Just when Li Tongfu and others in the supply and marketing cooperative were envious of the huge profits made by selling their furniture at other counters, the state's price subsidies for commodities circulating in the market changed from covert subsidies to explicit subsidies. Take furniture as an example. A cooperative buys a set of sofas for 2,000 yuan, and customers only need to pay 1,500. The remaining 500 is subsidized by the state to the supply and marketing cooperatives. Now ordinary people come to the supply and marketing cooperatives to buy a set of sofas for 2,000 yuan. Within three days of payment, they can use the payment voucher to supply and sell. The company receives 500 yuan. Although the chaos of panic buying of food in March had not been reversed, the state adopted subsidies to encourage consumption and implemented price reforms to "break through". As a result, a nationwide panic buying trend was once again triggered.
Compared with the panic buying of food two months ago, the people this time were even more crazy. Everyone withdrew their family's savings for many years from the bank and waved their banknotes to go to state-owned units to buy. Especially the uncles and aunts, who start queuing up at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative very early in the morning. As soon as the door opens, they rush in like crazy. Rice, flour, oil, cotton clothes, cotton trousers, sweaters, quilts, and household necessities are all on the shelves of the supply and marketing cooperative in almost a morning. empty. The same goes for furniture. Small chairs used to cost 3 yuan each, but now they cost 3 yuan each. The supply and marketing cooperative directly subsidizes you 1 yuan without going to the supply and marketing cooperative. Almost a dozen chairs are sold out within ten minutes after they are made.
Only Li Tongfu's counter was relatively deserted, because wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, hardware accessories, wires, and cables were not closely related to people's lives, so they only bought very few. Seeing other people's shelves being sold out early every day, they I even regret not talking about it.
"Boss Li, you have bad judgment. What did you think at the beginning, asking for good business to others?" Wang Shan said jokingly, teasing Li Tongfu, who patted his head with regret.
"Oh, no one has front or back eyes!"
"Let Boss Yang stop supplying. When they run out of goods, we can sell them ourselves and make less money. It's better than this deserted situation."
"Oh! It's all chaos. I'll just say it in the next few days."
This situation lasted until June. The country saw that the purchasing power of the people continued to be active and the market economy was booming. This strengthened the government's determination to overcome the obstacles to price reform. And further liberalize market prices, allowing some scarce commodities to set their own prices according to market demand. For example, in mid-June, Xizhou Supply and Marketing Cooperative tried to open up the prices of famous brand tobacco and alcohol. A bottle of Xifeng wine costing 3 yuan was sold to more than 10 yuan. Xizhou high-end Cigarettes are also in short supply, and with an additional price of 10 yuan and 20 yuan per carton, it is still hard to find a carton. This series of measures has further exacerbated residents’ uncertain psychological expectations.
In the market, there are legends about the value of famous cigarettes and wines. People wave banknotes to grab famous cigarettes and wines. There are even on-site auctions. It seems that what the people spend is not money, but like paper. Many foreign products have also poured in. For example, several Japanese electrical appliances have blatantly held exhibitions in front of the supply and marketing cooperatives. This was unimaginable in the era of state-controlled price and ticket supply.
Like state-owned units, they also use the gimmick of subsidizing prices to sell a Sony TV. A Sony TV costs 2,000 yuan, and the on-site subsidy is 200 yuan. When people see the real subsidy, they start buying. The on-site sales staff cannot control the market at all, and one day they actually show up. In order to compete for a TV, buyers have to dismantle the TV on the spot and buy the parts to take home, which is a ridiculous move. It is said that imported things will retain their value sooner or later. The disorderly influx of a large number of foreign goods is a devastating blow to the healthy development of our market and the competitiveness of our fledgling national brands.
