Kang Yuanwai, Jiang Yuanwai and others left the ferry to the dock, looked around, and said: "A few days ago, the list was unveiled everywhere, saying that Chang Pingsi had opened a freight yard in Fancheng, which was very lively. How did you get here, but you can't see a shadow? ”

Jiang Yuanwai said: "It's not written on the list, it's not far from the station." We'll just go there and see. ”

The station is now a landmark in Fancheng, and a few people don't know how many times they have come, so they don't need to ask for directions, and go straight there.

The closer you get to the station, the more crowded and lively it becomes. When we arrived at a place about a mile away from the station, a large open space was fenced off at this time, and a colorful building was built high. Several people stepped forward and saw a plaque hanging high on the Cai Building, with six big characters written on it: "Fancheng Department Store".

Kang Yuanwai smiled at Jiang Yuanwai and said: "It's so big here, you dare to talk about department stores." Is there really that much cargo in there? ”

As he spoke, he entered the mall with a few outsiders.

When Du Zhongxiao came up with a name for this place, he put a lot of thought into it. Thinking that it is necessary to highlight the characteristics and have a classical charm, it takes a lot of painstaking work. Later, I remembered that this place was actually similar to the department stores of later generations, so what should it be called in this era? It took countless brain cells to finally realize that the shopping mall is actually the most suitable name.

In this era, the places where commercial activities were carried out were originally called fields, and there were fields along the border, tea fields, salt fields, and so on. What the government needs is to set up a market to buy, in fact, it is to temporarily establish a market.

The purpose of setting up department stores for the community is to eliminate the intermediary link of guilds, so that merchants can directly face the producers when they buy and directly face the consumers when they sell. If this is not done, most of the profits of agriculture, industry and commerce will be seized by intermediate links, and the commercial economy will not be able to develop. It is not good for producers, but also bad for consumers, bad for traffickers, and it is also difficult for officials to reap the benefits of economic development.

Another benefit is even more important for open positions. With shopping malls, money can flow quickly, not only for profit, but also for a staggering amount of cash flow. With the money in hand, the rest is easy.

This mall has been preparing for several months, equipped with a complete management team and a large number of employees. Procurement personnel went to the north and south of the world to purchase goods in the name of the official. In addition to the outside road, all the goods purchased on Jingxi Road are basically bought on credit, and they do not cost much. Because it is an official act, there is Chang Ping Division as a guarantee, and it is not much difficult to sell on credit at this time.

In the past, when he was in Tanglong Town, a similar market was set up, and Du Zhongxiao had experience and was much more confident in running it.

Since Yuan Hao's death, the Khitan and the party have started a war, Tanglong Town has been much deserted, and small businessmen are basically unable to do business, and now it is the world of big businessmen. There is money to be made, and the Khitan has not cut off the trade routes of Tanglong Town, but it is much colder than before. With the control of big businessmen, the market price is now stable, and the cabinet shop is not as profitable as before. But that is only compared to the previous prosperous period, there are still a large number of goods in and out, and it is not difficult for the imperial court to collect hundreds of thousands of yuan from there every year. Compared to other border farms, the profits are still huge.

In the yamen of the shopping mall, Du Zhongxiao looked through the account books, and there were people coming in and out from time to time. Tsui Hark stood in front of the window, his hands behind his back, and his expression was very relaxed. This person seems to be scattered, but his brain is very flexible, and he can learn all kinds of miscellaneous studies. The person in charge here, Du Zhongxiao chose to come and go, and finally found that he was suitable. No matter what he thinks, as soon as he says it, Tsui Hark understands it, and he can quickly figure out how to implement it. This is a very strange thing, Tsui Hark has been reading since he was a child, and he can read poetry just by being a general, and he is familiar with history, and his knowledge is far worse than Du Zhongxiao. It's a mess of things, from farming and manure, to businessmen, personnel management, and salary distribution, there is nothing he can't learn. Du Zhongxiao felt that if this person didn't study, he would be a very good businessman and could make a lot of money. It's just that he doesn't like restraint by nature, and he's not a person who likes money, so he doesn't do it.

