97: Chapter 97 Deceiving, Not Scamming (Part Two)

"He said they are planning to organize a charity event, and he came over this time to ask about the charity T-shirts," Zhang Tao reported.

Upon hearing this, the boss's eyes lit up, and he said confidently, "I told you, you have to offer discounts to first-time customers so you can develop repeat business."

"The boss is still the best!" Zhang Tao skillfully gave the boss a thumbs-up.

Did he really think his position as chief was just for show?

Besides having solid skills, as the chief, he also understood the ways of the world.

Just like that saying from his fellow Northeasterners, the world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about worldly wisdom...

"Low profile! Keep it low profile!" The boss waved his hand modestly and asked, "By the way, did he reveal the scale of this event?"

Zhang Tao shook his head, "I didn't ask specifically about that, but I probed him earlier; he hasn't even come up with a charity slogan yet, and the participants probably haven't been decided either."

"However, he did take a sample back to discuss with everyone. I gave him one of the samples we made for the Red Cross. He insisted on paying at the time, and after I declined a few times and couldn't refuse anymore, I accepted ten yuan for the cost."

"This is an honest person!" The boss exclaimed, then instructed, "Keep an eye on this. I think as long as things are finalized on their end, the order will most likely fall to our studio."

"Understood!"

Meanwhile, as the protagonist of the discussion, after getting into his car, Chen Sheng checked the time. Seeing that after all the back-and-forth, it was already four in the afternoon, he quickly entered the address for Chengdong Luyuan Old Clothes Recycling at XX District, XX Street, No. XX into the car's navigation system.

After the navigation gave the route, Chen Sheng first called An Xiaonuan to tell her that he had picked up a long-distance passenger and that she should take care of her own dinner that evening.

After hanging up, Chen Sheng started the car and drove according to the navigation to Chengdong Luyuan Old Clothes Recycling at XX District, XX Street, No. XX.

After parking the car, Chen Sheng changed into the charity T-shirt inside the vehicle, then opened the door and stepped out, walking straight into the Luyuan Old Clothes Recycling shop.

Seeing someone enter, the Shop Assistant quickly greeted him, "Hello, sir. Are you here to recycle old clothes or to discuss a franchise?"

"You can franchise this?" Chen Sheng was truly shocked.

"Yes." Perhaps seeing that Chen Sheng's reaction didn't look like someone interested in franchising, the enthusiasm on the Shop Assistant's face faded a little.

"Could you introduce it to me? I'm actually quite interested in this." It was not yet five o'clock, and with more than half an hour left until 17:23, when the clothes were mentioned to arrive at the shop according to the intelligence, he could use this time to learn something new. This could be considered 'live and learn.'

The Shop Assistant glanced at Chen Sheng, then pulled a thin brochure from the side and placed it on the counter in front of him, "This has a detailed introduction to franchising. Sir, if you are interested in franchising, you can take a look."

"Alright, thank you!" He looked around, and seeing there were no seats in the shop, he picked up the brochure and went outside.

He lit a cigarette and opened the brochure.

The reason the brochure had the word "promotion" in it was because it portrayed a beautiful blueprint for old clothes recycling throughout.

The brochure mainly introduced three ways to make money using old clothes.

First, old clothes renovation: using certain technical means to turn old clothes back into new ones, and then earning the price difference.

Second, old clothes processing: processing old clothes that really couldn't be renovated into other products, such as mops or rags.

Third, export: exporting the collected old clothes to developing countries in Africa to make money.

The brochure emphasized the third way of monetization or earning money. This was also the main selling point of the franchise.

Any franchisee who joins Luyuan is provided with export channels by the headquarters, though this is a paid service.

After reading the brochure, Chen Sheng couldn't help but exclaim, "Sure enough, there is nothing one cannot do, only things one cannot imagine."

At the same time, he added, "People really can only earn money within the scope of their own cognition."

In his cognition, those old clothes were either donated to poor families in mountainous areas or recycled and decomposed into raw materials. He hadn't expected this to actually be a blue ocean market.

To be honest, for a second, he was really moved by the blueprint depicted in the brochure. Of course, it was only for a second.

Closing the brochure, Chen Sheng walked back into the recycling shop. Seeing Chen Sheng enter again, the Shop Assistant just asked formulaically, "Sir! Is there anything I can help you with?"

However, Chen Sheng guessed that if it weren't for the camera on the wall, the Shop Assistant would have said, "What do you want?"

Chen Sheng wasn't annoyed; people are diverse and come in all sorts. He pointed to the charity T-shirt he was wearing and explained with a smile, "We are planning to organize a charity event and would like to buy some old clothes here."

Actually, his original plan was to beg for donations based on the charity T-shirt he was wearing, but after seeing the prospects depicted in the brochure, he had to switch to buying.

The Shop Assistant looked Chen Sheng up and down carefully. Only then did he realize that although the person in front of him was wearing a wrinkled charity T-shirt, his straight dress pants and hair, which was fixed perfectly in place, gave him the appearance of someone from some association or organization. He immediately asked with understanding, "How much are you planning to get?"

"This time we are planning to visit more places, so the quantity needed might be a bit large, but how much exactly depends on the quality of the items," Chen Sheng replied.

Hearing this, a smile returned to the Shop Assistant's face, and he enthusiastically said, "The old clothes we've collected are all in the back. I'll take you to see them right now."

Led by the Shop Assistant, the two left the recycling shop and entered the backyard through a side door. More than half of the entire courtyard was covered by a rain canopy, and piles of old clothes were placed randomly on the ground under it. Looking at the style and condition of each pile of items, it was highly likely that preliminary screening had already been done.

However, one could clearly feel the crudeness of the screening; every pile of items was covered in quite a bit of dust, and some even had mud spots.

Chen Sheng deliberately frowned, "Is this all there is? These are too dirty; how are we supposed to use them for an event?"

The Shop Assistant quickly said, "Don't worry about that. We have large washing machines and dryers here, and we guarantee they will be clean when we deliver them."

Chen Sheng paused for a moment before continuing, "I know what you want to say. Add some chemicals when washing, and they come out looking like new, right?"

Don't ask him how he knew this; if you asked, it was because the brochure introduced it just now: using technological methods to renovate old clothes, which was also one of the selling points of the franchise.

Seeing the Shop Assistant nod in agreement, Chen Sheng's eyes rolled, he leaned a little toward the Shop Assistant, and lowered his voice deliberately, "The inspections are strict now; this time we want them in their original, authentic state."

...