Pierre is someone the player will be seeing pretty often in Stardew Valley. For one, he owns the town’s General Store, so those taking the farming route will be going to him (or JojaMart) for seeds. Additionally, he has a stall in nearly all of the game’s festivals, selling unique items that can only be purchased on that day.
That said, Pierre isn’t the good guy he initially seems to be. A few of Stardew Valley’s scripted events and quests reveal that the humble shopkeeper is actually a lying swindler who also happens to be doing shady things behind his family’s back.
Taking the Credit for the Player’s Quality Crops
The first of Pierre’s questionable actions occurs when the player sells their Stardew Valley crops directly to him. Anytime the player does this, as opposed to dropping them in the shipping bin, there’s a chance he’ll put them up on sale the next day. This allows the residents of Pelican Town to sample the player’s produce, and then give their feedback. Once Pierre has put the crops up for sale, the player can then talk to any of the residents to get unique dialogue of them judging the produce.
Sometimes, the NPCs will react negatively to the produce. Pierre himself has a chance of saying that he served the crop to his family for dinner, but that it wasn’t a hit. Caroline might even admit to throwing it into the compost bin for its smell. Other NPCs will comment something similar, saying that cooking the Stardew Valley crop made it produce an “unconventional” or even “horrendous” odor. Yet another line of dialogue has the NPC saying that they bought the product for half its usual price, but that it was of terrible quality.
On the other hand, the townspeople can also give the player positive feedback on their Stardew Valley crops - though this is where Pierre’s shady antics come in. An NPC who likes the quality of the product will comment that they bought the tasty thing from Pierre’s shop. Immediately after this, they’ll share that Pierre reportedly grew the crops himself in his backyard. Some NPCs might even note that the player has a competitor now.
This mechanic also applies to Stardew Valley's fish and foraged items, though with slightly different dialogue. When talking to any NPC who enjoyed the product, they’ll share that Pierre “found” it himself while exploring the mountains. After which, they’ll compliment the shopkeeper for being such a great forager.
It seems Pierre is taking the credit for the player’s high-quality crops. Lower-quality crops, on the other hand, are sold with no further comment or that it came from the player. Not exactly the most upstanding thing to do. Players should probably stick to the shipping bin from now on.
The “Pierre’s Prime Produce” Quest in Stardew Valley
Next, there’s Pierre’s Special Order, “Pierre’s Prime Produce.” In this quest, he asks the player to bring in 25 gold-star vegetables. Any will do, so long as it’s a vegetable. Once the player has enough, they must simply drop them off in the special bin in Pierre’s store. Entering again the next day will trigger a cutscene.
Upon entering the General Store, the player will see Gus talking to Pierre by the counter. The shopkeeper is in the middle of pitching a special “once-in-a-lifetime” offer. When Gus expresses his interest, Pierre goes on to explain that he’s selling a bundle of heirloom vegetables that are organic, locally produced, and hand-picked. They’re reportedly top quality, which should supposedly justify the ludicrous price point.
However, the bundle is worth 25,000g. That’s 1,000g per crop, and Pierre has the gall to say that it’s a bargain. Gus is understandably annoyed, explaining that he’d have to sell his saloon to afford a bundle that expensive. Jodi, who also overhears Pierre’s offer, says that he should be ashamed of himself. In a last-ditch effort, the shopkeeper lowers the price of the bundle to 10,000g, but Gus and Jodi aren’t having it.
By now, the player is standing by the counter, and Pierre laments about how he thought this was a great business strategy. He even says, “But it turns out, no one is willing to buy vegetables at a 10x price markup, even if I put the little ‘organic’ sticker on them.” It’s as if he’s surprised that people aren’t ecstatic about being ripped off.
Even worse is that if the player tells him to be less greedy, he lashes out, saying that he wasn’t forcing anyone to buy the bundle - though he at least understands that making his customers unhappy isn’t a good business move. After which, he proceeds to try and sell the bundle back to the player for 2,501g. Classy.
Pierre’s Infamous Secret Stash
Last but not least is what the player finds in Pierre’s Heart Event. Entering Pierre’s shop after getting to six hearts with him triggers a cutscene where the player is rooting around in the couple’s bedroom. Admittedly, it’s shady that the player character even decides to do this. However, it does lead to the discovery of a secret stash behind the bookshelf.
Pierre then walks into the room, catches the player, and asks that they keep what they found a secret. Though the contents of the stash are never revealed, its severity is hinted at, especially since one of the player’s dialogue options is “Your wife deserves to know about this.” It’s also worth noting that choosing this option leads to a loss of two hearts with Pierre, making it one of the heftiest dialogue options in the game. The community has plenty of ideas as to what the secret stash contains, with the general consensus being that it’s an illegal substance. Unfortunately, the player cannot go to Caroline with the information nor confront Pierre after the cutscene.
That aside, this curious Heart Event is evidence that Pierre is hiding something big from his family. Whatever it is, it’ll probably lead to some terrible consequences. So, Pierre isn’t just a swindling shopkeeper, he’s also a problematic husband. All in all, it’s not looking great for the General Store owner. With his shady business moves and even shadier family life choices, it’s no wonder many in the community dislike him.
Stardew Valley is available on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.