In many places, home invasions and robberies have occurred. A villager in Wangshawan was robbed and knocked unconscious on his way to the supply and marketing cooperative after withdrawing money from the bank because he was far away from the supply and marketing cooperative. Fortunately, Wang Shan recognized that he was a villager from his own village and called the police and sent him to the hospital. However, the doctors and policemen went to the market to buy goods. They had no time to see a doctor or solve the case. After a simple inquiry and bandaging, he got slightly better. The villagers could only consider themselves unlucky and go home. There are also thieves who hang out at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative. When they see the elderly and aunties who come to buy alone, they put their sinful hands into their money bags. Some old people can't help the excitement, have heart attacks, and collapse at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative. , never got up again.
Li Tongfu finally made the decision to sell out the neighbor's furniture store from the source. He thought that Yang Liufang was hiding in the factory in Shige Village, ignoring what was going on outside the window and focusing on making furniture. In fact, Yang Liufang did nothing but listen to the workers chatting. After talking about what his mother-in-law had grabbed today and how much money he had received as a subsidy, Village Chief Shitou brought back a few carts of stuff that his family had snapped up. He also listens to the radio. CCTV News broadcasts about material abundance every day, allowing people to consume rationally, but the trend has already arisen. How can it be controlled without taking drastic measures?
"Brother, if we cut off the supply, if we don't sell it, others will."
"Brother, let's stop it first. When he closes, we will sell it at our own counter."
"This chaos will not last long."
"Stop it. You see, it has been more than four months since March when people were scrambling for food. How often do prices stop rising and people don't rush to buy things?"
"Brother, I heard from the news that the state is controlling things, so I think we should wait a little longer."
"If that doesn't work, go and stand at the counter. I can't stand it when I see other people selling things from our furniture factory being robbed every day."
"Brother, believe me, the state will definitely intervene. I think the news is showing signs of tightening. If we just start doing it ourselves, if the state regulates it, our partners will be offended, and our neighbors will bow their heads and disappear. Looking up to see you, it seems that we are not in a good position."
Yang Liufang finally persuaded Li Tongfu to return to Xizhou. He listens to the CCTV news every day, but the national regulation he expected has never appeared, and people continue to rush to buy. News reports indicate that runs on bank deposits began across the country in mid-August. The total retail sales increased by 20.3% compared with the same period last year, but the CCTV host accurately reported that bank deposits decreased by 2.6 billion yuan in August, and the market inflation rate reached 18.5%.
In order to reverse the severe economic situation and reduce the inflation rate, the state finally began to intervene in September 1988. In particular, the Third Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to use a period of time to manage the economic environment, rectify the economic order, and reverse the price trend. The trend of excessive increases creates conditions for rationalizing prices and better promotes reform and construction. Based on this decision, the state has successively adopted a series of governance and rectification measures to reduce investment and consumer demand, strengthen the control and management of prices, and rectify various chaotic phenomena in economic life, especially in the field of circulation.
Not long ago, the Northwest Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Government closely followed the country's macro-control policies and issued the "Emergency Notice on Governing the Economic Environment and Rectifying the Economic Order." The notice requires: From now on, all means of production and means of living are not allowed to increase prices without authorization. All levels must immediately carry out price inspections, carefully organize the production and supply of goods in short supply, strengthen financial and monetary management, and strictly control the purchasing power of social groups.
With the joint support of party committees and governments at all levels, and the comprehensive rectification of market management departments of public security organs at all levels, a group of collectives and individuals who have driven up prices and disrupted social order in the past period have been sanctioned by law. Thieves and robbers also received their due punishment. After a period of governance and rectification, preliminary results have been achieved. The once overly strong social demand has begun to be controlled, the excessive industrial production speed has slowed down, and the production and living order of the people has been stabilized and restored.
Some contractors within the supply and marketing cooperatives who were involved in driving up prices and making disorderly sales had their contracting rights revoked because they violated the provisions of the contract and disrupted the economic order.
Li Tongfu and the others were undoubtedly lucky. In retrospect, they were lucky to have listened to their brother Yang Liufang and were not deceived by their own greed. As non-system members, they continued to operate their own counters, and also received honorary awards from the government and the General Supply and Marketing Cooperative, becoming "civilized merchants". Yanhua also received the "Gold Medal Salesperson" award.
