Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting walked around the wholesale market and finally found a store selling Hula Hoops.
The shop wasn't specialized in Hula Hoop wholesale – its main business was children's toys, with only a few Hula Hoop samples displayed. The shop was filled with dazzling, colorful merchandise, making it easy to miss the Hula Hoops if one wasn't paying attention.
There were multiple shops selling Hula Hoops in the wholesale market, but they were just minor products in each store. Only one shop appeared to have more samples with richer color variations.
Wang Huiting actively inquired about prices. Having gained experience from earlier, she had basically mastered the skills of negotiating with these vendors, making herself appear quite experienced.
Compared to the small commodity vendors, these shop owners were clearly more established. Seeing Wang Huiting was just a young girl, they treated her rather indifferently.
"Small ones are five yuan each, large ones six yuan each."
Wang Huiting gasped inwardly but didn't show it on her face:
"Boss, your price isn't reasonable. Even retail sellers outside don't charge this much."
"For wholesale, we require at least one hundred pieces minimum order. At most, we can reduce one yuan per type."
The boss said this while turning to attend to other customers.
Wang Huiting overheard that other customers were placing orders worth thousands or even tens of thousands, making their small purchase insignificant.
Su Ruyi didn't insist either, pulling Wang Huiting away to check prices at other stalls.
The prices offered by other stalls were similar, with only minor differences.
"Sis, what do you think about this price? If we can really sell for ten yuan, it seems we could still make some profit?"
Wang Huiting wasn't very familiar with what would be an appropriate price for Hula Hoops. Her previous products were small and easy to carry, with calculable shipping costs.
Hula Hoops were different – they took up a lot of space, increasing costs for transportation and storage.
These were things she hadn't known before; she only learned about them while chatting with Su Ruyi earlier – that business calculations needed to include these costs.
If the amount was substantial, they even needed to calculate bank interest. If the profit wasn't much higher than bank interest rates, it might not be worth doing.
Su Ruyi wasn't satisfied. She felt that according to the county's consumption level, ten yuan was still somewhat expensive. She thought it shouldn't exceed eight yuan, and it would be more appropriate if they could make profit even at five or six yuan. Only with lower prices could they spread like wildfire, ensuring every household had at least one.
Once this product became popular, copycats would quickly follow. If they couldn't lower the wholesale price, they soon wouldn't be able to make much money.
"Let's go check the plastic factory. These vendors all source from Beijing and Shanghai, so their costs are high. If local plastic factories can produce them, the cost could be reduced significantly."
Su Ruyi didn't know whether local factories were flexible enough. In her previous life, the small factories in her hometown city were numerous and extremely flexible – whatever you wanted, as long as the quantity was sufficient, they could immediately create new molds for you.
But in the city where she attended university, the factories there were relatively rigid with prevalent bureaucratic practices. When she communicated with them, she clearly felt the difference in business styles between the two places.
The plastic factory Wang Huiting knew about was a newly established private factory. Perhaps being newly founded, they might be more flexible – though it also depended on their main business direction.
"Alright, but we'll need to transfer buses to get to the plastic factory from here. That place is quite remote – we'll probably arrive after dark."
"Let's not rush over there today. We'll find a guesthouse closer to the area with direct bus access and settle in first."
The two arrived at the bus stop, where Wang Huiting studied the map briefly and quickly pinpointed their destination.
"Sis, what do you think about staying at the Machine Tool Factory Guesthouse? It's in a residential area that's quite bustling, and it's near the bus terminal so we can secure seats. There are direct buses from here to the machine tool factory too."
The plastic factory was located in a remote area, and standing throughout the entire journey would be unbearable if they couldn't get seats.
"Sounds good, let's go there." Su Ruyi was happy to delegate, letting Wang Huiting take full charge of their itinerary.
Wang Huiting clearly enjoyed this responsibility, feeling she was being helpful.
Nowadays guesthouses operated publicly without requiring introductory letters like before. Su Ruyi had obtained her ID card beforehand, and Wang Huiting brought her household registration booklet, so they completed check-in quickly.
"Sis, let's just take a dormitory bed. A double room costs thirty yuan per night – that's too expensive." Wang Huiting winced at the price.
"Dormitory beds aren't safe. We're carrying goods and money that could easily get stolen. Besides, we'll be running around these next few days – we need proper rest."
Wang Huiting's face fell. The money she had left would barely cover the room rate, and they didn't know how many days they'd need to stay.
