The legendary supermarket ceiling is actually hidden in a fourth-tier city in Henan? !

Friends, when it comes to supermarkets, which one is your favorite?
The supermarket industry is actually also in a state of involution now. There are classic old brands such as Wumart and Century Lianhua, which are high-quality and low-priced. (It should be different in different places) . There are Internet supermarkets like Hema Yonghui, and there are foreign players such as Sam's and Costco... not to mention Online fresh food purchasing platforms such as Dingdong Maicai. Hundreds of schools of thought are flourishing, and there are many choices.
However, when I was surfing the Internet, I often saw many Henan citizens visiting a "little-known" supermarket in Amway: Pang Donglai.
*I often see Fat Donglai’s posts
In the tide of price comparison and novelty hunting in major supermarkets, it is still the leading brand in the retail industry. tumbler My friend in Henan told me that the prices at Pangdonglai are not cheap compared to other supermarkets. Locals only recognize Pang Dong Lai .
This supermarket with a silly-sounding name only has stores in Xuchang and Xinxiang, the third- and fourth-tier cities in Henan. But the "legends" about it are frequently out of the circle.

The "legend" about Fat Donglai and Yu Donglai

Fat Donglai refers to Fat Donglai Trading Group Co., Ltd., which is headquartered in Xuchang, Henan. The locals affectionately call it "Pang Pang". Its founder is local entrepreneur Yu Donglai .
During the epidemic, Xuchang Fat Donglai donated 50 million yuan and ranked top 1 on the list of social donations received by the Wuhan Red Cross Society. While other supermarkets are busy raising prices, Fat Donglai instead sells all vegetables at the purchase price and even distributes free masks at the door.
In 2005, Pang Donglai settled in Xinxiang from Xuchang, but was not optimistic at first. But later, it "overthrew" Century Lianhua, Wal-Mart, Dennis... and became the favorite of Xinxiang people. In 2013, because the rent was too high, Fat Donglai announced that it would close its Xinxiang store. Not only did citizens petition the city government, but the deputy mayor of Xinxiang also begged Fat Donglai to stay.
*The grand occasion when Xinxiang Pandonglai reopened

 

Later, Xinxiang Pandonglai reopened, and the streets were empty . An hour after opening the store, it was too popular and had no choice but to close. Customers could only leave but not come in.
*The owner Yu Donglai came to close the store in person
Some time ago, when Yuanqi Forest fell into the false propaganda controversy of "0 sugar" and "0 sucrose", Pang Donglai immediately removed all products of Yuanqi Forest from the shelves.
Fat Dong Lai also has a service that I think is incredible: If you are not satisfied with the movie, you can return 50% of the ticket price to the box office with your ticket stub within 20 minutes from the beginning to the end of the movie. One thing to say, whether a movie is good or not is very subjective. What does this have to do with theaters? This service is completely the personal behavior of Fat Donglai, which is really "perverted".
Lei Jun also came to Pangdonglai for "pilgrimage and study" and said: "Pangdonglai has always been a god-like existence in China's retail industry."
What’s even more amazing is that as a supermarket, it It's closed on Tuesday However, most locals still don’t buy groceries on Tuesdays and have to wait until Pang Dong Lai opens before going shopping.
As for Pang Donglai’s boss Yu Donglai, he is even more legendary than Pang Donglai himself.
According to rumors, Yu Donglai's annual income was 7 billion, and 95% of the dividend money was given to his employees. The slogan "Love in Fat East" is more than just words. The salary and benefits of Pangdonglai employees are much higher than the industry average.
In March this year, Fat Donglai also issued a vacation notice. Let’s highlight the key points: Regular employees with one year of service shall take 40 days of annual leave. More than 10 days must be used for long-distance travel, which will be tracked by the store supervisor. Failure to take the required leave will result in the cancellation of the 10-day travel leave. Your boss forces you to travel, is that okay?
Yu Donglai even stipulated that all middle and high-level cadres of Fat Donglai: They are only allowed to work 40 hours a week, and are not allowed to work overtime after 6 pm. If they are caught, they will be fined 5,000 yuan. Is it okay if your boss forces you to get off work?
Not only is he good to his employees and customers, Yu Donglai also has a strong sense of social responsibility. According to the memories of Xuchang citizens, one summer there was a large-scale power outage in Pangdonglai and nearby areas. Yu Donglai used a generator to allow citizens to come to Pangdonglai to enjoy the cool air without spending any money.
*There is a love station at the door, picture @RayZhu
Judging from these deeds, Boss Yu Donglai and his Fat Donglai are really shining. The glory of socialism ah!
So when I went to Henan last week, I took the high-speed train from Zhengzhou for 20 minutes to visit the Fat Donglai Times Square in Xuchang. As an out-of-towner, I really want to see what damn magic power Fat Donglai has!

