GROCERY STORE SIMULATOR REVIEW: WHEN SHELF STOCKING BECOMES AN ADDICTION
Ever wondered what it would be like to run a supermarket without dealing with Karen demanding to speak to your manager? Well, Grocery Store Simulator lets you live that dream – minus the existential dread of actual retail work. Though with the recent 1.0 update, we might need to add "it's complicated" to our relationship status with this one.
WELCOME TO RETAIL THERAPY
First things first: this game is more addictive than those little free samples they hand out at Costco. You'll start with a humble shop and before you know it, you're pulling all-nighters trying to perfect your store layout like some caffeine-fueled retail architect. The progression from "mom and pop shop" to "retail empire" is satisfyingly paced, even if your employees move slower than a snail swimming through peanut butter.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BUGGY
The core gameplay loop is surprisingly engaging. Stocking shelves, managing inventory, and dealing with customers who apparently think cornflakes are the next cryptocurrency – it all comes together in a weirdly satisfying way. The co-op feature turns your retail nightmare into a party, because nothing says friendship like arguing over proper shelf organization.
But oh boy, let's talk about that 1.0 update. It's like they served us a half-baked cake and called it dessert. The new forklift system is about as useful as a chocolate teapot – your employees just stare at it like it's an alien artifact. And bulk orders? Great idea, shame about the execution. Your workers just dump boxes on the ground like they're playing some twisted version of retail Jenga.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH MATERIAL (NOT)
The AI workers are... special. They'll take smoke breaks with the dedication of a chain-smoker outside a hospital, but ask them to properly stock shelves and suddenly they're more confused than a penguin in a desert. They'll leave their checkout post faster than teenagers ditching work on prom night, leaving your customers standing there contemplating their life choices.
THE PRICE IS... WRONG?
Here's where things get spicy: the 1.0 release doubled the price tag, but the new content feels thinner than grocery store toilet paper. Sure, we got forklifts and bulk orders, but when your employees treat boxes like they're playing shot put, you've got to wonder if the price hike was justified.
CONCLUSION
Grocery Store Simulator is like that slightly broken vending machine at work – it mostly does what it's supposed to, sometimes surprises you in a good way, and occasionally makes you want to kick it. The core game is genuinely fun and addictive, especially with friends, but the 1.0 update feels more like a 0.5 update wearing a fake mustache.
For every moment of frustration (like watching your employees phase through delivery trucks like retail ghosts), there's an equally entertaining moment (like watching boxes fly across the parking lot when cars hit them). It's a janky kind of charm that somehow works, even when it probably shouldn't.
Score: 7/10 - Like your first job in retail: messy and frustrating, but somehow you keep coming back for more.