Just a few minutes later, the first 21-inch color television sold for 1,100 yuan.
Fang Bai saw that the scene was very popular, even if there were more inquiries than purchases, but there were definitely many people who genuinely wanted to buy.
He hadn't hired any shills, hadn't held any giveaway events, and still had many sales tactics unused, but now he felt they weren't necessary.
As for an appliance store, it wasn't necessary either.
Plans really couldn't keep up with changes; it was unexpected.
By the time his father brought over the repaired televisions, half an hour had passed, and a total of three televisions had been sold.
Fang Bai handed the crossbody bag for tickets and money to his father, personally teaching him how to collect money, write tickets, and also to be wary of counterfeit money.
Counterfeit money was not uncommon in those days; some ill-mannered people would slip fake bills in with real ones, and if one wasn't careful while counting, they would receive fake money.
Chinese people were masters at this trick, but fortunately, there wasn't too much advanced equipment, so Fang Bai found it easy to identify counterfeit money; he could tell just by touch without even looking.
By three o'clock in the afternoon, one or two hundred people had gathered around the stall; some had gone home to get money and returned.
The tenth television was sold; among them, 6 were color televisions and 4 were black and white televisions, with revenue of seven or eight thousand yuan.
Fang Shi touched the bulging crossbody bag, a joyful smile on his face, knowing that his son would break even today.
Oh, with such booming popularity, it would be difficult not to get rich!
With each television sold, Fang Shi's mood became incredibly joyful, and more wrinkles appeared on his smiling face.
By four o'clock in the afternoon, 15 televisions had been sold, and revenue exceeded ten thousand yuan.
Fang Bai took most of the money back; after several hours of sales, he had observed the situation and felt confident leaving the on-site sales work to his father and the four part-time workers.
Returning to the rented house, he saw that they had repaired ten more televisions in the afternoon.
Jing Tian saw Fang Bai return, and seeing him in a good mood, he asked with a smile, "Mr. Fang, how were the sales?"
The other students who were repairing also wondered about today's sales.
Fang Bai smiled and said, "Not bad."
"If Mr. Fang says 'not bad,' then it must be extremely popular. Congratulations."
"Haha, we'll have a dinner gathering tonight. Everyone, put in some extra effort. After finishing your tasks, don't leave yet; wait for them to come back, and then we'll go eat together." Fang Bai was indeed in a joyful mood; he had recovered his capital on the same day, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Everyone was very happy to hear about the dinner gathering tonight; even those who weren't good at flattery learned to speak like Jing Tian.
"Thank you, Mr. Fang, you're too generous."
"Mr. Fang is amazing."
If Mr. Fang was treating, they would definitely get to eat a meat dish.
Many of them had poor diets to begin with, and after having lunch with Mr. Fang at the small restaurant, they felt cared for and deeply warmed.
Now that Mr. Fang mentioned a dinner gathering, it would certainly be better than lunch, and many began to imagine enjoying a delicious meat dish.
"Then everyone, let's work hard."
Fang Bai's smile grew even brighter as he heard everyone's joyful voices.
He knew that a dinner wouldn't cost him much, and such a gathering could increase team cohesion and morale.
Well, it would make them work harder.
Students in this era were generally passionate about their work; even if Fang Bai drew a big picture for them, they liked it, unaware of the harsh realities of society.
Of course, Fang Bai didn't particularly like to draw big pictures for these students.
If it were a modern-day worker, they would definitely curse Fang Bai under their breath: "You think one meal will make me work hard? Impossible!"
Fang Bai returned to his bedroom to plan the sales work for the next few days.
The total number of televisions moved to the sales site today was 30; excluding the 32-inch color television used for display and not for sale, the actual number available for sale was 29.
When he returned, 15 had already been sold, and he believed selling over twenty today would not be a problem.
Fang Bai couldn't help but feel a surge of joy; he knew that today's sales were very successful, exceeding his expectations.
There was no need for a specialty store; setting up a stall in a high-traffic area was the way to go.
What he didn't know was that after he left, it happened to be the peak return time for passersby, and seeing a stall selling televisions, more and more people gathered and began inquiring.
Some people didn't bring enough money, and they watched longingly as those televisions were carried away, feeling somewhat regretful.
Others were eager to go home and discuss with their families, hoping to secure a television.
Some even considered borrowing money from friends and relatives, just to be able to buy the television they desired.
Fortunately, before Fang Bai left, he had written a sign with a line that read: "The last session will be the day after tomorrow."
This way, those passersby who hadn't brought enough money or needed to discuss had a chance.
Of course, this "last session the day after tomorrow" sign would remain up indefinitely.
To others, it was the last sales session, but for Fang Bai, it was just the beginning.