After standing in front of the window for a while, Tsui Hark turned around and said, "Tiju, it's almost the New Year now, everyone buys New Year's goods, and we chose a good time." It's just that as soon as the year passes, I'm afraid that business will not be good in the spring, so I have to think of some ways in advance. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's okay, after the year, we will buy more farm tools, so that flowers and seeds will not be bought." This kind of shopping mall has to change according to the four seasons, and the proportion of goods sold is different. Also, with the capital, you can hire more people to buy goods from farther away. ”

Speaking of this, Du Zhongxiao closed the account book and said to Tsui Hark: "Do you know what is the most important thing in the mall here?" ”

Tsui Hark said: "According to the subordinates, the goods are complete. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it is sold in the market, we must have it here. And it must be reasonably priced and durable. The goods sold here are not necessarily the best, but they must not be of inferior quality, so that people can trust and want to come. In addition, there should also be a place to play, a place to eat and drink, and it should be as convenient as possible. ”

Du Zhongxiao smiled and nodded: "Yes, first, there are all kinds of department stores here, and you can buy everything you need here." The other is to eat, drink and be merry. Even if you don't buy goods, it's a pleasure to come here and have a look. However, the most important thing is that we here, including goods and other entertainment, all have a clear price. The price is written there, and it is clear that one is one, and two is two. Only the people who sell the goods, and there are no people who bargain in the middle, this is fundamental. If you do that, you will be able to do it. ”

Selling goods is very simple, Du Zhongxiao instinctively feels that it can be done by one person. In fact, in this era, selling goods also requires corresponding talents. At least you need to be literate, you don't need to know much, at least you must be able to know the name of the goods, and understand the price figures. The articulation should also be clear, the buyer asks, and be able to introduce the goods fluently. Be patient enough and have a good attitude towards your guests.

In this big shopping mall, there are dozens of people selling goods, plus they are good-looking, neat and neat, and it takes a lot of effort to recruit people. In general, this is a vast and sparsely populated era, even in a state city like Xiangyang, the population is not large, and it is not as overmanpower as in later generations.

The impact of shopping malls on guilds is, first, to directly face consumers, rely on sales to win, and no longer hoard. The second is to clearly mark the price to ensure the quality of the goods, so that consumers can buy with confidence. As long as these two items are done well, the commercial network is spread, and the merchant guild is almost vulnerable. With large shopping malls to ensure cash flow, the ability of this business system to expand can be very intimidating.

In this era, both businessmen and the government have not yet realized the power of cash flow, and business behavior is calculated from a single transaction. In this sense alone, the establishment of a new business system with shopping malls as the core is a dimensionality reduction blow to them.

With the new form of commerce, the old merchants' guilds will inevitably be affected, and it is not uncommon for many merchants to go bankrupt. Du Zhongxiao, who promoted this matter, will inevitably be counterattacked and even besieged. This is inevitable, even if they do not proceed from their own selfish interests, people who really think about the country and the people will find a lot of faults because they can only see the part. It is inevitable that people who are hit by new business models and go bankrupt will have a miserable life. Du Zhongxiao asked his family to sell business-related properties, but he didn't give others a handle. Everything else is a small section, and it can't make waves.

Officials are not allowed to have property under their rule, including farms, houses, shops, and the like. Only in places like the capital can the private forces exert pressure on officials, and Jingxi Road does not have to be considered. As long as the money and food increase and the political performance improves, the state and county officials can crush all the businessmen who oppose it. Not to mention that they did not adapt to the new forms of commerce, it was not uncommon for local officials to steal money directly from businessmen when necessary. Hiding wealth from the people means that the government can take it whenever it is needed, rather than the court has no money and the businessmen spend all day drinking. He explained the four words that Taizu said.