Minimum viable store checklist
Open with every revenue-critical system and nothing that starves the reorder budget.
Decision first
Decoration comes after the store can sell, stay clean, remain stocked and cover payroll.
A store should remain closed until every revenue-enabling requirement, schedule, and stock path has been verified. The chosen target must remain serviceable through the next replenishment opportunity.
Read current F1 requirements.
Complete operating playbook
- ARTICLE LENGTH
- 5,544 words
- DEEP-DIVE SECTIONS
- 15
- RESEARCH LEDGER
- 5
Opening gate and evidence standard
A store should remain closed until every revenue-enabling requirement, schedule, and stock path has been verified. The chosen target must remain serviceable through the next replenishment opportunity.
Official updates and developer replies show that missing mandatory rooms, inadequate equipment capacity, absent workers, and missing stock can each block or degrade trade.
Procedure: set the business closed; read BizMan requirements and F1; inventory every installed object; check every schedule row; load primary goods and consumables
Example: A decorated shop with active advertising opens without bags or cashier coverage. Customer interest exists, but completed sales do not, so the launch data cannot evaluate demand.
If launch revenue is zero, begin with open status and blocking warnings rather than lowering every price. Inspect requirement status, open status, staffed stations, stock at point of sale, and completed transactions before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record each requirement with pass, fail, quantity, capacity, worker, stock, and time coverage in BizMan. Use requirement status, open status, staffed stations, stock at point of sale, and completed transactions only when its controls remain comparable.
Requirements changed during Early Access, especially bathrooms, lockers, and changing rooms; old decorative-only advice is unsafe. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Exclude contaminated comparisons. An uncovered shift, closure, stockout, supplier arrival, rival move, hype period, shortage, backorder, or game patch can change the result independently of clear blocking warnings.
Print the launch gate as a pass-or-fail sheet and attach evidence from the current interface. A checked box means the requirement worked during the scheduled hour, not merely that its object appears somewhere in the room.
Action checklist
- Read current F1 requirements.
- Clear blocking warnings.
- Run a closed-door inspection.
- Verify the first staffed hour.
- Preserve the launch baseline.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| read current F1 requirements | requirement status, open status, staffed stations, stock at point of sale, and completed transactions supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | clear blocking warnings |
| run a closed-door inspection | each requirement with pass, fail, quantity, capacity, worker, stock, and time coverage is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | verify the first staffed hour |
| preserve the launch baseline | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in opening gate and evidence standard. |
Business identity and primary products
The selected business type determines its expected primary products and required operating equipment.
The progression update separates source access and Build 3672 fixed a tutorial issue that could detect the wrong product for a first store.
Procedure: confirm business type; list primary SKUs; verify source availability; install matching displays; remove assumptions based on secondary products
Example: Flowers placed in a gift shop do not necessarily satisfy the primary-product requirement expected from a florist. Correcting the business type or stocking the proper gift line resolves the identity mismatch.
When BizMan reports no primary products, inspect the selected type and the stocked product classification. Inspect business type, primary-product list, accessible source, and primary stock before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record the live F1 description, selected type, planned opening basket, and source for each SKU in BizMan. Use business type, primary-product list, accessible source, and primary stock only when its controls remain comparable.
Any-retail-product flexibility does not erase primary-product behavior or sourcing gates. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Turn the observation into a trigger. Continue while business type, primary-product list, accessible source, and primary stock stays inside the chosen range, invoke verify sources at the boundary, and reconsider the larger plan only after stock recognized goods fails. Written triggers make repeated decisions consistent across in-game weeks.
Match the BizMan business type to the F1 primary-product list, then inspect the configured product on every display. If the warning remains, test one recognized item before adding secondary merchandise or changing the entire layout.
Action checklist
- Confirm the type.
- Enumerate primary products.
- Verify sources.
- Stock recognized goods.
- Recheck the warning.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| confirm the type | business type, primary-product list, accessible source, and primary stock supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | enumerate primary products |
| verify sources | the live F1 description, selected type, planned opening basket, and source for each SKU is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | stock recognized goods |
| recheck the warning | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in business identity and primary products. |
Mandatory rooms and fixtures
Bathrooms affect retail service, uniform lockers enable uniforms, and clothing stores require changing rooms.
