Clothes-selling auntie who takes customized orders

     Auntie, named Ms. Huang, having been selling clothes for more than 20 years, before which she lived by making clothes. She knew if clothes would be fit, as long as she had a look at her shape.

Having learned to tailor, she couldn’t work anymore because of having a baby after marriage. So she discussed with her husband and decided to “make some clothes for sale”. She took the clothes to a factory, earning a little profit at first, but then it bankrupted without returning her money. She went to the factory, only to find some cloth, with which she switched to make pretty clothes for children alongwith her husband, as crisis was a turning point.

     Then they went to sell them one set by one set, one hundred by one hundred, near Dinghao. Business became better, so they sold adult clothes on  Wuhsing Street. It’s only 4 or 5 years since they arrived in Luchou. Her clothes were bought by cash and unsalable ones could be exchange with middleman, due to her honesty.

     Ms. Huang got up at  5 in  the morning, got out at 6:30, and closed at 2:30 in  the afternoon. “She used to use a table to sell clothes without carrying her purse, but it was gone once when she closed the stall.” Having experienced that much, she was so clear-headed right now, that she remembered clearly who had given change to but who hadn’t. Because she could make clothes herself, knowing which company’s version or material was good, you could be assured to buy clothes at hers. She would say to customers:” it’s up to you, you can decide if you deal or not”, in the same way, if it didn’t look good. Ms Huang liked to do business in Luchou, not because it’s good there, but for its human interest, kind neighbors, friend-like customers, and some patrons would even visit her on Tuesday or Wednesday. Comparing those markets together, she found that there were more foreign customers in  Wuhsing Street, whereas local customers were dominant in Luchou, so that she could meet some old patrons more frequently, to whom she had more emotion.” We require strong emotion of our age.” She said. Thus the relationship between customers and she were not simply money at all. She would never have an attitude that “you must buy if you have a look at it.”, contrarily, she would help some customers , who were embarrassed for not buying but just looking,  get through by saying “It doesn’t matter. You can come here next time, if you cannot find your favorite this time.” She would figure out a way to let them go naturally, because she considered it a rule to be a human, whatever profession you had, you should think of others, which would make your business longer. Having had an car accident, she rested for almost 3 months, when customers couldn’t find her. The boss, of the opposite stall, seemed so close that he even told her:” You didn’t leave me the phone number, otherwise I would see you.” Instead, he invited her to have some fruits afterwards.

Ms. Huang had a special way to treat those tough customers, whom should be taken care of, on account of best service she had offered.  As tough customers, they would not be welcome at other stalls, who would even make it hot for them, saying “ Don’t look if you don’t want to buy”,” I wonder you will buy or not.” and so on, on hearing which, she would have a hard time, but think of me one day she really wanted to buy some clothes. We have to give opportunities to those who were very tough.

    “How to do business shared the same reason with how to be a human. Some people cultivated themselves by worshiping Buddha. You have to face reality patiently, not to worship Buddha necessarily. You were still a child and probably couldn’t understand it, but you would know how complicated the society was when you grew up. There were all sorts of people, who may envy you if you were such a good guy or pick on you if you were bad. It’s really tough to behave, but it didn’t matter, because toughness required learning, the younger the faster, till you were old.

     His constant belief was “earnestness”, therefore she lived her life with the aim of serving others, or you would feel terrible aiming at money. Once, a customer confirmed that she had bought a coat and given Ms. Huang NT$1,000 without change. Ms. Huang announced that she didn’t take the money but give the change to her at last, telling her that” The change was a piece of cake and I gave you, but return it to me if you found that you still had had NT$1,000.” Believe it or not, the customer came, gave NT$1,000 back, and apologized, after only one hour. ”Ms. Huang believed that “it didn’t matter that we were taken advantage of, for we could eat and sleep as usual, with peace of conscience, exchanging the suffering for their conscience. Although I suffer a loss offering her clothes, even money, I felt as ease.”

     His constant belief was “honesty”, therefore she lived her life with the aim of serving others, or you would feel terrible aiming at money. Once, a customer confirmed that she had bought a coat and given Ms. Huang NT$1,000 without change. Ms. Huang announced that she didn’t take the money but give the change to her at last, telling her that” The change was a piece of cake and I gave you, but return it to me if you found that you still had had NT$1,000.” Believe it or not, the customer came, gave NT$1,000 back, and apologized, after only one hour. ”Ms. Huang believed that “it didn’t matter that we were taken advantage of, for we could eat and sleep as usual, with peace of conscience, exchanging the suffering for their conscience. Although I suffer a loss offering her clothes, even money, I felt as ease.”

     Ms. Huang considered her biggest achievement of this business was that “the clothes she sold were not only fit but also good-looking”. Some customers left Luchou, but would still miss her and came back to buy her clothes as well. As a kind woman, she would ask some old women less money, who didn’t have income yet. So would she to someone who bought for their mothers-in law or mothers on account of their filial emotion. The toughest of this business was that rental cost was too much, and people, who couldn’t easily find a job in the present slack economical situation, didn’t have spare money to buy clothes, because you were able to live a life without buying clothes in 5 years, but 3 meals a day was the most important thing. She learned from this business that there was not necessarily conflict between human, and you had to be kind, the kinder the better men you would meet with, while bad ones would keep off.