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Running a grocery store in Discounty means that making money is the name of the game. Sure, this is still acozyindiegame, but if you’re failing to rake in the dough, your store is never going to get off the ground.
In addition to simply needing money to keep stock on the shelves, Discounty also has a couple of story-related quests in which you’ll need to save up a fairly substantial amount of money. In the first instance, you’ll need to save 8,000 shills. In the second, it’ll be a whopping 15,000.Tom Nookwould be proud.
As such, you need to start taking your finances seriously in this one early on. In addition to simply hoping you sell a lot of product during a given day in the store, there are some other measures you’re able to take to maximize your profits.
Here are some helpful ways to ensure you’re earning money as quickly as possible in Discounty, the latest"one more day"-type indie game.
Recycle Trash
Shortly after you get to start selling cans of soda at the store, Aunt Tellar will notice that some local troublemakers have been littering their empty cans all over town. This isn’t your fault, but it’s still a bad look for your store to be the source of this garbage that’s lying all over.
Tellar will give you a Plastic Bag once she starts noticing the trash, which you can use to collect any littered cans and bottles you see around town. Note that this trash seems to only be located in the main area of Blomkest, so don’t worry about searching the Harbor, Farm, or Forest for trash.
Getting the Plastic Bag is story-related, so all you need to do is progress far enough until Tellar gives it to you automatically. At the recycling center, just to the right of Isenkram’s Hardware shop, you’ll see a tall, green machine where you deposit this waste. You only get 10 shills per bottle/can, but every little bit matters.
Recycle Boxes/Containers, But Don’t Break Them Down
Very early on in the game, Grace will introduce you to the compacting machine in the back office of Discounty. You can use this machine to break down and combine three containers of the same material, then recycle them for a sum of money at the recycling center.
This is all well and good, but what the gamedoesn’ttell you is that keeping the containers whole and recycling them one by one is actually more lucrative. A stack of three broken-down containers will earn you 45 shills once you recycle it, but a single, uncombined container willalsoearn you 45 shills.
This means that if you recycle three containers separately instead of breaking them down and combining them, you’ll earn 135 shills total for your efforts. You’ll need to make more trips back and forth to the recycling center to get paid for all your empty containers, but it’s still worth it if you need the cash.
Advertise For The Store
From the beginning of the game, you’ll be able to print posters at City Hall next to Elmer’s desk, then place them on bulletin boards around town. The boards are found at the bus stop, the fish factory in the harbor, and next to the bar on the north side of town.
Don’t overlook the power of advertising. Yes, it costs a small fee to print a poster, but the boost in business is always worth it. Print off seven of the best posters you’re able to weekly (the max number you can fit on all the boards combined), then place them around town.
You’ll see on your business report at the end of each shift that you’re getting a percentage more customers daily simply because you took the time to hang some posters.
Encourage Impulse Buys With Front-Facing Boosters
Customers come into the store with their grocery lists, but that doesn’t mean they’ll always stick to them. If you want to squeeze every last dollar from your guests you can, tempt them with impulse buys.
The best way to do this is to place high-priced items right inside the front door. A good example of these items would be the salmon and the herring you get from Fisher, which all sell for a hefty sum compared to everything else early on in the game.
This process can be improved further if you buy item boosters from the hardware store. Ted will have a different booster in stock every day for the price of 250 shills. This may seem steep, but it’s worth it and then some.
For example, buy a seafood booster, place it inside the front door, place all your fish coolers within the grid around the booster, and watch your daily profits skyrocket as nearly everyone grabs a helping of salmon whether or not it’s on their shopping list.
Keep All ltems In Stock, But Don’t Overdo It
Running out of product on the floor is a death sentence for any self-respecting retail business. Youalwayswant to offer every single item you sell at all times to keep customers happy and spending more money.
This means that sometimes, you have to spend money in order to make money. At the end of each shift, take inventory of what items you have on hand, and order more to make sure you’re ready for the next day. Just don’t go crazy and spend your entire day’s earnings on getting more items in-house.
A good rule of thumb I used was that I’d only order product for the storeroom if I had fewer than 30 of that same item on hand. If I had more than 30, I knew I could make it at least one more day without re-ordering more of something. Take a similar philosophy with items you get from vendors too, unless you know something particular is selling like hotcakes, and you want to stock up more.
Unlock New Products, Broker New Trade Deals
Eventually, customers will lose interest in your regular items, and their spending may slow down a bit as a result. It’s important, then, to keep offering new products on the shelves for people to test out and spend money on.
Once you unlock the Discounty Rewards Program on the computer in the backroom, you may start unlocking more items to sell. Just verify you have the shelf and storage place to bring something new in, and get it on the sale floor immediately once you have it in-house.
Similarly, make sure you’re following quests and objectives with each of your eventual four trade partners around Blomkest to keep all their new items on the sale floor as well. Once again, you can’t make money without having things to sell, so offer as much as you can.
Get Those Heart Reactions
The last thing to keep in mind, and most important above all else, is simply to keep your customers happy. Not only does this keep them coming back and spending more of their hard-earned money on your products, but you also get daily bonus money for any customer you can get a heart reaction out of.
Keep the floor clean. Cash people out immediately and quickly. Keep the shelves stocked. Let people know that you’re out of a product if you see them wandering around for something you don’t have in stock at the moment.
All of this combines to keep the customer happy, which ultimately keeps lining your pockets too. You’ll earn an extra 20 shills for every customer that walks out with a heart reaction.