Really visiting Xuchang Pangdonglai, a little overturned? !

I went to Pandonglai Times Square in Xuchang. It takes about 10 minutes by taxi from Xuchang High-speed Railway Station. It is said that many citizens from the neighboring city even drive an hour on weekends to come to Pandong Lai for shopping.
At the entrance of Times Square, there is a sign that reads Fat Donglai’s business philosophy. Although Pang Donglai currently has no plans to expand, it still welcomes peers to learn from and take photos . I have also seen vlogs about Pang Donglai’s study tour on station b.
Next to this sign, in addition to an explanation about the adjustment of the gross profit of associate brands by clothing, there are two other pieces displaying "Fat Donglai Exposure Promotion Platform" , which is somewhat similar to a customer complaint platform.
The section on the left is shared with citizens’ suggestions and consultations on Fat Donglai. I took a closer look and found it quite interesting. Some asked for the spicy hotpot recipe, and others asked for Fat Donglai to open a shop in Zhengzhou... The key is, Fat Donglai also responded seriously .
The one on the right is more powerful. It involves customer complaints. One investment is basically 500 yuan in compensation . For example, a customer bought a concealer pen from Estee Lauder and it happened to be out of stock. Later, when it arrived, the employees did not deliver it to their door. Once you leave a message on the platform, it’s 500 yuan. Ah... I'm really not afraid of people taking advantage of the loopholes to take advantage of me.
When I walked into Fat Dong Lai, it was lunch time, so I rushed directly to the dining area on the fifth floor. When I took the elevator upstairs, I felt something unusual. There were actually chairs in the elevator.
On a normal weekday lunch, the dining area There are quite a few people . I felt that there weren't so many people at Hema in Hangzhou on Saturday. Especially the spicy hotpot shop, there was a long queue. I also joined in the fun and ordered one. The rice was very big and the hotpot was very fragrant. No wonder someone at the door asked for the recipe!
After eating and drinking, I started walking around Pang Dong Lai. The structure of Fat Dong Lai is no different from a basic shopping mall.
From high to low, the fifth floor is mainly for cinemas, restaurants, and electrical appliances, while the fourth to second floors are mainly for bedding, home furnishings, and men's and women's clothing, all of which are mainly domestic brands.
The first floor is the most popular for shopping. It not only has a supermarket, but also cosmetics counters, jewelry, tobacco, wine and tea...
The cosmetics counter at Pangdong Lai is quite beyond my expectation. There are Estee Lauder, Shiseido, Dior, FANCL...This should be the best among the local shopping malls.
Many of the jewelry district is run by Dong After-sales service They also have a firm grasp on this. All gemstone appraisals are free, and jewelry repairs are charged 10 yuan, and cleaning is charged 5 yuan.
The first floor below is a bookstore, and the books are arranged in an orderly manner. There are so many people reading here.
A dedicated children's area and café have also been opened. There is also a place to get glasses next to it.
There will be a dedicated rest area on each floor, where you can also order drinks.
Of course, the highlight of visiting Pang Dong Lai is the supermarket!
There are many kinds of shopping carts to choose from at the door. This kind of trolley shopping cart is especially convenient for citizens who come on foot.
To be honest, my first impression of Fat Dong Lai Supermarket was a bit like Wumart, unpretentious. After visiting “fashionable” supermarkets like Hema Sam’s a lot, I even felt that Pang Dong Lai was a bit ordinary.
But after shopping around in detail, I felt that it was my own problem, because I was not really a customer who came to buy things, so my observations were superficial. If you imagine yourself as a local citizen who is about to replenish some supplies for your home, you will find that the details of Fat Donglai are indeed not simple.
When you walk into Fat Donglai Supermarket, there is a Internet celebrity products section. The red velvet cake that became popular before is right here, so you don’t have to go to the dessert section to look for it.
In the bread and jam area next to it, there are instructions on how to make sandwiches on the shelf, as well as instructions on how to eat which jams to pair with what foods.
Walking to the wine area, there are all kinds of wine categories. Convenience store bartending technique , which was very popular some time ago, was also demonstrated, and you can copy the homework directly.