"Whether you come with me or not, I'd still stay in this kind of room anyway."
"But single rooms aren't that much more expensive."
"Then you can just pay me the difference between single and double rooms."
The price difference between single and double rooms was minimal, only about two or three yuan more.
Wang Huiting agreed, knowing she was getting the better deal but genuinely short on funds.
Su Ruyi smiled, "Having you along saves me a lot of trouble – that's your contribution."
"That's nothing, you could handle it yourself."
"But it would require more effort. Look at how few big bosses handle everything personally – they all hire people to manage things."
Hearing this, Wang Huiting felt the pressure ease and began appreciating their room.
This guesthouse had seen better days, with many items showing signs of age, though it had been high-standard in its prime so the overall layout remained quite decent.
The room was spacious and bright, with two beds separated by a table under the window, plus a wardrobe and clothes rack. Washbasins, thermoses, and other essentials were all provided.
Though there was no private bathroom, there were dedicated water rooms and bathing facilities.
They could take free showers just by showing their room key – a nice perk considering public bathhouses cost several mao.
After settling in, Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting went out to find food. At the front desk, Wang Huiting handed the receptionist a packet of dried mango that Su Ruyi had given her.
The receptionist, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, brightened at the sight of the mango and became much friendlier toward them.
"Going out for dinner? Turn left and walk four or five hundred meters until you see a small alley. There's a stir-fry restaurant inside that serves delicious, affordable food."
"That's wonderful, we were just wondering what to eat later." Wang Huiting looked grateful. "Sis, do you know where to buy Hula Hoops? My younger sister has been pestering me to get one, but I'm not from the provincial capital and don't know where they're sold. I haven't seen any along the way either."
"Hula Hoops? What a coincidence – I just bought one for my nephew a couple days ago. Take bus number 5, get off at the Lightbulb Factory stop, and you'll see the place just a short walk away. They cost eight yuan each! I had to bargain for a long time to get that price, and mine had some minor defects – they were originally selling for ten yuan."
The receptionist girl looked pained as she spoke. She actually wanted to buy one for herself too, but she'd spent too much this month and would have to wait until next month.
Wang Huiting gasped. "That expensive? It's just made of plastic tubing, not worth it at all."
"Exactly! I heard they came from Beijing and Shanghai – they're really popular there."
As a hotel receptionist, the girl had access to more information than ordinary people. With travelers from all over staying here, her sources of information were naturally broader.
"Don't we have any local plastic factories making these?"
The receptionist girl was momentarily stunned, not expecting this question. "Probably not. My uncle's younger brother works at Molded Plastics Factory Number Three – they specialize in television back covers."
The two left the hotel to find food, following the receptionist's recommendation to look for the stir-fry restaurant.
As they approached the small alley, they were greeted by rich, aromatic smells. It was peak dining hours, and the restaurant was already quite crowded.
The wok station was right at the entrance, allowing customers to see everything at a glance. The sight was quite appetizing, and the portions looked generous.
Su Ruyi ordered four dishes and a soup, then found a corner table to sit down.
"Sis, what if the plastic factory isn't willing to make them? Should we still source from the Wholesale Market?"
Wang Huiting felt the Wholesale Market prices weren't suitable. To negotiate better prices, they'd need to buy in bulk, which would require substantial capital.
"Let's check the situation tomorrow first. If this newly opened plastic factory doesn't work out, we'll visit other factories."
According to the map, there were six plastic factories in the provincial capital. They didn't know what each specialized in or whether any would have capacity to produce these items – they'd have to visit each one in person.
Phone calls wouldn't convey everything clearly – they needed to go ask in person.
Early the next morning, the two took the first bus to the plastic factory.
Although they were already relatively close, the plastic factory was in the suburbs, requiring a full hour's bus ride.
When they got off the bus, both felt dizzy and disoriented.
The road conditions during the latter part of the journey had been terrible – constant bumping and jolting. Most passengers were local villagers carrying all sorts of things, making the bus smell awful.
In the summer heat, the odor was simply unbearable – enough to make one nauseous.
After recovering her senses, Wang Huiting looked around at the desolate surroundings. Only a wooden bus stop stood lonely in the area, making her shrink back nervously.
"Sis, this place is way too remote."
Wang Huiting hurriedly checked the last bus time on the stop sign. Only this one bus came here – if they missed it, being stranded in this wilderness would be terrifying!
Su Ruyi took out the map and studied it for a moment. "Isn't auntie's house somewhere around here?"