Chapter 617: Chapter 610: Mian Guo Jujube
Pang Bowen quickly grasped the key points in the middle-aged woman’s accusations.
"You mentioned that what you wanted to buy was called ’mian guo’? But what we sell here is called ’nai zao’. Could it be that they’re originally not the same thing, which is why you felt the taste was different?"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman became agitated again, her expression darkening as she coldly replied, "When I bought it, I specifically asked the sales clerk if this was the trending ’mian guo’ online, and she said it was, which is why I bought it!"
Mentioning this incident made the middle-aged woman angry again.
Her child is now in high school, and after seeing a classmate eating this ’mian guo’ with dates, they also wanted to try it.
Coincidentally, there was a cake shop nearby, an old brand with a good reputation and business, so the middle-aged woman specially came to buy some to take home.
Since she had never seen or tasted it, she specifically asked the sales clerk when purchasing.
After confirming it was called ’mian guo’, she bought it.
But when she brought it home, her daughter eagerly opened it and said it was different, not looking the same at all.
After tasting it, she also said the taste was different, mentioning that the one her classmates had didn’t have any date skin in it.
The tiny jar cost more than twenty, with only a few pieces inside.
The middle-aged woman was concerned about the expense, which is why she came to the store demanding a refund.
After speaking, afraid the dessert shop owner wouldn’t believe her, the middle-aged woman looked around and quickly pointed out a sales clerk who had just arranged the desserts.
"She was the one who said this was ’mian guo’!"
The sales clerk was about to take the used plates back to the baking area and heard the middle-aged woman’s accusations as she approached.
She hurried over to defend herself, but was stopped with a glance from Pang Bowen.
In such situations, any explanation is seen as an excuse by the customer, which not only fails to solve the problem but might also lead to disputes.
Pang Bowen is an experienced, good owner.
He can empathize with both the customer’s and the staff’s perspectives when addressing issues.
This year, when the shop unexpectedly encountered problems, everyone was in a panic.
When Pang Bowen went to the hospital, two sales clerks also went along to help run errands.
When the customer came to buy dessert, it was probably during a time when they were short-staffed.
The sales clerk left in the store, busy and under pressure, misheard the customer’s inquiry and responded incorrectly.
This led to the customer finding out that the product they bought was completely different from what they wanted.
Now they came back for a refund, which was understandable.
Pang Bowen didn’t think that a product costing 28 yuan would be more important than a steady clientele.
Moreover, even if they’re not long-term stable clients, any customer who enters the store deserves the most satisfactory service.
This builds the store’s reputation.
Who can say if this customer might mention a word of praise for the dessert shop in the future, potentially bringing in new clients?
The future is unpredictable.
Pang Bowen nodded at the middle-aged woman, indicating he acknowledged her words.
Then, very apologetically, he said, "This matter is indeed our fault; we didn’t fully understand your needs. How about this, you can keep the ’nai zao’, and we will refund your previous purchase in full."
After speaking, he specifically added, "Our store’s ’nai zao’ is also delicious. You can try it, and if you like it, you’re welcome to come back and buy more next time."
Upon hearing a refund was possible, the middle-aged woman’s expression eased considerably, and her tone became softer, "I’m not trying to make things difficult for you; mainly, I’m just unhappy about spending the money. My child kept wanting to try ’mian guo’ because they heard your desserts have a great reputation and a wide variety, which is why we came specially."
Pang Bowen was originally ready to say a few polite words and leave after handling the matter but became interested after hearing the middle-aged woman’s words.
Being a businessman, Pang Bowen was very insightful and forward-thinking about desserts.
He often surfed the internet, browsed food forums, and checked what new trending desserts were being launched elsewhere or any distinctive news about new products.
To maintain the popularity of a dessert shop, besides having some classic desserts, it’s necessary to occasionally update the dessert varieties.
Keeping up with the times enables better accommodation of customer needs and taste changes.
The middle-aged woman had mentioned earlier that what she wanted to buy was a dessert called ’mian guo’, which was very trending online recently.
’Mian guo’?
Pang Bowen was certain he had never heard of such a dessert.
It being popular online meant it had been trending for a while.
This period coincided with the shop’s peak sales season.
Pang Bowen had been so busy dealing with a large number of orders and sales issues that he hadn’t paid much attention to the recent dessert trends.
"What kind of dessert is this ’mian guo’ you mentioned?"
As he said this, Pang Bowen took a discount card from the register.
With this card, on the store’s monthly member’s day, customers could receive even greater discounts than regular members, plus some tasting opportunities for newly launched desserts.
The middle-aged woman had gotten her refund, received a jar of ’nai zao’ for free, and now obtained a discount card.
Facing the inquiries from the dessert shop owner again, she completely relaxed.
The middle-aged woman explained in detail, "My daughter said it’s ’mian guo dazao’, quite popular at her school. Someone even bought it online, saying it’s delicious. I just thought something bought online, shipped over several days, must have preservatives, and wouldn’t be fresh or good for health. That’s why I came here to see if you had it."
"I’ve never seen what this ’mian guo dazao’ looks like, so I asked to confirm it was the right thing before buying it. But my daughter immediately said it was the wrong purchase as soon as she saw it."
"I was just taking a chance, thinking since they’re both date-based desserts, maybe the taste is the same, so I opened one for her to try. But my daughter said the taste was different. That ’mian guo dazao’ doesn’t have date skin and has a sweet and fragrant taste."
The middle-aged woman added, "Since childhood, my daughter didn’t like eating dates, saying the date skin scratched her throat, but she loved that ’mian guo dazao’. Isn’t it said that dates are good for blood? She’s been stressed with her studies lately. I was hoping if you had it here, I could buy a jar occasionally for her, as a nutritional supplement."
Parents really are thoughtful.
When it comes to studies, the family can’t help much, so they try their best to provide the best support in aspects of clothing, food, housing, and transportation for their children.