Home Business, Moving House?

[MistMeUK]

Hi guys, how are you all.

Just a quick question, I have a successful Home Business with many loyal customers, thing is the small home is no longer big enough, so the question is, if I get my sim to move house will the business come too aswell as all them loyal customers, or will I have to start the business from scratch again.

[purplebunny]

You will have to start from scratch again.

On the plus side, at least the house is worth considerably more due to the high business rating. *shrug*

[MistMeUK]

thanks,    I didnt realise the high business rating would affect the house worth though,   nice one...

[Jelenedra]

And it also means you're one more business closer to fulfilling annoying "Own X 10 star businesses"

[Ellatrue]

I have never managed to get a business up to ten stars. How do you all do it? Is there some obvious exploit I'm not aware of?

[Emma]

Business Runs You!

[Zazazu]

Bandatron businesses are really easy to get to level 10. Just put a poker table, a public toilet, a stereo, and a bubble blower in a room.  Alternatively, a hottub and a stereo. Lock everything else against all but household. Set the ticket-taker to cheap and just let it run. It'll take about 20 days with no intervention, but I consider those easy money. A lot of times, I put them in basements with an entrance in the back so all my sims see is a file of townies walking to and fro.

For off-sites, I have a level 10 club right now. That does require some real work...I have a sim on the bar and one works as a DJ. There's a make-out room that's starting to see a little action (Prospect Beach is somehow missing the rabbit-townie effect), plus another hot tub and a potty. Oh, and now they have the gamer reward entertaining the townies and making them more money. If I have more than two playables there I'll have someone lead the smustle. No actual employees, just family.

Retail's slightly tricky. Keep prices at average until you aren't really having to do any sales actions. Then pop them up one level. You want about twice as much stock as you have customers, so no one's standing around waiting for something to buy. That pisses them off really quickly. When you start to see the register consistently getting three customers at check-out at a time, get another cashier. More than two out-of-stock signs at a time? Add a restocker. Employees tend to peter out quickly, so when I'm not cheating a bit (*ahem* motiveDecay off) I'll keep one employee working for four hours, then call in a replacement and send the original home. Break time is money down the drain. Do lots of sales socials, no hard sell. Show townies items, they love being told what to do.

I still haven't tried a restaurant. Need to, but currently my sims are into Dance! and the two stores of The Furnished Abode.

All of this is assuming you aren't using snapdragons. I do have Business Runs You, but I only use it for calling in the employees, raising salaries, and closing down shop.

[J. M. Pescado]

Retail's slightly tricky. Keep prices at average until you aren't really having to do any sales actions.

This is bolognium. The star-gains AND profits are orders of magnitude higher when doing dazzle-pushed sales.

All of this is assuming you aren't using snapdragons. I do have Business Runs You, but I only use it for calling in the employees, raising salaries, and closing down shop.

BRY will passively improve your shop's efficiency MASSIVELY just by its mere presence, if all the macro utilities are installed. For Gold Sales, it will use its far more efficient sales algorithm to keep the goods rolling, and for Restaurants, it will shift peasants between tasks to make sure things operate at peak efficiency without you having to click on anything. Otherwise, employees are practically worthless. BRY automatically controls breaks, employee cycling, and all that razzle dazzle just by BEING there. If you think employees are useful at all, you're probably feeling BRY's influence on them.

[Zazazu]

Retail's slightly tricky. Keep prices at average until you aren't really having to do any sales actions.

This is bolognium. The star-gains AND profits are orders of magnitude higher when doing dazzle-pushed sales.

What I meant was, keep at average until they are flying off the shelf without any need to do sales interactions. Then raise prices, to milk the townies more. Usually I'm training a salesperson at the same time I'm starting a biz, so I can't do your favorite ridiculously-overpriced goods + dazzle.

BRY will passively improve your shop's efficiency MASSIVELY just by its mere presence, if all the macro utilities are installed. For Gold Sales, it will use its far more efficient sales algorithm to keep the goods rolling, and for Restaurants, it will shift peasants between tasks to make sure things operate at peak efficiency without you having to click on anything. Otherwise, employees are practically worthless. BRY automatically controls breaks, employee cycling, and all that razzle dazzle just by BEING there. If you think employees are useful at all, you're probably feeling BRY's influence on them.

