Chapter 66: The Car is Gone!

"Grand Opening Extravaganza! Win a Luxury Car in our Lottery!"

"95% off store-wide, 90% off for members. Faraway Supermarket, your only choice!"

"..."

As the loudspeaker repeatedly broadcasted these promotions, more and more people gathered in front of the Qingyang branch.

A brand-new, unregistered Great Wall Haval was parked on the left side of the store, draped with red silk fluttering in the wind.

A curious passerby couldn't help but ask, "Are you really giving away a car? It's not some scam, is it?"

Before the words were fully out, a Faraway employee quickly explained, "The car is right here, how could we be lying to you? Faraway is the largest chain supermarket in Qingyang, with assets in the billions. We wouldn't risk our reputation over a car!"

"That's right, Faraway is opening four new stores in Qingyang today, and we're also setting up a 30,000-square-meter store in Pingchuan that's under renovation. We're not bothered by a single car!"

"In addition to the car, we also have computers, phones, and various home appliances as giveaways. We've got everything!"

"..."

The employees' boasts were extravagant, but as long as they didn't face any penalties for exaggerating, it didn't matter if Faraway's assets were in the billions or not.

The car and computers were indeed there, but no one mentioned the alarmingly low odds of winning.

Eventually, some onlookers, tempted by the promotions, entered the store, and others followed suit. It wasn't long before the store was packed inside and out.

...

Li Dong, who had been closely observing the crowd, finally let out a sigh of relief. It was working.

He wasn't worried about the number of people; he was afraid no one would come at all.

As long as people came into the store, he wasn't concerned about sales. The supermarket's prices were reasonable, and many people shared a common trait of loving bargains.

Xie Hong wiped the sweat off his forehead, looking somewhat nervous. "Li Dong, are we really giving away the car?"

Li Dong shot him a look and replied sternly, "Don't get any funny ideas! How much can one car be worth? A good day's business will easily cover it. Building Faraway's reputation is more important than anything else!"

He added, "Make sure the people handling the lottery keep a close eye on things. If anyone tries to pull a fast one and I find out, don't blame me for being harsh!"

Xie Hong quickly nodded, fully understanding the importance of maintaining integrity.

...

At 10:30, Li Dong received a call from Sun Tao.

As soon as the call connected, Sun Tao laughed and said, "Li Dong, this isn't fair. You're only giving away a car in Qingyang, and the others are pretty upset."

"There's no choice; the pressure in Qingyang is high. If I didn't do something drastic, I couldn't sustain the scene. I can't afford to give away cars everywhere," Li Dong chuckled. "Have the news reached you?"

"Of course. Lao Xie just called Lao Wu and showed off, saying business is booming, which made Wu store manager furious," Sun Tao said with a laugh.

Li Dong couldn't help but smile, shaking his head. "Forget about them. How's business in Yanghe?"

"Pretty good. We have exclusive sales, so we're not worried about a lack of customers."

Sun Tao was in a good mood, saying cheerfully, "In Yanghe, after two hours of opening, we've already surpassed 150,000 in sales. We should easily hit 800,000 by the end of the day."

Hearing this, Li Dong felt more at ease.

800,000 wasn't as impressive as the one million sales at Dongping's opening, but Yanghe's store was smaller and less prominent. Achieving this result was impressive.

Moreover, Yanghe wasn't in the best location among the new stores, so if Yanghe could hit 800,000, the other stores should do similarly well.

After chatting for a while, Li Dong was about to hang up when Sun Tao suddenly suggested, "How about a competition today?"

"Competition? What kind of competition?" Li Dong asked.

"A sales competition. With four stores opening today, even if the managers don't admit it, they're all eager to outdo each other," Sun Tao explained. "If they want to compete, let's give them the chance and see who can lead in sales."

Li Dong pondered for a moment, realizing that competition could provide valuable pressure for the store managers.

He decided, "We can have a competition. The store with the highest sales today will get an extra 10,000 yuan bonus at the end of the month."

Though 10,000 yuan wasn't a huge sum, it would still be a nice extra for each employee, a bonus that felt like free money.

"However, that wouldn't be fair since Qingyang has higher foot traffic," Sun Tao pointed out with a smile.

"Then we'll give Qingyang a 30% sales uplift for comparison. Does that work?" Li Dong suggested.

Seeing Sun Tao had no objections, he continued, "Speaking of this, I've come up with a good idea. We could implement a 'Best Store' award. The store with the highest monthly profit gets the 'Best Store' title."

