Chapter 313: Sky-High Revenue

Chapter 313: Sky-High Revenue

"Aunt Liu, a supermarket has opened on the second floor of the Sui Feng Restaurant. Did you know?"

"Supermarket? What is that?"

"Supermarket, it's similar to a department store, where you can buy almost anything. The biggest difference is that customers can pick out what they want themselves. All the items are clearly priced, so you can see exactly how much they cost.

Aunt Liu, let me tell you, shopping in this supermarket is really comfortable. You don't have to worry about the salespeople's attitude, and you can take your time choosing items without feeling rushed. You can spend hours in there, and no one will say a word to you.

Anyway, everyone who enters the Yong Jia Supermarket leaves with a smile. It's the first time in decades that people have felt so comfortable shopping."

"Hearing you say that, I really want to go and see for myself!"

"Go ahead, go ahead. Once you shop there, you won't want to shop anywhere else. The only downside is that you might lose track of time and can't control your urge to buy things. You'll end up buying a bunch of things you didn't originally intend to."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Is it really that bad? You'll find out once you try it!"

"Alright, you've made me curious. I'll go and check it out right now."

...

"Aunt Wu, a supermarket has opened on the second floor of the Sui Feng Restaurant, and they sell everything at very reasonable prices. If you need to buy anything, go there quickly!"

"Sell everything? Do they sell eggs too?"

"Yes, I saw them. They're even 2 cents cheaper per pound than in Dong Wei!"

"Really? How can a supermarket sell eggs cheaper than Dong Wei?"

"It's true. Everyone is rushing to buy. If you want to buy, go quickly, or they might run out!"

"I'll go and buy a couple of pounds right away. My grandson has been craving eggs for days!"

...

"Sister Zhang, a supermarket has opened on the second floor of the Sui Feng Restaurant. Did you know?"

"I know. I was there when it opened this morning. I just went to check it out, but once I entered the Yong Jia Supermarket, I wanted to buy everything. Before I knew it, I had spent over 20 yuan. I almost had a heart attack when I came out."

"Haha, I thought I was the only one. I heard about it and went there too. I just wanted to buy a pencil for my child, but once I got in, I found everything was so cheap and useful. Before I knew it, my shopping basket was full!"

"I also realized my basket was full before I noticed. But to be honest, shopping in this supermarket is really comfortable!"

"Yes, you can pick and choose as you like, unlike before when you had to deal with the salespeople's attitude. If you took too long to choose, they would give you a dirty look, and some even scolded customers. The Yong Jia Supermarket is really considerate!"

"Who can argue with that? I've had my share of bad experiences with salespeople. Buying something felt like I was asking for a favor. Now that we have the Yong Jia Supermarket, I won't shop anywhere else. I'll buy everything from there!"

"Same here. The prices are good, the service is great, and you can pick and choose freely. Shopping is so much more comfortable."

...

On National Day, similar conversations were happening all over the county.

The Yong Jia Supermarket didn't even need to advertise. Customers who had experienced the supermarket's shopping experience were eagerly recommending it to their families, relatives, friends, and colleagues.

It felt like finding a novel that perfectly matched your taste, like "Reborn in 1980 to Enjoy Life," and then you couldn't resist recommending it to friends, classmates, and even online groups. The power of these word-of-mouth recommendations was far more effective than any active advertising the supermarket could do.

The Yong Jia Supermarket's employees were busy non-stop, especially the ten cashiers and weighers, who didn't even have time for lunch.

Seeing the situation, Deng Shirong immediately sent someone to buy hundreds of buns. The employees took turns to quickly eat and then returned to their posts to handle the endless stream of customers.

The main issue was that the Yong Jia Supermarket was still using a relatively primitive manual checkout system without barcode scanners or cash registers, which made the process slower.

In fact, supermarkets in Shanghai were already using OMRON528 electronic cash registers that could automatically calculate prices and print out the total amount due. Unfortunately, Deng Shirong and his children and in-laws were not aware of this.

The customer numbers only started to drop around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, as people went home to cook and eat dinner.

The supermarket didn't provide meals, but since it was the first day of opening and the employees were all members of the Deng clan, Deng Shirong had sent someone to buy buns for lunch and arranged for the Sui Feng Restaurant's chef to prepare dinner for the supermarket employees.

After a quick dinner, another wave of customers arrived.

Moreover, the number of customers after dinner was even more staggering than during the morning and afternoon. The news had spread throughout the county, and curious residents who had nothing to do came to see for themselves.

The supermarket employees were once again busy. The planned closing time was 8 PM, but by 9 PM, there were still customers in line.

Seeing this, Deng Shirong found it hard to understand. It wasn't as if there wasn't another day to shop. What could be so urgent that it had to be bought today?

Fortunately, no new customers came in after that. Once the remaining customers had finished checking out and left, the cleaning staff started tidying up, and the cashiers handed in the money.

It was already 9:30 PM by the time everything was settled.

Deng Shirong told the employees to go back and rest, while the family stayed behind to tally up the day's revenue.

