Most sensible Skyrim mod ever lets you buy stuff right off store shelves

The Mods of Skyrim

Looking for more great mods? Look no further. We've got a list of the best mods for the Skyrim Special Edition, and the best mods for the original Skyrim.

The last time I went shopping in a store (it was twenty minutes ago, because my coffee maker broke which qualifies as an emergency), I didn't stroll up to the person behind the counter and ask to see a written list of everything they sell. Instead, I walked (essentially sprinted) around the store (Target), looking at the items on the shelves, and then picked the thing (a new coffee maker) I wanted to buy (desperately needed to live).

This mod for the Skyrim Special Edition brings shopping a little closer to that experience. Rather than talking to the dope behind the counter to find out what's for sale, you can buy items right off the shelves. The mod is called Immersive Merchants, with the tagline 'Buy what is on display. Really' and that's exactly what it lets you do. Really. Looking at something sitting on a shelf will bring up a UI showing the item's attributes and price, and give you a little 'Buy' prompt.

To activate the mod, first head to Riverwood Trader and look for a book on the counter titled "How to Go Shopping" and you'll be ready to start buying stuff like a pro. You can still steal items, too: just start sneaking. Items you buy will eventually be restocked, so you don't have to worry about winding up with a bunch of shops with empty shelves and countertops.

Immersive Merchants is currently only available for the Skyrim Special Edition, though the modder mentions in a comment on the mod's page that they're going to try to make it available for the original Skyrim as well.

Below, here's a couple other mods you might be interested in this week.

Happy Birthday 2 You, for Stardew Valley

Nexus Mods link

Characters in Stardew Valley have birthdays, but for some reason, you—arguably the most important person in the game—don't. This mod fixes that, by allowing you to choose a birthday for your little farmer. Plus, NPCs will wish you a happy birthday, and they will even give you gifts, with the quality of gifts dependent on how well you know them.

Sneakus Peekus, for Skyrim

Nexus Mods link

Another mod intended to improve immersion in Skyrim (the original game this time), this mod allows you sneaky types to lean and peek around corners. Sure, you can already look around corners using the third-person camera, but this allows you to lean out in first-person and have a look. You still have to be careful while sneaking: sticking your head around a corner will allow enemies and other NPCs to see you, but that's really as it should be, unless your character has a 'Cast Invisibility On Head' spell, right?

Christopher Livingston
Senior Editor

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.