I don't use that anymore, as Peni said it's been superseded by the updated Gussy up. It checks clothes, 'buys' clothes, plans clothes, change appearance, buy jewelry and cosmetic surgery. It even does toddlers now.

When a sim has a want to actually buy clothes I might go to a shop or might have them buy online on Monique's computer. They do actually spend money when buying things that way and its quite realistic apart from the instant materialization of whatever they have bought. I wouldn't mind if they had to wait a few hours for a delivery van to arrive with their on line shopping items. I myself do a lot of online shopping, so I don't see why sims wouldn't.

Because I mostly play integrated hoods and a playable sim will own and run at least one clothing store, I do try and send them there as well. I am playing my Uber hood now and even that has 1 sim owned clothing store, run by Dina.

If you don't want it to be extinct then bring it back and set some rules. I have seen people who only allow one set of free clothes on age up. Or they fill the buy clothes want either like me online or by going to a store. I keep in mind if the sim is too busy to go out, for example Jennifer Burb was going nowhere but to work while her quads were toddlers, yet she often wanted new clothes. They were probably stained poor thing and she needed to feel good about her appearance. Online shopping, the go to of many a busy parent! But a sim who has a day off and no potty chasing? Off to the store I send them.

One way of ensuring more clothes are bought at physical stores is adding the ability on the community lots you often send your sims to. For example I added a rack at the Pleasantview pool when I made it over. That's a place that sees a lot of use so the rack is handy.
If the answer to that is "I don't send them to community lots very often",maybe the 'issue' (play how you want, but if you are playing in a way that isn't making you happy) goes further to them not getting out to be able to buy the clothes. In which case placing racks won't do much and you might need to see why you don't take them out more.

In my game, playables are entitled to one free clothing purchase though Christianlov's gussy-up after aging. Otherwise, they purchase them normally.

On the first day of each season, I check their wardrobe, and if they don't have anything appropriate, they buy clothes. I like to try to send them to a clothing store. It can be a nice family outing. I recently had Goneril Capp take all of her daughters shopping for new winter clothes, and it was fun. I agree it helps if the community lot has other activities. There are a couple of places in Veronaville where you can buy clothes and groceries, and then go swimming or play darts or otherwise socialize and have some recreation.

As for groceries, I do try to send them out, but a lot of times I get caught flat with an empty fridge, which is when express delivery from the computer comes in very handy. I just rationalize it that the Sim stopped on their way home from work or something.

Gussy Up is on my list of essential mods, by the way. It comes in handy quite often.

Dizzy's work-deliver-40-20 gives Sims a 40% chance of bringing home groceries if they have a partially-empty fridge and enough money. (They also have a 20% chance of bringing pizza.)

In my hoods, most of the time I let them go to the clothing store when they think they need to-money is usually not a problem so they're happy and I'll even throw in a makeover session at the same time.

Most of the time for that, it's all right-but Cornelia Goth got one the other day that her lips turned into bright red clown lips. She wasn't too upset. If she wants to go some more clothes shopping I'll throw in another makeover and see if it's better.

As for groceries, I've been using a modified SimWardrobe food replicator and thus that eases the strain on the refrigerator a lot. If the fridge gets low, thought, I use Boiling Oil's Aspiration Rewards card to fill it back up with aspiration points granted and collected. If that does not do it, I'll have them order from the computer.

Although in most hoods I've got a grocery store filled with Exnem's burgers and other food, along with the 6 pack of beer, so the pixels end up not cooking an awful lot and the refrigerator stays full almost all the time. Speaking of which I really do have to make another one for Duma Key so they'll have all the goodies available.

They LOVE fried chicken and hamburgers.

@FranH: I've been meaning to ask you if the name Duma Key is a reference to the novel?

It is, indeed-only a hat tip to it, though..nothing that spooky has happened on the island yet.

(and yes, I am a Stephen King fan..ever since "Carrie" came out. Nearly everyone in Maine is..)

I thought so! I'm also a fan, although I'm not in Maine. I'm actually reading his latest book now!

So I'm having a total "duh" moment. Is there a way to change what the Sims think is the front door? I just had a neighbour walk through my house, up the back stairs, and ring the doorbell on the patio. I don't remember having this issue before, or perhaps I've just forgotten how to fix it.

Though there seem to be doors that are somehow defined as "interior" and therefore cannot be made into the front door (I had this problem setting up the Beech house in Widespot), generally speaking the front door is the door, on the lowest level, that was placed last.

Interesting, I didn't know that. I'll try replacing the doors and see what happens. Thanks!

Pescado's frontdoorhack helps, but not 100% of the time.

I just redid my mods folder and apparently I don't have that hack in there anymore. I'm sure I had it at some point. I'll add it back in and see what happens. Between this and Peni Griffin's suggestion one of them has to work. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks everyone for the advice about the Gussy Up mod - it sounds like a better option, if it means that sims will actually have to buy their new outfits! It's been fun to read about how everyone incorporates shopping into their game, and I think I do need to bring fashion excursions back with same basic guidelines as JoandSarah suggested.