Written by YonioTheNacho
INTRODUCTION
This thread will contain the application for Shopkeeper submitted by me (YonioTheNacho) for the Aug-2024 promotion. This applications contains compulsory and self-made questions to specify the information relevant to the shop I'm applying for (Higanbana, taking the place of Hanakatoba). If at any point there is something that needs to be elaborated, feel free to contact me privately via Discord DMs; @Yonio. Thank you!
◆ PLAYER INFORMATION ◆
PERSONAL DETAILS
What is your Minecraft username?*
I have three different Minecraft accounts:
- YonioInASombrero (Account I’m applying on)
- YonioTheNacho
- AlcalineAA
Yes, my discord tag is @Yonio.
How old are you?*
I’m 21 years old
What is your time zone?*
My timezone is UTC + 2 (Spain)
What are your current role(s) on the server?
My current roles as of the writing of this application are:
YonioTheNacho | YonioInASombrero | AlcalineAA |
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SERVER ACTIVITY
Describe your activity on the server:
To describe my activity in the server, I'll use the following division:
Overall Activity
SchoolRP has been an interesting hobby for me. I usually spend several hours everyday roleplaying with other people and having fun with those I hang around with. My activity on the server will depend on the day and my overall availability, though on average I’d say I can spend around 5-6 hours a day. Furthermore, I also spend some time on Discord to support the factions I’m in, as well as provide assistance via DMs when needed.
Finally, I’d also like to point out that after resigning from staff earlier this year, I was able to form a deeper connection with the rest of the community by making guides and suggestions on the forums, which was something I wasn’t really all that familiarized with as a staff member. My goal with this engagement is to still continue to improve the server even after my time as staff ended a couple of months ago. These guides, although unofficial, will help other players understand how the server works from a more ‘casual’ point of view without having to read through long texts from official, outdated documents. This experience from staff also includes the familiarity with the restocking plugin, as well as the system followed by shopkeepers to add new items to their shop’s storage.
Faction Activity
One of the main appeals that encouraged me to continue playing on SchoolRP was the sense of welcoming and belonging attached to server factions. Thanks to these, I’ve been able to form better bonds with the community and understand the concept of community roleplay by engaging in events, group scenarios, etc.
The only current faction I’m active in is the Karakura Police Department (KPD), where I carry out several faction duties, including:
- Carrying out interesting roleplay scenarios with suspects. I get the chance to interact with other players by using complex roleplay resources to keep the situation going and keep both parties entertained.
- Bring up event ideas in conjunction with other factions. The police department is one of the biggest factions in the server, and as such, they often work with other factions to benefit all the parties involved, be it other faction workers (EMS, Government, Shrine, etc.) or the general playerbase during public events.
- Deal with the players on a more professional side. Given the police department’s link with GangRP, I’m also expected to act professionally when issues arise, especially when it comes to players who instigate and engage in poor OOC behavior practices. The 4 years of experience (both as a worker and faction lead) have led me to learn the best way to handle situations to de-escalate them. These practices can very well be used when dealing with customers who complain in LOOC over any incidents that could occur.
Finally, I’d like to point out that working as a cashier and supervisor for Shinboshi Sakaya is also part of my StudentRP character’s life. As such, I have experience with the official server panel, spreadsheet organization (restocks, losses, etc.) and the way the server utilizes its plugins for the sake of the Shopkeepers’ faction. This experience will help me understand more about the way most other shopkeepers manage their own workers and handle cases of item losses, purchasing custom items, etc.
Do you acknowledge that if you are inactive you will be demoted?:
Yes. Shopkeepers are the main source of items for players, meaning that inactivity can have a pretty significant impact in the server’s economy. Therefore, I will do my best to stay as active as possible should my application get accepted.
Link(s) to any previous applications and appeals on the server:
Below are all of the faction applications I’ve written over the 5 years I’ve been on SRP:
Faction Applications | Miscellaneous Applications |
Please keep in mind that some of the applications I’ve made were either done via Discord (such as College Council back in 2019) or in staff DMs (such as my Hospital Application).
