Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 38 Stalls
"Okay, you're kidding me. Let's rent a temporary stall first, you should be able to do that, right?"

The plump woman pulled an application form from the metal cabinet and slammed it on the table. "If you don't know how to write a character, figure it out yourself. No pinyin allowed."

After filling out the application form and paying the fee, Li Zhe asked, "Ma'am, what's the difference between a temporary stall and a long-term stall?"

"Long-term rental stalls are in the shed, go and see for yourself. Temporary stalls are outdoors, whoever gets one gets one. It's very lively when the stalls open in the morning. Fights and smashing scales are common occurrences in order to get a good spot."

No, that won't do. Our own vegetables are precious.

The older woman left the office, led Li Zhe into the market, and pointed to a secluded corner, saying, "This is your spot. Remember to clean it up before you leave, and don't fight."

Li Zhe found his father and Zhao Tiezhu, drove the tractor to the stall, unloaded the goods, and started selling vegetables.

More than a month has passed since his last visit to the market. The exhilarating feeling of selling corn and receiving money last time is still vivid in his mind, and Old Li is really looking forward to it.

The radishes and potatoes were laid out, but when the sale actually started, it turned out there weren't many customers, and even those who asked about the price rarely bought anything.

Old Li was a little puzzled. "Second brother, are our dishes priced too high?"

"It's not high; the prices at the surrounding stores are all the same."

Old Li frowned, "That means the location is too remote; nobody comes here."

It's definitely biased, but that's only one aspect. The reason it sold well last time was because he was the only one selling corn, and customers could only buy corn from him. But now it's different. Looking around, all the stalls are selling cabbage, radishes, and potatoes, which are pretty much the same. Why would anyone buy from a stranger like him?

"Dad, you guys keep selling, I'll go take a look at the market." Last time he came to Chongwenmen Market, he was so focused on selling corn that he didn't really browse around much.

Li Zhe walked towards the area with more customers. The vegetable vendors were all different, but the vegetables were the same three things. Some stalls also had scallions on them, and the prices were basically the same.

Further ahead, there's a semi-circular shed with stalls near the market entrance, which is also where the most customers are. The conditions aren't great, but at least you don't have to worry about wind, sun, or rain.

"Hey, comrade, do you still recognize me?" A young man from the stall on the right waved to Li Zhe.

Li Zhe turned his head, glanced at him, and felt that he looked familiar, but couldn't remember his name.

"I'm Sun Tao. Thanks to you last time, I bought 600 ears of corn to sell at the Dongdan vegetable market. Hey, they sold really well, and they were all sold out in less than two hours. I was thinking of treating you to a meal, but I never got around to it. Anyway, it's alright that you didn't come. The next day, other people started selling corn, and the price dropped, but it wasn't as profitable as the first day."

Li Zhe remembered that this young man was the first person to buy corn from him; he was a clever fellow.

Li Zhe took out a pack of Lotus cigarettes and offered one to the other man. "Brother Sun, is this your stall?"

"That's right, Brother Li, what are you planning to sell this time?"

"I trade some vegetables in the village and am planning to rent a long-term stall to sell them?"

Sun Tao took a drag of his cigarette and waved his hand, "No chance, you'd better not even think about it."

What's the story behind this?

"Seventy percent of the stalls in this market are rented to market workers at one price; the remaining thirty percent are rented to individual vendors at another price. There are only so many stalls in the market, and even locals can't rent them, so how could outsiders like you get a chance? No matter where you are, you have to prioritize your own people first."

Li Zhe nodded. He had thought of this after talking with the short-haired woman, but some things are not absolute. He always felt that there should be other ways.

Sun Tao smiled. "Brother Li, do you really want to rent a long-term stall?" "Do you have a plan?"

"How about my stall? It's close to the entrance, so customers can see it as soon as they walk in. It's sheltered from the wind, so it won't be cold in winter or hot in summer. If you think it's suitable, I'll sublet half of the stall to you."

"How does the rental work? How is the contract signed?"

“Temporary stalls are charged by the day, but our long-term stalls are different. It’s a per square meter per month. For example, my stall is 15 square meters in total, and it’s 5.5 yuan per square meter, which is 82.5 yuan per month. Plus a 10 yuan management fee, the total is 92.5 yuan. If you think it’s a good deal, I’ll give you half of the stall and we’ll split the fees.”

"How do I pay? Is there a deposit? How long is the contract?"

"Payment is made monthly, with a six-month contract, and no deposit required."

"What about six months from now?"

"Who knows what will happen in six months? Maybe you'll have already rented a stall, and then you won't even look at my little stall anymore. We can talk about it then."

After a moment's thought, Li Zhe understood what the other person was thinking.

In winter, there are only three kinds of vegetables, which don't require 15 square meters of space. Renting half of the stall to Li Zhe won't affect the business; on the contrary, it can reduce costs. In half a year, it will be May or June, and there will be more varieties of vegetables and business will be better. It is highly unlikely that the stall will be rented to Li Zhe again.

However, six months is enough time for Li Zhe.

Sun Tao's stall is much better than temporary stalls; it's not afraid of wind and rain, and the prices are cheaper.

A temporary stall costs 3 yuan to rent per day, plus a 0.5 yuan management fee. Even if you set up your stall for 20 days a month, it would still cost 70 yuan. In contrast, renting Sun Tao's stall only costs 46.25 yuan. By any calculation, the latter is more cost-effective.

After agreeing on the terms, two sublease contracts were handwritten, with Sun Tao subletting half of the stall's usage rights for 46.25 yuan per month.

After signing the contract and paying the money, Li Zhe borrowed Sun Tao's tricycle and brought over more than half of the vegetables from the temporary stall, letting Lao Li sell vegetables there, while Zhao Tiezhu remained at the temporary stall to sell vegetables.

Li Zhe went to apply for a business permit and a health permit for non-local residents. He didn't need them urgently, but he couldn't be without them.

Old Li was left to watch the stall, and he felt a little unsure of himself. He chatted with Sun Tao for a while and watched how the other stall owners sold their vegetables. Gradually, he got used to it and started calling out to attract customers.

The Li family buys all their vegetables from the village at low prices, but Li Zhe told him that the prices could be slightly lower, but not too much lower than those of the surrounding vendors. He suggested giving away some vegetables to customers to make them feel they were getting a good deal.

Old Li was a smart man; he understood things quickly. He learned from the surrounding stall owners how to do business: he would give them high prices on the scales, and give away potatoes with the purchase of radishes, and vice versa. Once he had one customer, he would have another; customers liked to gather in groups.

By noon, Old Li had almost sold out of vegetables. He asked Sun Tao to watch the stall while he went to the temporary stall. Zhao Tiezhu hadn't sold much all morning because the location was too out of the way, so he simply took the rest of his vegetables there to sell.

In the afternoon, Li Zhe returned from running errands, and the vegetables were almost sold out. The three of them drove the tractor back to the village.

Inside the truck bed, the father and son huddled together, covered by a quilt. Old Li glanced at his son, who seemed somewhat distracted. "Second son, have you gotten those 'certificates' you mentioned?"

"It's not that easy, let's wait and see." Li Zhe was unfamiliar with the place and had encountered many setbacks today. However, he had figured out the procedures and formalities for obtaining the certificates. Some certificates were easy to obtain, while others required some effort.

Overall, things went smoothly, and we're just waiting for the cucumbers to be available.

(End of this chapter)