How I Open the Cotswolds, Unlock Magazines, and Use Flyers

Quick Answer

The Cotswolds cost 3,000 Bleps when I bought them as the first additional location in a fresh version 1.0 save. The same location costs 300,000 Bleps when purchased as the fourth store. I never arrive with only the location price: I reserve money for a Checkout Counter, a Basic Bookshelf, a small stock order, and the next refill. I operate the entrance floor first, add Flyers only when someone can leave the shop, and prepare the Magazine Shelf before ordering Magazines at Cotswolds Shop Level 12.

Before Buying the Cotswolds

How Much the Cotswolds Cost

The Cotswolds price depends on the order in which I buy locations.

The important distinction is that 3,000 Bleps is not the universal Cotswolds price.

In our fresh save, Lyon was the only owned location, so the first additional shop cost 3,000 Bleps. In a progressed save where the Cotswolds were the last remaining location, the price was exactly 300,000 Bleps.

I keep the 30,000-Blep middle step clearly labeled until I reproduce it in a version 1.0 save where the Cotswolds are purchased third.

How Much Money I Bring

I do not publish a fake all-in startup total because it changes with:

• the licenses already available;
• whether I start with Used Books;
• furniture and app discounts;
• solo or multiplayer progression;
• how much stock I order;
• whether I hire immediately.

I do use confirmed furniture costs to set a minimum reserve.

In my fresh Cotswolds setup:

• a Used Bookshelf cost 300 Bleps;
• a Basic Bookshelf cost 500 Bleps;
• those two shelves alone required 800 Bleps;
• that total did not include the Checkout Counter, Scanner, stock, payroll, or a second delivery.

My practical rule is:

After paying for the location, I must still be able to build one complete sales loop and place another small stock order.

I delay the purchase when the remaining balance would force me to choose between a Checkout Counter and merchandise to sell.

Prepare Lyon Before Moving to England

Leaving Lyon does not automatically turn it into a reliable passive-income shop.

Before moving, I:

1. place a Manager’s Desk;
2. assign a Manager;
3. leave working selling shelves and checkout furniture;
4. make sure the location is not built around empty categories;
5. confirm that the old shop can operate without my direct attention.

A Cashier and Restocker are useful while I am physically present, but I do not treat them as replacements for the Manager system.

I also avoid draining Lyon’s operating money immediately before buying the new location. The old store may still need stock or furniture before it becomes a useful passive-income asset.

My First Cotswolds Day

Build the Entrance Floor First

The Cotswolds include:

• a large entrance floor;
• an upper floor;
• a staircase and open central area;
• rear storage space;
• more room than a new shop can profitably use at once.

The size is useful later, but it can become an early-game trap.

My first layout follows one short route:

delivery point → stock area → selling shelf → checkout

I want to see the entire opening operation without running upstairs or crossing decorative rooms.

My first-day sequence is:

1. Place the Checkout Counter near the entrance without blocking the door.
2. Put one Basic Bookshelf within a short walk of checkout.
3. Buy only one or two licenses.
4. Place the first stock order.
5. Open the delivery boxes before adding another category.
6. Run one full sales cycle.
7. Identify the first real bottleneck.
8. Spend the next money on that bottleneck rather than decorating unused space.

I do not furnish the upper floor simply because it is available.

Start With Fewer Licenses

A large building makes a small product range look incomplete, but opening too many licenses creates a worse problem.

Every extra category needs:

• another stock order;
• display space;
• pricing;
• restocking attention;
• enough cash for a second order.

I prefer full shelves from a smaller range over several categories with one or two copies left.

My early goal is not to make the Cotswolds look finished. It is to prove that the entrance floor can finish a business day without:

• long checkout lines;
• empty core shelves;
• boxes blocking movement;
• all available cash sitting in unsold stock.

Fix the First Bottleneck

After the first sales cycle, I change one thing at a time.

If customers are waiting at checkout, I protect the checkout route.

If shelves are empty, I refill stock before adding another category.

If unopened boxes cover the floor, I improve the stock area or buy storage.

If I spend the whole day moving stock, I consider a Restocker.

If the entrance floor still has unused selling space, I do not invest in the upper floor.

This keeps the build tied to an actual problem rather than a furniture checklist.

When I Add Used Books and the Scanner

In our fresh setup, the Used Bookshelf cost less than the Basic Bookshelf:

• Used Bookshelf: 300 Bleps;
• Basic Bookshelf: 500 Bleps.

That made Used Books tempting when cash was limited.

I still wait until ordinary shelves and checkout are stable. Used Book Boxes create sorting work and may produce Rare or Legendary results that need another shelf or display.

When I Hire the First Employee

In our fresh two-player Cotswolds save, the first employee became available at Cotswolds Shop Level 3.

I do not treat that level as universal. Multiplayer can adjust some staff and facility thresholds according to player count.

I hire only when a repeated job is taking time away from sales:

• shelves repeatedly empty while I use checkout;
• deliveries remain unopened;
• the Cafe or recommendation queue pulls me away;
• one player spends the entire day restocking.

An idle employee is not progress. A worker who removes a recurring bottleneck is.

Cotswolds Version 1.0 Unlocks

Unlocks at a Glance

The Flyer Stand and Customer Service Desk are not unlocked specifically by Cotswolds progression. Once any shop reaches the required level, I can place them in another location.

Magazines are different. Their progression is tied specifically to Cotswolds Shop Level 12, not the account-wide Player Level.

How to Unlock and Use the Flyer Stand

The Flyer Stand becomes available in DepotMax once any shop reaches Shop Level 5.

