Cao Yong stared at the financial report on the screen. He looked at the key figures on the report over and over again. His face was dark.
Although the air conditioner was on, Chen Taitong was still sweating nervously. His heart was beating fast. He bent down and didn't dare to stand up straight. He was like a little eunuch serving the empress, waiting for Cao Yong's question. The longer he waited, the more uneasy he became.
Chen Taitong knew that today was going to be a tough day. The sales had dropped too much. If that was all, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, the head office kept telling him that this year was a critical period for the company to go public. They asked all the branches to not do anything that would damage the company's image.
Finally, Cao Yong's eyes stopped at the percentage of the sales. Chen Taitong almost couldn't breathe.
"Manager Chen, is there a mistake here?" Cao Yong was polite. He pointed at the number and asked politely.
"Ahem! Well … Well … "Chen Taitong was sweating profusely. He forced a smile and said," The sales have not been good recently. After all, school has started. It is not as good as during the summer … "
Cao Yong was the regional sales director of Stars Pet Chain Supermarket. In theory, he was half a level higher than Chen Taitong. More importantly, Cao Yong was the boss of Stars Pet Chain Supermarket, while Chen Taitong was only the manager of a franchise store.
Cao Yong looked at Chen Taitong and said, "Manager Chen, it is normal for the sales to drop after school starts. It happens in every store. However, no store has ever seen a 50% drop in sales. Also, what is going on outside?"
He looked out the window. Across the road, there were about 20 people holding signs. They were staring at the store silently. People walking by slowed down and read the words on the signs curiously.
"Stars Pet Chain Supermarket hired paid posters on the forum to cheat me of money!"
"Stars Pet Chain Supermarket sold low-quality pets! Denied it!"
"Stars Pet Chain Supermarket deceived consumers and hid the health problems of pets!"
There were old people, young people, and even middle-aged people. They didn't say anything. They just stood there holding the signs, putting pressure on the franchise store across the road. It had a great effect on people. Most of the people who had planned to buy a pet chose to look for another pet store after seeing the situation. Of course, a small number of people still believed in big enterprises. They ignored the slogans on the signs and continued to enter the store to buy pets.
Chen Taitong couldn't do anything about it. They were standing across the street, not in front of the store. What right did he have to kick them out? Besides, there were also elderly people in their seventies and eighties. They would fall at the slightest touch, so no one dared to chase them away.
He had tried to call the police, but when the police came and saw the situation, they also had a headache. They took the method of smoothing things over. Not only did they not chase him away, but they also advised him to lose money to avoid the disaster and settle the matter as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would not be good for anyone if things got out of hand.
However, Chen Taitong couldn't pay for it. If he lost one, he would find three more. No amount of money would be enough. Seeing Chen Taitong's attitude, the police went to the other side of the road to persuade those people to go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau or the 315 bureau. If they couldn't do it, they could go to court. Chen Taitong was so pissed that his liver hurt.
The other side did not seem to have reached a consensus and did not accept the police's suggestion. Seeing that neither side was willing to listen to their advice, the police directly returned home and washed their hands of the matter. However, from the second day after they called the police, there was always a police car parked not far away to monitor the situation. Once there was a sign of violence, the police would stop it immediately.
Chen Taitong couldn't say it out loud. The people in front of him were all idlers. Old men and old women were sitting there with stools, and people even brought food and water at noon. It was obvious that they were going to fight a long battle. Maybe in a few days they would set up a table to play mahjong … They had all the time in the world. Chen Taitong couldn't hide it anymore.
Now that things had come to this, he couldn't hide it anymore. He could only tell Cao Yong everything that had happened in full detail and ask him to make an exception for him. He knew that a big company like Stars Pet Chain Supermarket must have a lot of connections. If he couldn't handle it, Stars Pet Chain Supermarket might be able to handle it.
Cao Yong's face became colder and colder as he listened. He impatiently knocked on the table with his finger, like a time bomb that was about to explode. Facing the pressure of going public, the head office was very concerned about the company's image. It was common for them to hire a water army. After all, the cost was low and the results were quick. Everyone knew it, so they turned a blind eye to it. However, they couldn't leave any evidence behind. It would be troublesome if someone found out.
He thought about it and said, "Manager Chen, I'm telling you clearly that we have to suppress this as soon as possible. We can't let the head office know. Don't expect the head office to clean up after you. Otherwise, none of us will get any benefits. I'm afraid the head office will punish us as an example!"
Chen Taitong was really panicking. He was confident that the head office would help him. However, he forgot that the head office had another option, which was to give up the car to save the king. Plus, he was only a franchise store. He couldn't even compare to a pawn, let alone a car.
The pet industry had a high elimination rate. He chose to become a franchise store of Stars Pet Chain Supermarket because he thought that it would be easy to get rid of them. He could enjoy the price advantage of Stars Pet Chain Supermarket and the exclusive logistics. He didn't have to be strictly managed like regular stores. However, if something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to count on Stars Pet Chain Supermarket to help a franchise store.
Although the pet sales were declining, the franchise fee had to be paid. Otherwise, according to the contract, the deposit would be deducted and the contract would be terminated.
"Manager Cao, you have to give me an idea! If this goes on, I will be screwed! My whole family will have nothing to eat! You can't just watch me die! "Chen Taitong's legs were weak. He almost knelt down.
Cao Yong didn't want to get involved in this mess. However, if he didn't do anything, the store would go bankrupt. As the regional sales manager, he would have to take some responsibility. The head office would think that he wasn't capable enough. He and the purchasing manager, Qian Fang, had been fighting for a long time. Both of them wanted to be the regional manager. If they could be the regional manager for three or four years with good performance, they could be transferred back to the head office to be a senior leader. Even if the performance was mediocre, the regional manager would still have shares. Since the company might go public, it would be even more popular.
Thinking about this, Cao Yong said, "I can't do anything about the people outside. However, there is a way to solve the problem of the sales. "
Chen Taitong grasped at straws and asked, "How?"
"It's simple. Assume that the total number of people buying pets in Dongcheng District is fixed. If the sales here are declining, someone else's will increase. Think about it. Which store fits this condition? "
"There is a Amazing Fate Pet Store that seems to be very popular recently," he answered. This was what his employee told him.
Cao Yong smiled, "I know this store. It is an old one. However, it has not been very popular before. It is not a threat. You have the advantage of the purchase price. Are you afraid that you can't beat him? There is nothing that cannot be solved through a price war. If there is, we will have a second price war. "
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