EA 0.9 officially activated these requirements, replacing earlier builds where some objects were unused or decorative.
Procedure: inspect the floor plan; reserve bathroom access; install cleaning support; place a locker if uniforms are planned; add changing rooms for clothing
Example: A clothing store copied from a 2023 layout has racks and registers but earns nothing because the later mandatory changing-room requirement is absent.
If a visually complete store does not trade, compare every room and fixture against current F1 rather than the blueprint title. Inspect mandatory-room presence, accessibility, cleanliness, and related warnings before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record room type, installed objects, door/path access, requirement state, and customer complaint in BizMan. Use mandatory-room presence, accessibility, cleanliness, and related warnings only when its controls remain comparable.
Blueprints should be filtered by game version; opening an old layout does not certify compliance. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Compare a survival case with an upside case, keeping room type, installed objects, door/path access, requirement state, and customer complaint explicit in both. The first asks whether the operation remains solvent after fit the bathroom; the second asks whether test access has room to add value. A plan that works only under upside assumptions is not ready.
Open each mandatory room and trace a valid path from the retail floor. For clothing, confirm changing rooms; for service, verify bathroom access; for uniforms, use the employee locker rather than trusting an old assignment.
Action checklist
- Fit the bathroom.
- Fit the cleaning station.
- Install required lockers.
- Add changing rooms when applicable.
- Test access.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| fit the bathroom | mandatory-room presence, accessibility, cleanliness, and related warnings supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | fit the cleaning station |
| install required lockers | room type, installed objects, door/path access, requirement state, and customer complaint is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | add changing rooms when applicable |
| test access | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in mandatory rooms and fixtures. |
Equipment capacity audit
Effective structural capacity is controlled by the smallest required equipment or display category and cannot exceed the building limit. Keeping the sequence intact gives each change one plausible explanation.
The developer gives explicit examples: multiple fixtures add capacity within a category, while the lowest category limits the entire business.
Procedure: record the building cap; list capacity rows; sum identical equipment within each row; identify the minimum; purchase only the missing capacity
Example: A thirty-cap store has forty checkout capacity but ten capacity for one displayed product. The effective result is ten until that product's display capacity is increased.
When capacity is lower than expected, find the lowest row before buying another register. Inspect building cap, capacity per equipment category, minimum row, and staffed service capacity before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record item name, capacity each, count, total category capacity, building limit, and effective result in BizMan. Use building cap, capacity per equipment category, minimum row, and staffed service capacity only when its controls remain comparable.
Use live item tooltips because equipment values and requirements may change. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Resolve reversible uncertainty before irreversible cost. capture every capacity row can be tested for a short period, while a lease, broad fit-out, specialized hire, or large inventory position persists.
Transcribe every capacity row. Multiply each fixture's capacity by its count, compare category totals, and circle the smallest value; opening capacity is bounded by that minimum and the property's building limit.
Action checklist
- Capture every capacity row.
- Calculate category totals.
- Identify the minimum.
- Fix only the bottleneck.
- Confirm the displayed result.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| capture every capacity row | building cap, capacity per equipment category, minimum row, and staffed service capacity supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | calculate category totals |
| identify the minimum | item name, capacity each, count, total category capacity, building limit, and effective result is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | fix only the bottleneck |
| confirm the displayed result | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in equipment capacity audit. |
Checkout, baskets, and bags
Retail needs a complete payment path, and point-of-sale capacity or consumables can fail independently of product displays. Reconciliation decides whether the apparent gain survives all recorded costs.
Developer and Steam reference material identify registers, checkouts, baskets, and paper bags as distinct requirements or capacity contributors for applicable stores.
Procedure: install supported checkout equipment; staff each required active position; supply bags; place enough baskets; trace the queue and exit
Example: Product fixtures support thirty customers, but one twenty-cap register sets a lower ceiling. Alternatively, the register exists but cannot complete sales after its paper bags run out.
