a while, he suddenly asked, "Mr. Li, what kind of car do you want?"

"Anything under 100,000 will do, as long as there's a stock car available."

Chen Jia, who had been silent, was taken aback. The boss was really extravagant, offering a car right away.

Little did she know, Li Dong was cursing inwardly. Spending 100,000 yuan meant selling a lot of goods to make up for it. At least today, the Qingyang branch's efforts would be for nothing.