YMMV / Night of the Consumers

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Is the Manager just an obsessively competitive perfectionist when it comes to his desire to have the best store in town, or is he a complete psychopath who killed Lester either for slipping up even slightly or trying to walk away from the job when he was their star employee? His creepy behavior towards you and the fact that he locks you in the dark store with him to fire you if you mess up could support either view, and it's terrifying trying to pinpoint his true nature.
  • Did Jimmy really just quit his job to get away from the frustrating customers and poor working conditions, or was he trying to escape the fate that possibly befell Lester, and might be coming to you?
    • If the latter is true, notice how he never tells you to get the hell out of there and instead shows you the ropes. Is he damning you to that fate to save his own skin, or is he keeping up an appearance for the manager so he doesn't get caught trying to encourage you to quit, and just hopes you catch on?
    • Alternatively, did he not tell you about Lester's fate because he didn't even know about it?
  • Is the Employee/protagonist literally Too Dumb to Live for not escaping, having witnessed the carnage unfold with Jimmy fleeing the consumers? Throwing up from the stress? Especially should they stumble upon Lester's remains? Or are they a tragic victim, since the Manager seems to know them already before the first shift, and therefore, are aware of their true nature?
    • We don't know the reason as to why the protagonist took this job. For all we know, they could be out of money and this job is their last hope. In terms of "hygiene", this store is rated five stars. Just imagine what the other places must be like!
• Demonic Spider: The mother customer is the most obnoxious enemy by far, mainly due to her demanding the player to find her baby within a time-limit, and then returning back to the mother while carrying the baby that blocks off 80% of your screen. What's worse, even if you do find the baby but fail to return to the mother in time, she'll still yell for the manager to have you fired.
• Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory: Your player character may, or may not be someone who's trapped in either Hell or Purgatory. Considering how eerie everything looks, the shambling zombie-like Consumers themselves resembling lost souls, long given into their lust for materialistic desires.
  • If this allegory holds weight, The Manager is very likely an Archdevil, or Satan himself, putting you through literal retail Hell. Even going as far as to invite other Managers/Demons over to watch you suffer. If you fail to survive his tribulations he'll eternally damn your soul to Hell proper.
• Fan Nickname: "Karen" for the mother customer. She even has the "Can I speak to your manager?" haircut!
• Fridge Horror: While talking to The Manager in the opening, he states "You won't have me looking like a fool in front of the other managers, would you?". Does that mean that there's more of him out there? Possibly with their own agenda?
• Funny Moments: The recent update for Night 1 features an ending where a pizza delivery boy shows up at the employee's apartment door with a rather silly-looking pizza-shaped outfit with a forced smile. After the employee shuts down the door right in front of his face, the poor delivery boy suddenly frowns and lits up a cigarette, saying "I don't get paid enough for this."
• Paranoia Fuel: Customers can (and probably will) scare the hell out of you as you're turning a corner only to be greeted by a loud "EXCUSE ME!" and a creepy Slasher Smile that takes up most of the screen.
• Realism-Induced Horror: The Eldritch Location of the store and evil Manager aside, at the core of the gameplay, you're merely in a retail job. You play as a store clerk/customer service assistant being pestered frequently by very persistent and uncaring consumers whose presence rapidly deteriorates your physical and mental health.

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