◆ SHOP INFORMATION ◆
BASIC INFORMATION
What shop are you applying for?*
Hanakotoba (Accessory Shop)
Do you plan on changing your shop’s name?
Yes, I intend to change the shop’s name to Higanbana (might change)
Where will your shop be located?
The shop initially be located at the Shopping District (1689, 18, 733), as shown below:
Provide 3 examples of Shop Advert messages.
Below are examples of the adverts we plan on sending when opening Higanbana.
- [ADVERT] Higanbana is now open! Come over to find the fanciest items to add to your collection of luxuries. Interested yet? You can find us in the shopping district! &7(X: 1689; Z: 733)
- [ADVERT] Higanbana flowers, also known as spider lilies, are one of the most precious plants in Japan. Such beauty is exactly what you can find in our store, so why don’t you come and see it yourself? You can find us in the shopping district! &7(X: 1689; Z: 733)
- [ADVERT] Higanbana is now offering 10% discounts to any customer dressed up with a flower-themed outfit! Do you have any spare kimono laying around that fits this theme? Come over and enjoy this exclusive offer at the shopping district! &7(X: 1689; Z: 733)
Becoming a shopkeeper has always been an appealing role, as it is the main way for players to get new items and services from a more trusted and official source. To explain my motivation to apply for this faction, I will divide this question in several sections:
- Personal Interest. The faction sounds appealing to me thanks to the fact that they often interact with the community and host events where shopkeepers have a crucial role in terms of management and control over what’s being sold. This interest goes beyond just events, though. The fact that the shopkeeper faction is such a fundamental pillar to the server and the fact that most players rely on it to get their favorite items sounds like an interesting faction that I wish to be part of.
- Community & Economy Support. Moreover, I’d also like to boost the server’s economy by incentivising the flow of money between players and shopkeepers in exchange for goods. As a former staff member, I’m aware of the implications that an economy with an inflated value has, and thus wish to contribute to the deflation of the in-game currency by taking money out of the economy while also promoting re-selling the items sold in my shop via other means (auction house, personal purchases, etc.)
- Colleague Encouragement. Furthermore, I’ve been part of other shops and factions that have worked with shopkeepers. As such, I have asked for assistance and closely observed their work to learn as much as possible about the most relevant aspects of the faction. In addition to this, several other cashiers and shopkeepers have encouraged me to apply for shopkeeper to add my grain of sand to the faction by introducing new ideas and concepts to an already-developed environment. I also know people who are willing to sell their custom items to my shop to start off with new products that the community will be interested in.
- Modeling Experience. The experience I have with 3D-modeling has allowed me to get a better understanding of what the community likes and doesn’t like. When it comes to motivation, I have learned that consistency is one of the main aspects of a shop’s reputation; all products should have a relatively similar modeling style, so I intend to have a relatively consistent style and themes when it comes to deciding which items I wish to add to my restock. Moreover, it is my intention to acquire custom items via quotas to sell them in my shop if I come up with an interesting idea for a public model, though it won’t be a common occurrence due to the expenses.
- Financial Support. Finally, my last motivation is to earn money for my personal gains. It’s important to be honest and acknowledge that part of the reason why I’m applying is to earn money, especially when applying for a faction whose paychecks are one of the biggest in the server. However, this isn’t the only motive behind my desire to join the faction, as I intend to interact with other co-workers and bring the faction to a higher regard.
SHOP DESCRIPTION
What do you plan to do with your shop, and what makes it unique?*
Higanbana is an accessory shop that’ll be tasked with selling miscellaneous items to the community. Its name, Higanbana, is based on the Spider Lily flower, which is representative of beauty, but also afterlife. Therefore, the significance of the products sold in our shop would go beyond just beauty. The main message delivered to our customers will be that the beauty coming from our products will be designed to transcend beyond the concept of death itself. Regarding the unique aspects of our shop, below are several plans for Higanbana:
- Dress-Up Discounts. This promotional opening would consist on letting clients know that if they dress up a specific way (e.g.- cosplay, gothic, rainbow, etc.), they’d receive a discount by using the designated option in the Panel.
