[Hiring] Section Managers For New Mall

Discussion in 'Products, Businesses, & Services Archives' started by azoundria, Oct 26, 2014.

  1. Now that I'm finally a millionaire, I'm planning to launch a large mall on SMP9 (at res /v 19500) on Thursday. (I will be renting that res. The final mall building itself is going to be moved from res 18393.) The goal is to have a well-organized mall that will always be in stock on every product. I plan to offer the highest pay for various items to attract lots of suppliers and ensure a constant stock.

    However, this is a huge task and I'm not looking forward to managing all the sections. In particular, some sections I really don't know that much about so it makes sense to have someone else manage them.

    As a section manager, you build the shops on one particular half of a floor. You are responsible to stock that section (or raise prices so others will stock it), and also help advertise the mall. I prefer people who are native to SMP9 and have extensive knowledge about the particular section. It is absolutely critical to me that all sections remain stocked as this is a convenience-focused mall. I'm not looking for people who want to offer discount products sporadically whenever they can get online.

    You get to keep the profits from that section, and in exchange pay a monthly rent (to be determined/negotiated based on section size). First month will be free and after the end we can decide if you will continue for another month. You will get build/container rights to set things up, and access signs to all the chests in your section after things are set up. (No perpetual build/container rights. If you want to make changes after things are set up, you will need to arrange it specifically.)

    Here are the sections I am looking to have managed:
    - Farming
    - Nature
    - Potions
    - Utilities
    - Tools/Armour (Taken)
    - Promos/Rares
    - Mob Drops
    - Enchantments

    Here's an application you can fill out:

    Here's an approximate timeline:
    Now: Start accepting applications/building buzz/getting ideas/building up inventory.
    Wednesday (Oct 29th): Select section managers and ensure they are ready.
    Thursday (Oct 30th): Move in and build all teleports. Start building main sections. Allow section managers to start building their sections.
    Saturday (Nov 1st): Opening day in which most sections will be ready to go.
    Friday (Nov 28th): Determine if you will remain for another month and rent arrangements. (Based on your sales, mall popularity, etc...)
    Sunday (Nov 30th): First rent due.
    Gizmo_Pig likes this.
  2. Tools/Armour section is now taken. 7 sections remain open.
  3. Why not just hire people to sell you large amounts of items in each section then you make more rupees? Capitalism is lyfe yo
  4. That's what I'm doing for the remaining sections. Why not all the sections?
    • I'd like to work on my team management and people skills.
    • Maybe I will make some new friends in the process.
    • It will be a lot faster to get set up. There is a huge amount of work involved.
    • The pricing can be better for those sections and they will start with initial stock.
    • Each section manager will help promote the mall and bring more customers/suppliers.
    • I may have some people to help me in the future if I need it or go away on vacation.
    • The initial stocking cost is absorbed by section managers.
    All of those things are way more valuable than the extra rupees from managing all sections. The most important thing is that I'd have more fun running a mall with other people to help me out than doing it all by myself.

    As it is, I think the first month will be a loss because there are a ton of items to stock and most people don't know about the mall yet. So I will have to buy items above market, and that means selling for even higher, which means until I have a constant stock of all the items and a reputation for convenience, there wont be much in the way of return.
  5. It's the rent charging that gets me. I think 2000 let's people sell there for free because of the other benefits you described. I could be wrong about him. Hiring is misleading. Renting space out is more accurate.
    What kind of numbers are you talking about? Who determines prices, you or the seller? I produce a lot of things.

    Also, are you certain this doesn't violate the paid storage rule?
  6. With a mall which everyone goes to when they need stuff, you can easily make 20-30% more per item because of the convenience factor, and also you'll get a constant supply of customers. Location is a big factor to any business. One of the main things that 2000 has is a very memorable number. 19500 is about as memorable as you can get for SMP9.

    A good example of the value is that I have stone sitting for sale at 49r/stack in my residence, and just going by the space that comes free after I fill his chests entirely, Todd moves more than twice the volume at 72r/stack! That's a 47% higher price paid more than twice as often, for the exact same product.

    I was only planning to charge something like 2k-10k depending the section. I'd make it free, but aside from having rent of my own to pay (60k/mo for the mall). I also want to be sure that people who sign up are committed. In my opinion, it's well worth the value.

    I don't know about the new rules, but I know in 2000 there are sections which are managed. Potions, for example, and enchantments. I've also seen many multi-member shops. The rent is for the floor-space which is to run a shop, not store your own personal effects. The reason for that rule is obviously so staff don't have to deal with people taking stuff left in paid storage chests. The whole reason I'm doing it this way is to avoid giving everyone persistent container privileges, which would be real chaos if someone decided to abuse that access.

    EDIT: Upon reading the rules, I was not able to find any rule against paid storage and this is the first I've heard of it.

    To answer your other question, it would be your section so you would determine pricing. I may give recommendations or feedback.
  7. All paid storage falls under the rule against banks, but perhaps yours falls into the same exception as hotels if you word it that way.
    http://empireminecraft.com/wiki/banks-are-not-allowed/
    I will think on it, not sure if it's the route I want to go, but working with others would be nice.
    Like you said about 2000, DragaoNimhe and TomCasalino don't pay as far as I know, but the numbers you're saying are low-ish. I guess I didn't realize you didn't own the res even though you said it. Any reason for that setup?
  8. User: NerdyMonkey3000
    Primary SMP: SMP6
    Which section(s) are you interested in managing? Farming and/or nature, but any would be fine c:
    Do you own a shop presently? If so, what res? It is in the process of being built. Before I reset my res I did have a shop
    What shops have you managed in the past? My own XD
    How do you determine your pricing strategy? Most of the time I go into popular shops and average their pricings
    Do you have stock/inventory ready to move into a mall? Yes, all of my items are organized!
  9. The only reasonable alternative I can think of would be to find another suitable residence and build a mall of my own. All the suitable residences seem to be taken because someone shared my residence tool that I showed them in confidence. :p

    I really am not good at building huge malls. The building is made out of quartz, worth about 700,000r. Anything I could pay to have built would cost more than that, because materials and labour. Keep in mind that every hour of my time that I have to spend is worth the equivalent opportunity cost from spending it mining, around 12-13k/hr. So I estimate about a million rupees. 60,000r/mo puts at least a year until it would pay off the cost of the mall building itself, and in the meantime I already have a mall ready to go right away and can invest the money I would have spent on the mall on making sure I have an inventory.
    Hired! Welcome to SMP9. I will leave you to run the farming section or both if nobody else takes nature.
  10. Great, thanks! I just need use privileges (to make signs and TPs)
  11. Should be granted now.