No Umbrellas Allowed

No Umbrellas Allowed is a secondhand shop simulation set in Ajik City in 2080. Rescued from a beach with no memories, you are taken in by Darcy, who runs the city’s only secondhand shop, Darcy’s. He makes you the shop manager and gives you the name of his son, Bob. As you rebuild your life, you can also uncover clues about your past and what is happening in the city.

The shop and the city

Ajik City is an unsettling place where people seem unable or unwilling to express their thoughts and feelings. Many are fixated on something called Fixerain, while people in dark uniforms who call themselves civil activists are known by others as police-mimickers. You can explore the city and listen to your neighbors; their conversations may offer hints for serving customers and clues about the city’s future.

Value and negotiate

At Darcy’s, you buy items from customers and resell them. Sellers do not always tell you everything, so you investigate an item’s true value before making an offer. Tools provide information about its material, condition, year of manufacture and value trends. A reference book offers further knowledge, including the city’s history, celebrity signatures and popular or unpopular brands.

You use what you learn to guide your offers in a back-and-forth negotiation. Customers have their own expectations, knowledge and emotions: they may reject an offer, ask for more or name the amount they want. Pressing too hard in either direction can frighten a customer into leaving. If you lack cash for an item, you can consider loans from Darcy, banks or foreign lenders.

Sell and serve customers

Display purchased items in the showcase and set their prices. Prospective customers may decide to buy, but prices set too high can leave items unsold for too long. Your reputation also matters: disputes with customers can damage it, leading to fewer customers and less profit. You can check your standing on the Reputation Board and try to leave each customer with a good impression.

Some customers seek particular kinds of items, such as art lovers looking for art-related pieces or history lovers seeking historical ones. You can also visit a neighboring flower shop to buy flowers to attract customers, or a repair shop to fix items whose poor condition has lowered their value.