- Event Performances. As explained further below in this application, Higanbana intends to have a promotional aspect to it, including mascots and figures of well-known characters (both in and out of the SchoolRP reality). Therefore, performances will be carried out by specific popular characters to bring in the attention of the community. Below is an example of a recent performance orchestrated by me and several other performers.
- Discount Coupons. One of the offers that we’ll let customers know about is that if they spend more than 150,000 yen in a single order, they’ll receive a 10% discount coupon for their next purchase. This coupon would be a notebook with the “Copy of Original” tag to it. Any sort of attempt to copy it would display “Copy of Copy”, and therefore would be invalid. This way, Higanbana will achieve a loyal community that’ll be encouraged to shop there again.
- Raffle Tickets. Finally, during one of the promotional openings, we will announce that for every order, a raffle ticket will be distributed to the customer. This ticket will, again, be a book with a specific number attached to it, that the customer must keep up until the end of the opening. At the end of said opening, the Shopkeeper will announce the winner’s number. This winner will earn a pack of items from the shop’s stock completely for free.
How will you advertise your openings?
The methods of opening will follow the same format as every other shop, though there are three types of openings I intend to follow:
- Regular openings. These openings will be the most common ones, where either the Shopkeeper (me) or a supervisor will send in a message to the server, promoting our products and services during an active shift.
- Promotional openings. This type of opening is similar to the previous one, but it will also include information regarding exclusive promotional information relating to discounts, partnerships, applications, new products, etc.
- Event openings. Lastly, this type of opening will include information relating to events organized by the shop workers and orchestrated by the Shop Faction lead. The variety of these events is quite wide, though the main ones will be focused on performances, public announcements, etc.
As for the items sold in my shop, I intend to follow the category of “Accessories” listed in the Shop roster. These accessories include, but are not limited to
- Earrings
- Canes
- Bags & Purses
- Umbrellas
- Headbands
- Glasses
- Necklaces
- Watches
- Plushies & Figurines
- Posters
- Collectibles
- Idol Merchandising (Microphones, Light Sticks, etc.)
How will you organize your stock?
I will organize my stock in different chest rows depending on the type of item I wish to sell. For the sake of simplicity, I will use the default system that most other shops use (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, …), though I will work on making the chest arrangement as easy to understand for my employees as time goes on and feedback comes in.
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
How many employees do you plan to have?*
I intend to have a total of 9-12 employees working for my shop, including cashiers, managers and supervisors..
Which employee ranks will your shop have? Explain their respective permissions.
As stated before, my shop will have a fixed rank division that’ll follow this system:
- Cashiers. The basic and starting rank for any applicant. They’ll have access to the panel’s sales menu so they can log the items that they have sold during an open shift. Given the fact that this is the starting rank, they’ll be closely monitored to prevent any attempts at scamming or theft.
- Supervisors. This is the second highest rank, and they’ll be in charge of keeping track of shifts and stock. They will have access to a spreadsheet where they will log each opening with each employee and their respective earnings, as well as a list of stock losses so cashiers can be properly monitored and punished if need be. However, their role will be to simply keep track of cashiers’ jobs for the managers to later take disciplinary action.
- Managers. This is the highest rank in the shop hierarchy (not including the role of Shop Owner). They’ll be in charge of reviewing the logs posted by the supervisors and issuing punishments on the lower ranks when they’ve made mistakes or broke any of the IC or OOC rules of the shop. They’ll keep close contact with the Shop Owner to make sure that they have the proper grounds to issue such punishment.
How will you hire new employees?
If this application is accepted, I have several employees that I plan on hiring straight away, as I know they have experience in shopkeeping and trust their capabilities as supervisors/managers. However, I do intend to open applications to hire new employees. The default process of hiring will follow this set of steps:
- Application Advert. Firstly, I will use the /advert command to send in a message announcing that we are now hiring new cashiers. Before this, though, I would create a new forum thread to include information regarding the cashier applications for Higanbana. In it, applicants can find:
- A brief description of the services provided in the shop
- A link to the discord server used by the employees to log their shifts
- Requisites to apply for the shop
- Keep a respectable reputation in and out of the shop environment
- Don’t have a felonious record
- Be truthful with your answers
- Follow SchoolRP’s rulebook
- Link to a Google Forms attached to the Supervisor Spreadsheet
- IGN:
- RPName:
- Discord Tag:
- Timezone:
- Current Grade:
- Are you a felon?:
- Have you worked at another shop before?:
- What’s your phone number?:
- Estimated time for the application to be reviewed.
