City AmbitionsThe goal
Your mother's shop owes $100,000, and you have 180 days to pay it back. You start with $2,000. The company does not end on Day 180: clear the debt and keep building.
Day 1: umbrellas in the rain
You have no store yet. Raymond Cole, a wholesaler, sells umbrellas at cost, and it is raining. You make two choices:
- How many to buy: 10 to 100, at $4.00 each ($3.80 with Bargaining).
- What to charge: anything from $5 to $30. The street expects about $12.
Then the rain lasts 30 seconds. Shoppers walk past one by one, each with a price they will not go above. A retired neighbor stops at about $10; a family of four will pay a lot more to stay dry. Anyone who finds your price too high keeps walking.
Tip: the market price is a reference, not a ceiling. In the rain, plenty of people pay well above $12. Push the price up and watch who walks; the result screen shows exactly what it cost you. You can try it in the browser demo first.
One umbrella always stays in your bag. Unsold umbrellas are still yours: they are stock, not a loss, and you can sell them the next day.
Pick a skill that fits how you play
| Skill | What it does, for the whole game |
|---|---|
| Bargaining | 5% off every supplier order. |
| Selling | Shoppers accept prices 10% above market before they start walking away. |
| Numbers | 5% off rent on every store. |
Selling suits players who like to price high. Bargaining pays off most once you buy in volume. Numbers is steady and grows with every store you rent.
Day 2: your first store
You lease a storefront in the Garment District: an $800 deposit that you get back when you leave, and $60 a day in rent ($57 with Numbers). Then you choose what to sell:
| Product | Unit cost | Market price |
|---|---|---|
| Silk scarf | $8 | $22 |
| Basic t-shirt | $7 | $20 |
| Denim jacket | $24 | $65 |
Scarves and t-shirts sell faster. Jackets sell slowly at a fat margin. You hire two people: one covers the afternoon block, the other the evening.
The first week
A coach walks you through the shop one lesson at a time: setting a price, ordering stock, speeding up the clock and opening more hours. Every night at midnight the Daily Close shows revenue, cost of goods, wages, rent and tax. Read it every day; it is the fastest way to learn what worked.
Mistakes that cost the most early
- Running the shelf empty. Shoppers who find nothing to buy leave, and regulars drift away. Order before you run out; local wholesale orders arrive the next morning.
- Pricing far below market. It brings people in, but if your staff cannot serve them all you are giving margin away. See how pricing works.
- Ignoring Store Pulse. It names the one thing holding the shop back today. See regulars and Store Pulse.
After the first shop
You can run your first shop for as long as you like. The Full Game, a single purchase, opens the rest of the city: more storefronts, storage, containers, your own factory, buildings, deposits and shares.