Summer “Sweet” Engine: Wei District’s “Cultural Tourism Micro-Station” Brings a New Flavor to the Tobacco Shop

In the sweltering summer of the Cao Wei ancient city, the cobblestone streets steam with heat, yet the corner store, Yujian Jinyue Junda Tobacco Shop, wafts a cool breeze of mint and mugwort—this is not a traditional tobacco shop but a “summer cultural tourism micro-station” upgraded by the Weidu District Tobacco Branch Company.

Taste, sight, and smell: a three-dimensional “sweet consumption experience”

Upon entering the Jun Da Tobacco Shop, the most immediate “sweetness” is not just the sensory collision of summer, but a customized cooling experience tailored for summer tourists.

The store breaks away from traditional tobacco retail models, combining products to turn “coolness” into “sales,” and creates a new consumption scenario with “cigarettes + cultural tourism IP + local specialties.” Upon entering, the chilled Changge honey dates in the ice cabinet, the “Weidu Souvenir Corner” beside the shelves, and the “Cao Wei Elegance Ice Cream Set” combining cigarettes, local tribute pastries, and chilled plum soup have become the “first sweet taste of Weidu” among tourists. Store owner Zhou proudly shows the backend data: “Since this summer, the ice cream set has become a bestseller, with summer sales accounting for an increasing share. Compared to the daily turnover from selling cigarettes alone, it’s nearly doubled!”

Stepping into Jun Da Tobacco and Alcohol, the cigarette cabinet lightbox scrolls through a “Night Tour Check-in Guide,” price tags feature the tip “Buy cigarettes and get lotus tea for free,” and lotus-shaped ashtrays are displayed at the counter. Sunlight filters through bamboo blinds, casting dappled shadows on the ground, reminiscent of a summer afternoon in old Xuchang. After dark, the warm yellow lights illuminate the “Three Kingdoms Cooling-Off Scene,” becoming a popular backdrop for young people to take photos and share on social media. Over half of the tourists visiting Jun Da Tobacco and Alcohol during the summer vacation came due to social media recommendations, significantly boosting consumption rates.

At the store entrance, a Jun porcelain incense burner burns mugwort and mint, while an old fan slowly spins in the corner, carrying the delicate fragrance of jasmine tea from the counter out onto the street. “Many summer tourists come into the store just to smell this fragrance. In the past, they would only ask, ‘Do you have any cool cigarettes?’ But now they say, ‘This scent is quite invigorating. Is this the smell of summer in Weidu?’” Store owner Zhou laughed heartily and continued, “They come in to smell the fragrance, but after leaving, they also buy souvenirs. Isn’t that a successful monetization of the fragrance’s appeal?”

From “selling products” to “selling services”: the new profit logic of tobacco shops

The “sweet” core is the connection between people in the midst of summer. The Weidu District Tobacco Branch not only guided the upgrade of Qingquanyuan Tobacco Shop’s “hardware,” but also trained the shop owner to become a “summer family guide,” turning the small shop into a “Weidu insider” for tourists.

Company client manager Chen Bing customized a “Weidu Summer Night Handbook” for store owner Lao Zhang, featuring over 30 Three Kingdoms-themed summer stories, which Lao Zhang knows by heart. Flipping through the handbook, guides to must-visit spots like the Spring and Autumn Pavilion light show, the lotus pond at Bao Ling Bridge, and the spicy soup stall at the moat night market are endless. Old Zhang said, “After tourists buy cigarettes, I recommend they take the ‘Cao Wei Night City-Chancellor’s Mansion-Night Market’ route. This way, the store’s cooling and summer items also see increased sales. Iced watermelons, foldable fans, and children’s sun hats—these ‘loss-leading services’ have become profit-generating tools, with overall profit margins significantly higher than selling cigarettes alone.”

Once, an out-of-town tourist suffered from heatstroke and was rescued by Old Zhang. Afterward, the young woman not only sent a thank-you letter but also brought a group of over 20 friends to visit specifically, triggering the “familiarity economy.”

Old Zhang also turned the tourists’ stories into short videos. An elderly man said that he had served in the military in Weidu District when he was young, and during the summer, he would often carry a cigarette box to swim in the moat. Now, returning to his old stomping grounds, he buys cigarettes solely to recapture those ‘sweet memories’ from the past.“ While editing the video, Old Zhang said, ”The elderly man’s video unexpectedly popularized the store’s ‘nostalgic ice cream set,’ which has also become a ‘viral hit’ among Gen Zers during the summer vacation.”

As tourist Xiaolin wrote on a postcard: “The sweetness here is hidden in the cigarette box, drifts in the fragrance, and warms the heart”—this mutual warmth, akin to the wisdom of “giving a quince in return for a jade ornament,” harmonizes commercial logic with humanistic warmth. The small cigarette shop is becoming the “sweet engine” of Weidu District’s cultural and tourism economy.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Author: 609296696@proton.me