The Humble Retail Helper, where is that?
What did CI or Cloud Imperium do with it? Oh, yeah, automated delivery machines, they only dropped those in very recently. It's like how real retail went though (cough) Amazon (cough) self-serve (cough) customer satisfaction reaches an all-time low and many retail workers OUT OF A JOB. It's probably something to do with overhead, in CI's case the overhead of missing A.I. coders needed to finish this game so that something can be sold on the gaming market.
Can this situation be salvaged?
Yes, but then the next question is, "Does CI have the people in place to benefit from Item 2.0 and create a Console 2.0 experience for the player that'll make picking up that essential supply of drugs or ammo for your guns or a game of pool worthwhile?"
A game of pool?
Later, for now let's concentrate on the missed opportunity in the room the HRH or HUMBLE RETAIL HELPER.
This guy, for example. Except he's not a retail helper, as such, he's a barman. Humble or not, he lives behind a bar, because of the safety issues of his offerings i.e. high-powered weaponry. He's the Quartermaster who, in a recent Vertical Slice demonstration for Squadron 42, was using the delivery-guy code to show player his selection of weapons for sale. Totally wrong methodology. Quartermaster code is nothing more than 'man behind counter' code or BARMAN.
Barman is cool code, once you sit down in the variety of chairs at his bar, he knows you're there but he has other customers. You have to be patient. Only when he highlights is he ready to serve you. When you click on him, he gives you his full attention. Then he can hand you stuff. Anything you can see.
A very different fellow, and the actual HRH of this post, is the Shopkeeper.
But I don't like her behind that bar. That's barkeep territory.
Shopkeep should be out in the Retail Environment with her handy (trusty) accounting pad. Go into any retail outlets; clothes, armour, ships and the HRH will be there (highlighted, ready) to Meet & Greet. Try going round the shop without first clicking on him. Nothing is selectable. Shopkeep might politely cough to attract your attention, or ask you if he/she can help in any way. Click on Shopkeep and it's like the whole shop lights up like a Christmas Tree. He/she'll follow you round, too, as you try out the merch. Shopkeep'll make a note of your purchases (you don't use your MobiGlas for that) and he'll tot up your score when you Exit Shop. Credit limit? Tab? Who knows...
This also ties into my personal desire to 'get this game' to realize the value and importance of Earning Side-Cash for those pocket-hole moments when your ship needs fuel or you lose at the tables or ... anyway, Agent Smithing. Three pay grades: tutored, trusted, tutor.
And speaking of tables, finally, my personal favorite the POOL TABLE.
How does it work? Same as any Console 2.0 experience, find the nearby Pool Cue and you get your hand on the table. It's therefore all standardised, the Console 2.0 experience. Even getting into a ship, or dropping into the Pilot's seat. It's all the same game mechanic, and that's how games are made good. Or better.