HCB Chapter 201 Fruit and Vegetable Store Owner's Inspection (1)
Chapter 201 Fruit and Vegetable Store Owner's Inspection (1)
Liu Xuan, the big boss of a chain of fruit and vegetable stores, has recently felt that something is "not quite right" with his business. Although everything looks normal on paper, his shrewdness tells him that he must have overlooked something. So, he decides to conduct a secret inspection to see what kind of tricks are hidden in these fruit and vegetable stores that he usually treats as "treasures".
"Hmph, I'll see what you kids are up to." Liu Xuan muttered to himself as he tidied his slightly messy hair in front of the mirror. He had deliberately changed into an ordinary T-shirt and jeans, and even wore a baseball cap, looking exactly like a young man who had just graduated from university and was just wandering around.
The first stop was a fruit and vegetable store in the city center. Liu Xuan swaggered in, even coughing twice on purpose to attract the attention of the store clerk.
"Welcome! What would you like to order?" A little girl with a ponytail greeted us warmly.
Liu Xuan's eyes darted around, and he said casually, "Just browsing. Are your fruits fresh?"
The little girl quickly patted her chest and assured him, "Of course! Our fruit is all freshly delivered from the orchard this morning! Look at this apple, it's big and red, and it's so crisp!" As she spoke, she picked up an apple, wiped it on her sleeve, and handed it to Liu Xuan.
Liu Xuan took the apple, looked it over from left to right, and suddenly pointed to a small spot on it, saying, "How come there's a blemish on it? How can this be considered fresh?"
The little girl blushed instantly and stammered, "This...this is just a minor flaw, it won't affect the taste. Don't worry, the quality of our fruit is absolutely guaranteed."
Liu Xuan chuckled inwardly, but feigned dissatisfaction on his face: "Alright, I'll take another look." With that, he walked towards the vegetable section.
In the vegetable section, an older man was spraying water on the vegetables to keep them fresh. Liu Xuan went over and asked curiously, "Uncle, you're spraying the vegetables so often, won't you ruin them?"
The uncle looked up and smiled憨厚ly: "No, no, we spray water to make the vegetables look fresher, and customers like to buy them. We know what we're doing."
Liu Xuan nodded, but in his heart he was thinking: "There's a lot to learn about spraying water. How much to spray, and when to spray, all of these have to be done precisely, otherwise it will backfire."
After touring the store, Liu Xuan found it to be generally good, though some minor details could be improved. He stepped outside, took out his phone, and secretly sent the manager a message: "Pay attention to fruit selection; don't put any with obvious blemishes on the shelves; control the amount and timing of watering the vegetables." After sending the message, he smiled contentedly, thinking, "Now they'll know how capable I am."
The second stop was a fruit and vegetable store located near a residential area. As soon as Liu Xuan entered the store, he heard an argument.
"What kind of lousy fruit is this? I bought it yesterday and it's already spoiled today. Why won't you give me a refund?" an older woman said angrily, pointing at the shop assistant.
The shop assistant explained with a wronged expression, "Ma'am, this fruit has been sitting for a day since you bought it. We don't know how you stored it. Besides, you checked it when you bought it, and it was fine then."
Upon seeing this, Liu Xuan quickly stepped in to act as a peacemaker.
"Auntie, please calm down. I often buy fruit from this store, and their fruit is usually quite good. This might just be an accident. How about this, let me see the bad fruit, and I'll talk to the staff to see if we can get you something different," Liu Xuan said with a smile.
The woman looked at Liu Xuan, then at the shop assistant, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Alright, young man, I'll trust them one more time for your sake."
Liu Xuan took the spoiled fruit from the woman, examined it carefully, and understood what had happened. He turned to the shop assistant and said, "Brother, this fruit is so badly spoiled; it must have been improperly stored. Next time you sell it to customers, you should remind them to pay attention to proper storage methods."
The shop assistant nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, it's all my fault for not reminding you properly. Ma'am, I'm so sorry, we'll get you some fresh fruit and give you a small gift, is that alright?"
The older woman nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it, young man, you know how to get things done."
After the older woman left, Liu Xuan pulled the shop assistant aside and whispered, "Let me tell you, the customer is king, you can't afford to offend them. In the future, if you encounter situations like this, be polite and try your best to meet their needs. If you can't resolve it, immediately find the manager. Understand?"
The shop assistant looked at Liu Xuan gratefully: "Brother, thank you so much. You're right, we didn't do a good job. Do you often come to our store? You look unfamiliar."
Liu Xuan chuckled, "I just moved to this area, so I'll have to patronize your business more often." After saying that, he walked around the store again and noticed that the fruit was arranged somewhat haphazardly, and some price tags were unclear. He then secretly sent a message to the store manager, listing all the problems.
The third stop was a newly opened fruit and vegetable store. As soon as Liu Xuan entered the store, he was attracted by the clean environment and fresh fruits and vegetables.
"Wow, your store looks pretty good," Liu Xuan couldn't help but exclaim.
A young shop assistant walked over with a smile: "Thank you for your compliment. Our store has only been open for a short time, and we just want to provide our customers with the freshest and highest quality fruits and vegetables. Please feel free to browse, and let me know if you need anything."
Liu Xuan browsed around the store and found that the fruit was not only fresh but also had a wide variety. He picked up a bunch of grapes and asked, "How much are these grapes?"
"These are our newly arrived Kyoho grapes, 15 yuan per jin (500g). Don't be fooled by the slightly high price; they're incredibly sweet and have a fantastic taste," the shop assistant enthusiastically introduced.
Liu Xuan raised an eyebrow: "15 yuan per jin is a bit expensive. Can you make it cheaper?"
The shop assistant looked hesitant: "Sir, this is already our lowest price. These grapes are sourced directly from premium orchards, so the cost is relatively high. However, if you buy a lot, we can give you a 10% discount."
Liu Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Okay, give me two jin."
After paying, Liu Xuan didn't leave immediately but chatted with the shop assistant. He found that although the assistant was young, he knew quite a lot about fruits and vegetables and had an excellent service attitude. He couldn't help but give the assistant a thumbs up: "Young man, well done. Keep it up!"
The shop assistant smiled sheepishly: "Thank you for the compliment, sir. It's just what we should do. Actually, our manager is very strict with us. He makes us learn about fruits and vegetables every day to improve our service quality."
Liu Xuan felt a surge of relief; it seemed the store manager he had chosen was quite reliable. He walked out of the store, and this time, instead of sending a message to the manager, he made a direct phone call.
"Hey Xiao Wang, this is Liu Xuan. Your store is doing great, keep it up. Especially that young employee, he has a lot of potential, give him more training." Liu Xuan said with a smile.
On the other end of the phone, store manager Xiao Wang's voice trembled with excitement: "Mr. Liu, it really is you! Thank you so much for your praise. We will definitely live up to your expectations and make the store even better!"
After hanging up the phone, Liu Xuan stretched and muttered to himself, "This day has really exhausted me. But I've learned a lot. It seems I need to get out and about more often and check on the situation of these shops."
After a day of secret inspections, Liu Xuan gained a deeper understanding of his chain of fruit and vegetable stores. He discovered some problems and also saw some highlights. Back in his office, he compiled his observations into a detailed report, intending to discuss them with everyone at the next employee meeting.
"Hmph, my fruit and vegetable stores will definitely get better and better in the future." Liu Xuan leaned back in his chair, a confident smile on his face. He could almost see his chain of fruit and vegetable stores opening up in every street and alley, becoming the first choice for people to buy fruits and vegetables.