Sidewalk stand
How to play Sidewalk stand
You run a drinks stand on a street corner for fourteen days, starting with twenty dollars. Each morning you read the forecast, which can be sunny, cloudy, chilly, drizzly, a downpour or a heatwave, and every now and then a parade is passing. Then you choose what goes on the menu: lemonade, hot cocoa or both. Lemonade takes lemons, sugar and ice, and you can add strawberries or mint so people pay more. Hot cocoa takes milk, cocoa and sugar and sells best when it is cold or wet. Each drink gets its own recipe and price, you buy what they need and open up. When one drink runs out or costs too much, some people take the other one instead. The day plays out in thirty seconds as people walk past. Some buy a cup, some balk at the price, some just keep walking, and many of them say what they think. Ice melts, strawberries go soft and an opened carton of milk goes off overnight, while everything else keeps. Your cash and reputation carry over from day to day, and a good reputation brings more people who will pay a little more. On some nights something turns up, like a health inspector, a rival stand or a lost dog, and you choose what to do about it. The daily run gives everyone the same forecast, customers and events, so balances compare. Free play gives you a random fortnight.
Tips
- Forecasts are right most of the time, not all of the time, and the outlook two days ahead is shakier still
- Hot days want lemonade with plenty of ice and will bear a higher price. Cold or wet days are hot cocoa days
- Milk makes hot cocoa dearer to pour, so price it accordingly
- On a mixed or uncertain day, put both drinks on the menu. You can still pour ninety cups at most, for both together
- Strawberry lemonade sells for more on any day. Mint is cheaper but only really pays when it is warm
- Ice and strawberries do not keep, so buy them for the day in front of you
- Running out turns people away and costs reputation, so stock up for a parade
- The day report tells you how many people balked at the price and what they thought of the recipe
- Badges reward a parade sellout, three profitable rainy days, a run with no losing day and more
About Sidewalk stand
Sidewalk stand is a small business game played one day at a time. Running a drinks stand is a classic first lesson in supply and demand: you only make money when the price, the product and the amount of stock all suit the day. Here every choice shows up in the street, and the customers are not shy about telling you how it went. The stand, the street, the people and the weather are drawn in code for this game, and every event, customer comment and verdict was written for it. Sounds are synthesised in your browser.
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