Handing Out Flyers

My route is:

1. Place the Flyer Stand near the entrance.
2. Pick up the Flyer stack.
3. Walk outside.
4. Approach pedestrians within interaction range.
5. Offer Flyers individually.
6. Watch whether the shop is starting to fill.
7. Return before checkout or stock falls behind.

Not every pedestrian accepts a Flyer.

Even when someone accepts one, that person does not always enter the store immediately. I therefore do not treat each handout as a guaranteed customer or sale.

When Flyers Are Worth My Time

Flyers are easiest to justify in multiplayer.

One player can remain inside to protect:

• checkout;
• deliveries;
• shelf stock;
• recommendations.

The other can create additional traffic outside.

In solo play, Flyers have a clear opportunity cost. I stop handing them out when:

• several customers are waiting at checkout;
• core shelves are empty;
• delivery boxes remain unopened;
• recommendations are building up;
• the current shop already has more traffic than I can serve.

The achievement route rewards handing out 1, 25, 50, and 100 Flyers, but I do not keep standing outside during a collapsing business day merely to advance the counter.

When I Add the Customer Service Desk

The Customer Service Desk becomes available once any shop reaches Shop Level 8 and can be placed in any location.

It gives customers a fixed place to request recommendations instead of forcing me to chase them through the store.

Up to five customers can wait at the desk.

I treat it as useful rather than mandatory.

I buy it when:

• I am deliberately working on recommendation achievements;
• another player can handle recommendations;
• checkout and restocking are already stable;
• the shop has enough categories to answer requests reliably.

I delay it when I am still struggling to:

• keep the first shelves stocked;
• open deliveries;
• serve the checkout queue;
• afford the next normal order.

I also leave space around the desk. A recommendation queue placed directly beside checkout creates two visually similar lines and makes movement harder.

How I Unlock and Stock Magazines

Magazines unlock at Cotswolds Shop Level 12.

The first set contains five Magazine licenses and uses a familiar loop:

1. reach the Cotswolds level requirement;
2. unlock a Magazine license;
3. buy or place the Magazine Shelf;
4. order the Magazine;
5. stock it;
6. set the selling price;
7. refill according to real demand.

The step that is easy to miss is placing the Magazine Shelf before the delivery arrives.

In my first attempt, I unlocked and ordered Magazines before preparing the display. The delivery arrived, but the new stock had nowhere useful to go.

I now use this order:

1. Unlock one Magazine license.
2. Buy the Magazine Shelf.
3. Place it inside the active entrance-floor layout.
4. Confirm the Magazine order.
5. Stock only the first small batch.
6. Watch sales before unlocking another title.

I do not immediately unlock every Magazine just because all five are available.

A new product category is useful only when I can keep it displayed, priced, and restocked without weakening the ordinary book business.

Why I Delay the Mythical Used Book Box

The Mythical Used Book Box is a Player Level 50 purchase rather than a Cotswolds Shop Level unlock.

It cost 5,000 Bleps in my version 1.0 save, and my first tested attempt produced Rare Books but no Mythical Book.

That makes it a poor opening purchase for the Cotswolds.

I buy one only after:

• the new shop is stocked;
• wages are covered;
• the next refill is safe;
• essential furniture is already placed;
• losing 5,000 Bleps will not delay the next expansion.

The full box mechanics, failure result, and power-display route are covered in the Legendary and Mythical Books Guide.

Expansion and Progression Plan

How I Prioritize Cotswolds Expansions

The Cotswolds expansion screen separates the location into multiple shop and storage upgrades.

The first Build Level I captured showed a cost of 17,000 Bleps.

I do not present that as the complete expansion total. It is one confirmed step, and the later shop and storage upgrades need to be recorded separately.

My expansion priority is:

1. Improve the active entrance floor.
2. Add storage when deliveries and refilling create excessive walking.
3. Expand the selling area when the existing floor is genuinely full.
4. Add the upper floor after staff and stock routes can support it.
5. Finish every store expansion for England Shop.
6. Finish every storage expansion separately for England Storage.

I do not buy an expansion simply because I can afford the listed price.

I buy it when the new space solves one of these problems:

• no room for another proven category;
• checkout and recommendations need separate lanes;
• stock boxes block customer movement;
• employees spend too long walking;
• Magazine, Cafe, or special-book furniture has no practical location.

What I Buy at Each Stage

This table replaces a long repeated checklist.

The decision stays the same at every stage:

I buy the next system only when the current shop can support the extra traffic, stock, or labor it creates.

My Final Cotswolds Route

My complete progression order is:

1. Check the location price in the current save.
2. Prepare the previous shop with a Manager and Manager’s Desk.
3. Preserve money beyond the location purchase.
4. Build one entrance-floor sales loop.
5. Start with one or two licenses.
6. Run a full business cycle.
7. Fix checkout, stock, storage, or staffing according to the first bottleneck.
8. Add Flyers only when someone can leave the shop.
9. Add the Customer Service Desk when recommendations have a real operator.
10. Place the Magazine Shelf before the first Magazine delivery.
11. Buy expansions according to usable space and route length.
12. Furnish the upper floor only after the lower floor is stable.
13. Complete store and storage expansions as two separate achievement routes.
14. Delay Mythical gambling until losing 5,000 Bleps no longer changes the plan.

What to Read Next

Use the Multiplayer Guide for shared money, guest permissions, 2–4 player roles, and dividing Cotswolds work between checkout, Flyers, recommendations, and stock.

Use the Legendary and Mythical Books Guide before spending 5,000 Bleps on the Mythical Used Book Box or planning the Shop Level 50 six-power display.

Use the Achievements Guide for England Shop, England Storage, Flyer milestones, the first Magazine, and the remaining version 1.0 achievements.

Return to the Bookshop Simulator Guide Hub for the complete reading order.