Compare Revisions

11 Shopping in Paralives refers to all activities that allow Parafolk to purchase goods and services. At the Early Access launch on May 25, 2026, shopping opportunities cover several named venues across the open-world town and will grow with post-launch free updates. All purchases are made with paradimes, the in-game currency. Players can send their Parafolk out into the open world to visit commercial lots and interact with the businesses located there.
22  
33 When Parafolk visit commercial lots, they can sometimes buy items at prices that differ from the Build Mode catalog. Furniture from Market Antiques is discounted compared to the catalog. Bloom offers a free daily plant. L'Armoire sells outfits directly from mannequins. This creates a practical incentive for players to have their Parafolk visit stores in person rather than always relying on the Build Mode catalog, since some deals are only available by physically traveling to a venue. See Town Venues for the venue map.
44  
55 Confirmed Shops
66  
77 Several premade lots in the launch town come with shopping functionalities. Each store occupies its own lot and offers a distinct type of product or service. The table below covers the confirmed Day 1 shopping venues.
88  
99 VenueCategoryExample PriceL'ArmoireClothing boutique50 paradimes per mannequin outfitMarket AntiquesFurniture and antiquesDiscounted vs Build Mode catalogBloomPlant shopFree daily complimentary plantHeadlinesHair salon serviceService fee per haircutPremium GymFitness center serviceService fee per visitCreme CafeCafeSmall per-item food and drink pricesThe Story NookBookstore cafeSmall per-item food and drink pricesChez MauriceBreakfast and lunch restaurantSmall per-item food pricesMuseum gift shopSouvenir itemsLow-paradime souvenirs (curios, postcards)
1010 Additional stores will be added or expanded post-launch, see Roadmap and Planned Features. For instance, a pet store will arrive once pets ship as a post-launch free update.
1111  
1212 L'Armoire and the Mannequin System
1313  
1414 L'Armoire is a clothing store located in the Old Town plaza. The store has a mannequin-based outfit system that lets Parafolk purchase clothing directly from the mannequins on display. When a Parafolk interacts with a mannequin, they can spend 50 paradimes to buy the outfit it is wearing and put it on immediately.
1515  
16+ 
1617 Beyond the store itself, the mannequin item is available in the Build Mode catalog for use in any home build. Players can place mannequins in their household's home and display outfits they own by interacting with them. This lets fashionista Parafolk show off their clothing collections. The mannequin system ties shopping directly into the decoration and self-expression aspects of the game, bridging the gap between live-mode shopping and home customization via Customization System.
1718  
1819 Marketplace-Event Stalls
1920  
2021 The Sunday Marketplace town event sets up temporary stalls in the Old Town plaza. The stalls sell oddities and themed goods that are not always available outside the event. The table below covers confirmed stall types.
2122  
2223 StallCategoryDayOddities stallRare items and collectiblesSundayPainter stallOriginal art pieces from a local painter ParafolkSundayOther rotating stallsThemed seasonal or one-off goodsSunday
2324 Marketplace stalls are a primary way to obtain collectibles that are difficult to find elsewhere. The painter stall in particular feeds into the painting category of the museum donation track. The marketplace is also one of the events most often previewed in The New Paper on Saturday and Sunday issues.
2425  
2526 Paradime Price-Band Ladder
2627  
2728 Item pricing across the launch town fits into a rough price-band ladder. The bands are intentionally wide so that prices can vary within each:
2829  
2930 BandExamplesTrivial (1 to 10 paradimes)Bus rides on the PL130 line (3 paradimes), gift-shop curios, snacksSmall (10 to 100 paradimes)L'Armoire mannequin outfits (50 paradimes), cafe meals, themed accessoriesMedium (100 to 1,000 paradimes)Furniture items at Market Antiques, larger decor pieces, regular shopping basketsLarge (1,000 to 5,000+ paradimes)Major appliances, large furniture sets, premium decor
3031 Career income scales with this ladder. A single shift at an Office Administrator position at Rank 31 pays 1,375 paradimes (the confirmed reference point), enough to cover a full marketplace shopping trip with leftovers for a couple of bus rides. Smaller earners need to budget more carefully; high earners can afford larger purchases without strain.
3132  
3233 Bloom and the Free Daily Plant
3334  
3435 Bloom is a plant shop that gives out one complimentary plant every day. This makes it a worthwhile daily stop, even for households on tight budgets. The free plant pairs naturally with the broader Hobbies library and the post-launch gardening update. Plants purchased at Bloom (free or otherwise) can be displayed at home, gifted to other Parafolk, or kept in inventory for later use.
3536  
37+ 
3638 Headlines and Service Shopping
3739  
3840 Headlines is a hair salon that lets Parafolk change their hairstyle during gameplay without returning to the Paramaker. Service-oriented shopping like Headlines, the Premium Gym, and cafe orders works slightly differently from product-oriented shopping: the household pays a fee and immediately receives a service or a consumable rather than an inventory item.
3941  
4042 Pricing and the Build Mode Catalog
4143  
4244 One of the key aspects of shopping in Paralives is that store prices can differ from the prices in the Build Mode catalog. Items sold at commercial lots may be cheaper than their catalog equivalents, and in some cases they may even be free. The daily free plant at Bloom is the clearest example. Market Antiques also offers furniture at discounted prices.
4345  
4446 This pricing variation encourages Parafolk to explore the town and visit shops in person. While the Build Mode catalog is always available as a convenience, visiting stores can save paradimes. The system rewards players who incorporate shopping trips into their household's daily routines.
4547  
4648 Shopping and Town Exploration
4749  
4850 Shopping is closely tied to the open-world design of Paralives. Commercial lots are spread across the town's Town Districts, and visiting them requires Parafolk to travel through the world. Activities that cost money include having a coffee or meal outside the home, getting a haircut, or buying furniture and clothing at a shop.
4951  
52+ 
5053 The shopping system also creates opportunities for social interaction. Parafolk may encounter other characters while visiting stores, leading to spontaneous conversations or relationship developments. The commercial lots serve as gathering points within the town, adding life and activity to the game world beyond the household's own home lot. Cafes in particular are common Together Cards meeting venues.
5154  
5255 Transit to Shopping
5356  
5457 Most named shops are reachable by foot from a residential lot, by walking the open world, or by taking the PL130 bus line for 3 paradimes per ride. The Bus Stops article documents the transit picture in detail. Households living far from the town core can route shopping trips through the bus to keep total time investment manageable.
5558  
5659 Newspaper-Driven Shopping
5760  
5861 Daily issues of The New Paper sometimes flag shopping opportunities. A coupon for L'Armoire, a discount day at Market Antiques, or a free-gift promotion at the museum gift shop can all appear as morning headlines. Following the paper's prompts is a low-effort way to find paradime-saving opportunities and is one of the strongest sources of in-game discounts.
5962  
6063 Future Expansion
6164  
6265 The studio has confirmed that the shopping system will continue to grow after the Early Access launch. Additional stores, services, and functionalities will be added through free updates. Some commercial lots in the town may not have all of their features ready at launch, with certain shops planned to open alongside new game systems. The pet store is one confirmed example of a future addition that depends on the post-launch pets feature. As the game evolves during the approximately two-year Early Access window, players can expect more variety in what their Parafolk can buy and where they can buy it.