Lin Chuxia didn’t take what the young man said to heart.
Having lived a lifetime, even though she was only twenty years old, seeing teenagers still felt a bit like looking at children.
The Department Store in the city was indeed much larger than the one in the county, not only with more items but also with a clearly higher grade.
The first floor was for cosmetics and sundry goods, and shoes and hats were sold above the second floor.
Especially in the clothing section, with all kinds of ready-made garments, thin and thick, in stylish designs that obviously came from the south.
Lin Chuxia had dabbled in clothing in her previous life and still had an eye for fashion.
She instantly liked a men’s dark grey woolen coat on display, dapper on the model, and figured that it would suit Qin Yang even better than the mannequin.
Just as she wanted to feel the fabric, a salesgirl nearby, tugging her braided hair, piped up.
“Hey hey hey, look but don’t touch. If you smudge it, you couldn’t afford the damages.”
Lin Chuxia didn’t expect to encounter such a snobbish attendant in the city. Even her outfit today was not bad, all new clothes she bought last time, albeit a little out of style. Why didn’t she even have the right to touch?
“How can I buy without feeling the fabric to check the quality?”
The salesgirl looked her up and down, sneering at the corners of her mouth, “Do you need to feel this fabric? Anyone with eyes can tell it’s good material—100% pure wool. Have you heard of it? It’s new from the south. Forget it, explaining to you would be pointless. Just this one costs 120 yuan, half a year’s salary for some, and you’re thinking of buying? Don’t speak nonsense and sprain your tongue.”
Lin Chuxia didn’t know where she gave off the impression that she couldn’t afford it. Their Bun Shop, including cooked food, had sales in the hundreds every day, and nearly a hundred in profit. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, it even exceeded that amount.
120 yuan would be just about a day or two’s profit for the Bun Shop, so why make it sound like a tall tale.
Not wanting to waste words on this, she reached out to grab the coat for a better look.
The salesgirl immediately panicked as she took action, “Hey, what are you doing? If I say don’t touch, why are you still reaching for it? Have you no shame?”
Lin Chuxia’s complexion sank, “Are you a sales assistant here?”
“What a stupid question, if I’m not, then are you?”
“Since you’re a sales assistant here, you’re supposed to serve the customers. Not only do you not assist me, but you’re also stopping me from looking at the merchandise. What kind of reasoning is this? And your choice of words, I’m really surprised by the quality of City Department Store’s sales staff?”
The sales assistants nearby gathered around upon hearing the commotion, one saying, “You too, if you can’t afford it, just don’t touch it. We’re just looking out for you.”
“That’s right. Where did this bumpkin come from? Do you think you can just touch the clothes in the Department Store as you please?”
With her colleagues’ backup, Tang Lili grew more confident, “Exactly, what’s wrong with my attitude? Someone like you deserves this treatment.”
She eyed Lin Chuxia’s delicate face with malice.
Where did this bumpkin spring from, thinking her good looks could strut in front of her? Clearly, she hadn’t the sense to ask who she was dealing with.
Such fine clothes deserve more than just a few glances, let alone being boldly claimed for purchase, as if their worth is less than her own.
Lin Chuxia calmly scanned the three people and stated directly, “Where’s your manager? Get your manager here. I want to ask if the City Department Store’s business is meant for ordinary folks like us.”
“Enough already, who are you trying to scare? Do you think we’ll be afraid if you call the manager over?” Tang Lili said, unconcerned as she looked at her fingernails.
“That’s right, the manager will still need to determine who’s right and who’s wrong,” another person chimed in, glancing at Tang Lili.
Hearing the mention of calling for the manager, another sales assistant’s expression tightened, just about to say something when they noticed two men approaching from afar and their expression suddenly changed.
“What’s going on?”
Upon hearing the voice, Lin Chuxia saw two men, one following the other. The man in front appeared to be in his 40s, slightly overweight, with a neatly styled comb-over, clearly a managerial figure.
The other man, shorter and thinner, with a shrewd, calculating face, was the one who had spoken.
“Manager Zhao, Director Yang,” the two approaching sales assistants respectfully greeted.
However, the previous sales assistant didn’t say a word.
Upon hearing this address, Lin Chuxia immediately understood, “Are the two of you in charge of the store? Good timing. I was just trying to look at this coat when your sales assistant not only stopped me but was also rude. I wanted to see if this is the level of service your store provides.”
Manager Zhao frowned slightly upon hearing this, “Is what this comrade says true? What are you three doing gathered here?”
The two newer sales assistants instantly became flustered, “We just heard arguing over here and came to check.”
“Yes, we just came to see what was happening.”
Manager Zhao then turned his gaze toward Tang Lili, who appeared defiant.
“This cashmere coat is new stock from yesterday. Director Yang instructed us to be extra careful with it, saying that if it gets dirty, it can’t be cleaned. She just came up and wanted to touch it—who knows if her hands were clean. I tried to warn her nicely, but now she’s the one with the reason.”
Lin Chuxia: “Is ’warning nicely’ your way of saying not to touch and that touching it means losing face?”
“I already told you not to touch it, but you insisted.”
Tang Lili’s shrill voice argued back, when, unbeknownst to her, Director Yang approached her and pulled at her.
Only then did Tang Lili shut up unwillingly.
By now, Manager Zhao had also figured out the situation. It was simply a case of the customer’s plain clothes leading the sales assistant to assume she couldn’t afford the coat and thus stopping her.
Such incidents had happened before when the clothes were kept behind counters, with salespeople refusing to even show items to customers who didn’t look serious about buying.
But that was then, and this is now. The market has opened up, and they are not the only Department Store.
With the new mall built next door competing with the Department Store, if it wasn’t for the savvy Yang Rui under his supervision, bringing in fashionable clothes, they would have already lost business to the neighboring mall.
While he was constantly trying to increase revenue, his staff were busy driving customers away?
His expression darkened, “I’ve repeatedly stressed the importance of improving service quality. Is this the improvement you have achieved? How many times have I said that the customer is God, and our goal is to satisfy their needs? Yet here, a customer simply wants to look at a product, and you obstruct and resist. Do you still want your jobs?”
“I…”
Tang Lili tried to say something, but Yang Rui pulled her aside, “Hurry up and apologize to the customer.”
Before Tang Lili could apologize, Manager Zhao smiled at Lin Chuxia first, “My apologies, comrade. It was our oversight that affected your shopping experience. Are you interested in this woolen coat?”
Lin Chuxia nodded, giving Manager Zhao an additional look.