Siheyuan: Sending Shazhu into the call center, Yi Gu is useless

"Chen Rufeng nodded in agreement, with a firm look in his eyes, "I can't be so blind anymore. I have to analyze the market more carefully in the future and not just buy goods on impulse."

Jia Dongxu nodded with satisfaction, and then joked: "That's right, we brothers can't be defeated by a small loss. How about this, you can consider holding a promotion for the remaining toys and sell them at a discount, at least you can make back some of your investment."

Chen Rufeng thought Jia Dongxu's suggestion made sense, so he decided to give it a try. The next day, he hung a big "sale" sign at the entrance of the store and wrote down the extent of the discount on the blackboard, hoping to get rid of these unsalable toys as soon as possible.

After the promotion started, it really attracted some parents to come and buy. Although the price was much lower than before, at least there were some transactions, and Chen Rufeng felt a little comforted. After all, losses were inevitable, and being able to reduce some losses was also a good result.

However, even with discounts, the sales of toys were not as smooth as he expected. Some toys were still not in demand, piled up on the shelves, and gradually became obsolete. Every time Chen Rufeng looked at these unsaleable toys, he felt helpless. After closing the store, Chen Rufeng sat alone behind the counter, looking at the unsold toys, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He knew that doing business was inherently risky, and this loss might be a lesson, but he still found it hard to let go.

"Perhaps I really overestimated my ability. A sense of frustration surged in his heart. In the past few years, he has been diligently running the store. Although there have been some mistakes occasionally, he has never encountered such a significant loss. This failure made him feel as if he had lost his direction and even doubted his future operations.

But on second thought, Chen Rufeng felt that he could not be defeated by this setback. Losing money was indeed a heavy heart, but as Jia Dongxu said, this was also part of the business. He must learn from it and find a more suitable way to develop the canteen.

"I have to re-examine my purchasing strategy." Chen Rufeng secretly made up his mind that he could no longer make decisions based on impulse, but should consider customer needs and the actual market situation more. The customer groups in the hutongs determined their consumption habits and abilities, and he had to have a deeper understanding of these. Chen Rufeng adjusted his mindset and began to observe customer behavior more carefully. He noticed that although children were interested in toys, they were more inclined to buy affordable and practical goods, such as stationery, snacks, and even some simple trinkets. These goods have a fast turnover rate, and although the profit is not high, the advantage is stable sales.

Chen Rufeng decided to gradually reduce the inventory of toys and refocus on these products with high customer demand. At the same time, he also planned to launch some new snacks and small accessories to increase the appeal of the store. He believed that only by keeping up with customer needs can the store gain a firm foothold in the fierce competition.

At night, Chen Rufeng sat down in the yard, thinking back to his experiences during this period, and he was filled with emotion. Although he had experienced losses, he learned a lot from it, especially how to better grasp the market and how to find the way forward in failure. He knew that the road ahead was still long, and he needed to be more cautious and pragmatic.

The moonlight sprinkled on the bluestone slabs in the yard, casting a faint shadow. Chen Rufeng looked up at the familiar sky, and a sense of determination surged in his heart.

The experience of losing money made Chen Rufeng reflect deeply on his business methods. Although he has disposed of most of the unsaleable toys, the lesson still makes him feel scared. For a few days, Chen Rufeng has been unable to completely calm down. He always feels that continuing with the previous business model may not be able to cope with future challenges. After closing the store, Chen Rufeng held a cup of tea in his hand and kept thinking about what to do next. Although life in the hutong is peaceful, with the changes in the outside world, the needs of customers are also quietly changing. He can no longer stick to the unchanging business methods, but must find a way to keep pace with the times and find a more flexible and more contemporary business model.

"If I don't change, this store will be eliminated sooner or later." Chen Rufeng said to himself silently. He knew that it was difficult to meet the diverse needs of customers by only selling small commodities and traditional snacks. The world outside the hutong was changing too fast, and his store had to make adjustments to survive.

These days, whenever Chen Rufeng has free time, he sits behind the counter and reads some business magazines and books, hoping to find some inspiration from them. He has read a lot of cases about emerging business models, in which some small shops have successfully escaped from difficulties by transforming or adding service content. These stories inspired Chen Rufeng, and perhaps his own small shop could also try to make some changes and explore new directions. Chen Rufeng was sitting in the yard thinking about future business strategies when Jia Dongxu came again. As soon as Jia Dongxu entered the door, he saw Chen Rufeng in a daze in the yard, so he smiled and joked: "Rufeng, why are you always so pensive recently? Are you thinking about some big plan again?"

Chen Rufeng came back to his senses and smiled bitterly when he saw Jia Dongxu. "Brother Dongxu, I was thinking about the canteen. I always feel that the current model is a bit conservative. I want to make some changes, but I don't know where to start. He lit a cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and asked, "So how do you plan to change it?"

"I was thinking, can we try something new, like opening an online store, or adding some special services?" Chen Rufeng paused, then continued, "Now that online shopping is so convenient, some customers may not want to come to the alleys, but if we can sell some special products online, maybe we can attract more people." Nodding, "Well, that's an idea. However, opening an online store is not easier than opening an offline store. You have to consider logistics, publicity, and network maintenance. Are you sure about these? Jia Dongxu's words reminded him that although he found the concept of online stores fresh and attractive, he did have to consider many details when actually implementing it. He was a little hesitant, but at the same time he felt that this was a direction worth a try.

"Yeah, I've thought about that." Chen Rufeng sighed, "But I think if I don't try, I'll never know if it works. After all, business is getting harder and harder now. If I don't find a new way out, I'll be eliminated sooner or later."