The desolate vegetable market had an atmosphere as bleak as doomsday.
Only a few vegetable stalls were holding out, with only a few custors browsing. The vegetable vendors’ goods were plentiful, and the day was nearly over, yet they hadn’t sold much.
It seed that group buying in the community had fully spread in this neighborhood. As a pilot area by the Wei Family, it could be said that it was implented very effectively.
At this mont, a woman in pajamas was bargaining with a vegetable vendor at a stall. Both parties were quite agitated, marking one of the rare lively monts in the market all day.
"Uncle, make it cheaper, okay? I’ll buy more. Look, you can’t sell them!" the woman in pajamas said.
The vendor replied, "I really can’t go cheaper; otherwise, I’m working for nothing. Miss, how can you offer such a low price? These vegetables are grown by us; the cost is there. If we sell this cheap, we’ll lose everything."
The woman in pajamas pursed her lips and said, "I don’t care about your costs. Don’t you know, group buying in the community is trending now, and greens are just 0.1 yuan per kilo. If I wasn’t slow today and missed out, would I bother coming here? I’m already taking a loss offering 0.5 yuan. I might as well not eat veggies today and try online tomorrow. I’m giving you another chance, want to sell or not?"
The vendor was almost in tears, "Miss, I really can’t; 0.5 yuan is impossible. Normally, it’s 3 yuan per kilo."
The woman in pajamas retorted, "3 yuan per kilo, who would buy that? Now with group buying online, it’s 0.1 yuan. You might as well let these vegetables rot!"
"Uncle, 3 yuan, right? Please pack these vegetables; I’ll take them all."
A voice said, and Lin Fan and Liu ngjie walked over.
"Sister ngjie, have you finished the vegetables we bought a few days ago? Perfect timing to supply the school," Lin Fan said with a smile.
Liu ngjie nodded, indicating they were finished. The school had a lot of people, and the vegetables bought that day were gone in a day or two.
Last ti, Lin Fan felt sorry for the farrs and bought all the vegetables in the market, donating them to the school.
Hearing Lin Fan buy up all the vegetables at 3 yuan caught the attention of everyone present.
The woman in pajamas looked at Lin Fan like he was a fool, thinking, "Seriously, soone actually helped the uncle buy vegetables at 3 yuan per kilo? This guy must be an idiot!"
But the vendor recognized Lin Fan, realizing this was the kind-hearted person from a few days ago!
Lin Fan’s good deed had already spread through the market, and everyone praised him. This young man was truly a great person, a true saint!
"Young man, it’s you!" the vendor excitedly said, thrilled that he was here again to help clear the stock, aning today wouldn’t be a total loss.
Overco with happiness and excitent, the vendor shed tears, moved by the gesture.
The woman in pajamas seed a bit unable to bear it, saying, "Hey, are you really dumb or pretending to be? You actually intend to buy all these vegetables at 3 yuan?"
Lin Fan smiled and said, "The vegetables Uncle worked so hard to grow, I think 3 yuan is not expensive at all. They’re worth it."
The woman in pajamas said, "You look young; don’t you go online? Don’t you know community group buying is trending? Vegetables are just 0.1 yuan there."
Lin Fan replied, "I know."
The woman in pajamas sneered, "And you still help him buy, you must have too much money."
Lin Fan said, "I’m helping you."
The woman in pajamas was stunned, "Helping ? Buying his vegetables helps him, not . Unless you’re going to give the vegetables?"
Lin Fan said, "As a custor, you think buying vegetables online for 0.1 yuan with ho delivery is perfect, but you haven’t considered what lies behind those 0.1 yuan vegetables."
The woman in pajamas said, "Are you crazy? Is the 0.1 yuan vegetable poisoned? Stop scaremongering here."
Lin Fan said, "Of course, it’s not poison in the vegetables themselves, but the group buying is toxic. Have you heard ’the wool cos from the sheep’? Buying 0.1 yuan vegetables online seems like a bargain, but you’ll pay for it sooner or later."
The woman in pajamas looked puzzled, "What do you an?"
Lin Fan said, "As far as I know, this community group buying project was initiated by the Wei Family. Their current strategy is to grab the market with low prices. This 0.1 yuan per kilo vegetable is subsidized by the Wei Family, and when you all beco reliant on their platform, they will increase the prices. At that point, vegetables won’t be 0.1 yuan, nor even 3 yuan, but probably 4 yuan, and you won’t be able to refuse to buy."
The woman in pajamas said, "I think you’re stupid. If the platform dares to raise prices so much, people will naturally stop buying online and return to the market."
Lin Fan shook his head and said, "You still don’t understand. By then, they will have monopolized the supply, and where else can you buy vegetables? You can only buy from them!"
The Wei Family’s plan was like this: attract custors with low prices while buying large quantities from farrs. Custors couldn’t resist the cheap 0.1 yuan per kilo, thus rushing to the platform, causing farrs’ vegetables to beco unsellable. Farrs would either change professions or sell to the platform.
Initially, the platform might purchase at reasonable prices, but eventually, farrs lose bargaining power, selling below cost to the platform since all custors shifted online and they couldn’t sell otherwise.
At this point, the platform gains control over supply, halts low-price strategies, since the goods are in their hands, allowing them to raise prices as desired. Custors, unless they stop eating, will have no choice but to buy regardless of price.
This is how monopolization of the market occurs.
Vegetables are a necessity, of course, they can’t be skipped, so custors are forced to buy high-price vegetables from the platform. The bargain found in 0.1 yuan vegetables is eventually paid back with interest.
The outco is, farrs can only sell cheaply, and custors can only buy expensively through the platform.
The one who laughs last will be the platform that monopolized the market.
Hearing this, the woman in pajamas was stunned.
Lin Fan stated it so plainly that she understood it.
"Hmph, inexplicable. Just because you say it doesn’t make it right. Anyway, now 0.1 yuan buys vegetables; who wouldn’t take a deal?" the woman in pajamas said, "After all that talking, aren’t you just trying to get to pay 3 yuan to buy your vegetables? Dream on!"
With that, she twisted her hips and turned away.
Lin Fan shook his head. This woman was definitely not an exception, but rather the majority. Most people don’t see that far ahead, focusing only on imdiate benefits. That’s why capitalists are so unscrupulous; they understand the public psyche and know how to exploit it.
Lin Fan could buy all the vegetables for the vendor now, but this was temporary. To solve this issue, one must address it fundantally.
Lin Fan’s gaze turned cold; it seed it was ti to really have a showdown with the Wei Family.
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