If customers enter and leave, inspect queues, staffed payment stations, baskets, and bags before blaming prices. Inspect checkout capacity, worker coverage, queue complaints, basket availability, bag stock, and completed purchases before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record register type, capacity, staffed hours, consumable quantity, refill timing, and abandoned transactions in BizMan. Use checkout capacity, worker coverage, queue complaints, basket availability, bag stock, and completed purchases only when its controls remain comparable.
The exact object list differs by retail type; current F1 and BizMan override generic checklists. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Audit every denominator. Write the denominator beside checkout capacity, worker coverage, queue complaints, basket availability, bag stock, and completed purchases; otherwise a changing scale can masquerade as improvement.
Test payment as an end-to-end transaction. Confirm baskets where required, a staffed register or checkout, paper bags loaded into relevant stations, queue clearance, and one completed purchase before marking point-of-sale ready.
Action checklist
- Staff the checkout.
- Load paper bags.
- Place baskets.
- Test queue clearance.
- Verify completed sales.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| staff the checkout | checkout capacity, worker coverage, queue complaints, basket availability, bag stock, and completed purchases supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | load paper bags |
| place baskets | register type, capacity, staffed hours, consumable quantity, refill timing, and abandoned transactions is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | test queue clearance |
| verify completed sales | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in checkout, baskets, and bags. |
Product display and stock loading
Possessing boxes in storage is not the same as having sellable inventory available on correctly configured fixtures. The ordered branches make the first failing transaction step visible.
The game tracks stock across storage and displays, and 1.0 changed distribution so available inventory is shared more evenly among empty fixtures.
Procedure: configure every display; load primary stock; inspect distribution; leave receiving space; verify alerts update
Example: The back room contains the bestseller, yet the selling fixture is empty or configured for another SKU. Marketing cannot convert that inaccessible inventory.
For a stock warning, trace supplier or vehicle, receiving storage, fixture configuration, fixture fill, and open-hour depletion. Inspect on-hand by location, display fill, storage occupancy, target stock, and stockout hours before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record units in warehouse, store storage, selling fixtures, deliveries, sales, and unfilled demand in BizMan. Use on-hand by location, display fill, storage occupancy, target stock, and stockout hours only when its controls remain comparable.
Build 3672 fixed some inventory-alert updates, so older-build screenshots may report stale warnings. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Keep exception notes instead of smoothing them away. A stockout or rival action may invalidate an average yet expose weakness in load primary stock.
Inspect stock in the receiving area, back-room storage, and configured sales fixtures. A positive store total is insufficient when the bestseller remains boxed away from customers or shelves are too full for the next delivery.
Action checklist
- Configure each display.
- Load primary stock.
- Leave receiving capacity.
- Test distribution.
- Record depletion.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| configure each display | on-hand by location, display fill, storage occupancy, target stock, and stockout hours supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | load primary stock |
| leave receiving capacity | units in warehouse, store storage, selling fixtures, deliveries, sales, and unfilled demand is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | test distribution |
| record depletion | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in product display and stock loading. |
Employee role and schedule coverage
Installed equipment produces no service during hours when the required employee role is absent or assigned elsewhere.
The management loop requires hiring and scheduling, while employee skill influences service quality and acceptable pricing behavior.
Procedure: list every staffed station; recruit correct roles; inspect demands; schedule all advertised hours; verify breaks or transitions do not create gaps
Example: Two registers exist, but only one is staffed during the peak. The structural display can look sufficient while realized checkout throughput remains constrained.
When an hourly dip aligns with a schedule gap, repair assignment before buying capacity or marketing. Inspect station-by-hour coverage, employee skill, worked hours, demands, and service score before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record employee, role, station, skill, wage, demand, start and end time, and uncovered intervals in BizMan. Use station-by-hour coverage, employee skill, worked hours, demands, and service score only when its controls remain comparable.
