Era: Start as a buyer

Chapter 212 Helping Farmers

"Old Wang, you can sell it if you want. I asked a relative in Shanghai yesterday and the tomatoes there cost three yuan a pound. Boss Chen also offered fifty cents, so he might as well send someone to collect them."

"Boss Chen? Forget it, I'll sell it to Boss Luo from out of town. I originally agreed to pay 30 cents to collect our tomatoes, but now I just help load the car and promised to pay 50 cents. If I change my mind again, I can't do it. This matter."

Regarding picking tomatoes, Lao Wang contacted Luo Cheng early in the morning. He had to wait for the car to arrive, so he couldn't come too early. But I contacted him by phone in the morning, and the other party said that the car was arranged yesterday and would be here around seven o'clock.

So Lao Wang gathered some vegetable farmers who wanted to sell tomatoes and prepared to pick them one by one, and everyone helped each other. This makes it easier for Luo Cheng to keep accounts, as each family will settle the accounts after picking.

But I didn't expect that before the picking started, someone had trouble again. But when it comes to Boss Chen, everyone actually has a pretty good impression of him. It is just speculation to say that he has lowered prices this year. In the past, it was difficult to sell vegetables, so people came to collect them. Although the price was low, it was still better than growing in rotten fields.

Lao Wang hesitated because he felt that Boss Chen was a good person, but he still felt that it was better to keep his promise. At least Luo Chengzhen, thousands of miles away, came to help in the nick of time. Seeing that some people thought Boss Chen's side was better, Lao Wang didn't say anything. Indeed, they had cooperated there for many years, and Boss Chen was quite a good person. This is also the reason why Lao Wang does not force others to do so. If he were another vegetable vendor, Lao Wang would definitely scold some people for not observing morality.

Not long after, Lao Wang's cell phone rang. Boss Luo called. The car was on the way and it would be here soon. Everyone can start picking first.

"If you are willing to follow me to pick tomatoes and sell them to the boss who came online, please come to me immediately to count them, and we will start work immediately. The day for picking tomatoes has actually been many days, and if you don't pick them, they will rot in the ground."

Lao Wang said that the vegetable farmers around him were basically from the same village, and his words were somewhat authoritative. Indeed, many people think that what Lao Wang said is right. No one bought it before, and they drove hundreds of miles to collect it. Not to mention the price increase, if they don't sell it now, they will really have a hard time with their conscience. And it's hard to say whether Boss Chen will send people to pick. If he just harvests without sending people to pick, there is no need to go back on his words.

Under the leadership of Lao Wang, many people began to go to the ground. And it wasn’t long after I got off the ground. Boss Chen appeared in front of everyone with his people, and Boss Chen greeted Lao Wang politely.

Boss Chen nodded, but he actually admired the other person as a person.

Time passed slowly, and soon Luo Cheng appeared. Boss Chen didn't know Luo Cheng, but as soon as he appeared, Lao Wang took these people over to talk, and Boss Chen knew that the real owner was here. In fact, when Boss Chen talks to these vegetable farmers, he is waiting for the people who come to buy from other places to come.

In this way, Boss Chen is explaining the truth to vegetable farmers and analyzing how the current market is not doing well.

Luo Cheng felt that as long as he brought these tomatoes to his own time, no matter whether they were sold or how they were processed, they would end up in people's stomachs. It can somewhat alleviate the need for food, such as selling it to a factory. If everyone eats some vegetables, fewer people will go to the black market to buy them. Things on the black market can be supplied to other people who need them more.

Of course, vegetable farmers can't afford it, but they have to make some decisions. Some people even feel that six cents is not Boss Chen's bottom line. What this vegetable vendor earns is the price difference, and he usually sells farther away.

Luo Cheng was talking to Lao Wang and heard that a group of people were unwilling to sell to him. He didn't feel anything. He didn't make money by doing this. He really just made money by tinkering with vegetables and fruits. He would never agree to let the other party pick them and take the initiative to add 20 cents.

"Old Wang, how about selling me the tomatoes from your vegetable field? It costs 50 cents a pound. I also brought a few people to help pick them together. You should also relax. We are all from the same place, so you can't open your eyes to outsiders."

But the conversation between Boss Chen and Lao Wang just now was 'accidentally' overheard. Now it's not a matter of not being able to find people to pick it, but the price, it seems we can still talk about it.

After leaving Lao Wang's vegetable field, Boss Chen took his people to discuss matters with other vegetable farmers. The price is still 50 cents. If you are willing, he will arrange a car to come over at noon today. Not to mention all the picking and loading work, at least he will arrange for a few people to be brought along, and other vegetable farmers will help to check the weight.

