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 walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Shop floor | Ordering stock on the store computer basics | Cashier | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Checkout counters | Pricing against the daily market rate mastery | Cashier | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Storage room | Store Points and store levels + gear | Owner operator or Cashier | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | The store computer | Build optimization | Owner operator | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Local market | Min-max | Owner operator or Online order courier | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (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.
Level/Difficulty: Store level 1 and up Key Rewards: More shelf slots, room for fridges and freezers, higher customer capacity
What to Do in Shop floor
- Learn 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. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Cashier as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Shelves or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Ordering stock on the store computer fundamentals
- Cashier selected and functional
- Shop floor main content cleared
- Ready for Checkout counters
Phase 2: Early Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Store level 1 and up Key Rewards: Faster throughput, fewer abandoned baskets, a place to put a hired cashier
What to Do in Checkout counters
- Work on Pricing against the daily market rate. Each product shows a market price, and you set your own retail price against it. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Shelves if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Storage room.
- Consider whether Owner operator might suit your playstyle better than Cashier.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Pricing against the daily market rate integrated into gameplay
- Shelves acquired
- Checkout counters fully cleared
- Ready for Storage room
Phase 3: Mid Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Early store levels once cash allows Key Rewards: Box capacity, restocker efficiency, a clear shop floor
What to Do in Storage room
- Master 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. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Checkout counter. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Licences that unlock product groups for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Store Points and store levels mastered
- Checkout counter acquired or in progress
- Storage room fully cleared
- Ready for The store computer
Phase 4: Late Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Available from day one Key Rewards: Stock ordering, licence purchases, hiring, online delivery jobs
What to Do in The store computer
- Finalize your build. You should be running Owner operator or Cashier with optimized gear.
- Checkout counter should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- Hiring cashiers and restockers optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Local market.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Checkout counter upgraded to max
- The store computer fully cleared
- Ready for Local market
Phase 5: Endgame (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.
Level/Difficulty: Any store level Key Rewards: Cheaper stock than the standard order screen on selected products
What to Do in Local market
- Local market tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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.
- The endgame loop: run Local market, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Online order courier for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Hiring cashiers and restockers mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Local market fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Supermarket Simulator Guides
- Supermarket Simulator Supermarket Simulator Overview
- Supermarket Simulator Best Builds
- Supermarket Simulator Tier List
- 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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