Do not use a fixed number of employees without matching the current station count and tested hourly volume. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Test reproducibility from the record alone. If employee, role, station, skill, wage, demand, start and end time, and uncovered intervals omits the neighborhood, hours, stock state, staffing, price, or costs needed to recreate the observation, add the missing field. More decimal places cannot compensate for missing operating conditions.
Overlay the employee schedule on opening hours one role at a time. Mark cashier, service, production, and cleaner coverage separately; a continuous cashier row cannot compensate for an unstaffed grill, chair, or required station.
Action checklist
- Map roles to stations.
- Cover every open hour.
- Inspect employee demands.
- Test shift transitions.
- Compare service scores.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| map roles to stations | station-by-hour coverage, employee skill, worked hours, demands, and service score supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | cover every open hour |
| inspect employee demands | employee, role, station, skill, wage, demand, start and end time, and uncovered intervals is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | test shift transitions |
| compare service scores | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in employee role and schedule coverage. |
Cleaning and customer service
Cleanliness and customer service influence satisfaction and therefore the number of realized customers. The remaining uncertainty should appear in the record attached to cleanliness score by period, cleaning coverage, service score, and complaint categories.
The developer includes satisfaction among customer-volume factors, and current retail layouts include cleaning stations as standard operational infrastructure.
Procedure: install a cleaning station; schedule cleaning time; open with a clean floor; monitor complaints; adjust hours from observed degradation
Example: A store begins clean but declines through a long shift. Later customers react differently, contaminating a price or marketing test unless cleanliness is recorded.
If customer volume falls over the day, inspect cleanliness alongside stock and staffing before assuming an hourly demand pattern. Inspect cleanliness score by period, cleaning coverage, service score, and complaint categories before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record opening cleanliness, cleaner schedule, closing cleanliness, foot traffic, and the timing of complaints in BizMan. Use cleanliness score by period, cleaning coverage, service score, and complaint categories only when its controls remain comparable.
A universal number of cleaner hours is not verified; workload depends on store traffic and schedule. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Apply install cleaning support, observe cleanliness score by period, cleaning coverage, service score, and complaint categories, and reverse the change when its predicted mechanism does not appear. Scaling a weak signal multiplies uncertainty and cost together.
Record cleanliness at opening, midpoint, and close during rehearsal. If the score falls sharply before the cleaner arrives, move coverage toward that deterioration window instead of copying fixed cleaner hours from another store.
Action checklist
- Install cleaning support.
- Schedule a baseline.
- Monitor deterioration.
- Adjust from evidence.
- Hold clean conditions constant.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| install cleaning support | cleanliness score by period, cleaning coverage, service score, and complaint categories supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | schedule a baseline |
| monitor deterioration | opening cleanliness, cleaner schedule, closing cleanliness, foot traffic, and the timing of complaints is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | adjust from evidence |
| hold clean conditions constant | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in cleaning and customer service. |
Interior and customer feedback
Interior complaints can reduce satisfaction, but cosmetic perfection should follow functional completeness.
Customer feedback identifies missing music, interior quality, service, cleanliness, and price issues; these are different causes and should be treated separately.
Procedure: clear functional blockers; open a short test; collect exact complaints; address the named interior issue; remeasure without changing market levers
Example: A player spends heavily on decor while the real complaint is missing music or an uncovered register. Reading feedback prevents expensive guesswork.
When the interior score is low, identify the exact requested condition rather than buying random furniture. Inspect interior score, complaint text, customer service, cleanliness, and conversion before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record complaint category, frequency, item added, cost, and before-after satisfaction in BizMan. Use interior score, complaint text, customer service, cleanliness, and conversion only when its controls remain comparable.
Old fixed decoration-spend thresholds may not remain current; use live feedback. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
End with a pre-mortem. Assume the choice failed, then rank classify the cause, apply one remedy, and compare satisfaction by how quickly each would explain the loss.
During a short controlled opening, copy exact complaint categories. Resolve missing music, poor interior, price objection, or queue trouble individually; random furniture spending cannot identify which satisfaction component changed.
Action checklist
- Collect complaint text.
- Classify the cause.
- Apply one remedy.
- Compare satisfaction.