Vegetable farmers cannot find wholesale prices elsewhere, but retail prices are easy to find. People on the Internet will complain that the vegetables in some places are so cheap that they cannot be sold. Vegetable farmers also often complain that the vegetables in cities are so expensive, yet no one has bought them for just a few bucks.

"Boss Chen, I'm sorry. I promised others that I can't sell you even if you pay more."

"Forget it, you can't go back on your promise."

In a hurry, Boss Chen is in a hurry. Generally, the more he behaves like this, the more profitable it is for Boss Chen.

The vegetable farmer is not afraid that Boss Chen is anxious at all, but is afraid that he is not anxious. At this point in time, the tomatoes will rot no more than a few days, whether they are picked or not. If you really want to buy it, Boss Chen can't afford it.

When the price was discussed, Boss Chen became angry and furious. At the price agreed upon on the phone, he even sent someone to pick it. As for telling Lao Wang about the extra 10 cents, he definitely denied it.

So what if Boss Chen is impatient? If we can't agree on the price, how can we still buy and sell by force? Anyway, more than one company is taking it. If there really was no profit, Boss Chen would have left long ago.

"Oh, you don't want to sell them even if you pay more. Now the tomato industry has suddenly turned around again. Just sell them to me for an extra cent."

Although the more tomatoes the better for Luo Cheng, they are not absolutely necessary for him. There are many people who are unwilling to sell him and feel it is a pity, but they don't have any emotions.

The acquisition work went relatively smoothly. Luo Cheng only had to look at the weight in front of the car, and Lao Wang only had to say that he was finished with one family and give money to each family. The money was transferred on the spot, and those who received the money, regardless of whether they lost money this season, at least felt at ease and no longer had to worry about the tomatoes in the fields. Even if the price is a waste of work for a season, I am still very happy.

Basically, more than half of the vegetable farmers follow Lao Wang to sell vegetables to Luo Cheng, and they all have their own basket weaving, and they are all experienced hands picking tomatoes.

During the lunch break, Lao Wang also invited Luo Cheng to have dinner at home, but he refused. Instead, he took the driver who was collecting and unloading the goods to eat at a small roadside restaurant.

I came late in the morning and actually took the driver and a hardworking porter to see the warehouse of the logistics center. A small truck is filled and sent to the warehouse. Asking a porter to accompany you will also facilitate unloading. You can't let the driver unload alone.

Three people, three dishes and one soup. Food is basically hard food for workers. The porter asked for a bottle of beer, which he usually drinks at room temperature during this season. Drivers also drink, but usually only after finishing work. But not drinking doesn't mean he will ever drive without drinking.

The driver is in his fifties, and I don’t know whether he is bragging or not. He said that when he was young, he used to drive a truck for the company. At that time, no one had any cars. There are no checks on drunk driving at all. Many drivers are not motivated to drive even if they don't drink. They become more energetic when they drink. Moreover, most of the drivers at that time drank. Not to mention drinking while eating, even while driving, they had to take a sip when they felt weak.

"This is Boss Luo."

"Hello, who are you?

"My surname is Chen, and my name is Chen Da. Can I trouble you to discuss something alone?"

"Okay, two masters, you eat slowly while I go to discuss something."

While Luo Cheng was having dinner with the driver and porter, a person whom Luo Cheng didn't know interrupted their chat. To be more precise, it interrupted the driver's bragging. If the driver used to drink a lot while driving, Luo Cheng would be a little convinced. But the driver is very good at driving, he can drive while sleeping, and he has never had any accidents.

The person who asked Luo Cheng to chat alone was naturally the vegetable vendor here, Boss Chen. He was a relatively large local vegetable vendor with a lot of strength. Not only do we harvest vegetables from many local vegetable farmers, but sometimes when the market for certain vegetables is good, we also harvest vegetables from other places.

The two of them each lit a cigarette, squatted down in a deserted place, and started chatting. Of course, Luo Cheng was not familiar with the other party, so he only listened to what Boss Chen was saying.

For example, on this road now, only small cars can pass, but large trucks have height and weight restrictions. It’s not that the road is not good, so to collect vegetables here, the cost of hiring a car will be higher, and a small car will have to rush to the big truck.

Vegetable sellers from other places find it troublesome and do not come to collect some vegetables when the market is not good. If you come to collect, the price will actually be lower than other counterparties.

Let’s just say that the wholesale price of this year’s tomatoes is less than one yuan and a half. You will lose money if you come here to harvest. There are ways to save some costs locally, but not much.