- Interview. Once the applications have been sent in, the higher ups will review each applicant’s response and contact them via /text to let them know that they’ve been selected for an interview. Keep in mind that the application phase is mainly used to rule out the players that, due to IC/OOC reputation, we wish to avoid having in our shop. It is precisely during the interview phase that they’ll be asked for their positive traits, motivation, and contributions to the shop, as well as knowledge about what Higanbana sells.
- Trial. Finally, if the applicant has been accepted, they’ll be given the role of Trial Worker. They will have the same permissions as a normal cashier, though they’ll be closely monitored during their first shift to make sure that they carry out their designated tasks properly. If they successfully complete a shift without any severe infractions, they’ll be removed from their trial phase to become a full-on employee.
At the end of every week, supervisors will be required to recount all of the stock in the store. If there are missing items that have not been properly logged in the panel, they’ll be logged in a Supervisor spreadsheet for the Managers to investigate and (with the help of staff) find out if anyone has purposely stolen stock from our store.
In the cases of accidental losses, the cashier will be given a strike, but if they are found out to be purposely stealing items from the shop’s storage, the shop owner will contact a staff member to confirm that these actions did in fact occur so that they can be banned for Chest Raiding and immediately removed from the shop’s roster.
Will you have a punishment system for your employees’ mistakes?
Indeed. As stated before, we will use “strikes” as a way to warn employees before any potential removals. An employee can have up to two strikes at a time without being removed, though reaching a third one would result in an immediate removal from the shop.
As for the offenses that can result in a strike / removal, we can find the following:
- Inactivity. If an employee fails to log their inactivity and is purposely avoiding shop openings, they’ll be given a shop strike. Employees are required to attend at least 3 openings per month (unless they’ve filed a valid inactivity log). Keep in mind that prolonged inactivity may result in the employee’s termination.
- Accidental Loss. If an employee has accidentally kept a minimal amount of items in their inventory instead of returning them to the storage room, they’ll be given a verbal warning, followed by a strike if repeated. If said loss is intentional, though, it will result in an immediate removal and potential ban for Chest Raiding.
- IC Behavior. In-Character incidents that may damage the reputation of our store may result in a strike. Examples of these are insulting customers, failing to attend specific customers without proper reasoning, etc.
- OOC Behavior. Out-of-character infractions that might result in server-wide punishment for toxicity, instigating drama, etc. may result in an immediate removal from the store.
- Arrests. If a cashier has been arrested for a misdemeanor, they will be given a shop strike, whereas a felony may result in an immediate removal from the shop unless otherwise dictated by the shop owner.
Yes. The link can be found here: https://discord.gg/hrtda58C7H
FACTION KNOWLEDGE
How many items are you allowed to have in your restock?
Each shop is allowed to have up to 80 items at a time, copies of which can be requested via the /restock command. These items can be either public items available for all other shops in the server, or private items that have been purchased by shop owners for them to be sold publicly.
What’s the minimum required amount of openings per month?
The minimum number of openings (or quota points, which is the system used by shopkeepers) is 12, though inactivity logs may be filed to avoid punishment should I be unable to meet this quota.
How many openings are you allowed to log per (OOC) day?
The maximum number of openings I can log per day to obtain quota is two (2).
What are the necessary steps to change your shop’s location?
If I wish to change my shop’s location, I must first contact my faction lead (flowersak) and inform them about my decision to get their approval. Once confirmed, I would contact the necessary builders and/or staff members to migrate the stock, regions and permissions to the new location. Due to the overall complexity of this process, I’d only be allowed to do this once every 6 OOC months.
Can you edit your shop’s interior with edit mode?
