Creating a gift shop is one of the first tasks you’ll want to undertake in Two Point Museum. It serves as a vital revenue stream from the start, particularly during tougher campaign levels, and your visitors will appreciate having it.
While it’s easy to set up a basic shop with minimal items and a single staff member, you’ll soon notice that guests will be eager for a wider selection and a more spacious environment to shop in. Failing to provide this will limit your earnings and reduce your museum’s appeal. Here’s how to elevate your gift shop from drab to fabulous.
Understanding Gift Shops
A gift shop is an essential part of any museum as it generates consistent income, particularly in the early stages when visitor numbers and donations are still low. Moreover, a well-stocked shop boosts your museum’s overall rating and enhances guest satisfaction.
Guests can purchase one of six merchandise types, which you can price at your discretion. The options include Trinkets, Plushies, Posters, Onesies, Books, and Toys. Each item represents a unique type of merchandise, and you can choose its theme from the same six categories used for exhibits.
Staffing Your Gift Shop
Your gift shop will only require staff members called Assistants. At a minimum, it should contain one entrance, one Checkout Counter, and one Trinket Stand. Here are some key points to keep in mind:
- The shop must be at least four by three tiles in size.
- Building it will cost a minimum of $7,500, covering construction and the essential items.
- While guests typically won’t litter in a gift shop, you may lose points if you don’t provide a Trash Bin.
Tip: It’s beneficial for Assistants to have skills in Customer Service, Guest Happiness, and Aerodynamics, as these can improve checkout efficiency and merchandise restocking.
To maximize your shop’s appeal, stock a diverse range of merchandise that aligns with the themes of your exhibits.
Enhancing Your Gift Shop
There are various strategies to improve the functionality and profitability of your gift shop, many of which involve changing the products sold and expanding the shop’s size. You can also personalize the flooring and wall designs through the Room Customization option in the shop’s settings.
Just like every other room, your gift shop has a Room Rating of up to five, which you can enhance by adding more merchandise, placing Trash Bins, and incorporating decorations that fit the shop’s theme.
Increasing Room Capacity
One straightforward way to increase your gift shop’s effectiveness is by boosting its capacity. A smaller room can accommodate fewer guests, limiting sales opportunities. To expand the shop, select the Edit Room option from the information menu.
Room capacity is determined by the number of tiles; every two tiles added increases capacity by one. While there’s no maximum size, aiming for 16 to 25 capacity is ideal for large museums.
More space allows for additional Assistants to be assigned, though each must have their own Checkout Counter to process sales. Assistants can still help with restocking if they are not given a Checkout Counter.
Adjusting Merchandise Selection
A great way to enhance your gift shop includes evaluating and changing the available merchandise. Different guest types have varying preferences; for instance, professors tend to favor Bookcases and Poster Stands over other items.
You can discover what types of merchandise guests prefer by consulting the Guests section of your Sticker Book.
Given that each Campaign has an overarching theme, tailor your gift shop to fit the types of guests frequenting your museum, which can significantly boost profits.
Here’s a quick overview of guest types and their favored merchandise:
Guest Type | Most Preferred Merchandise |
---|---|
Standard Guest | Toy Stand, Bookcase, Poster Stand |
Supernatural Enthusiast | Trinket Stand, Bookcase |
Science Enthusiast | Toy Stand |
Goth | Toy Stand, Bookcase, Poster Stand |
Frogborne | Toy Stand, Bookcase, Poster Stand |
Cheese-Monger | Toy Stand, Bookcase, Poster Stand |
Space Enthusiast | Toy Stand, Bookcase, Poster Stand |
Space Gibbon | Toy Stand, Plushie Stand, Onesie Stand |
Marine Life Enthusiast | Poster Stand, Plushie Stand |
Botany Enthusiast | Poster Stand |
Wetlantean | Toy Stand, Bookcase, Poster Stand |
Yeti | Poster Stand |
Professor | Bookcase, Poster Stand |
Tourist | Trinket Stand, Bookcase |
Children | Onesie Stand, Toy Stand |
Clown | Poster Stand, Plushie Stand |
Caveman | Poster Stand, Plushie Stand |
Vampire | Poster Stand, Plushie Stand |
Crafting a Multi-Theme Gift Shop
Depending on your campaign level and the size of your museum, having a single theme for merchandise may not suffice. If your exhibits encompass both Prehistory and Marine themes, for instance, a one-theme shop could limit profits by failing to attract a diverse guest base.
Once you have at least two themes in your museum, expand your gift shop and assess which types of guests you are attracting. You can use the Sticker Book to check their preferences and then adjust your merchandise selection accordingly.
If you’re organizing specific themes in separate areas of the museum, consider setting up multiple gift shops, each dedicated to one theme, allowing for more specialized inventory and staff.
Through careful planning and attention to your guests’ preferences, your gift shop can become a thriving hub in your museum, enhancing both visitor experience and your revenue stream.