Store Manager: Cellular Edition

Store Manager: Cellular Edition is a retail management game about running a mobile phone shop. You hire and schedule employees, manage stock, serve customers and upgrade the store as you build profits.

Hire and manage staff

You find employees by reviewing resumes, which are randomly generated with names, previous jobs, education and other details. These factors affect each employee’s ability skill. Higher ability can help a salesperson offer accessories to customers who already know which phone they want, or persuade customers to choose an in-stock phone when their preferred model is unavailable. A successful sale also needs to leave customers satisfied enough not to return the phone.

Your starting shop holds four employees, with two working at a time across an opening shift and a closing shift. You schedule when each employee arrives, takes a break and leaves. Neglecting or overworking staff can make them quit, while scheduling breaks during peak hours may leave an employee unable to take a break that day and result in a fine.

Stock and sales

You order phones every day to keep inventory fresh and can discount models that are not selling. The shop has 16 phones from eight manufacturers, divided among three operating systems, along with accessories made for each phone. You can manage accessories individually, product by product, or buy them in bulk in a way that works for every phone.

Customers usually arrive with an idea of what kind of phone they want, but you can change their minds. If they dislike what they bought, they may return it. Each customer has a unique name and data for you to track; keeping customers happy can lead them to tell friends about your store. You also choose advertising campaigns to attract customers, and peak shopping hours change frequently.

Grow your store

As profits grow, you can upgrade individual displays and other parts of the shop, including the flooring and backroom. These improvements affect more than appearance: customers value clean, modern stores, and a better-looking shop can encourage them to spend more. Improved customer ratings can also generate word-of-mouth advertising and increase revenue.