Fat Donglai's sliced ​​fruits can only be stored for a maximum of 8 hours, and will be sold at a discount after 4 hours. And at the exit, there is also a ice pick-up station . If you are a citizen who comes on foot, the ice can really extend the life of the fruit.
When you arrive at a place that sells meat, not only will the quarantine certificate be displayed, but there will also be signs telling you how to identify water-injected meat . Not selling overnight meat is just Fatong Lai’s bottom line.
Fat Dong Lai’s deli area is a full of variety. Roast chicken, roast duck, fried meatballs, various cold dishes, braised pork, beef, sausages... It is said that Fat Donglai is particularly strict with the deli merchants who set up shop in supermarkets. If there is a hair on the box when purchasing, they will be fined. If discovered a second time, the fine will be doubled.
If you buy seafood from Pandonglai, you can directly process it on site and take it home. Of course, there will be a processing fee.
However, if you buy two kilograms of crayfish, they can be processed for free. I think this is particularly great, because when eating crayfish outside, it’s really hard to control the quality of the shrimp, but at Pangdonglai I don’t have this problem.
When choosing items in Pandonglai, humane details are everywhere. For example, this storage table can temporarily store goods.
It is not unusual to provide disposable gloves for hand gripping, but there is a disposable glove recycling place next to it, which is still very thoughtful.
If you are a novice cook like me who is not rich in food and industrious, Pang Donglai is also very friendly. For example, in this noodle section, the unique features of each type of noodles are carefully marked, as well as the differences between different noodles, and even some tips for cooking noodles.
Fat Donglai will also have a lot of small cards with home-cooked recipes, which you can take home directly.
All kinds of goods are neatly arranged, and there are many choices for each item. Causes this Virgo to be extremely comfortable.
Mops and brooms were all individually selected and arranged in a row for trial use.
You can also try on slippers, and socks are also prepared for trying on.
When you walk out of the supermarket, there is a special washing sink at the door. There are so many details like this, but if you visit it in a casual way like I did, you still won’t feel it deeply enough.
It is worth mentioning that recently I have often seen controversies about boys entering the women's restroom, but Fat Donglai has already had a children's restroom and a mother and baby room .
The toiletries placed beside the sink are not inferior to Haidilao, including hand cream, gel, elastin, hair ties, combs... In terms of service awareness, it is really avant-garde.
There are conspicuous slogans in every corner of Pang Donglai, which shows the life philosophy that Pang Donglai wants to convey.
As far as my experience at Pangdonglai is concerned, its service is not as direct and enthusiastic as Haidilao. In fact, I did not receive any "proactive" service.
Pang Dong Lai's service is more about moisturizing and caring, which only local citizens can have a deep understanding of.
Before payment, all the bells and whistles of service are not surprising, but the after-sales service after purchasing the order is the real deal. I have read many real sharings from netizens, and it may be the only one in China that can do this.
*Shared by Douban friends
This is probably the reason why Pang Donglai can't leave Xuchang, or even drive to Zhengzhou. In big cities, the cost of good services is too high, which can easily lead to malicious competition.
In this era, companies like Fat Donglai and bosses like Yu Donglai are really rare. Haidilao is about to fall off the altar. I hope Pang Donglai can continue to shine in small cities.
Finally, I would like to share a piece of trivia. I wrote "Only Henan" a few days ago, and mentioned the boss of Jianye Group behind it, Lao Hu. It is said that Yu Donglai is a little fan of Lao Hu. Is this a dream collaboration for Henan entrepreneurs?

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/Pangdonglai popular store information/

 

  • Fat Dong comes to Xuchang Times Square

    📍 Xuchang Qiyi Road Fat Dong Lai Times Square

 

  • Fat Donglai Xinxiang Life Plaza

    📍 No. 31, Jianjian Road, Xincun Village

     

  • Business hours

    🕰 9.30am-9pm on weekdays/9.30am-9.30pm on weekends (closed on Tuesdays)

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