Chapter 379: Unbelievable

The store manager for NLB had a base salary of 7,000. Last month, the store did 2.4 million in sales, and she earned a 1% commission, bringing her monthly income to 31,000.

The moment the store manager saw the text message from her bank, she cried tears of joy. This income was the company’s recognition of all her hard work. It would drastically improve her family’s quality of life. The tuition for her child’s cram school was covered, she could afford a private tutor, and back home, her husband had become much more considerate. Even her in-laws would treat her differently now.

Li Na quietly approached. She was Xia Jie’s manager-in-training, and at the end of the month, she would be in charge of the NLB store at Xinyue Square Second Store. Since everyone knew the salary structure, she had easily calculated the current manager’s income. She was envious, but she also knew she would soon be in the same position. Even now, she could hardly contain her excitement.

‘Just a moment ago, I ran into the store manager for Shi Meng from Futong Commerce upstairs,’ Li Na thought. ‘She had the nerve to ask me about my salary last month, all high and mighty.’ The woman had said smugly, “Oh, I’m a manager at Shi Meng. The salary isn’t high, but I still take home over 4,000. It’s better than being a regular clerk. That’s just embarrassing, and the money you make is barely enough for groceries.”

Li Na had never liked her. The woman was a classic fair-weather friend. When Xia Jie left the company, several store managers went to her farewell, but this woman was the only one who didn’t show up. She claimed she was busy but ended up going out for barbecue skewers with other people that night.

Last month, Li Na had started around the 15th, trained for a week, and only began working sales in the store on the 20th, but she had still managed to ring up 70,000 in sales. Her base salary was 6,000, but since she only worked half the month, she got half of that. With a 3,500 bonus, her total income was 6,500.

So she had sneered right back, “Sorry, but I made 6,500 working just half the month. That’s way better than being some pathetic manager who just coasts by.”

Worried the Shi Meng manager wouldn’t believe her, Li Na had even shown her the bank notification on her phone. Seeing the woman’s eyes turn red with jealousy made Li Na feel incredibly satisfied. But the manager shot back, refusing to be cowed, “This is just your first month. I doubt you’ll keep making this much.”

‘Of course it won’t stay this high,’ Li Na thought. Her goal was to reach the current manager’s level and aim for a 30,000 monthly income. Following Yanghe Commerce and Xia Jie gave her a clear path forward and filled her with motivation.

The situation was similar over with Zhu Jing. Zen had opened ten days after NLB, but its sales performance wasn’t far behind. The incomes of the staff at both stores didn’t have a huge gap, with only minor differences in base salary. The moment she walked into the store, she could tell the team was even more fired up today.

‘No wonder some companies like to pay out salaries right before a holiday,’ she mused. ‘It gets the sales staff motivated for the peak period and keeps their fighting spirit high. Of course, if the pay is low or includes deductions, it’s better to pay after the holiday to avoid crushing team morale.’

She let out a sigh. ‘A team like this barely needs any managing. It’s almost too easy.’ All she had to do was point out minor issues in their execution, and they would correct them immediately. They even gave each other pointers. The culture of feedback and self-improvement at Yanghe Commerce was excellent. No one got upset when their mistakes were pointed out; they understood it was to help them grow. Zhu Jing had seen far too many people in her past who would get angry and defensive, feeling like they were losing face. ‘How can anyone improve with an attitude like that?’

The store’s smooth operation gave her more time to prepare for new openings. In a few days, renovations would begin at the Xinyue Square Second Store in Qingzhou and the Yida Department Store’s Qingzhou Pedestrian Street Store. Both were expected to open by the end of the month or in early August. These were two potentially high-earning locations, and Yang Na considered them extremely important.

The foot traffic and quality of clientele at the Xinyue Square Second Store were second only to the main store, and even better than Jiang’an City. Meanwhile, the Yida Department Store’s Qingzhou Pedestrian Street Store was located right on the pedestrian street itself, with a constant flow of people. If managed well, its sales could potentially surpass the main Xinyue Square store. Zhu Jing had been present when Yang Hui and Wang Qing discussed this location, so she knew how important it was. Lately, she had been busy screening candidates for the manager and staff positions for both new stores.

She had been here for ten days, and in that time, many managers and employees from her old company, Futong Commerce, had reached out to her. She had already selected a few who met Yanghe Commerce’s standards, telling them to begin their resignation process. They would then come over for onboarding and training, just in time for the wave of new store openings at the end of the month.

At the same time, she needed to keep building a talent pipeline. She’d heard from Yang Hui that the pace of store openings would accelerate in the second half of the year. For instance, the two stores at San Yang Xinyue Square were set to begin renovations at the end of this month and open early next month. Preparations for other Xinyue Square locations were also in full swing. It would be a huge problem if they opened new stores without enough good staff.

Today was a banner day. A few of her old friends from Futong Commerce had messaged Zhu Jing, asking if she wanted to get together and celebrate. It was the first time in two years they had received their full bonuses, and the first time their income had crossed the 10,000 mark.

Zhu Jing declined. It wasn’t an excuse—she had been completely swamped with recruiting new staff. She had to meet with and screen her old subordinates every day. She figured she would only have time to hang out after this rush was over, so she replied that they should get together in mid-to-next month, telling them she was just too busy right now.

Her friends from Futong Commerce had no idea what she was so busy with. They decided they would have to ask her all about it at their next get-together.

But the people who were truly the most excited were probably on the online team at Yanghe Commerce. Shen Meng was in charge of the entire team, which was divided into two divisions. One group was responsible for livestream sales, including live broadcasts from the physical stores. The other team was in charge of the partnership with Xinyue Group’s online marketplace, the mall on Xinyue Go.