Chapter 262 - 250 beautiful saleswomen
So, just before noon, Tian Sangsang grabbed her little wicker basket and headed out. Around noon, the foot traffic was usually at its peak, which made sales a lot easier.
Her first choice of location was right next to the department store. Although the department store wasn’t exactly teeming with people, there was still a steady stream of folks coming and going.
Tian Sangsang didn’t dare get too close to the building—after all, what she was doing could be considered poaching customers. She’d previously checked out the face creams sold in the department store, and the best-selling brand was called "Fuxiang." Fuxiang was an old brand, reportedly established after the founding of the country. Its headquarters was right here in East Sea Province, in a place called Yaxiang Pavilion.
She noticed an auntie nearby with a basket as well, clearly also selling something. Just as Sangsang was about to observe her sales tactics and learn a thing or two, the auntie walked right up to her.
"Comrade, care for some chestnuts? Sixty cents a pound, freshly sugar-roasted and still warm!"
Tian Sangsang hadn’t intended to buy anything, but as soon as she heard "sugar-roasted chestnuts," her heart leapt with excitement. After all, she was a chestnut fanatic! "How’s the taste? Are they fragrant?"
The auntie peeled one open. "Have a taste. I used a secret recipe—flavor’s as authentic as it gets!"
The auntie’s rustic appearance gave Sangsang a sense of trustworthiness. It was just like the future times: people insisting on only eating vegetables from their own gardens to feel at ease—perhaps planted on a small backyard, a balcony, or a rooftop of a duplex. Supermarket and market produce might be suspect. And while roadside stalls run by elderly grandpas or grandmas seemed comforting, even their goods might not be entirely pesticide-free.
Tian Sangsang took a bite from the chestnut the auntie offered. It was sweet~ fragrant~~ soft~~~. The taste was truly delightful~~~~, carrying a nostalgic flavor that was hard to describe. Yes, this was the taste of chestnuts in the 1980s! But she didn’t let her joy show; instead, she picked a few more to examine the appearance and color carefully. Satisfied that everything looked great, she made up her mind to buy some.
"Alright, give me two pounds!" She thought she’d bring some back for her son and Kunling to try as well.
The auntie was over the moon seeing how straightforward Sangsang was. Clearly, this was someone from a wealthy family! She’d been trying to sell for ages with no takers because the chestnuts were priced a bit high. Her mood lifted, and she even threw in a few extra chestnuts for Sangsang.
"Here you go! Comrade, are you heading inside to shop?" The auntie gestured toward the department store entrance.
"No," Tian Sangsang said, taking the bag of chestnuts. "Just like you, I’m here to sell things."
The auntie was startled—she’d never seen someone selling stuff who looked like some sort of socialite. "Comrade, what are you selling? Jewelry?"
"Me? I sell skincare products."
"Clam oil?" Older women like her didn’t really care much about skincare. Young girls loved trendy face creams, but she had never used those. She had only ever used clam oil—it was cheap, just five cents a bottle.
"Close enough." Tian Sangsang lifted the cloth covering her basket to show her products.
As soon as the cloth was lifted, the subtle floral fragrance intensified, and an array of elegant little bottles came into view, shimmering as if they were glowing. The auntie rubbed her eyes and exclaimed in amazement, "What in the world are these things?! So fancy! They’re so bright, I can barely keep my eyes open!"
Tian Sangsang couldn’t help but laugh. "Auntie, you’re too funny. They’re just skincare products."
The auntie shook her head, thinking, nowadays even street vendors were a mixed bag. If you dressed well and looked good, people trusted you more because, clearly, you were selling high-quality stuff. As for the price, the auntie wisely refrained from asking—this was beyond her league. She decided to quietly stick with selling her chestnuts. Today was one for the books; she was truly startled.
Tian Sangsang bit into a peeled chestnut and, like a small merchant from the Republic era, squatted near the department store entrance, occasionally glancing at the doorway to monitor any foot traffic. Her first objective was to promote her essential oils, targeting people with slightly darker complexions. The problem was, most of the passersby had decent skin—yellow-toned, but rarely very dark. And those who were darker-skinned? They were mostly farmers who couldn’t afford her products for now. She genuinely wanted to contribute to the skincare field and help friends resolve their skin troubles, but why was it so difficult? Sigh ╮(╯▽╰)╭
She couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. People with dark skin couldn’t afford her products, and those who could afford them weren’t dark. Anyone with the means to afford good things rarely got sunburned or tanned. Clearly, this was something she hadn’t fully considered. After standing there for ages without spotting a darker-skinned customer, Tian Sangsang sighed. Fine, she’d start with promoting her moisturizer instead.
She spotted a slightly dry-skinned woman in her mid-twenties with a dull complexion, a worried expression, and decent but not overly flashy clothes. Like a gust of wind, Tian Sangsang rushed up to the woman, blocked her path, and flashed a broad smile.
"Hey beautiful, wait up!"
The woman froze, thinking some lunatic had stopped her, and took a step back in alarm. But upon closer inspection, the lunatic turned out to be a stunning beauty! Porcelain white skin—so white it stirred envy; skin so dewy it practically sparkled; and a face so striking it could make men scream. The kind of beauty she herself had dreamed of!
And this beauty had called her "beautiful." Wait... could it be that she really was beautiful? The woman’s mood, already weighed down by worries, lifted just a little.
In the 21st century, being called "beautiful" had become so common that no one took it seriously, but in this era, it was rare to hear such remarks. Tian Sangsang’s attitude immediately gave the impression of one of those pesky future salespeople who seem to pop up everywhere: catching you as you leave the bathroom, walk down the street, exit a mall, or leave school. Wherever you were, they’d swoop in, rambling endlessly about their product.
Let’s be honest. Many people despised salesmen or MLM (multi-level marketing) reps and would say things like, "If your products were any good, would you even need to promote them?" This logic made sense. But look at the business landscape: with famous brands dominating the market, any new product needed aggressive promotion to be noticed. Otherwise, how could it overcome the immense barriers to gaining even a foothold?
Of course, most of the products hawked this way were subpar. Rarely, perhaps one out of a hundred, you’d find something decent, but few became truly successful. As a result, the reputation of salespeople and their tactics was poor at best.
But this was the 1980s, long before salesmanship had become a saturated, overdone phenomenon. Tian Sangsang was a pioneer, meaning people weren’t predisposed to resentment yet. And besides, she wasn’t selling junk—she was an ethical salesperson. A piece of gold would always shine eventually. But if you expected to find the Monkey King emerging from a rock? Better borrow another 500 years from the heavens.
"Beautiful comrade, I can see you’ve got delicate features and a refined appearance. But your skin is dry, isn’t it? Feeling a bit stressed out lately? Are you using skincare products? Right now, you look weathered—dry skin, lacking moisture. Your naturally lovely appearance is losing points because of it." Tian Sangsang blinked her eyes earnestly as she spoke.