But now local tomatoes are retailing for only RMB 80. In some urban areas, the rent is high, so it is normal to sell them for more than a dollar. Therefore, the tomatoes currently sold locally are priced because there are no transportation costs and they are sold on the go. Collect a little from 20 to 30 cents, and wholesale it for 50 cents.

As for the ones that retail for only 60 cents in the market, some people may have multiple varieties that look good, while some people may have faked the scales and then take a measurement.

Boss Chen told Luo Cheng that the tomato market should not be good this year, and asked Luo Cheng how he could pay 50 cents to collect tomatoes.

"I didn't plan to make money. In fact, I saw someone asking for help online, saying that the tomatoes were rotting in the ground and they couldn't sell them at a price. Even if they were fed to pigs, there would be too many. I happened to do some retail and wholesale work, and I felt like I could help them deal with it. No problem, just come over.”

"Boss Luo, is there really some way to sell these tomatoes? Don't get me wrong, if you have special channels, I won't ask."

"No, really. If you bring these tomatoes to Jiangcheng, they can be wholesaled for more than 80 cents, so you shouldn't lose money."

"You're going to pay fifty cents for more than eighty cents?"

Boss Chen was surprised when he heard what Luo Cheng said. If the wholesale price is really 80 cents, the purchase price of 50 cents is enough for transportation costs, plus some wear and tear costs, but it is really a waste of money.

Boss Chen also knows the wholesale prices in many places, and knows that the prices in Jiangcheng that Luo Cheng said are around this. Do you know how much cabbage in Northeast China costs per pound? Sometimes it costs only one or two cents. Some vegetable farmers bring their own vegetables to the city to sell them, and when they are cheap, they only cost 30 cents.

The retail price in the south is about RMB 1 yuan. If it is the retail price, everyone will say that bringing vegetables from the north to the south and selling them can make a lot of money. But to really calculate the price, you actually have to calculate the wholesale price. For example, the wholesale price of Chinese cabbage from the Northeast is 20 cents, while the wholesale price from the South is 60 cents. Basically there is no profit.

Therefore, what ordinary people can always see is that some local dishes are so cheap that no one wants them, and some people cannot eat them.

Seeing that Luo Cheng is not a vegetable seller in the true sense, he is more of a helper to some vegetable farmers or fruit farmers. Boss Chen had a good impression of him in his heart, so he stopped beating around the bush. He told Luo Cheng that some vegetable farmers had scolded him on the phone. He asked Luo Cheng to talk about it to show that he didn't want to 'accidentally hurt' him. It's not really about raising prices.

If Luo Cheng wants to buy some vegetables in the future, he will sell them somewhere. Or maybe you want to help some slow-selling vegetable and fruit farmers. In fact, there is a group of people who are engaged in first-hand wholesale business. Many vegetable sellers and fruit sellers actually care about vegetable and fruit farmers. If there are unsaleable products in some places, they will ask the prices in various places in the group to see if they can help these vegetable and fruit farmers.

If it weren't for this group of people, we would see more unsaleable products. Many of them were solved by everyone's mobilization. The real news that everyone can see is basically who takes the money and who loses money. It is true that they have good intentions, but they cannot openly suffer losses.

So once fruits and vegetables are unsaleable, all you see are local 'work unit' personnel calling for help. But there was no sign of any dealer.

If Luo Cheng is interested, Boss Chen can invite him to join the group. In this case, you can actually get first-hand information. Want to help some people and get the news earlier.

For example, regarding the tomatoes here, when it was difficult to sell, if Luo Cheng had known the news earlier. At that time, the tomatoes had just reached the picking and ripening period, and the tomatoes could actually be stored for a few days after being picked. Nowadays, tomatoes are not resistant to stress and tend to rot easily.

Let's put it this way, if they are not disposed of within a week after being picked, they will start to rot. Sometimes when one rotten, it will lead to the rot of others. And in one week, you may be delayed for two or three days on the road. If it is shipped to other places and not sold for four days, there will be a lot of losses every day.

This is also the reason why many large truck drivers are reluctant to haul vegetables and fruits. If they are stuck on the highway because they cannot take the green road, they really can’t afford it. Many vegetables will not be fresh if they are delayed for a day. Therefore, peppers on the highway are not peppers, and plantains are not bananas. Many trucks have no choice but to make videos and expose them. They still have to pay tolls first and deliver the goods on time.

Because of one day's delay, the loss to wholesale sellers is actually huge. Drivers who carry vegetables and fruits all know this, so I have never seen any driver lose money at the toll station. Even if there is a problem, the driver should communicate with the cargo owner, and the cargo owner will not embarrass the driver. If the cargo is cheap, it can be given away directly, and the toll station must be exposed.

(End of this chapter)