Ever since she’d gained the means to buy clothes, Su Ying had barely set foot in any physical stores. She hadn’t even visited the cheap, haggle-friendly underground malls, let alone the high-rent, upscale stores in places like Central Mall or Wanda Plaza.
Su Ying ran her hand over the down jacket she was wearing. She’d bought it on Taobao for just over 500 yuan after winning the lottery but before claiming her prize. She’d been wearing it ever since it arrived, only brushing the sleeves when they started to look shiny—a trick she’d picked up from social media.
The down jacket was solid black, with almost no design details. The hood was small and lacked any fur trim; the price had clearly been spent entirely on the filling and fabric.
It was definitely worth the 500 yuan, but Su Ying now felt a slight pang of disappointment that the jacket wasn’t quite stylish enough.
She still planned to buy a long down jacket and a short one to rotate between.
The mannequin in the store window was wearing a very pale pink down jacket. The fur collar on the back of the hood was fluffy and soft—you could tell at a glance that it was real fox fur.
Without hesitation, Su Ying walked straight into the store and said to the sales clerk who greeted her, “I’d like to see that pink down jacket in the window.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Su Ying froze. When had she become so confident and direct in speaking to a sales clerk?
Su Ying fidgeted with her fingers, her ears turning red belatedly.
The sales clerk eyed Su Ying’s figure from head to toe and guided her toward the racks: “You usually wear a size S, right?”
Su Ying nodded.
The sales clerk searched through the sizes of that particular down jacket hanging on the rack, then said with a hint of regret, “Sorry, sweetie, we only have XS left. Would you like to try on the XS—”
“No, thanks!” Su Ying quickly waved her hand to interrupt. “I’ll be wearing a sweater underneath in the winter, so an XS won’t fit.”
The sales clerk withdrew her hand from the rack and asked, “This style really is lovely—it’s very popular. Would you like to look at some other styles?”
Su Ying scanned the selection but didn’t see anything she particularly liked. She shook her head and was about to leave.
But the sales clerk called out to her: “Hey, hey, miss! I just remembered that the one in the window display is an S. Let me go get it for you. Please have a seat and wait a moment!”
Su Ying opened her mouth, about to refuse, but when she saw the sales clerk darting off to take down the display board, she swallowed her words.
Sitting on the soft stool provided for customers, Su Ying suddenly found herself reminiscing about the times she used to go shopping with her roommate in college.
Her roommate was nothing like her—a spoiled rich girl.
Standing beside her, Su Ying watched as her roommate directed the store’s only two sales clerks, who bustled around her, fetching clothes, ironing them, and helping her try them on. Even when the clothes were clearly the same size, she would scrutinize the stitching, loose threads, and any flaws, and even had the sales clerks make a trip to the stockroom.
Su Ying couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable. She cautiously said, “Aren’t you being a bit too much of a bother to them…?”
Her roommate, however, took it all in stride and even found Su Ying’s reaction odd. “I spent all this money coming to a physical store—isn’t it precisely for the quality and service? Otherwise, why wouldn’t I just shop online? Besides, the bulk of their income comes from commissions. To close a sale and earn a higher paycheck, isn’t it only natural for them to go the extra mile? If she thinks I’m being unreasonable, fine—she can just tell me, and I’ll switch to another salesperson right away.”
After saying this, the roommate turned directly to the sales associate who was ironing her clothes: “Should you replace someone like me—such a demanding customer?”
The sales associate quickly smiled and said, “No, no, this is all part of our job. You bring in so much business for me every time you come in, and I actually hope you’ll come back more often to support me.”
Seeing this, my roommate raised an eyebrow at Su Ying.
“But…” Su Ying pursed her lips, leaned close to my roommate’s ear, and whispered, “But I’ve seen online that they change their private notes to include insults and gossip about customers behind their backs.”
Her roommate shrugged indifferently. “Who cares? Everyone gossips behind people’s backs. As long as I don’t catch them, it’s no big deal. But if I do catch them, well, too bad—I’ll definitely file a complaint!”
“Yingying,” her roommate finally turned to her, speaking earnestly. “We’re customers—we’re the ones who put food on their tables. Of course, you might think I’m being a bit too harsh, but you wouldn’t go to a restaurant just to eat and then end up cleaning the tables and washing the dishes, would you? You’re paying for the service, so you deserve to enjoy what you’re entitled to.”
“Miss, this is a size S. Would you like to try it on?” The sales clerk handed the jacket to Su Ying.
Almost instinctively, Su Ying pulled out the price tag, her eyes quickly locking onto the price: 2,999 yuan. It was filled with 90-fill-power white duck feathers, and the size S had over 200 grams of down—perfect for getting through the winter in Spring City.
Su Ying ran her fingers over the fabric—it was thick and substantial, not cheap at all. She didn’t know much about fabrics, but upon closer inspection, she noticed a subtle sheen; the actual item looked even better than it did in the display window. The hood had a wide brim trimmed with a circle of detachable fox fur. She touched it—just as she’d guessed, it was fluffy and soft.
The sales clerk explained, “This coat is 999 yuan after the discount. It was 2,099 when it first came out—we’ve slashed the price by half. It’s made with white duck feathers that meet the new national standards. You have fair skin; it’ll look great on you. Why don’t you try it on, beautiful?”
Su Ying nodded.
As soon as she stepped out of the fitting room, the sales clerk rushed over to adjust her coat and hat, and even smoothed her hair.