Yes. If my application is accepted, I’ll be granted permissions to the shop region so I can modify the interior and rearrange the shelves, stock, lanes, etc. to our liking. Nonetheless, realism must be kept at all times when modifying any public aspect of the shop.
Can you edit your shop’s exterior with edit mode?
No. In order to modify the shop’s exterior, I must contact a Builder or Staff Member via #build-requests to request for my idea to be carried out via /creativerequest.
If you wish to resign, can you pass your manager the shopkeeper role?
No. If my position is revoked or I resign, all of the employees under my supervision would also lose their position. If any of them wants to take my former position, they’d need to apply for the shop on the forums, just like any other applicant.
How would you add new custom items to your restock list?
To add new custom items to my restock list, I would make a request in the Town Discord Server, specifically in a channel dedicated to this very process. In it, I’d follow a format where I’d include proof that I have the ownership of a private custom item that was passed/sold to me (this step isn’t necessary for public items accessible by any shop owner). After this, the Shop lead will add said custom item to my restock list so I can request more copies of it to add them to my stock. Additionally, private/public items that do not fit the general theme of the shop may be declined from my restock addition request.
What’s the maximum allowed (in-game) price to obtain the ownership of a private custom item?
The maximum amount of money I can spend to buy the ownership of a custom item is 400,000 yen.
What’s the maximum amount of item ownerships you’re allowed to buy from one player?
I can only buy up to four custom items from an individual player. This may not apply if the player wishes to give away the ownership of it for free to make it publicly accessible.
How would you make sure that someone owns a custom item when they try to sell it to you?
Since I have access to the #model-owners channel in the SchoolRP Discord server, I can check if a player owns the item they’re trying to sell me. However, if I didn’t have access to this channel, I’d ask a Media Team / Staff member for assistance to double-check this information. Alternatively, I could also ask the seller for proof that they own the item, though this is rather risky, as they could potentially forge evidence or try to get involved in shady practices for their own benefit.
How do discount codes work?
Discount codes are a resource used by clients to reduce the amount they need to pay for their order. These codes can be publicly advertised and used ICly, or simply be part of the database as a way for employees to discount the price of a specific product.
- An example of the first case would be advertising the code “FirstOpening” via In-Character means. Any client that tells a cashier about this discount code would be able to receive a discount in their order.
- On the other hand, an example of the second would be a promotional service where if they possess a discount coupon item and they hand it over to the employee, they’d get a discount in their order.
Describe the Shopkeeper panel’s UI (user interface) for one of your cashiers.
Upon first opening the panel for Higanbana, the cashier will be met with two different sections: Home and Sell, each of which contain different options and menus as explained below.
- Home. This section includes the general information and statistics of the shop. Going from top left to bottom right, the cashier can find the following information:
- Personal Statistics. These menus indicate the earnings, items and openings that the cashier has attended over a specific amount of time.
- Shift Status. This area will indicate the employee if there is an active shift going on, though they should rely on discord notifications for openings when they do happen.
- Monthly Global Statistics. These last two menus indicate the global monthly information regarding most popular items and most hard-working employees.
- Sell. This section will be the most used one by cashiers, as they’ll have access to add and remove items from an order, as well as permission to submit said orders.
- Item Panel. This menu will contain a list of all the items being sold by the shop, as well as a search bar to make shifts more manageable.
- Current Order. Over here, the cashier can see the items they’ve added to their pending order, and remove items from the order before submitting it.
- Active Discount. This section will allow the employee to apply any discounts approved by the Shop Owner. This will automatically reduce the price displayed in the Current Order menu.
- Personal Stats. This section will log all the earnings of the employee using this panel, as well as the owed amount specified by the guidelines of the shop.
- Global Stats. This last section will include the stats of the current opening, including the earnings coming from all active employees and their owed amount.
SITUATIONAL SCENARIOS
You receive a report from one of your managers, who found out that one of your workers has been stealing your stock. What should you do?
