The above example shows how hard it is to run a business single-handedly. That is why hiring employees can be necessary. To do this, you contact the job center either by telephone or via the computer. A list of who is available comes up. Each of them can be highlighted and it shows who they are, their current job, what skills they have, what talent badges they have and what hourly rate they expect if you hire them. Be careful who you hire in the event you ruin the current career of one of your high-flying sims. Unless you would rather hire people you know and have a relationship of one form or other with, go for townies or otherwise unknowns.

You can also hire anyone you see in your store. The drawback is that you don't get to see who they are and what talent badges they have if any. You could ask them about their skills if you know them well enough.

Employees may be assigned to specific jobs. If they are not, they wander around aimlessly. In another store, one of my senior employers was constantly being waterbombed by Jenna Shrub, the junior, who thought it was fun. Jenna was sent home early.

Well-trained employees can be appointed as managers of established businesses so you can have them run it autonomously. I'm yet to get any business to be successful enough to put it in the hands of an NPC.

Zoltan dressed for the part by choosing a uniform. Any playable sim can create their own uniforms from all regular clothing types and hairstyles that are available, including any custom downloads. Also, you don't have to pay for any of these uniforms. Once you've created a "uniform", it is in your sim's own register. Employees turn up in uniform although if they shower or bathe on the lot, they don't put it back on. I think uniforms are more for cosmetic purposes than having any gameplay effect. I like it, though.

Diving Outfits, Gorillas, Pilots and Ninjas to name a few. For those who pre-ordered from various outlets, you get the exclusive chicken outfits.

Similar to what you might see on the uniform of a "trainee manager" in your local McSimmy's, these badges indicate the level of training and how skilled you or any employee is at the tradecraft of running a business.

There is the creative skill of Cosmetology, which is the ability to give someone a complete makeover. Then there are the three craftmaking skills of Flower Arranging, Robotry and Toy Making. Finally, there are the three tradecraft skills of Register, Restocking & Sales.

These come in Bronze, Silver and Gold. As might be expected, it takes longer to get the higher badges. However, these badges improve performance and in the crafting areas - Flower, Robots, Toys - it allows your worker to make different objects.

Different skills and different personalities do help your sims or employees in getting these talent badges more quickly. Unlike normal skills, however, it does not show you by way of a bar how close your sim or employee is to getting to the next level. This is disappointing and frustrating.

Almost anything can be sold. Wall lights, windows, cars, garden gnomes. You name it, almost anything can be sold. Aspiration, Career & Date Rewards cannot be sold. Oddly, nor can telephones. You can have your items for sale on the floor or in attractive display cabinets. Wherever they are sold from, a sign appears meaning that location is now out of stock. Customers do not react too well to seeing a lot of these signs as they lower environment score. Therefore, you need to restock them as quickly as possible. Again, this is a trade skill and the higher the level of badge your employee has in restocking, the quicker it is done and the happier your customers are.

You can tell how interested a customer is in something. A rising meter above their heads indicates how close they are to buying something. Anyone assigned to sales can try and encourage them even further ... although it can backfire and either the customer becomes less likely to buy the product or the sale completely falls through. Success depends upon the skill of your salesperson and the price of the item. The lower the profit margin that the customer thinks you are making, the higher the chance of getting that sale.

If you have something physical for sale, you will need a cash register. There is the original cash register that was formerly available in community lots and there is now another more old fashioned design. Both function in the same way. The speed of usage is dependant upon the one operating the till.

When a sim has finished shopping, they will come and pay up. You need someone at the register to take their money. If your sim or employee does not have any skill with using the cash register, it can take some time. If there is a queue, then some of those who are further back in the queue may just drop their bags and go. You will recover the value of those goods if you pick up those bags, unless your cleaner beats you to it.

Quick service leads to happy customers and they will "please come again".

The cash register also functions as a base from where to control global pricing around the store.