Nokta Games put Supermarket Simulator into Early Access on 20 February 2024 and shipped the 1.0 build on 19 June 2025. You order stock on the shop computer, price every product against a market rate that moves daily, stack the shelves by hand and scan each item at the till until you can afford staff. Twenty six licences sit between you and the full catalogue of over 150 products.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Ordering stock on the store computer
Everything you sell is ordered from the computer in the back room, arrives as stacked boxes and has to be carried out and shelved by hand. Boxes left in the aisles block customers and cost you sales, so the storage room upgrade pays for itself quickly.
Pricing against the daily market rate
Each product shows a market price, and you set your own retail price against it. Community pricing tests keep landing on roughly 10 percent over market as the point where extra margin still beats the sales you lose.
Store Points and store levels
Store Points come from customers buying products, from restocking and from keeping the place clean, and they push your store level up. Store level is the gate on new licences and expansions, so a busy tidy shop unlocks content faster than a rich empty one.
Licences that unlock product groups
Each of the 26 licences costs cash and needs a minimum store level, and it unlocks a group of related products rather than a single item. Buying one you cannot afford to keep stocked just eats capital.
Hiring cashiers and restockers
Cashiers work a till so you stop scanning, and restockers pull boxes from the storage racks onto shelves. Both take a flat daily wage, which a busy shift covers several times over.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Supermarket Simulator combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner operator | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Cashier | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Restocker | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Security guard | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Online order courier | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Supermarket Simulator builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout counter | Where every sale is finalised. | Cutting queue length, which is the main reason customers abandon a basket |
| Shelves | The basic ambient stock fixture. | Dry goods and the bulk of the early catalogue |
| Fridges | Chilled display units required by dairy and other cold products. | Dairy and chilled lines once the matching licence is bought |
| Freezers | Frozen display units for the frozen product groups. | Frozen goods in a mid level store with room to spare |
| Anti theft antenna | The detector at the store exit. | Stores carrying high value products where shoplifters are eating the margin |
Checkout counter: Where every sale is finalised. You scan each item, take cash and count out change or run a card, and a second counter is the first upgrade a busy shop needs.
Shelves: The basic ambient stock fixture. Each shelf holds a limited number of product slots, so the layout you choose decides which lines you can keep permanently in stock.
Fridges: Chilled display units required by dairy and other cold products. Buying the licence without the fridge space leaves you with stock you cannot put out.
Freezers: Frozen display units for the frozen product groups. They cost more floor space per product slot than shelves, so plan the aisle before you order the stock.
Anti theft antenna: The detector at the store exit. It is the piece that makes a hired security guard useful, so treat the antenna and the guard as a single purchase.
Full breakdowns in our Supermarket Simulator weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Shop floor | Store level 1 and up | More shelf slots, room for fridges and freezers, higher customer capacity |
| Checkout counters | Store level 1 and up | Faster throughput, fewer abandoned baskets, a place to put a hired cashier |
| Storage room | Early store levels once cash allows | Box capacity, restocker efficiency, a clear shop floor |
| The store computer | Available from day one | Stock ordering, licence purchases, hiring, online delivery jobs |
| Local market | Any store level | Cheaper stock than the standard order screen on selected products |
Shop floor: The sales area you expand tier by tier as profits allow. Aisle spacing matters as much as shelf count, because blocked paths stop customers reaching the product they came for.
Checkout counters: The till line at the front. One counter is fine while you are scanning solo, and a second is the difference between a rush hour and a walkout.
Storage room: The back area where delivered boxes and metal racks live. Restockers pull from here, so an organised storage room is what makes hired staff actually productive.
The store computer: The management hub. Ordering, product prices, licences, employees and online orders all run through it, and it is where you should start every in game morning.
Local market: An outside supplier you visit in person for deals the online catalogue does not match. It costs travel time, which is only worth spending on lines you sell in volume.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Set most products at roughly 10 percent over the market rate. Player pricing tests keep landing there because the margin on what sells outweighs the handful of customers who refuse, while a 20 percent markup produces enough complaints to cost you both sales and Store Points.
- Open the pricing tab every in game morning. Market rates move daily, and a price you set last week can quietly drop below your own purchase cost without any warning on the shop floor.
- Buy the storage room before you buy more shelves. Boxes stacked in the aisles physically block customers, and a restocker with nowhere to pull from is a wage with no output.
- Hire a cashier before a restocker. Scanning is the task that pins you in one spot during the busiest part of the day, while restocking can be done between waves at your own pace.
- Plan the fridge and freezer footprint before buying the licence that needs them. Chilled and frozen units eat far more floor space per product slot than a plain shelf, and unsold stock in the back earns nothing.
- Read the customer thought bubbles instead of guessing. They tell you directly whether a price is being rejected or a product is missing, which is faster feedback than watching the end of day report.
- Keep one aisle of cheap staples permanently full. Customers who cannot find anything they wanted cost you Store Points as well as the sale, so breadth of stock protects your level progression.
- Install the anti theft antenna at the same time as you hire a security guard. The guard depends on the detector to catch shoplifters, so hiring one without the other is a wage for nothing.
- Take online orders during quiet periods only. The delivery run pulls you out of the store entirely, and a queue that builds while you are on the scooter costs more than the order pays.
- Expand the floor last. Shelves, a second checkout and staff all return money faster than square metres, and an oversized store with thin stock simply spreads your customers out.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pricing well above market on every product. Margin per sale goes up briefly, then complaints and walkouts drag daily revenue below where it started.
- Buying licences you cannot keep stocked. Each unlock costs cash and needs shelf or fridge space, and an empty display earns nothing while the money is gone.
- Leaving boxes on the shop floor. They block the paths customers use to reach products, so sales drop for a reason the end of day summary never spells out.
- Hiring staff too early. Wages are charged daily whether the store is busy or not, and a small shop makes more money with you working the till.
- Ignoring cleaning and trash. Store Points come partly from keeping the place tidy, and a dirty store slows the level progression that gates every licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Supermarket Simulator with friends?
Yes. The store supports online co op, so one player can run the till while another restocks and takes deliveries. Progress stays on the host's save.
How many licences are there?
There are 26 product licences, unlocking more than 150 products between them. Each one costs cash and requires a minimum store level, so progression is gated by both money and Store Points.
What price should I set?
Around 10 percent over the shown market price works for most products. Go under market while you are still building customer count, and reprice upward once your store level is banked.
Why do customers leave without buying?
Usually one of three things: the product they wanted is out of stock, your price is far enough over market that they refuse, or the queue at the checkout is too long. All three are visible in the thought bubbles above their heads.
Is there an ending?
No. Supermarket Simulator left Early Access on 19 June 2025 as an open ended management game, so the goal is store level, catalogue breadth and daily profit rather than a final mission.
More Supermarket Simulator Guides
- Supermarket Simulator Best Builds
- Supermarket Simulator Tier List
- Supermarket Simulator Walkthrough
- Supermarket Simulator Beginner's Guide
- Supermarket Simulator Tips & Tricks
- Supermarket Simulator Weapons Guide
- Supermarket Simulator Combat Guide
- Supermarket Simulator Boss Guide
- Supermarket Simulator Maps & Locations
- Supermarket Simulator Crafting Guide
- Supermarket Simulator Classes & Characters
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