RYEY -Chapter 518 Self-Service Mode

The grocery store reopened. On the first day, all items were sold at half price, the second day at 30% off, the third day at 10% off, and by the fourth day, prices returned to normal.

Such a huge discount attracted nearly all nearby residents, and those in the know even came overnight.

They saw a thin man unloading goods at the store with a group of young men. Unfortunately, the goods were all tightly wrapped in sacks, so no one could see what was inside.

Zheng Qing had anticipated the chaos on opening day. The night before, she and the sales staff prepared numbered tickets. Each day, only a set amount of goods would be sold. Once the quota was reached, the store would close.

The store usually opened at 8 a.m., but today it opened an hour early. However, when the doors opened, everyone gasped—not just Cheng Qiao, but all the staff.

The line stretched hundreds of meters, with more people continuously joining. Cheng Qiao was overwhelmed. Her flyer clearly stated that only one thousand customers would be served on the first day.

“Hand out the number tickets and use the megaphone to remind them: no more than one thousand customers. Once the limit is reached, the line stops. No more stock.”

Zheng Qing nodded repeatedly, taking the megaphone herself, accompanied by two staff members, to distribute the tickets. Those who received tickets were happy; those who didn’t were frustrated. The discounts were just too tempting.

“Comrade, please help me! I came from far away. If I can’t get what I need, my travel cost will be wasted!”

“Sorry, there’s nothing we can do. Our boss said no special favors. I can’t help you.”

“How can your store be like this? No sense of humanity?”

“We’re a grocery store, not a hospital. What does humanity have to do with it? You came late. Don’t damage our store’s reputation.”

“That’s… fine, I won’t buy. With this attitude, you’ll close soon.”

“We don’t know about closing, but I’ve remembered your face. Our store will never welcome you.”

Zheng Qing was angry, instructing all staff to remember this woman’s face. The young girls glared fiercely; too bad, you couldn’t get your way, and now you curse our store.

Realizing she had been noticed, the woman felt a bit regretful. But with the bow drawn, there was no turning back. She left in a huff. Zheng Qing checked the time: five minutes to opening.

“Everyone, our grocery store operates in self-service mode. Each group of fifty people may enter at a time and can only stay for half an hour before checkout.”

“What? What’s self-service mode?”

“No idea. They’ve closed the doors tight. I can’t see anything.”

“What’s your number?”

“Fifty exactly. So lucky!”

Inside the store, Mother Li sat behind the tobacco and alcohol counter, feeling anxious. She had returned a few days earlier, escorted by Li Bing himself.

Seeing the two new two-story buildings rise, she was genuinely happy for Li Huan and Cheng Qiao.

“Mom, you’re truly blessed. Old as you are, you get to live in a villa!”

“Of course, the Li family ancestors must be smiling down.”

“May I borrow your good wishes and hope Meili will have a healthy child.”

Mother Li’s heart tightened, but with Cheng Qiao present, she put it out of her mind. The priority now was a smooth opening. With such a crowd outside, she worried about chaos.

“Qiao, with so many people, will the store get overcrowded?”

Cheng Qiao shook her head with a smile. She had instructed Shouhou to hire several burly men to guard the entrance, letting fifty people in at a time. For every person who left, another could enter. There would be no disorder.

Mother Li finally relaxed. As long as not all one thousand people rushed in at once, it would be fine. The gong sounded, and the first fifty people eagerly ran inside.

Once inside, someone handed them large baskets. Initially confused, they soon realized all items were displayed openly.

Rows of shelves displayed a dazzling array of goods. Customers could take whatever they wanted, place it in the basket, and then pay at the counter.

“Wow! How clever the owner is! I love it. I can pick carefully.”

“I like it too. So many items. I wonder if half an hour will be enough.”

“Look, each shelf has a label. This one is for oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, and tea.”

“Where do I find the snow cream?”

“This isn’t it; it’s daily necessities.”

“Wow, so many brands of snow cream. Which one should I choose?”

“Then just pick whichever one you used before.”

“But… this one looks nice, oh, this one is nice too, what should I do?”

There was only so much money in her pocket; if she bought this, she couldn’t buy that. Luckily, everything was half-price today. After carefully picking through the goods, many people left the store fully satisfied.

Those leaving couldn’t stop praising it—this innovative self-service sales method really opened their eyes. People waiting in line grew anxious but could only wait patiently.

Muttering about how long it was taking, when it was finally their turn, they too lingered, unable to leave because there were simply too many things they liked, and they had to choose as best as they could.

The crowd kept moving in and out, large shopping baskets rotated continuously, and shelves were constantly restocked. Every step of the process ran in an orderly manner, without a hint of chaos.

Li Bing watched the self-service sales model in amazement and couldn’t help but think that Cheng Qiao deserved to make money. Whether it was the wholesale market in Xiangyang County or this little grocery store, she ran both brilliantly.

Cheng Qiao had no idea what Li Bing was thinking—otherwise, she would definitely have blushed. In her previous life, she only discovered this kind of sales method when visiting a big city, so she was just imitating it here.

Li Chen, seeing his father, felt scared. He didn’t want to go back with him—his mother’s belly carried a little monster that might eat him.

Li Bing immediately understood what the little one was thinking and inwardly resented the mess caused by Yuan Qin; it had turned his own son into a frightened little bird.

“Son, can Daddy give you a hug?”

“Will you take me home?”

“Do you want to go home?”

“N… no…”

Li Chen kept stepping backward, his eyes searching for Cheng Qiao, but Second Aunt was busy and couldn’t pay attention to him.

Brother Li Ming had said that today the grocery store was opening and it would be crowded, so he should stay with Grandma and his brother.

“Second Aunt… save me…”

Cheng Qiao, busy as the cashier, almost miscalculated because of Li Chen’s shout. She turned to see Li Ming chasing Li Chen toward her, so she had to finish the current transaction quickly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Second Aunt, I don’t want to go back with Daddy.”

“Then don’t go back. Why are you crying? The store just opened today. If you cry, how will business go?”

Li Chen—

Swallowed the lump in his throat, tears still in his eyes, and forced a wide smile.