Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 1135 - 580: 5 Money Counting Machines - High-Tech Office

Chapter 1135: Chapter 580: 5 Money Counting Machines - High-Tech Office

Summer mornings brighten early, some like to linger in bed during the cool early hours, naturally, there are also those who rise early.

Early in the morning, at the entrance of the largest building at the Provincial City technology market, quite a few small business owners were waiting for the market to open. These small business owners were all fairly young, involved in technology, after all! Keeping up with the times is essential, and those who can’t keep up just can’t handle this business.

A few young small business owners were taking this time to chat leisurely together.

A young man, whose hairstyle looked like it was in vogue in Hong Kong’s four major heavenly kings, was criticizing another middle-aged man, "I’m telling you, Old Brother Zhao, doing it your way just doesn’t work. Guys, you tell me, in our line of work, which isn’t like other businesses, how can profits be fixed? It’s all about making money wherever possible. Tell me Brother Zhao, didn’t you lose on that deal yesterday afternoon? That guy was clearly from a corporate purchasing department, and yet you went and charged him as if he were a private customer. Isn’t that like leaving money on the table?"

Old Zhao was probably in his forties and, among those waiting for the market to open, could be considered ’elderly’. He laughed at this comment and said, "Well, business should have some integrity, shouldn’t it?"

That wasn’t a wrong thing to say, but it immediately provoked opposition from another young man, "That depends on the client, doesn’t it? It’s okay to do that with private individuals, but that guy was from a public office, not spending his own money. If you don’t charge more, how are you going to offer kickbacks?"

"Exactly, if you don’t do it this time, will they come back to you next time?" someone else chimed in. "Besides, it’s just the way our industry works. That guy was clearly a layman; he couldn’t even tell a hard drive from an optical drive. What’s wrong with making a bit more money from him? If anything goes wrong later, just provide good after-sales service and you might even secure a loyal customer!"

Hearing this, the other young men immediately began airing their views, none in support of Old Zhao.

The situation was indeed tricky; many businesspeople these days thought this way. Public sector business is both easy and difficult to handle—secure it with kickbacks, and you’re sure to do well and make more money—exploiting public resources for private gain was quite effortless for some.

Moreover, the technology market primarily focused on computers and related products, which to the average person were considered high-tech. It was not rare for the uninformed to spend a lot of money on low specs.

Seeing that everyone felt this way, Old Zhao simply did not argue and just listened to them criticize him with a smile.

His attitude was actually on point; seeing that he wasn’t responding, the young men gradually lost interest in their own words. Someone with keen eyesight soon noticed a market management person coming to open the doors and quickly called out, "Let’s go, let’s go, they’re opening up. Let’s hope business picks up today."

As they departed, they couldn’t resist jokingly adding, "Old Brother Zhao, you really need to be careful. Doing business your way is going to ruin our industry rules..."

Everyone around erupted into laughter, surging into the market.

Old Zhao also followed the crowd into the building, which inside was divided into small shops and some stalls, especially on the ground floor where space was incredibly valuable, leaving the paths rather cramped.

As Old Zhao walked, he turned two corners, and when he was getting close to his own shop, he couldn’t resist turning back and asking a young man, "Are you new here? Do you have a shop here too? I’m Old Zhao, my shop is just ahead there, drop by sometime!"

Computers, unlike other goods, have many components and various peripherals, and no one could possibly keep stock of everything. Sometimes they even need to exchange stock with each other, so the market’s small business owners are mostly acquaintances.

The young man walking behind Old Zhao was unfamiliar and had come so early, naturally, he was a bit curious.

"I’m not from this market, I live nearby and came to buy a computer," the young man said with a smile, proving an old saying: ’The early bird catches the worm, and an early-rising owner... might just make some business.’

"This early..." Old Zhao was surprised for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly took out his keys, stepping quickly to open the store. "Come on in, this way please, my apologies, I thought you were from the market! What kind of computer are you looking to set up? What’s the main use going to be?"

"I’ve started a small company, mainly for accounting," the young man replied, then added jokingly, "It’s for my private use, isn’t it?"

Old Zhao burst out laughing, "You must have heard what they were saying about me outside, huh? Don’t worry, I can’t guarantee anything else, but the price here will definitely not intentionally be higher than others, whether it’s for personal or official use."

A small joke significantly warmed up their interaction, and Old Zhao asked again, "If it’s for personal use, what price range are you considering? If it’s just for accounting, you don’t need too high specs, just good stability to avoid frequent problems, as losing data can be quite troublesome."

"A pricier one won’t be an issue; after all, I do have my own small company, it’s even bigger than this shop! Outfitting an accountant with a computer is well within my means," the young man picked up on Old Zhao’s intent, who was presuming that he might be short on funds in the early stages of starting a business, so he was providing a rationale in advance in case the young man felt embarrassed asking for a cheaper computer.