Anime Shop Simulator Thieves, Bat, Vandals & Trash

The three troublemakers

The developer’s pre-launch post “Your Shop is in Danger!” (August 14) named them:

1. Messy customers who drop litter next to the shelves.
2. Thieves who “sneakily snatch valuables from your displays”. Catch one red-handed and “your trusty bat will come to the rescue”.
3. Street vandals who turn up in the evening and spray graffiti on the shop walls. You can catch them in time or scrub the paint off later.

On top of those, the July 30 post “Checkout Checks” added customers who hide an age-restricted book under their clothes and try to walk it past the register. A special scanner exposes them.

How to get the bat

This is the most common question on the forums, because thieves show up before you have any way to stop them. There is no fixed level. Players describe it as part of the objective chain:

• Two players say it is locked behind a quest to win 5 card battles, then some follow-up tasks.
• Another got an intercom call asking them to break four things out on the street, after which the bat was theirs for good. They put it at level 11 in one post and level 16 in another.

So don’t skip the Arcanis card battles if thieves are a problem; see the card battle guide. Once you have it, a launch tips video says it sits next to the main counter, and one hit on a fleeing thief drops the stolen item on the floor for you to pick up.

Is it just me, or are there too many thieves?

It wasn’t just you. Launch-week threads describe a thief “every minute” in the early game. The developer’s Hotfix 1.0.2 notes (September 12) say they “reduced the amount of trash and the number of vandals and thieves”. Players who asked for an alarm or a security guard have had no reply yet.

ID checks and the 18+ shelf

Some manga are in an 18+ category. At the register you check the customer’s ID, and if they are under 18 you must refuse the age-restricted item. Getting it right earns the Shelf Guardian achievement. A forum suggestion points out that refused items currently drop on the floor, which then counts as mess.

What counts as trash (the cleanliness bar)

If your cleanliness bar will not fill and the floor looks clean, players found these hidden causes:

• Windows need cleaning.
• Graffiti on the outside walls counts.
• Boxes left on the floor or outside count as trash even with stock still inside. Once you own a storeroom, boxes kept on its shelves stop counting.

The mop has to be unlocked first. Two early patches (September 11 and 12) fixed puddles and wet stains appearing before you had it. Throwing 50 pieces of trash into a bin earns Cleanup Episode. If cleaning takes over your day, a cleaner employee helps; see the employees guide.