Firstly, I’d do a stock count (or assign a supervisor to do so for me) to confirm that there is a mismatch between the stock amount in the panel and the actual amount of items stored in the shop’s chest. Once confirmed, I would contact a staff member to see which employee is responsible for this incident. Depending on the severity of the circumstances, and whether or not this act was intentional or accidental, I would issue disciplinary punishment, following the guidelines stated before in this application (strike/removal/ban).
You have bought a custom item from X. However, you later find out that one of your shopkeeper colleagues had bought that item previously. What should you do?
If this is the case, I would contact the shopkeeper that previously bought the ownership of this item to confirm that the transaction did indeed happen before mine, and that the customer did indeed own the item. Once confirmed, I would reach out to my faction lead to let them know about this incident and let them handle the situation from then on (In this case, the most likely outcome would be for the customer to refund me the money I spent to buy the already-sold private custom item).
You have started an opening, but suddenly the shop panel crashes. What should you do?
If the panel freezes, I would halt the opening for a couple of minutes to see if it comes back to being functional. However, if after this duration, it still fails to work, I would tell my employees to log each sale in a temporary discord channel so they can later be deducted from the panel once it starts working again. Although this process would take longer, as employees would have to do the math themselves, it’s better than closing the shift and missing out on the potential earnings.
During an opening, a bunch of masked people rush in with katanas to try and stab one of your employees. What should you do?
I’d immediately contact staff to get these individuals out of the store and void the situation, as an active shop is considered a Public Zone, meaning no CrimeRP is allowed to occur here without the authorization of a Staff Member.
During an opening, the server suddenly crashes. What should you do?
I’d wait around five minutes to see if the server comes back up. However, if the server’s maintenance takes longer than that, I’d be forced to end the shift for the sake of not keeping my employees waiting for too long.
After an opening, your worker said that they accidentally gave items to a customer before they paid the cashier, and said customer ran off without paying. What should you do?
In this case, I’d verbally inform the worker about their mistake, but not issue any severe punishment due to the context of this incident. Firstly, I’d try to get the customer to pay the required amount via IC means. However, if either I or my workers fail to convince him to do so peacefully, I’d contact a lawyer to file a lawsuit against this customer for theft to get the owed money back and potentially file criminal charges against them.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
What’s your character’s RPName?
Yeager Schwarz
How old is your character?
He is 38 years old.
What’s your character’s backstory and motivation to become a shop owner?
Yeager Schwarz has always been keen on financial status. Starting off as a simple College Student in 2006 (2019, OOCly), he always made decisions based on the economic revenue for him and his family. He never cared about fame, though he didn’t mind it if it meant earning even more money.
He went through several job positions before this one; Initially, he applied for School Faculty on multiple occasions for the effort-revenue profit that it came with. Moreover, he was also able to support his daughter during a rather dark part of their lives where the two of them kept getting harassed for their vulnerability against Gangs.
These incidents eventually led him to become a police officer and Commissioner for a brief period of time. However, this sense of justice did not prevent him from seeking his initial goal: to get more and more money. Although he was never caught, Yeager did take bribes to keep criminals out of jail and skip necessary steps that could get people locked up for severe felonies. This led him to become one of the wealthiest people in Karakura, reaching up to 20,000,000 yen at his peak.
However, this money would not save him from the impending crime in Karakura, which eventually led to the crumbling of the old police station, with Yeager inside of it. This massive incident led to his hospitalization and eventual release. However, his physical condition wasn’t quite what it was, which led to his removal from the force altogether. Ever since then, Yeager struggled to find a fulfilling job that paid him well without having to put much effort into it.
That’s precisely why he’s applying for Shopkeeper; he will never admit this for the sake of decency, but he solely wishes to become a shopkeeper to fulfill his initial desire of wealth. He may need time to get there, but his greed will rest behind his back to boost him to his one and true goal.
What does your character look like?
◆ EXTRA ◆
Additional notes about your application
Questions with an asterisk (*) are compulsory, as they’re part of the common format used for shopkeeper applications
Do you have any questions?
I’d like to know if it’s possible to expand the region of the original shop (Hanakatoba), as it is quite small and may be an inconvenience given the plans stated earlier in this application. If not, I’d like to know if it’s possible to migrate the shop to a larger shop region.
The end!
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