Shop Management Guide — Workflow, Storage & Daily Operations

Overview

The repair loop is the game's soul, but the shop is its engine. How you manage the workbench, the queue, the storage and the cash flow decides whether your shop grows or stalls — regardless of how well you solder.

This guide covers the operational side of ReStory: the workflow systems that keep a busy shop running, confirmed from launch-week community play.

The Workbench: Your Limiting Factor

Every open device occupies workbench space, and every repair has phases. The confirmed workflow habits:

Limit open projects. Accept only what you can finish — crowding the bench with too many devices mixes up parts and slows every job.
Use bench zones. Dirty parts on one side, clean parts on the other, broken parts in their own area. This prevents re-cleaning and lost components (see the Cleaning Guide).
Disassemble in layers. Lay components out in the order you removed them so reassembly follows the same path in reverse — the notepad's assembly order is the ground truth.
Run the Sonic Bath continuously. It cleans up to 3 parts in ~30 seconds while your hands work on a fourth.

Storage: Buy Shelves Before You Need Them

Your spare-parts library is working capital — but only if you can find what you own.

Buy shelves and storage trays as your inventory grows. Community guides are explicit: storage space matters, and organization is what makes finding parts easy.
A disorganized stockpile defeats the purpose: an hour of hunting for a battery you know you bought is time you could have spent on paid repairs.
Keep customer order parts separate from resale stock — mixing them causes missed deadlines and wrong devices.

See the Money & Profit Guide for the parts-library strategy.

Business Hours: The Shutter Is Your Lever

Action	Effect
Shutter open	Walk-in customers arrive; courier deliveries happen
Shutter closed	No walk-ins, no courier deliveries

Confirmed play: keep the shutter open while you want work, and close it only when you need an interruption-free bench session (e.g., a long board repair). The shutter is also your lever for the night-shift routine — see below.

The Night Shift (Midnight–8 AM)

The 100%-completion community's most reliable routine:

Between midnight and 8 AM, grind cleaning-only jobs — they need no parts and are nearly pure profit.
Day progress only advances when you sleep (take the bike). Return home before 8 AM so the day registers.
This is also the backbone of the Frugal achievement (10 days, no paid part purchases).

Queue Management

Up to 11 online orders per day appear on the shop computer, each with a 3-day deadline.
Accept only what you can finish — an unfulfilled device sits on the bench and blocks throughput.
Mix job types: alternate quick cleaning jobs with repairs that use parts you already own. All-repair queues stall on parts; all-cleaning queues underuse your tools.
Missed deadlines don't cost money directly — orders sit until completed — but they crowd the bench. Treat the 3-day deadline as a workflow budget, not a fail state.

Bills & Cash Flow

Obligation	Amount	Notes
Rent	2,000 yen/week	Collected by the landlord; refusing triggers an overdue warning and the Bankrupt achievement
Bank loan	Due early game	Paid off as part of the All Bills Paid achievement
Internet	Recurring	Required for online orders — don't let it lapse

Cash-flow rules:

Keep a reserve. Spending nearly all your yen on one marketplace device turns a "profitable" flip into a loss the moment repairs surprise you.
Batch parts orders to save shipping; never use express shipping — it eats profit.
Tip jar early. It generates income from work you were already doing, with zero extra effort.

The Confirmed Purchase Order (Tier List)

Community testing has converged on this upgrade order:

Priority	Purchase	Why
S	Licenses	The real progression system — unlocks device types and story
S	Screwdriver upgrades	Nearly every repair begins and ends with screws
A	Brush upgrades	Used in almost every job; inexpensive
A	Tip jar	Passive income from existing work
B	Shredder (cheapest)	Recovers yen from junk; unlocks an achievement
B	Storage trays & shelves	More open projects, organized parts
C	Sonic Bath (cheapest)	Frees your hands; unlocks an achievement
C	Canned air	Keep for large shells and panels only
D	Painting & reprogramming gear	Cosmetic/creative only — no resale value

The full catalog with prices is in the Tools & Equipment Catalog.

Zen Points: The Hidden Business Stat

Shop decoration isn't just cosmetic — Zen points from decorations attract customers (community-confirmed). Each decoration grants Zen points; keep the shop tidy, hit 100+ Zen, and you unlock the A Place of Zen achievement while your foot traffic improves. Full point values are in the Achievement Guide.

Daily Routine That Scales

Morning: check the mailbox, accept online orders you can finish within 3 days.
Day: shortest surest jobs first; Sonic Bath running throughout.
Night (after midnight): grind cleaning-only jobs; keep income flowing.
Before 8 AM: organize parts, batch an order if needed, take the bike.
Weekly: pay rent on time, reinvest surplus into licenses, then tools, then storage.

Money & Profit Guide — the profit strategy stack, online orders and marketplace mechanics in depth
Tools & Equipment Catalog — every purchase with prices
Beginner Guide — the core loop this management layer sits on