The largest banknote at the time was still 10 yuan, with 100 yuan banknotes only being issued on May 10, 1988. With the additional coins and cents, counting the money took quite a bit of time.

It took the family about ten minutes to tally up the day's revenue, which amounted to 18,694.63 yuan.

In the future, such revenue would likely result in a loss for a supermarket of this size, especially in first- and second-tier cities, where it wouldn't even cover the rent and wages. Even in third- and fourth-tier cities, it wouldn't be very profitable.

But in the current era, such high revenue was simply a windfall!

Deng Yuntao and Zhang Xiuping had already calculated that, although the profit margins on various goods differed, they generally ranged from 15% to 30%. Using a 20% profit margin, the 18,694.63 yuan in revenue would yield a gross profit of 3,738 yuan.

The labor costs amounted to no more than 34 yuan a day, and 10 yuan for utilities was more than sufficient. Since the shop was their own property, they didn't have to pay rent. After deducting taxes, the net profit still exceeded 3,500 yuan, almost matching the monthly profit of the restaurant.

After roughly calculating the profit, Deng Shirong remained calm, but everyone else was stunned!

Deng Yuntao, with a look of amazement, said, "Good heavens, this supermarket is so profitable?"

Zhang Xiuping was equally astonished. She recalled that her father-in-law had mentioned a few years ago that the restaurant was only a temporary project for her and her husband, and that he would prepare a more profitable venture for them in the future. At the time, they hadn't fully grasped the significance of his words.

Now, with the supermarket's massive profit right before their eyes, it once again proved her father-in-law's foresight was truly terrifying.

As for Deng Yunzhen, Deng Yunzhu, Deng Yunsong, and Deng Yunhua, they were all in awe of their father. From the beginning of the country's reform and opening up to the present, their father had always managed to make money effortlessly, and even led the entire clan to rapid development.

Now, with the supermarket opening and earning over 3,500 yuan in a single day, the speed of making money was almost as fast as robbing a bank.

At this moment, all the siblings looked up to their father as a role model.

Seeing such high revenue, Deng Shirong was also somewhat surprised. However, he thought about it: this was the first supermarket in the entire Guangxi region, and this business model was new to the county, causing a huge sensation. Moreover, Baise County was one of the top three most populous counties in the country, with a population of over one million in 1985. The county's permanent residents, along with those from the surrounding areas, numbered over 100,000.

Furthermore, their supermarket's goods were indeed of good quality and reasonably priced, so achieving such high revenue was understandable.

Seeing his children and their spouses in a state of amazement, Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Today is the first day of the supermarket's opening, so it's normal for the revenue to be high. The revenue might also be good tomorrow and the day after, but it will definitely decrease in the following days. Under normal circumstances, a daily revenue of 5,000 yuan would be very good."

Zhang Xiuping, with a look of excitement, said, "Even if the daily revenue drops to 5,000 yuan, the net profit would still be at least 700 to 800 yuan, which means over 20,000 yuan a month. This is much more profitable than our restaurant."

Deng Shirong said, "It's normal for the supermarket to be more profitable than the restaurant. The people who can afford to eat at our restaurant are generally well-off, while the supermarket caters to the general public. As the saying goes, strength lies in numbers, and the same applies to purchasing power."

Deng Yuntao nodded in agreement and said, "That makes sense, but what if the department stores and supply cooperatives follow our lead?"

Deng Shirong laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about the department stores and supply cooperatives. These are nationwide giants, and any change would have far-reaching effects, so they won't easily alter their sales model. However, if our supermarket becomes successful, other competitors will likely emerge. This is inevitable, but it's just a matter of when."

If this life followed the same path as the previous one, there wouldn't be any competitors to worry about.

In the previous life, there were no supermarkets in Baise County throughout the 1980s, and even in the 1990s, there was only Yongjia Supermarket. It wasn't until the 21st century that other supermarkets, led by Baogao, began to flourish in the county.

However, with his intervention in this life, the supermarket appeared several years earlier, and he wasn't sure if it would cause a butterfly effect.

Deng Yuntao and Zhang Xiuping both breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the department stores and supply cooperatives didn't get involved, they were confident they could handle any potential competitors.

On the other hand, anyone daring enough to compete with their Yongjia Supermarket in this era would likely be well-capitalized, so they couldn't be too complacent.

"Alright, it's getting late. Go wash up and get some sleep. We need to wake up early to do business tomorrow!"

"Okay, good night!"

...

Over the next two days, the revenue of Yongjia Supermarket not only didn't decrease but showed a slight upward trend.

Especially on the third day of the supermarket's opening, the revenue surpassed the 20,000 yuan mark, which stimulated Deng Yuntao and his wife like a shot of adrenaline. They focused all their attention on the supermarket, leaving the restaurant to Deng Yunzhen.

After all, the supermarket had generated over 10,000 yuan in profit in just three days, making it an incredibly lucrative business.