She looked at herself in the mirror. The shade of pink was quite pale, somewhat like the color of a white peach. Just as the sales clerk had said, it didn’t make her look dark at all; especially paired with the fox fur trim around the brim of the hat, it truly made her face look small and fair.
Su Ying really liked the color pink, and not just because it was the color associated with President Mao.
She had liked it since she was very, very young, and that had never changed.
It was just that when she was little, adults would always buy her bright red or solid black clothes, under the pretext that they were “stain-resistant.”
Once she grew up and started buying her own clothes, summer outfits were one thing, but when it came to fall and winter wear, she still subconsciously gravitated toward colors like black and gray.
It was all for that same “stain-resistant” reason. Take her black down jacket, for example—she’s worn it for half a month, and aside from the cuffs showing a bit of wear, you can’t even tell where it’s dirty. But with this pink one, it’s a different story; even a tiny stain from accidentally spilling food while eating would stand out like a sore thumb.
Seeing Su Ying still hesitating, with her expression giving nothing away, the sales clerk added, “ “Sweetheart, seeing how much you like it, I can’t bear to let you leave empty-handed. It’s the Spring Festival season now, so if you buy this down jacket, I’ll throw in a sweater to wear underneath.”
Su Ying turned to look at the sales clerk: “Huh?”
Is there such a good deal?
The sales clerk led Su Ying over to the row of racks displaying sweaters: ” “These usually retail for 299–399 yuan, and even on sale they’re 99–159 yuan. If you take the down jacket, you can pick any one of these to go with it.”
Su Ying thought for a moment. She realized she didn’t actually have any decent inner layers, and the 59-yuan polyester sweater she was wearing underneath was due for a replacement.
Su Ying picked out a white, half-turtleneck sweater with lace trim, featuring a circle of lace around both the cuffs and the neckline. She ran her fingers over it—it was incredibly soft and didn’t feel scratchy at all.
She examined it closely. Sure enough, the quality of clothes in physical stores was a bit better.
Plus, during these seasonal sales, the prices weren’t much higher than online. With that in mind, and considering the sales clerk’s genuinely thoughtful service, Su Ying decided to support the saleswoman’s sales targets by buying a few more items.
Perhaps her roommate was right: salespeople provide good service to meet their quotas, and that good service makes customers want to spend money on them.
Of course, Su Ying wouldn’t go as far as her roommate—she still thought that was too harsh—but she did want to fully enjoy the service.
Su Ying began browsing the store. She no longer minded the sales associate trailing behind her like a little shadow, fetching clothes and explaining the details.
Su Ying stopped in front of a white cropped down jacket. Almost instantly, the sales associate grabbed the garment, held the hanger, and spun it around in front of her.
The jacket wasn’t actually white; it was more of a pale, hazy gray. The fabric was similar to the one she was trying on, and it also featured an oversized fox-fur hood.
Because it was a cropped style, it incorporated many small design details: two horn-shaped buttons on the chest, a bow at the cuffs, and two rows of wheat ears embroidered on the slanted pockets.
“This one is also made with white duck feathers that meet the new national standards. It’s on sale now for 499—a real bargain. Even if you bought a cropped style like this online, it would cost four or five hundred, and that wouldn’t include the fox fur hood.”
As the sales clerk spoke, she gave the hood a little shake: “Real fox fur.”
Su Ying tried it on; it was indeed warm and stylish. She turned in front of the mirror, raised her arms, and spun around—it fit perfectly. The sales clerk had picked out a pair of retro-blue slim-fit straight-leg jeans to go with it; they made her legs look long and slender without looking bulky, and they weren’t expensive at 229 yuan.
The sales clerk walked over with another style—a lightweight, cropped down jacket in two colors: “Would you like to try this one too, ma’am? It’s a lightweight style made with 90% white duck feathers. It’s definitely too thin to wear now, but it’ll be just right once spring arrives. It comes in pink and blue, and it’s 399 yuan right now.”
Su Ying took the blue one. It was a hazy blue shade. The entire jacket featured a diamond-quilted pattern, with no collar, puffed sleeves, and a drawstring at the hem.
She’d seen how people styled these lightweight down jackets—usually layered over a hoodie or a crew-neck sweater. 399… that’s a good price.
Seeing Su Ying nod, the sales clerk beamed. As she folded the jacket, she said to Su Ying, “Sweetie, since this is your first time in our store—normally you’d get one free sweater with a 1,000-yuan purchase—I just asked the manager, and I’ll throw in two for you. Pick another one.”
Su Ying smiled. Salespeople really are a cut above the rest; she certainly knows how to work a crowd.
Su Ying certainly wasn’t going to refuse. She picked out a gray cable-knit cardigan. She already had one just like it at home—though she’d bought it on some bargain site, and the quality wasn’t nearly as good as this one.
Su Ying changed back into her black down jacket. As she glanced in the mirror, the person reflected in it instantly looked shabby and disheveled.
No wonder they say, “A Buddha needs gold to shine, and a person needs clothes to look good.”
“Beep.” The total came to 2,126 yuan—more than half of her monthly salary.
Actually, that’s not quite right. A person needs gold to shine, too.
Taking the shopping bag from the sales clerk, Su Ying gave it a lift—it was quite heavy.
The sales clerk folded her hands in front of her and gave Su Ying a slight bow: “Thank you for your business. We look forward to seeing you again.”
Su Ying thought for a moment. From now on, she planned to buy clothes at physical stores. Even if she couldn’t afford full price, she could still browse the seasonal sales.