- Protect operating cash.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| collect complaint text | interior score, complaint text, customer service, cleanliness, and conversion supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | classify the cause |
| apply one remedy | complaint category, frequency, item added, cost, and before-after satisfaction is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | compare satisfaction |
| protect operating cash | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in interior and customer feedback. |
Pricing readiness
A technically open shop can still repel customers if prices exceed the district's acceptable range. That distinction determines which screen can verify pricing readiness.
The developer confirms district-sensitive price tolerance and recommends gradual testing while watching pricing satisfaction.
Procedure: capture default or current price; compare local context; begin conservatively; open a controlled cycle; change one SKU only after clean evidence
Example: Every fixture and worker is ready, but customers object to one hero product's price. Lowering all products together sacrifices margin and prevents identification.
If arrivals occur but completed purchases or pricing satisfaction are poor, inspect SKU prices after confirming stock and checkout. Inspect price by SKU, pricing satisfaction, units sold, customer count, and contribution before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record baseline price, acquisition cost, units, complaints, competitor context, and test price in BizMan. Use price by SKU, pricing satisfaction, units sold, customer count, and contribution only when its controls remain comparable.
Historical cheat sheets are not Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Try to disprove the working assumption before funding it. For Pricing readiness, hold price by SKU, pricing satisfaction, units sold, customer count, and contribution steady while testing record every opening price. If the predicted signal does not move, return to start from live references and record the contradiction instead of adding another purchase to save the theory.
Store every opening price beside acquisition cost and the live district reference. Begin from a defensible baseline, then postpone optimization until stock, staff, and customer flow are stable enough for an interpretable price response.
Action checklist
- Record every opening price.
- Start from live references.
- Watch reactions.
- Change one SKU.
- Compare contribution.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| record every opening price | price by SKU, pricing satisfaction, units sold, customer count, and contribution supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | start from live references |
| watch reactions | baseline price, acquisition cost, units, complaints, competitor context, and test price is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | change one SKU |
| compare contribution | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in pricing readiness. |
Opening hours readiness
A schedule must be both fully staffed and aligned with periods when the business can attract profitable customers. The next decision should therefore be tied to hourly customers, sales, wages, stockouts, queues, and contribution, not to visual activity.
The developer identifies the Yesterday hourly graph as the method for seeing served customers by hour.
Procedure: choose a conservative test window; cover every role; ensure stock lasts; run the full window; calculate contribution by hour
Example: A fast-food opening limited to office hours may miss later demand, while an all-night schedule can add wages during empty periods. Testing resolves both assumptions.
If daily results are weak, inspect hourly customers before extending or shortening the entire week. Inspect hourly customers, sales, wages, stockouts, queues, and contribution before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record day, hour, open status, staff, customers, sales, inventory cost, and anomalies in BizMan. Use hourly customers, sales, wages, stockouts, queues, and contribution only when its controls remain comparable.
Community heatmaps are hypotheses; the store's own BizMan history is decisive. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Build a two-column ledger. Put hourly customers, sales, wages, stockouts, queues, and contribution under results and day, hour, open status, staff, customers, sales, inventory cost, and anomalies under controls. Credit set a test window only when the controls describe the same operating conditions; otherwise a delivery, staffing change, or unusually busy day can receive credit for an effect it did not cause.
Compare advertised hours with assignments and predicted stock coverage. An hour is not ready when customers can arrive but a worker leaves, production closes, or primary inventory will empty before the shift ends.
Action checklist
- Set a test window.
- Cover all roles.
- Capture hourly data.
- Calculate edge-hour value.
- Revise gradually.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| set a test window | hourly customers, sales, wages, stockouts, queues, and contribution supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | cover all roles |
| capture hourly data | day, hour, open status, staff, customers, sales, inventory cost, and anomalies is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | calculate edge-hour value |
| revise gradually | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in opening hours readiness. |
Marketing readiness
Marketing can increase customers only when demand exists and capacity, staff, stock, price, and satisfaction leave room for additional completed transactions. Treat the live requirement as the gate for marketing readiness.