Sun Tao agreed with Li Dong's idea, but they needed to discuss it in person to finalize the details.

As the company grew, internal competition mechanisms were necessary. It was best to formalize them into a system through documentation.

They continued their conversation for a while before hanging up.

When Li Dong shared the news about the competition with Xie Hong, Xie Hong seemed much more excited than before.

Not because of the money, but for the honor.

...

Thanks to the car giveaway, business at the Qingyang branch was booming, with a steady flow of customers even by noon.

Li Dong stayed on-site, having lunch with Xie Hong in the office.

Xie Hong had originally planned to take Li Dong out to eat, but Li Dong declined.

As they were eating, store assistant Chen Jia knocked and entered, wearing a strange expression.

Seeing Li Dong and Xie Hong looking at her, Chen Jia hesitated before mumbling, "Li Dong, the store manager…"

Xie Hong frowned and said, "If you have something to say, hurry up. Can't you see Li Dong is eating?"

"The car…"

"What about the car? Was it scratched?" Xie Hong asked anxiously.

"No, the car… the car is gone!" Chen Jia blurted out, growing increasingly flustered.

"Gone? How can it be gone?" Xie Hong's voice rose, his gaze sharp enough to seem murderous.

"It's not that. The car was taken away!" Chen Jia finally said, looking visibly relieved.

Seeing Li Dong and Xie Hong stunned, Chen Jia added, "Li Dong, you should go out and check. The winner wants to take the car now, and we can't do anything about it."

Li Dong finally snapped out of his daze. Although he hadn't planned to cheat, he certainly didn't want the car to be taken away on the first day.

To lower the odds of winning, Li Dong had prepared 30,000 lottery tickets, with a 1 in 30,000 chance of winning. Yet, the car was gone by midday!

Li Dong took a deep breath and said to Xie Hong, "I'll go check it out. Are there any surveillance cameras in the lottery area?"

Understanding that Li Dong was concerned about potential fraud, Xie Hong nodded. It was indeed alarming that the car was won so quickly.

"There are cameras. Li Dong, should I go check the footage?"

Li Dong nodded, wiping his mouth with a tissue. He then said to Chen Jia, "You come with me and explain the situation as we go."

Chen Jia quickly followed Li Dong, explaining, "The winner is a middle-aged woman, just over forty. She's been here since morning, buying nearly 10,000 yuan worth of goods and entering the lottery around a hundred times…"

As Li Dong listened, it didn't seem like a scam. Spending 10,000 yuan on goods meant someone wouldn't typically collude with others for such a large expense.

However, he needed to verify the situation. Losing the car after just one morning, with the car's cost not yet recouped, was frustrating.

Li Dong was in disbelief as he thought about the situation. A whole morning's work was jeopardized, and he hadn't even recouped the cost of the car. He felt a surge of frustration.

When they arrived at the lottery area, Xie Hong was already waiting with the footage from the surveillance cameras. Li Dong quickly reviewed the video.

The footage confirmed that a middle-aged woman was indeed the winner. She had bought a lot of goods and entered the lottery numerous times. The car was drawn in the morning and taken away shortly after.

Li Dong scrutinized the footage to ensure everything was legitimate. After checking the records and the process, he realized that everything was as it should be. There was no evidence of cheating or foul play.

Feeling somewhat relieved but still frustrated, Li Dong turned to Xie Hong and said, "It's all legitimate. The woman won fair and square. We need to find a way to handle this better in the future. We can't afford to lose a car so easily."

Xie Hong nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "We'll review our procedures and ensure this doesn't happen again. I'll also make sure the staff is more vigilant during such promotions."

Li Dong sighed and said, "Alright, let's focus on today's sales and make sure we meet our targets. We can't let this setback affect our performance."

The rest of the day was hectic as the store continued to attract customers, and despite the loss of the car, sales remained strong. Li Dong and his team worked tirelessly to ensure everything went smoothly for the rest of the grand opening.

As the day came to a close, Li Dong reviewed the final numbers. Despite the unexpected loss, the Qingyang store had performed exceptionally well, surpassing their expectations. The promotion had certainly drawn in a large crowd, and overall, the grand opening was a success.

Li Dong was exhausted but satisfied. The day's events had been challenging, but they had also provided valuable lessons for future promotions. He was determined to refine their strategies and ensure even better results in the future.

As he prepared to leave the store, Li Dong couldn't help but think about the next challenge and how to turn it into another opportunity for growth.