What the two of them wanted to do still required Sanders Wren to check out the current situation in Pent.
Whitaker Scarlett’s earliest impression of Pent was after the millennium; she had never seen the Pent Special Zone in ’83 with her own eyes, but she was eager to witness it firsthand!
The clothing wholesale market was still bustling.
Autumn and winter clothes were fine, but summer short-sleeves were sold by the “kg” (a unit of weight), and pants were sold by the “a dozen.
Even though Whitaker Scarlett had insufficient capital for her first time, she had never bought cheap goods. Some denim pants were 80 dollars for a dozen, with a wholesale price of just a few dollars. It was hard to say whether the goods Whitaker Scarlett bought were foreign trade products, but in terms of quality, they were definitely far superior to the 80 dollars denim pants.
Looking at it this way, it seemed she wasn’t making much money, but the novel styles and excellent quality made her goods fly off the shelves every time she restocked.
Whitaker Scarlett wanted to stock up on cotton jackets.
The winter in Harborfield could get several degrees below zero, and by November, one could already feel the biting cold wind.
Lightweight and warm cotton jackets should sell well, so Whitaker Scarlett planned to bring back a batch to test the waters. Woolen coats looked stylish, but they weren’t warm enough, and Whitaker Scarlett had no intention of giving up on this market.
However, after walking around, she found no cotton jackets at the stalls.
After running around twice, she realized that these vendors could make money off anything as long as there were customers; they could definitely whip up some cotton jackets. So she directly asked. Whitaker Scarlett had taken goods twice before, and the short intervals between her purchases showed that the goods were selling well. Plus, with her face, the stall owners had a deep impression of her.
“How many cotton jackets can you take?”
It was still the same boss from when she wholesaled sweaters. His goods were pricier than those at other stalls, but both the quality and style were reliable.
His stall didn’t have cotton jackets either, but as soon as Whitaker Scarlett heard this, she knew there was a chance.
“It depends on the price, style, and quality… If everything is satisfactory, I’ll take 10 pieces for now.”
Hearing that Whitaker Scarlett only wanted 10 pieces, the boss was a bit lazy.
Ten pieces wouldn’t earn much, and Whitaker Scarlett didn’t rush him, continuing to select items from the stall. Many stalls had the same styles being bought and sold repeatedly, but this stall often had new styles that caught Whitaker Scarlett’s eye. The source of the goods must be a top domestic clothing factory from ’83… at least a leader in trendy designs.
Whitaker Scarlett had only brought 900 dollars for her first purchase, so she didn’t buy much.
The second time, her capital doubled. This time, William contributed 2000 dollars, expanding Whitaker Scarlett’s capital to 5000 dollars.
She took more goods each time; previously, she hesitated over expensive items, but now when choosing particularly fashionable clothes, she didn’t blink an eye. With thicker capital, she had the confidence to bear the costs of unsold items.
The boss noticed her calm demeanor and lack of urgency, thought for a moment, and stomped his foot:
“Are you coming back tomorrow? I’ll bring a few styles for you to see.”
At most, he would make another trip to the factory; taking 10 pieces was a small business, and he was counting on Whitaker Scarlett to make large purchases later.
Whitaker Scarlett looked up, “First, let’s calculate the price for what I selected today.”
She had picked out clothes worth around 1500 dollars in one go. Elizabeth couldn’t say what was good about those clothes; some styles seemed too bold to her, but since Whitaker Scarlett could sell everything she wholesaled, Elizabeth certainly didn’t dare to give random opinions.
After agreeing on a time with the boss, Whitaker Scarlett went to another place to pick out some pants.
The outfit she wore last time to attract customers was very popular; besides the woolen short coat, the white shoes on her feet were also in high demand. The square-toed chunky-heeled shoes had a special charm, and several female customers chased after her wanting to buy them. Whitaker Scarlett certainly couldn’t take off her shoes right there!
This time, she planned to pick up a few pairs of shoes as well.
Whitaker Scarlett didn’t intend to miss out on any hot-selling items that could pull money from the pockets of women in Harborfield.
Leather shoes from Zoriville were more popular, but Whitaker Scarlett brought goods from Sablewick back, and those buyers couldn’t tell the difference. Shoes made from pigskin were stiff, and the wholesale price for a pair was very cheap, but they weren’t breathable, and the leather pores were coarse, making them look quite cheap.
Cowhide felt comfortable to wear, and the best was lambskin… but that was out of the question; at this time, it wasn’t popular in the country for making shoes.
However, the profit margin for shoes was very thin. Take this year’s most popular men’s “83 shoes” as an example; the selling price was only 19 dollars, with a factory price of around 13 dollars. It was said that the manufacturer’s cost exceeded 12 dollars… In this wholesale market, the wholesale price for “83 shoes” was 15 dollars. Transitioning from luxury to frugality was difficult; how much could she earn from a piece of women’s clothing? A pair of shoes only earned a few dollars!
Leather shoes didn’t have as many styles as women’s clothing; whether for men or women, the styles were limited to just a few.