Now, Xiaodong'er is already in the middle class of kindergarten, and Dongzi is almost two years old. Neither of the siblings requires much attention anymore, so both Deng Yuntao and his wife, as well as Deng Yunzhen, can focus on their work.

Over the past three days, the name of Yongjia Supermarket has become known throughout the entire county.

The thriving business of Yongjia Supermarket has naturally impacted the sales of the Department Store, the Supply Cooperative, and several small grocery stores in the county.

However, neither the Department Store nor the Supply Cooperative took it seriously.

First, let's talk about the Department Store. It is merely a retail outlet of the Department Company in the county.

The county's Department Company, as a tertiary wholesale station of the national Department Company system, is responsible for the procurement, allocation, wholesale, and retail business of the entire county's department stores. It operates a staggering 8,276 types of goods, and its status is far from being challenged by the current Yongjia Supermarket.

As for the Supply Cooperative, it is even more powerful.

Without mentioning the whole country, just the Bo Bai County Supply Cooperative alone has 5 direct subsidiaries, 1 factory, 1 supply cooperative school, 29 grassroots supply cooperatives, and 10 branches.

The county has 59 acquisition storefronts, 20 industrial goods wholesale storefronts, 541 retail storefronts, 22 food service outlets, 22 storage and transportation institutions, 15 hotels, 2 household appliance repair storefronts, and 40 industrial enterprises.

With such formidable strength, how could they possibly be concerned about a single supermarket?

The smaller grocery stores in the county, on the other hand, are not so fortunate. They have felt the impact of Yongjia Supermarket's emergence, witnessing a decline in their own sales.

Unfortunately, even if they are concerned, it doesn't help. These small shops simply don't have the means to compete with Yongjia Supermarket. They can only shut their doors, curse a bit, and then reluctantly match Yongjia Supermarket's prices to retain some customers through proximity.

Just like in the future, if customers only need a few items, they won't bother making a special trip to the supermarket, especially since the checkout lines can be a hassle. They will only go to the big supermarkets when they have ample time and plan to buy in bulk, which gives these small shops a niche to survive.

After the initial three days of excitement, the revenue of Yongjia Supermarket began to decline.

A week later, the supermarket's daily revenue stabilized between 5,000 and 6,000 yuan.

Deng Yuntao and Zhang Xiuping were extremely satisfied. As long as the supermarket can maintain this revenue, it will generate over 30,000 yuan per month, and at least 300,000 yuan per year.

If they are still unsatisfied with this earning speed, they would be too greedy!

Seeing the earning speed of the county supermarket, Deng Shirong started to look forward to the supermarket in Nanning's Chaoyang Square. That will be a large supermarket exceeding 3,000 square meters, located in the absolute city center. Once it opens, the business will be unimaginably prosperous.

At that time, the amount of money the supermarket will earn in a day will be more than many people earn in years of hard work.

Thinking about the Nanning Chaoyang Square supermarket is still too far off, at least until the second half of next year. What Deng Shirong needs to focus on now is the houses in the Naye Deng Family Community, which can be designed and renovated.

The Naye Deng Family Community can be considered the second home of the Naye Deng Family, and its importance is undeniable. Deng Shirong must ensure that the houses are well-designed and renovated to remain modern even in the future.

The only way to achieve this is through traditional Chinese-style renovation.

Traditional Chinese-style renovation never goes out of style, and many valuable woods in the future are likely to be inexpensive in this era.

Thinking of traditional Chinese-style renovation, Deng Shirong naturally thought of Hainan Huanghuali, which skyrocketed in price in the future, leaving everyone amazed. If he could stockpile a batch of Hainan Huanghuali now, how valuable would it be in the future?

Even if he doesn't sell it, keeping it for his grandchildren to make furniture or using some scraps to make bracelets would be a very prestigious thing.

With this thought, Deng Shirong couldn't sit still. Since he had nothing else to do at the moment, he immediately set off for Hainan.

...

Currently, Hainan is still under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province.

Deng Shirong spent over twenty days in Hainan, acquiring a total of 100 tons of Huanghuali.

The current acquisition price for Huanghuali is 8,000 yuan per ton (this price was determined after checking various sources; some say it was one yuan per kilogram, which would be 2,000 yuan per ton, while more reliable sources suggest 7,000 to 10,000 yuan per ton. The author settled on this price. If anyone knows the exact market price, please leave a comment, thank you). The total cost for 100 tons was 800,000 yuan, which is not cheap for this era.

However, compared to the future prices, it is incredibly cheap.

According to Deng Shirong's knowledge, the price of Huanghuali in the future is astronomically high, easily selling for 10 to 20 million yuan per ton or more. The 100 tons he stockpiled in his space would be worth at least 2 billion yuan in the future.

Such high profits would make others want to acquire as much as possible, no matter the cost.

However, Deng Shirong is a man of contentment. If it were easy to acquire more, he wouldn't mind, but it took so long to acquire 100 tons, and the acquisition speed will likely slow down even more.

Spending so much time on this is not worth it, according to Deng Shirong.

Therefore, he did not stay in Hainan but chose to return to Nanning by train.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end