Developer explanations explicitly warn that marketing is wasted when a store already reaches its potential or structural limit.
Procedure: run an unadvertised baseline; verify spare capacity; inspect campaign effectiveness; test one campaign; measure incremental contribution
Example: A store is capped by a ten-customer display row. Advertising adds cost without raising completed sales, whereas fixing the display creates capacity that a later campaign can test.
If a campaign produces no lift, inspect peak customers versus effective capacity and stock availability. Inspect promotion, campaign effectiveness, campaign cost, hourly customers, capacity utilization, and incremental profit before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record campaign, dates, effectiveness shown, baseline customers, test customers, contribution per customer, and cost in BizMan. Use promotion, campaign effectiveness, campaign cost, hourly customers, capacity utilization, and incremental profit only when its controls remain comparable.
No complete official customer-response formula is public. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Set a stopping rule before the experiment. Redesign the plan when promotion, campaign effectiveness, campaign cost, hourly customers, capacity utilization, and incremental profit remains unfavorable after establish no-ad baseline and verify unused capacity both pass.
Marketing readiness requires unused profitable capacity. From Yesterday, identify hours below the structural ceiling, confirm demand and pricing, then test the lowest-cost campaign whose displayed effectiveness can create a measurable change.
Action checklist
- Establish no-ad baseline.
- Verify unused capacity.
- Compare campaign previews.
- Run one test.
- Keep only positive lift.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| establish no-ad baseline | promotion, campaign effectiveness, campaign cost, hourly customers, capacity utilization, and incremental profit supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | verify unused capacity |
| compare campaign previews | campaign, dates, effectiveness shown, baseline customers, test customers, contribution per customer, and cost is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | run one test |
| keep only positive lift | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in marketing readiness. |
Finance and cash-readiness check
A shop can satisfy every physical requirement and still be unready if opening leaves no money for wages or the next stock cycle. This turns finance and cash-readiness check into a measurable commitment rather than a guess.
The official game loop separates financing, inventory, payroll, and operating costs, while 1.0 made loans more dependent on income.
Procedure: total committed setup costs; reserve payroll; reserve replenishment; model weak sales; authorize optional spending last
Example: The final decoration purchase leaves insufficient cash for Monday stock or employee wages. The store opens beautifully and immediately becomes operationally fragile.
If cash declines despite sales, reconcile inventory purchases and fixed costs before assuming price is too low. Inspect unrestricted cash, daily burn, payroll due, stock commitment, and runway before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record cash before opening, unavoidable obligations, optional purchases, conservative sales, and stop-loss date in BizMan. Use unrestricted cash, daily burn, payroll due, stock commitment, and runway only when its controls remain comparable.
Exact safe cash targets differ by difficulty and format. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Cross-check the management screens. BizMan should explain unrestricted cash, daily burn, payroll due, stock commitment, and runway, while Market Insider or EconoView supplies the market or cost context contained in cash before opening, unavoidable obligations, optional purchases, conservative sales, and stop-loss date.
Reserve cash for the next payroll and replenishment event, not merely today's rent. Add a weak-sales scenario and urgent-order cost; optional decoration fails whenever it consumes the only buffer against those obligations.
Action checklist
- Total all obligations.
- Reserve payroll.
- Reserve restock cash.
- Model a weak launch.
- Defer optional spend.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| total all obligations | unrestricted cash, daily burn, payroll due, stock commitment, and runway supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | reserve payroll |
| reserve restock cash | cash before opening, unavoidable obligations, optional purchases, conservative sales, and stop-loss date is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | model a weak launch |
| defer optional spend | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in finance and cash-readiness check. |
Launch-day decision tree
Opening problems should be diagnosed in transaction order so market spending never hides a basic operating defect. The dated observation becomes the baseline for pass or fail at each transaction node.
Verified requirements and capacity mechanics support a deterministic first-response sequence.
Procedure: check open status; check blocking requirements; check staff; check stock and consumables; check capacity; check arrivals and conversion; check economics
Example: Zero revenue leads first to a closed register row, not to advertising. Low but nonzero revenue with spare capacity leads later to demand, hours, price, satisfaction, traffic, and promotion.
