Night of the Consumers depicts the horrors of retail

destructoid.com:

Society has a habit of treating the most important laborers in the worst ways. Retail workers have it tough since, unlike a profession like utility worker, it’s an unskilled job and difficult to unionize. They’re treated as disposable. It’s not a “career.” You don’t need an education for it. So if you fall to the bottom of society, you’re lucky to wind up there. Customers rarely appreciate your work, but you need to fill the role of laborer, marketer, and janitor. Some don’t mind the work, and others might even enjoy it, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be respected like everyone else.

I spent parts of my life working in retail. Germfood’s Night of the Consumers essentially sums the experience up. It’s not strictly horror in the literal sense, but it certainly feels that way. There are no monsters, but the consumers will pursue you to savage you with their petty needs. Am I getting this anxiety from playing the game, or is it latent trauma?

It’s your first day on the job, and it’s off to a great start as your predecessor has quit in terror. The shelves must be stocked before the end of the day, or the manager will be disappointed. He’s got a reputation to uphold. You don’t want him to look bad, would you? We’ve got to beat the other location on the opposite end of town. Otherwise, corporate might not send us a certificate by email.

Boxes litter the shop floor. You need to take them to the correct department and empty them onto shelves. Stocking is done through a tactile drag-and-drop system. It’s important to the tension of the game, as while you’re flinging stock onto shelves, consumers roam around. If they catch sight of you, they’ll give chase, and if you’re caught, they’re going to force you to take them to new