Staff Management Guide
Build a reliable team without bleeding your profits dry.
When to Hire
Staff are a major recurring expense. Hire too early and your daily profits vanish into wages. Hire too late and customers leave because shelves are empty or checkout lines are too long.
The community-tested rule: hire your first employee when you have at least 8 shelves, daily revenue exceeds $800, and you find yourself spending more than 50% of your time at the checkout register.
Hiring Order
- Cashier — Frees you from the register.
- Restocker — Keeps shelves full while you manage.
- Security — Reduces shoplifting losses in larger stores.
- Cleaner — Essential once you exceed 12 shelves.
Training Priority
Employees gain experience over time and can be trained to improve specific skills. Training costs money upfront but pays off through faster work and fewer mistakes.
Cashier Speed
Top priority. Faster checkout = shorter lines = happier customers = more sales per hour.
Restocking Speed
Second priority. Empty shelves are lost revenue. A fast restocker keeps product flowing.
Customer Service
Reduces complaints and increases customer patience. Train after speed skills are maxed.
Security Awareness
Helps spot shoplifters faster. Train security staff first, others later.
Wage Settings
Wages are a fixed daily cost regardless of how busy you are. Start employees at the default wage and raise it only when they reach higher skill levels or when morale drops.
Low morale leads to slower work and higher quit rates. If an employee starts complaining, a small wage bump (10-15%) usually fixes it. High-turnover staff cost more in training than a modest raise.