Retro Rewind Beginner Guide Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator Game Walkthrough Wiki

The first week of Retro Rewind is slower than it will ever be again, and that is the point. You run everything alone until the first staff slot opens, which makes it the best time to learn each task properly. The unlock levels and dealer days on this page come from player guides rather than the store page, so treat them as reported values.

1 Do every job yourself first

Guides report that the first employee can be hired at store level 6, with a second slot at level 20. Until then there is nobody to hand anything to. It is tempting to rush through those levels, but the early days teach you what each station involves, how long a return takes and what a customer wants when they walk up to the counter.

2 Start at the calendar

The store page states that seasons, weather and holidays affect what customers rent. Before opening, look at the day of the week, the weather and whether an event is running. A quiet sunny Tuesday and a rainy Friday call for different preparation, and the store page itself warns that rainy Friday nights are very busy.

3 The return station, in order

Returns are the single most repeated task in the game, to the point that one achievement asks you to check in 1000 movies at the Return Station. Tapes can also arrive overnight through the drop slot, so a new day often starts with a pile waiting. The store page describes three separate steps: add returned movies back into the system, rewind the tapes, and set aside the ones customers have reserved.

4 Shelve by genre

Every tape has its own genre, and customers come in looking for particular genres. Keeping each shelf to one genre makes their search short and your restocking fast. Genres are also something you unlock over time, since one achievement asks you to unlock all of them, so the store will not start with its full range.

Guides report that shelves where genres have spilled over end up labelled as mixed, which is a sign that tapes are being placed wherever there is space. It is easier to prevent than to untangle once staff are also putting tapes away.

5 Ordering on the office computer

Regular stock is ordered on the old computer in the office. New releases arrive each week, inspired by well known films of the 80s and early 90s, so the catalogue keeps growing and there is no need to spend everything on the first order.

The inventory achievements give a sense of scale: 250, 500 and finally 1000 movies owned. A first week store is nowhere near that, so aim for a sensible spread across the genres you have rather than depth in one.

6 Reservations

Taking reservations is one of the jobs listed on the store page, and guides report that they come in through the office phone. The important habit is timing: when a reservation is made, pull that tape and put it in the reserved area straight away. If you leave it on the shelf, another customer can rent it first and the person who called ahead leaves disappointed.

Helping customers with their requests also counts toward the Good Customer Service achievement, which asks for 20 of them, so requests are worth taking seriously from day one.

7 Snacks at level 4

Guides report snack shelves unlocking at store level 4. The achievements name three items you will be selling: slushy drinks, popcorn and cotton candy, with 20 sales of each required. Guides describe the margin as very high, a few cents to make and more than a dollar to sell.

Placement matters for impulse items. Guides suggest the middle of the store or close to the till, where every customer passes on the way to pay.

8 A first week checklist