When they sold out, he would tell those who hadn't bought one that there was still one last session.
It might cause some misunderstanding in promotion, but it would make customers more decisive in spending their money.
Fang Shi saw that there were too many people at the site, and some were even rushing to pay for televisions, with two customers almost getting into a fight; when encountering such situations, he had to intervene to resolve them, and fortunately, Li Meng successfully helped resolve the conflict.
At half past five in the afternoon, Fang Bai was reading when he suddenly heard footsteps from the hallway; he looked up and saw it was his father.
His face was filled with joy, and the crossbody bag at his waist was bulging.
Fang Bai put down his book and asked with a smile:
"Dad, all sold out?"
"All sold out, we've packed up and come back. It sold too well; if you hadn't said not to move any more televisions over, we could have sold ten more."
"If we sold them all today, there would be fewer goods for the day after tomorrow. Dad, we are creating a popular sales scene; this is called hunger marketing. The day after tomorrow will definitely reach a climax. A moderate supply will increase consumers' favorability towards us and enhance their buying experience. Those onlookers, after going home tonight, will definitely promote us vigorously, saying our televisions are very cheap, that people are rushing to buy them, and that buying one is a profit. This way, it will attract more customers. Anyway, this isn't a one-time sale for us; we need to sell for a long time."
Fang Bai patiently explained; he was teaching his father business concepts. Perhaps his father's comprehension was not the best, but with time and experience, he would eventually become a leader in a certain field.
Most businessmen in the 90s were not highly educated; many started by setting up street stalls, accumulating experience and wealth, and those who did well became industry magnates.
His father was a genuine, honest farmer, usually quiet, unlike his mother, who would greet strangers with a smile and was quite the social butterfly.
"Oh, I see."
Fang Shi seemed to understand a little, "Someone wanted to buy our large color television, offering six thousand yuan; I almost sold it."
"Haha, there are so many rich people. Let's not sell it for now. It was hard for me to find this one; if I find another one next time, it won't be too late to sell it. Good things will always be wanted." Fang Bai said, "I told them we're having a dinner gathering tonight. Tell Li Meng and the other four; otherwise, they might go back to school."
"When you left, two customers almost got into a fight over a television; fortunately, Li Meng helped mediate and prevented a conflict. That girl is quite good."
Fang Bai said, "Oh," and then, "Okay, I know, I'll reward her separately."
Fang Shi unslung his crossbody bag, intending to hand it to his son so he could check the revenue.
Fang Bai wasn't interested in counting money; he told his father to keep it for now. Downstairs, he saw that Li Meng and the other four hadn't left, and he told them about the dinner gathering later.
In fact, Fang Bai didn't need to say much; the part-time repair students, seeing Li Meng and the others return, were already saying that Mr. Fang was treating them to dinner, even more eagerly than Fang Bai himself.
At six o'clock, the part-timers' shift ended, and Fang Bai had his father settle everyone's wages for the day.
Everyone was very happy to receive their money, especially with a dinner gathering that evening.
Afterward, Fang Bai praised Li Meng for her role in mediating the conflict that afternoon, specifically rewarding Li Meng ten yuan, while everyone else who supported received two yuan each.
Li Meng hadn't expected such a special reward from Mr. Fang just for helping to mediate, and she felt very happy.
Chen Xiaofang was very envious of Li Meng, regretting that she hadn't gone up to mediate earlier. However, she also received a two-yuan reward, which balanced her feelings.
Fang Shi, seeing his son distribute such generous rewards, was initially a bit confused as to why his son was giving so much money; wouldn't a couple of words of praise suffice?
However, thinking about how much money he had earned, giving a bit more to the workers wasn't a big deal; he just worried that his son might be too free with rewards in the future.
After distributing the money, Fang Bai told everyone to wash their hands, pack up, and head out for dinner.
Travel was inconvenient at the time, so Fang Bai chose to have the dinner gathering at the same restaurant where they had lunch, just with more substantial dishes, plus drinks and beer.
Everyone sat together in the restaurant, enjoying the simple food and joyful atmosphere.
The dinner gathering was very pleasant; everyone ate and drank heartily, and their relationships grew closer.
After dinner, everyone left to return to school, and Fang Bai and his father went back to the rented house.
Fang Bai felt very satisfied. His father pulled him into the bedroom to tally today's sales.
"Dad, can't you just count the money yourself?"
"You should count your own money and keep track. You don't even care how much you earn; you're such a carefree child." Fang Shi patted his son's shoulder, actually just wanting his son to count the money with him and share the joy.
"Alright, alright."
Fang Bai's desire to read a book was gone; he did want to know the exact revenue.