The owner was a warm, middle-aged woman with a simple, genuine smile on her face. She hurried over to greet her.
“Miss, we have several kinds of cooking oil here. A barrel of Jinlongyu soybean oil is 45 yuan (5L), corn oil is 55 yuan per barrel (5L), olive oil is a little more expensive at 100 yuan per barrel (5L), sunflower oil is 65 yuan per barrel (5L), and peanut oil is 86 yuan per barrel (5L). Which kind would you like, and how much?”
Luo Keke quickly calculated the quantities in her head before saying, “I’ll take 10,000 barrels of soybean oil, 20,000 barrels of corn oil, 50,000 barrels of olive oil, 100,000 barrels of sunflower oil, and 150,000 barrels of peanut oil. Boss, can you give me a better price? This is a huge order.”
The owner rubbed her hands awkwardly. “Miss, these prices are already very reasonable. You know how high the costs are these days…”
Luo Keke smiled slightly and said calmly, “Boss, I may be coming here to buy from you regularly in the future. Consider this making a new friend and give me a little discount.”
The owner thought for a moment before gritting her teeth and agreeing.
“All right. Since you’re so sincere, I’ll give you soybean oil for 42 yuan a barrel, corn oil for 53 yuan, olive oil for 98 yuan, sunflower oil for 63 yuan, and peanut oil for 84 yuan. Those really are my lowest prices.”
Luo Keke nodded in satisfaction. “All right, we’ll go with those prices. By the way, what kinds of seasonings do you have here? How much is salt?”
The owner immediately began introducing her products.
“We have all kinds of seasonings—light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, chili powder, white pepper, and more. As for salt, we have iodized refined salt. It’s 3 yuan per bag, 500 grams.”
Luo Keke listened while recording everything in her notebook.
“I’ll take 500 bottles of light soy sauce, 300 bottles of dark soy sauce, 400 bottles of oyster sauce, and 600 bottles of cooking wine. I’ll take 200 jin each of Sichuan peppercorns and star anise, 100 jin each of cinnamon and bay leaves, 300 jin of chili powder, 200 jin of white pepper, and 10,000 bags of salt. Boss, give me a good price on these seasonings too.”
The owner’s eyes widened. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Luo Keke to order such a huge quantity. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Miss, I’ll give you a discount on all of these. Light soy sauce, 8 yuan a bottle; dark soy sauce, 7 yuan; oyster sauce, 10 yuan; cooking wine, 6 yuan; Sichuan peppercorns, 40 yuan per jin; star anise, 35 yuan per jin; cinnamon, 30 yuan per jin; bay leaves, 45 yuan per jin; chili powder, 25 yuan per jin; white pepper, 30 yuan per jin; and salt, 2.5 yuan per bag. How does that sound?”
Luo Keke thought for a moment before replying, “Light soy sauce, 7 yuan. Dark soy sauce, 6 yuan. Oyster sauce, 9 yuan. Cooking wine, 5 yuan. Sichuan peppercorns, 35 yuan per jin. Star anise, 30 yuan. Cinnamon, 25 yuan. Bay leaves, 40 yuan. Chili powder, 23 yuan. White pepper, 28 yuan. Salt, 2 yuan a bag. Boss, if you agree, I’ll definitely come back to buy from you in the future.”
The owner considered it for a while before finally nodding.
“All right. Let’s consider it making a friend. I’ll accept your prices. When do you need all this, and where should I deliver it?”
Luo Keke’s heart leaped with joy.
“I need it this afternoon. Please deliver it to this address.”
As she spoke, she wrote down the address of an unused warehouse belonging to the Luo Group on another order form.
After settling the payment for the cooking oil and seasonings, Luo Keke immediately drove to her next destination—the daily necessities wholesale market.
She entered a large wholesale store filled with all kinds of household necessities. Soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, toilet paper, and countless other products were neatly displayed throughout the shop.
Luo Keke found the store owner and explained that she wanted to make a large purchase. The owner immediately greeted her enthusiastically.
“Miss, just tell me how much you need. We have a wide variety of products, guaranteed quality, and the prices are negotiable,” the owner said with a smile.
Luo Keke looked around before saying, “I’ll start with 6,000 bars of soap, 50,000 tubes of toothpaste, 50,000 toothbrushes, 100,000 towels, and 20,000 packs of toilet paper. Give me a quote.”
The owner thought for a moment before replying, “Soap is 2 yuan a bar, toothpaste is 5 yuan a tube, toothbrushes are 3 yuan each, towels are 6 yuan each, and toilet paper is 20 yuan per pack. Those prices are already very reasonable.”
Luo Keke had no intention of accepting those prices so easily. She immediately began bargaining.
“Boss, those prices aren’t very friendly. How about 1.5 yuan for each bar of soap, 4 yuan for each tube of toothpaste, 2.5 yuan per toothbrush, 5 yuan per towel, and 18 yuan per pack of toilet paper? If you agree, I’ll keep coming here to buy from you in the future.”
The owner scratched his head awkwardly.
“Miss, that’s quite a steep discount. I’m running a small business. There really isn’t much profit left.”
Luo Keke smiled slightly.
“Boss, think about it. This is such a huge order, and there may be even more orders in the future. You’ll make it up through volume.”
After a round of bargaining, the owner finally agreed to Luo Keke’s proposed prices.
Luo Keke once again wrote her address on the order form, paid half of the total amount upfront, and arranged for everything to be delivered to the designated location that afternoon.
After leaving the daily necessities store, Luo Keke hurried to her next purchasing destination—the fabric and clothing wholesale market.
She quickly arrived at the fabric and clothing wholesale market. The moment she stepped inside, she was captivated by the dazzling array of goods before her.
Rows of fabric stalls were neatly arranged, with colorful bolts of cloth shimmering enticingly beneath the lights.
She walked straight toward a relatively large stall with an extensive selection of goods. The owner was a shrewd-looking middle-aged man. The moment he saw Luo Keke, he immediately greeted her with a broad smile.
“Miss, you’ve definitely come to the right place. I have every kind of fabric you could possibly want! Take this pure cotton fabric, for example. It’s breathable and absorbs sweat, making it perfect for clothing worn close to the skin. And the price is affordable—15 yuan per meter.
“And then there’s this silk. Feel the texture. It’s so smooth and soft. Whether you make it into a qipao or a dress, you’re guaranteed to turn heads when you wear it. It’s 80 yuan per meter.”
As he spoke, the owner skillfully picked up a bolt of silk and displayed it in front of Luo Keke.
“We also have this linen fabric. It’s especially cool and comfortable to wear in summer, with a natural, rustic feel. That’s 25 yuan per meter.
“And this corduroy is warm and has a lovely texture, making it suitable for autumn and winter coats. It’s 30 yuan per meter.
“As for woolen fabric, there’s no need to say much about that. It’s thick and windproof, making it perfect for overcoats. That’s 50 yuan per meter. Miss, take a look. Which ones would you like?”
Luo Keke listened while carefully examining the different fabrics. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I’ll take 30,000 meters of pure cotton, 10,000 meters of silk, 2,000 meters of linen, 15,000 meters of corduroy, and 20,000 meters of woolen fabric.
“Boss, is there any room for negotiation on your prices? This is a huge order, and I may be coming back regularly in the future.”
The owner frowned slightly, looking troubled.
“Miss, these prices are already very reasonable. You know that the cost of raw materials has been rising lately…”
Luo Keke smiled and replied calmly, “Boss, look at how much I’m ordering. If you can give me a discount, I’ll make sure that any friends of mine who need fabric come to you as well.”