Money Making Guide
Legit strategies to maximize profit and grow your store fast — with pricing data, profit margins, and step-by-step execution.
Pricing Strategy That Works
The core of making money in Supermarket Simulator is markup discipline. Every product has a wholesale cost and a retail price you set. Play Supermarket Simulator on Steam to put these strategies into practice. The community consensus from Reddit and Steam forums is that a 1.25x to 1.5x markup works best for most items. Go higher and you risk driving customers away; go lower and you leave profit on the table.
Luxury and electronics can handle higher markups (1.8x to 2.2x) because customers expect to pay more. Essentials like bread, milk, and eggs should stay closer to 1.2x — customers are price-sensitive on daily necessities. Here is a detailed breakdown based on community-tested data:
| Product Category | Optimal Markup | Profit Margin | Customer Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread, Milk, Eggs | 1.2x – 1.3x | 17% – 23% | Low — price-sensitive |
| Snacks & Soft Drinks | 1.3x – 1.5x | 23% – 33% | Medium |
| Frozen Foods | 1.4x – 1.6x | 29% – 38% | Medium-High |
| Coffee & Cereal | 1.3x – 1.5x | 23% – 33% | Medium |
| Alcohol (Beer/Wine) | 1.5x – 2.0x | 33% – 50% | High — requires license |
| Cigarettes | 1.5x – 2.0x | 33% – 50% | High — requires license |
| Electronics | 1.8x – 2.2x | 44% – 55% | High — low turnover |
Pro Tip
Use the pricing gun to batch-update prices during slow hours (early morning, 6-8 AM in-game). Changing prices while customers are shopping causes frustration and lost sales. A single price change takes 2-3 seconds per shelf — plan accordingly.
High-Profit Product Categories
Not all products are created equal. Some categories deliver far more profit per unit or per shelf slot than others. Here is a detailed breakdown of the best moneymakers, ranked by community-tested profitability:
Electronics & Appliances
Items like headphones, phone chargers, and small appliances have high wholesale costs but even higher retail margins. They sell slower (1-2 units per day per shelf), but each sale brings significant profit. A single headphone sale can yield $15-$25 profit.
Best for: Late-game stores with 12+ shelves. Limit to 1-2 shelves early on.
Alcohol & Tobacco
These require a license purchase ($500-$800 for alcohol, $300-$500 for tobacco), but the profit per unit is among the highest in the game. A bottle of wine costing $8 wholesale sells for $14-$16 retail — nearly 100% profit. The license pays for itself within 3-5 in-game days if you dedicate 1-2 shelves.
Best for: Mid-game stores with steady $500+ daily profit. Priority unlock after freezer.
Snacks & Soft Drinks
Low margin per item (typically $0.30-$0.80 profit), but extremely high turnover. A single snack shelf can sell 15-25 units per day. These are your volume drivers. Keep them fully stocked at all times — empty snack shelves are lost money.
Best for: Every store, every stage. Dedicate 2-3 shelves minimum.
Frozen Foods
Require freezer units (upfront investment of $800-$1,200), but frozen pizzas and ice cream have solid margins ($2-$4 profit per unit) and steady demand. A freezer shelf typically sells 8-12 units per day. Buy the freezer early if you have the capital — it unlocks a high-margin category competitors often skip.
Best for: Early-to-mid game. Buy freezer after adding 4-6 regular shelves.
Energy Drinks
A niche category with surprisingly high margins. Energy drinks cost $1.50-$2.00 wholesale and sell for $3.00-$4.00 retail. Turnover is moderate (5-10 units/day), making them a solid middle-ground between snacks and electronics.
Best for: Mid-game stores. Dedicate 1 shelf after unlocking 8+ total shelves.
Promotional Timing: When to Raise, When to Lower
The game features dynamic customer traffic patterns. Weekends and in-game holidays bring more shoppers. Lower prices slightly (10-15% discount) before high-traffic periods to drive volume. The increased foot traffic more than compensates for the lower margin.
| Condition | Recommended Action | Expected Result |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend / Holiday | Lower prices 10-15% | +30-50% customer count, higher total revenue |
| Rainy Day | Raise prices 5-10% | Customers less price-sensitive, higher margin |
| Slow Weekday | Keep standard prices | Stable baseline, no risk of driving away few customers |
| End-of-Day Clearance | Discount perishables 20-30% | Sell before spoilage, recover wholesale cost |
Conversely, raise prices slightly on rainy days when customers are less price-sensitive and more focused on convenience. Small adjustments add up over time. A 5% price increase on a $1,000 daily revenue store adds $50/day — enough to cover a cashier's wage.
Minimize Waste: The Silent Profit Killer
Over-ordering perishable goods (produce, dairy, baked goods) leads to spoilage and direct losses. Spoiled inventory is a 100% loss — you paid wholesale and recover $0. Here is how to keep waste under control:
Step 1: Order Conservatively
For perishables, order no more than 1.5x your daily sell-through rate. If you sell 10 units of milk per day, order 15 units maximum. This gives you a small buffer without risking spoilage.
Step 2: Check Both Suppliers
The local market often has better deals than the online supplier for perishables — especially produce and baked goods. Check both before placing large orders. Local market prices can be 10-20% lower with no shipping fee.
Step 3: Discount Before Spoilage
If you notice perishables approaching their expiration date, discount them 20-30% to move inventory fast. Recovering 70% of your cost is far better than losing 100% to spoilage.
Common Money-Making Mistakes
Mistake #1: Chasing High Margin on Low Turnover
Filling your store with electronics (2.0x markup) sounds great, but if each shelf sells 1 unit per day, your total profit is lower than a snack shelf selling 20 units at 1.3x markup. Balance high-margin and high-turnover categories.
Mistake #2: Ignoring Shipping Costs
Online orders have shipping fees that eat into margins. A $50 order with a $8 shipping fee reduces your effective margin by 16%. For small orders, the local market is often cheaper even at slightly higher per-unit prices.
Mistake #3: Never Adjusting Prices
Setting prices once and forgetting them is leaving money on the table. Review prices every 3-5 in-game days based on customer feedback and sell-through rates. A 10% price increase on your top 5 products can boost daily profit by $100+.
Mistake #4: Buying Licenses Too Late
Alcohol and tobacco licenses cost $800-$1,300 total but generate $200-$400 extra daily profit once active. Delaying the license purchase by 5 days means losing $1,000-$2,000 in potential revenue. Buy them as soon as you have $1,500 in reserve.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the fastest way to make money early game?
A: Focus on snacks and soft drinks with 1.3x-1.5x markup. They have high turnover and require no special equipment or licenses. A single snack shelf can generate $10-$20 daily profit with minimal investment.
Q: Should I buy the freezer or alcohol license first?
A: Buy the freezer first ($800-$1,200). Frozen foods provide steady daily profit with no ongoing license fees. The alcohol license is next priority once you have $1,500+ in reserve after the freezer purchase.
Q: How much daily profit do I need before expanding?
A: Wait until you have $3,000+ in cash reserves and consistent $800+ daily profit. Floor expansions cost $2,000-$5,000, and new shelves need stock. Expanding too early leaves you cash-strapped and unable to fill new space.
Q: Do discounts actually increase total profit?
A: Yes, during high-traffic periods. A 10% discount that brings 30% more customers typically increases total revenue by 15-20%. The key is timing — only discount when you know foot traffic will be high (weekends, holidays).
Q: What is the most profitable store size?
A: Community data suggests the sweet spot is 12-16 shelves with 3-4 employees. Beyond 20 shelves, management overhead (restocking, pricing, staff supervision) becomes so time-consuming that profit per minute of playtime starts to decline.