City AmbitionsFour blocks a day
The day is split into four six-hour blocks. Each hire covers one block, every day of the week. Shoppers arrive unevenly across them:
| Block | Hours | Share of the day's shoppers |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | 6 AM – 12 PM | 20% |
| Afternoon | 12 – 6 PM | 35% |
| Evening | 6 PM – 12 AM | 35% |
| Night | 12 – 6 AM | 10% |
Your first two hires take the afternoon and the evening, which already covers 70% of shoppers. A morning hire adds the next 20%; a night hire is worth it only once everything else is full.
How many shoppers one person serves
One person looks after about 26 shoppers per six-hour block at 80% sales skill, which is roughly four an hour once greeting, fitting and the till are counted. Higher skill serves more, lower skill fewer, and morale scales it too.
When more people want to buy than your staff can handle, the extra shoppers leave after seeing the line. The Daily Close counts them, and Store Pulse says "the line is the limit".
Two fixes for a long line: hire for another block, or raise the price. A higher price sends away some of the people who were going to leave anyway, and earns more on everyone you serve. See how pricing works.
Wages and morale
Every person has a wage, a sales skill and a morale. Morale starts at 80%. Unhappy staff sell less, may ask for a raise, and a person who stays unhappy for a week can resign. Watch the Staff page for raise requests and answer them before they turn into resignations.
Opening hours and regulars
A closed block does more than lose that block's sales: shoppers who could not get in count as turned away, and turning people away is what makes regulars drift off. See regulars and Store Pulse.
Autopilot
Later in the game you can hire a manager. Only businesses covered by Executive Autopilot keep running while you are away from the game.