Oh, they still are kind of frustrating, but I learned to minimize that by keeping them trained in only one area. Mainly, I can't have any employee trained in sales + another task, because when I put them on a non-sales task they constantly interrupt to do sales, leaving stuff unstocked. I also hate managers as either BRY or the customer selector summons them automatically, and I don't want to pay their inflated salaries.  Really, though, I make so much on a day at a level 10 retail that getting that pittance on off days isn't important.

My retail biz generally have the owner doing sales and one family member on the register. Currently, in The Furnished Abode (pilot store), the kids spend one day working the shop and are given the profits as their nest egg (college expenses plus enough to buy a nice house). That's about $70,000. Dylan used his money to rent a townhouse and start up a satellite store, which has already earned him more than he started with.

[Jelenedra]

I'm gonna have to try that basement business gimmick. It sounds like a money maker.

[Emma]

The first thing I train any staff to do is the cash register. I find most customers lose stars when they are being kept waiting to pay. I don't mind my restockers/salespeople zooming off to cash up purchases while the cashier is having a break. I never have more than 4 members of staff either.

[Ellatrue]

I think the best thing about BRY is how it will have sims assigned to ring at the register do other stuff when there aren't any customers waiting.

[J. M. Pescado]

Oh, they still are kind of frustrating, but I learned to minimize that by keeping them trained in only one area. Mainly, I can't have any employee trained in sales + another task, because when I put them on a non-sales task they constantly interrupt to do sales, leaving stuff unstocked.

If you put an employee on a non-sales task, BRY will only send him to perform sales when his primary task cannot be performed. This increases efficiency because if nothing exists to be restocked, you would otherwise have to manually reassign him to make him cease his lollygagging. BRY is practically of vital importance when running a restaurant, as it will reduce your staff needs by up to half, like if you had micromanaged everything, but without the clicking.

I also hate managers as either BRY or the customer selector summons them automatically, and I don't want to pay their inflated salaries.  Really, though, I make so much on a day at a level 10 retail that getting that pittance on off days isn't important.

Neither object summons employees automatically, so what you're seeing is EAxis behavior. BRY only summons employees on demand, when you click to summon them. You seem to be attributing a lot of behaviors to BRY that simply don't exist, while failing to understand others. Trust me: BRY is smarter than you are. You are an F. You are stupid. The machine is smarter than you are.

[Zazazu]

Ah. Then it's EAxis that's pissing me off. As per usual. Any way to stomp that behaviour?

If you put an employee on a non-sales task, BRY will only send him to perform sales when his primary task cannot be performed.

This has most definitely not been my experience. I've had two employees who were assigned to restock (manager trainees at different businesses) and had gold sales badges. Both would interrupt their restocking to go do sales interactions, leaving items unstocked. Now, I did have another restocker at the time, but the amount of unstocked goods exceeded what they could have had in queue.

[jsalemi]

I've seen the same thing, Zaz -- if an employee has a gold sales badge, they'll drop whatever they're doing to sell, even if they're assigned by BRY to restock.  I think that even happened once to a cashier, who left the register to sell even though there were customers waiting. Fortunately he had high body points, so he ran back to the register pretty quick.

[kuronue]

I think the best thing about BRY is how it will have sims assigned to ring at the register do other stuff when there aren't any customers waiting.

See, I hate that, because while they're off doing something unimportant like cleaning up thrown bags, other customers line up, and then they go and futz with the keys until they all toss their bags and leave, then go clean it up again. I hate waiting for them to earn register badges >.<

[Ellatrue]

I've not had that problem. Plus, that means there is an issue with them sucking at the register, not with them doing other things with BRY. If you just have them stand at the register when there are no customers to ring, it is a complete waste of time- their motives drop and you have to pay them when they are doing NOTHING. I find they are quick enough with getting back to the registers, and if not, I just move them manually. But it's much nicer than having to manually tell them to leave the register and sell/restock while waiting for the customers to finish shopping (which takes forever), and then telling them to go back. Too much micro-managing!

