[BH] Most customers not entering small business

I found this thread after having experienced the same issue - I built a retail store on my home lot, and when I opened for business people showed up and just stood outside.  Nothing I found was terribly helpful, so I started fiddling around in build mode.  I realized the porch on my store counted as a room, but was not automatically marked as "public".  In fact there was no colored border around it to indicate its access at all.  By mere chance I clicked on it and the box came up showing it marked as residential (despite no blue border).  I changed it to public, the border turned pink, and voila.  Problem solved.  My customers can now enter my store.  Putting this here in case it helps someone else with the same problem!

I missed that this was marked By Design.

This is bad design, full stop, guys, sorry. I "get the idea" but in a game where the number of visitors in the area is limited, it feels like bad player feedback. It's one thing if customers show up, browse, and leave- that's an indicator they don't like what we've got.

But if they literally phase into existence out front, do a thinking animation, and leave, it's...nothing. I have no idea why they didn't want to come in- and the fact is there isnt even a reason most of the time, it's just a faked little situation of "sometimes people walk past a store without entering". Except it doesnt work because those sims are spawning out front specifically to not enter the store, it's very strange.

This is part of a greater problem that Sims spawn at venues by appearing out front instead of naturally walking in from off-screen from the edges of the map, but in general it's just not a great way to handle this. If you weren't going to pay to enter a building you wouldn't arrive at the building and think about it out front. You simply would not arrive.

the issue still exists in the game.
the small business pack is so unplayable.
i opened a smal shop at my home lot.
the customers are only standing outside my shop and not buying anything or the just come, talk with others or want to talk to my sim.
that is realy annoying.
the customers should come, buy things and leave.
no talking, no socializing..............

I don't agree with this issue fully.

When I play a small business in B.&H  I don't have this issue in my game( mods cc player.)

This is how the game is designed. Love It or Leave It.

You can love it or leave it but you can't change the way the game is designed...yet.

I'm not sure that this design makes sense. Why would, as OP described and I'm experiencing as well, sims buy ticket entry and then decide whether they want to stay or not? I sometimes have sims that will stand around and debate entry. If they decide not to, the sim gets a thought bubble with the business's logo crossed out. If they do decide to enter, they'll pay the fee and most of the time won't enter the lot. They will if I manage to call them over before they leave, so they have a clear path.