I use Community Lots a lot. Usually they include enough requirements for all the variants, ie Marketplace, Community Garden and the maker one.
As my Sims spend a lot of time on Community Lots, I’ve observed how the tables work.
I only have the Eco lifestyle sales tables. Usually three, sometimes four.
I have edited Magnolia Blossom and Desert Bloom to be community lots with sales tables as well as the three lots in Evergreen Harbor.
Things I’ve noticed about the AI. During normal operating hours there is a change of shift at the tables whenever the active Sims arrives on the lot.
The people manning the tables are the first lot of the new arrivals to enter lot.
What they stock on their tables is totally random and has no link with their real inventory, nor does anything they are seen to buy. Similar to Unplayed Sims shopping at retail stores. Items they purchase do not show up in their inventory.
I’ve tried manning the tables myself on these lots, but that never seems to work. I get inventory overstocked even with adding only one item.
I find the best use of the Sales table is for buying Eco upgrade parts and the odd plant. And for building influence points early in the game. Lots of friendly interactions and if you need to build up social, they’re a captive audience.
If I make food and leave it in fridge on community lots, the vendors seem to be the only Sims who help themselves to servings from the refrigerator. They also sleep in beds provided (sometimes), leave their posts to play computers if nearby. In fact of all the non played characters in community lots, they’re the most interesting to watch.