Stop at the first failed node and repair it before continuing. Inspect pass or fail at each transaction node before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record node, evidence screen, observation time, remedy, and next-cycle outcome in BizMan. Use pass or fail at each transaction node only when its controls remain comparable.
Several faults may coexist, so success at one node only authorizes the next check. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Ask a counterfactual question: if walk the nodes in order were not the constraint, what different result should appear in pass or fail at each transaction node? A useful intervention produces distinguishable success and failure signals.
When the first hour fails, walk the checklist in transaction order and stop at the earliest red item. Correct that condition, reopen for a matched hour, and record whether the expected stage now completes.
Action checklist
- Walk the nodes in order.
- Repair the earliest failure.
- Freeze other variables.
- Rerun one cycle.
- Continue until economic review.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| walk the nodes in order | pass or fail at each transaction node supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | repair the earliest failure |
| freeze other variables | node, evidence screen, observation time, remedy, and next-cycle outcome is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | rerun one cycle |
| continue until economic review | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in launch-day decision tree. |
Final opening audit
The store is ready when it is complete, staffed, stocked, financeable, measurable, and deliberately scheduled.
This standard integrates current official requirements without relying on a fixed layout, price, or profit target.
Procedure: review identity and source; review rooms and fixtures; review capacity and staffing; review stock and cash; review the measurement plan
Example: A plain fifteen-cap shop that passes every node is launch-ready. A premium thirty-cap blueprint with one missing role and no restock reserve is not.
Any unresolved blocking warning, uncovered station, inaccessible primary item, or unexplained cash gap postpones launch. Inspect complete pass across every audit category before choosing the more expensive branch.
Record signed checklist, baseline date, responsible employee, stock targets, opening prices, hours, and review time in BizMan. Use complete pass across every audit category only when its controls remain comparable.
Repeat the audit after changing business type, adding a product category, installing an old blueprint, or moving sites. Confirm the current F1 requirement again after a relevant patch.
Price the opportunity cost. Cash or time committed to sign every category cannot also fund schedule review.
The final approver should name the basket, effective capacity, assigned staff, stock coverage, prices, hours, cash runway, and review time without reopening design mode. Any unknown keeps the store closed.
Action checklist
- Sign every category.
- Resolve exceptions.
- Protect the baseline.
- Schedule review.
- Open deliberately.
| Checkpoint | Evidence of a pass | Response to failure |
|---|---|---|
| sign every category | complete pass across every audit category supports the intended condition under the recorded controls. | resolve exceptions |
| protect the baseline | signed checklist, baseline date, responsible employee, stock targets, opening prices, hours, and review time is complete and the comparison has no unexplained outage. | schedule review |
| open deliberately | The downside is affordable and a review trigger is recorded. | Pause and repeat the smallest disputed test in final opening audit. |
Research ledger
These links establish mechanics or provide a reproducible lead. Any balance-sensitive number still has to be checked in the current save.
Questions answered
Must every store have a bathroom in Build 3674?
Retail customers complain and customer service falls without bathroom provision under the current progression rules. Current-version Competitive blueprints include bathrooms; old layouts may not.
Do I need a uniform locker if I do not use uniforms?
The official change specifically makes the locker necessary for changing employee uniforms. Follow the current F1 requirement and install one before assigning uniforms; do not assume an old layout can change them remotely.
Why is my store open but making no sales?
Check open status, current requirements, staffed stations, primary stock, display configuration, checkout capacity, baskets and bags, then customer arrivals and price. Diagnose in that order before buying marketing.
Should I launch with maximum marketing?
No. A clean no-ad baseline reveals whether the store functions and has spare capacity. Marketing cannot repair missing stock, inadequate equipment, schedule gaps, or an exhausted customer ceiling.
Are Competitive blueprints guaranteed optimal?
They are official complete templates intended to match capacity and include modern requirements. They may still cost more than the player can support, and a version-compatible complete layout is not proof that local demand or economics are good.