In her free time, MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen meets her friends in the supermarket. However, not in reality, but in a free game on Steam. There, she can relax by beating up customers, sweeping up trash, and stocking the shelves.
Normally, I relax after work with calm games like farming simulations, where I cultivate my fields and look for true love. But lately, I’ve been fascinated by a game on Steam that is the complete opposite.
In Supermarket Together, you can run your own supermarket. At first, it sounds a bit boring, but it’s the details that make the game so interesting: It can be played with up to 16 people and is completely free.
Not only am I completely fascinated by this title. On Steam, the free game can rack up 93% positive ratings and offers more than it seems at first glance. The tasks that arise in a supermarket have been incredibly fun for me.
Sweeping, stocking, beating up, having fun
Supermarket Together simulates the daily life of supermarket employees. Typical tasks arise that cannot be handled alone:
- First, the supermarket must be set up and stocked with food. The checkout must not be missing.
- Once items run out, they must be reordered. If it’s urgent, the items must be stocked as soon as they arrive.
- The remaining food is piled up in a storage area. It’s important to keep an overview.
- Customers must be checked out. Depending on whether they pay cash or with a card, you must proceed differently.
- Occasionally, people are so rude as to throw their trash in the aisles or even steal food. The broom becomes your best friend – whether as a cleaning tool or a weapon.
Since we played with 4 people, each could focus on a different task. After I found checking out to be difficult (after all, you have to quickly give out change!), I grabbed the broom, swept the aisles, and beat up the people who dared to steal food.
During the game, phrases that you typically hear in a supermarket were said. Between “Trash in aisle 2” or “The vegetable lasagna needs to be restocked”, we hardly had time to talk about personal stuff. Even at the end of the day, we all gathered in the staff room and together considered where to invest the money earned that day.
The motivating part of the game is the huge pool of unlockable features. It is regularly possible to expand your store and add new foods to the inventory. After closing time, you can then philosophize about where which food belongs.
No stress, just deep relaxation
I had a great time with Supermarket Together, and the time flew by. Once everyone discovers their preferred task that they enjoy, the supermarket day runs smoothly, and everyone can relax in their role. Beating up thieves, sweeping, and keeping an eye out for food on the shelves was the best way for me to spend my time.
The tasks were so monotonous that they became second nature to me. Another player found it relaxing to stand at the checkout. What for me turns into strenuous mental arithmetic was pure relaxation for him. In Supermarket Together, everyone can enjoy themselves.
Even though the visuals are not exactly the prettiest, I can recommend the Steam game to everyone. Especially because it is completely free. For €5, there are new cosmetics, dances, and more. But even without this DLC, I had fun in the supermarket.
Simulators are currently experiencing a growing boom. Many content creators on Twitch or YouTube spend their time in supermarkets, restaurants, or breweries. You can find more about the bizarre simulators here: Twitch streamers make strange games famous for 24 hours, and viewers love it
