Beer and whisky, wine, and cigars and cigarettes all use different equipment. Prepare the display and the supply route for each family you plan to sell.
1. Opening steps#
- Decide which products and services you will carry, and the space for them. Compare floor area, neighborhood and capacity in the building list with the actual lease terms. Check in game that a Liquor Store can open there before you sign.
- Set the business type to Liquor Store. Check the requirements in the business management screen.
- Prepare the equipment. Prepare the display equipment and stock for the products you chose. If you also sell a service, check that person's workstation and equipment separately.
- Check shifts, supply and security. Check customer service and cleaning shifts alongside the listed security cameras and panels.
- Review the results once you open. Watch demand by hour, gaps in the schedule, stock-outs and the sales equipment, and adjust.
These steps are an editorial guide. The minimum floor area, the full list of required equipment, exact quantities and headcount have not been verified in game — check the business management screen as well.
2. Products, services and supply#
Main products
| Product | Display equipment / capacity | Supply route | Lowest sale price / unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinks Shelfholds 50 Cocktail Bar (Drinks Counter)holds 50 Cocktail Bar (Drinks Counter Wooden)holds 50 | no wholesaler listedUnited Ocean Importsupply detailsfactory recipe | $12.00prices by neighborhood | |
| Wine Shelfholds 72 | no wholesaler listedUnited Ocean Importsupply detailsfactory recipe | $21.00prices by neighborhood | |
| Tobacco Shelf (Large)holds 600 Tobacco Shelf (Medium)holds 500 Tobacco Shelf (Small)holds 400 | no wholesaler listedUnited Ocean Importsupply detailsfactory recipe | $12.00prices by neighborhood | |
| Tobacco Shelf (Large)holds 600 Tobacco Shelf (Medium)holds 500 Tobacco Shelf (Small)holds 400 | no wholesaler listedUnited Ocean Importsupply detailsfactory recipe | $10.00prices by neighborhood | |
| Drinks Shelfholds 50 Cocktail Bar (Drinks Counter)holds 50 Cocktail Bar (Drinks Counter Wooden)holds 50 | no wholesaler listedUnited Ocean Importsupply detailsfactory recipe | $26.00prices by neighborhood |
4 additional products
| Product | Display equipment / capacity | Supply route | Lowest sale price / unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinks Shelfholds 50 Cocktail Bar (Drinks Counter)holds 50 Cocktail Bar (Drinks Counter Wooden)holds 50 | no wholesaler listedUnited Ocean Importsupply detailsfactory recipe | $16.00prices by neighborhood | |
| Drinks Shelfholds 50 Cocktail Bar (Drinks Counter)holds 50 Cocktail Bar (Drinks Counter Wooden)holds 50 | no wholesaler listedUnited Ocean Importsupply detailsfactory recipe | $20.00prices by neighborhood | |
| Drinks Fridgeholds 120 Drinks Fridge (Large)holds 360 | 6 wholesalersJetCargo Imports, SeaSide Internationals, United Ocean Import, BlueStone Importssupply detailsfactory recipe | $3.00prices by neighborhood | |
| Drinks Fridgeholds 120 Drinks Fridge (Large)holds 360 | 6 wholesalersJetCargo Importssupply detailsfactory recipe | $3.90prices by neighborhood |
Sale prices are reference values at 100% satisfaction with trained staff. Purchase data assumes default difficulty and a fully skilled purchasing manager, and can move with supply. A missing entry does not prove an item cannot be bought. We do not quote a margin from comparing wholesale and import prices that use different units.
3. Equipment and setup cost#
This links the display equipment from the product table, the staff workstations and the listed security equipment. It includes alternative displays and equipment for additional products, so it is not a shopping list. Read product capacity and customer capacity as two different things.
| Equipment | Why it is listed | Customer capacity | Lowest listed price / unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 unit counted in the example total | main product · Beer main product · Whisky extra product · Margarita extra product · Martini | 10 | $850.00Essential Appliances1 stores
|
| main product · Beer main product · Whisky extra product · Margarita extra product · Martini | 50 | $800.00Essential Appliances1 stores
| |
| main product · Beer main product · Whisky extra product · Margarita extra product · Martini | — | $690.00Essential Appliances1 stores
| |
| 1 unit counted in the example total | main product · Bottle of Wine | 10 | $1,570.00Essential Appliances1 stores
|
| 1 unit counted in the example total | main product · Cigar main product · Pack of Cigarettes | 30 | $1,895.00Essential Appliances1 stores
|
| main product · Cigar main product · Pack of Cigarettes | 20 | $1,495.00Essential Appliances1 stores
| |
| main product · Cigar main product · Pack of Cigarettes | 15 | $1,095.00Essential Appliances1 stores
| |
| extra product · Soda Can extra product · Energy Drink | 20 | $875.00Square Appliances1 stores
| |
| extra product · Soda Can extra product · Energy Drink | 50 | $2,200.00Square Appliances1 stores
| |
| 1 unit counted in the example total | staff workstation · Customer Service | 20 | $900.00AJ Pederson & Son4 stores
|
| 1 unit counted in the example total | staff workstation · Cleaning | — | $100.00AJ Pederson & Son4 stores
|
| 1 unit counted in the example total | listed security equipment | — | $2,500.00Essential Appliances2 stores
|
| 1 unit counted in the example total | listed security equipment | — | $1,200.00Essential Appliances2 stores
|
The example total is neither the full startup cost nor a minimum requirement. It counts one unit each, without duplicates, of the first listed display equipment for every main product plus the staff workstations and security equipment that could be linked. Equipment only used by additional products is left out. Budget separately for rent, deposit, desks, chairs, other furniture, stock, delivery, wages and extra units as you grow.
4. Staff and shifts#
| Role | Listed workstation | Recruited at |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Register | Anderson Recruitment Corp. | |
| Cleaning Station | Anderson Recruitment Corp. |
Check customer service and cleaning shifts alongside the listed security cameras and panels.
The listed roles are not a headcount. Build the schedule from the hours you actually open, the number of workstations and the contract terms, and check in game whether roles missing from the list are needed.
Listed security equipment: Security Camera · Security Panel.
5. Opening hours and footfall#
Averaging the daily figures hour by hour, 16:00 · 17:00 · 18:00 · 19:00 · 20:00 is the busiest slot, at 85.7%. That is the mean across all seven days — see the table below for the differences between days.
| Day | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 24 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 64 | 16 | 16 |
| Tue | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 60 | 15 | 15 |
| Wed | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 60 | 15 | 15 |
| Thu | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 24 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 64 | 16 | 16 |
| Fri | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 29 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 76 | 19 | 19 |
| Sat | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 30 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 80 | 20 | 20 |
| Sun | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 29 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 76 | 19 | 19 |
These are visitors as a share of maximum capacity, not revenue or margin. A 0% is a recorded value, not a closed hour. Blanks show as ‘—’. Set your real opening hours by weighing demand against wages and running costs.
6. Checks while running#
What to check first in a Liquor Store
One drinks shelf does not cover every drink and tobacco line. Check the wine shelf, the cigarette shelf and the rest as listed in the product table.
The equipment is there but nothing runs
Check the business type and opening requirements, then whether staff are linked to workstations, then the hours they work. If you sell products, check stock and display equipment too. The capacity column alone does not tell you how many customers can actually be served.
Checking supply and delivery
Check the vendors in the purchase data per item. If you import, review the warehouse, vehicles, drivers and logistics setup in Importing and delivery.