Chapter 75: Good Luck with the Grand Opening!
Chapter 75: Good Luck with the Grand Opening!
The next morning, red flags fluttered in the air, and the rhythmic beat of gongs and drums echoed through the ground floor of Lianhua Plaza.
By the time Li Yi arrived, Wei Sanpao and the others were already there, looking much different from before. Gone were their casual two-strand vests and rubber-soled shoes—today, every one of them, including Xiaowu, was dressed in neatly pressed shirts, trousers, and polished leather shoes.
Li Yi couldn't help but chuckle when he saw his subordinates diligently sweeping the floor and wiping down tables in the clothing store.
As he and Xu Qingnan approached, the group immediately gathered to greet them.
"You guys know what you look like right now?" Li Yi teased, his lips curling into a playful smirk.
"What do we look like?" Wei Sanpao asked curiously.
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'a monkey in a crown'?"
Seeing their confused expressions, Li Yi laughed. "It means a monkey wearing fancy clothes—it may be dressed up, but it's still a monkey!"
Xu Qingnan playfully punched him on the arm. "Stop talking nonsense!" she scolded with a smile.
Li Yi shrugged, still grinning. "I mean, you guys look all dressed up, but you're still here cleaning the place. Why are you doing janitor work in suits?"
Wei Sanpao scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed. "We... uh, we weren't sure what else to do."
Li Yi waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, you don't need to do that. Just stand at the entrance and act as greeters and security guards!"
After assigning them their roles, Li Yi turned to Xu Qingnan and led her into the store. He called over a group of elegant young women—the store's shopping assistants.
"Let me introduce you," Li Yi announced. "This is my wife, and from today onward, she'll be the store manager. You can call her Sister Nan!"
"Hello, Sister Nan!" the shopping assistants greeted in unison, their voices pleasant and enthusiastic.
Caught off guard, Xu Qingnan's face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly waved her hand. "Hello, everyone!" she replied shyly.
Li Yi then turned to the head shopping assistant. "Lu Ting, have you memorized the styles, features, and prices of all the clothes?"
The young woman nodded confidently. "Yes, we've memorized everything! You can test us if you like!"
"Good. The grand opening starts at nine. Use this time to familiarize yourselves with the store layout and customer service flow."
"Understood!"
With the final preparations in place, Li Yi led Xu Qingnan to the cashier counter and gestured for her to take a seat.
"Your job today is to handle the payments," he told her.
Xu Qingnan hesitated. "Can I really do it?"
Li Yi raised an eyebrow. "You're a high school graduate. If you can't even manage basic cash handling, then what were all those years of studying for? Trust yourself—you can do this!"
Encouraged by his words, Xu Qingnan nodded. "Alright, I'll give it a try!"
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The Grand Opening Begins
As they busied themselves inside, a large crowd had already gathered outside. More and more people trickled in, drawn by the flyers they had received earlier advertising the store's special discounts.
While waiting for the store to officially open, customers chatted among themselves, sharing their thoughts about the new shop.
"The decor of this place is quite different. It looks fancy!"
"Yeah, just look at those massive glass windows—they must've cost a fortune!"
"This store is huge! I bet it can hold hundreds of customers at once!"
"It's definitely not like the usual clothing shops. I wonder if they sell bell-bottom pants?"
Listening to the excited murmurs outside, Li Yi felt a sense of relief. The pre-launch promotions had done their job—now, it was time to see if their clothing selection would impress the customers.
However, seeing how striking the shopping assistants looked in the store's signature clothing styles, Li Yi was no longer worried.
To ensure the best first impression, he had the employees wear some of the best-selling outfits as live models—a strategy unheard of in other clothing stores in Jiangcheng.
Most shop owners didn't care what their employees wore, let alone provide them with store merchandise. But Li Yi had a different mindset. He believed that letting employees showcase the store's products was like hosting a live fashion show—it was the best way to demonstrate the appeal of the clothes to potential customers.
At precisely nine o'clock, the doors of Jiangnan Beauty Clothing Flagship Store swung open. Six stylishly dressed young women stepped out first, each wearing a carefully chosen outfit from the collection.
Beautiful women always attracted attention, and this time was no different—the entire crowd was drawn to them instantly.
Then, following closely behind them, a young man in a sleek, well-fitted suit emerged—Li Yi himself.
He was still wearing the Connery suit he had worn for his meeting with Chen Donghua, the chairman of Donghua Clothing Company. The Italian-brand suit complemented his naturally good looks, making him appear every bit the successful young businessman.
"Who's that? He looks quite sophisticated!"
"He seems familiar..."
"He's quite handsome! I wonder if he's married?"
Amid the hushed whispers, Li Yi clapped his hands and raised his voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention!"
The crowd quieted down.
"Today marks the grand opening of Jiangnan Beauty Clothing Store," Li Yi announced. "Thank you all for being here! On behalf of my entire team, I extend my heartfelt gratitude and warmest welcome to each and every one of you!"
Applause erupted from the audience.
After the applause died down, Li Yi continued, "Many of you have received our promotional flyers. I want to confirm that everything on them is absolutely true! The entire store is offering a 20% discount, and if you bring the flyer with you, you get an additional 20% off, bringing your total discount to 34%!"
Murmurs of excitement spread through the crowd.
"And yes, the group purchase discount is also real!" Li Yi added. "Unlike other stores, we source our products directly from manufacturers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and we are the exclusive distributor in Jiangnan Province. You won't find these styles anywhere else in the region!"
With that, he unveiled the store's golden signboard, revealing the name Jiangnan Beauty Clothing Store.
As the cloth was pulled away, the opening ceremony officially concluded, and customers flooded into the store.
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The First Wave of Customers
As they stepped inside, many customers were immediately captivated by the store's unique European-inspired interior design.
"Wow, this place feels completely different from other clothing stores!"
"Yeah, and look at these clothes! I've never seen these styles before!"
"Didn't they say these are the latest trends from Guangzhou and Shenzhen? Look at what that shopping assistant is wearing—it looks amazing!"
A curious customer turned to one of the shopping assistants. "Miss, how much is that dress you're wearing?"
Smiling warmly, the young woman replied, "This is one of our store's featured designs. The original price is 199 yuan, but with today's 20% discount, it's 159 yuan. If you have a flyer, you get an additional 20% off, so the final price is just 127 yuan!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"A floral dress for 127 yuan? That's quite expensive..." someone muttered.
After all, most workers only earned a little over 100 yuan a month.
However, as they browsed further, customers quickly realized that not all the items were pricey. Many basic short-sleeve shirts, which normally sold for 20 to 30 yuan, were available for just 18 yuan after the discount. Flared jeans, usually priced at 110 yuan elsewhere, were selling for only 88 yuan here.
Realizing the great deals, people eagerly began picking out clothes, and before long, a long queue had formed at the cashier.
The grand opening was a huge success.
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