It's not like they can earn a register badge from just standing there.

[jsalemi]

But it's much nicer than having to manually tell them to leave the register and sell/restock while waiting for the customers to finish shopping (which takes forever), and then telling them to go back.

I have a hack by Monique (if memory serves) that cuts the time they take to make up their minds.  It's called 'Faster Shopping' I think, and comes in three flavors - 25% faster, 50% faster, and 75% faster.  I think I'm using the 50% version, which helps make it easier to run a retail business.  They should be over on MTS2.

ETA: Yes, it's by Monique -- 'mq_browse_n_buy_faster'.

[Zazazu]

I've not had that problem. Plus, that means there is an issue with them sucking at the register, not with them doing other things with BRY. If you just have them stand at the register when there are no customers to ring, it is a complete waste of time- their motives drop and you have to pay them when they are doing NOTHING. I find they are quick enough with getting back to the registers, and if not, I just move them manually. But it's much nicer than having to manually tell them to leave the register and sell/restock while waiting for the customers to finish shopping (which takes forever), and then telling them to go back. Too much micro-managing!

It's not like they can earn a register badge from just standing there.

Whether it's a big problem depends on the lot set-up, really. For my old junk tent lot, it wasn't a big deal. All the items were kept really close by the register. If they popped off to do a sales social or stock a sign, no biggie...unless they chose to keep doing it despite the fact that the line was building. I have had that issue a bit too much, and that's why I stopped cross-training non-playables. Now, with the two shops I'm running...they are large two-story furniture stores. I really need a dedicated restocker for each floor, plus two cashiers and one salesperson (heck, the pilot store could probably use a second salesperson now). You can't tell restockers to only handle one floor, so those kids get quite a bit of exercise running up and down the stairs. FYI, if you are going to have a multi-floor store, you have to use modulars (duh, stupid Maxis coding) and you'll need three sets. I place the three next to each other in a huge flight. Otherwise it's complete chaos. Well, it's still complete chaos, but at least everyone gets where they are going.

We need Death by Falling Down Stairs.

[Emma]

We need Death by Falling Down Stairs.

That would be funny!

Does anyone use elevators in their businesses? I haven't ever used the elevators...not once. I tend to just have 1-2 storey buildings so there doesn't seem much point.

[witch]

I've had a couple of commercial buildings with lifts, but not many. Like you, I don't really go above two floors. They are too slooww anyway. I was so excited when we first got them! I've never even seen a lift accident, or sims woohooing in them.

I tend to use modular stairs or teleporters mostly.

[J. M. Pescado]

We need Death by Falling Down Stairs.

We do. I wanted animations for falling down stairs, so Ellatrue could actually fall down stairs.

Does anyone use elevators in their businesses? I haven't ever used the elevators...not once. I tend to just have 1-2 storey buildings so there doesn't seem much point.

The break-even point for elevators over stairwells is around 5-6 floors for a running sim, so it's not exactly something that occurs in normal buildings. Some buildings have an Elevator to Nowhere just for woohoo.

[Emma]

I might just build a business or community lot with elevators just to see what happens. I use modular stairs-that is it. I never use the other ones either-if I've downloaded any lots that have the normal stairs, I replace them.

[Zazazu]

I'm odd. I've only used an elevator twice. Once for the obelisk, which I think is 10 levels. There's nothing on levels 2-9. Once for a house, because the footprint worked better. The chaos. Oh, the chaos. First, with the first set of twins the family had crying to get to the dog on the first floor but unable to use the elevator when he could. They'd then completely block the elevator and I'd have a bunch of up-down-up-down pinball with the parent currently in the elevator. Then, the plummeting started. I think that at the time I switched to modular stairs, Charisma (one of the elder twins) had plummeted five times. No deaths.

Oh, don't forget the fact that they short out. Electrocuted pregnant lady.

Hrm. Maybe I'll make the next playable SC4 apartment building with elevators. It didn't seem to fit the one I finished last night, as it was only a three-flat with a garden apartment.