Has anyone experienced a very irate customer who thought you were taking his/her picture? This happened to me twice while doing gas station audits. The first one I was taking the overall shot. I was yards away, but when I walked back to the fuel island, this guy started screaming at me and asked me why I was taking his picture. I explained I was working (obviously) and he looked at me like he was going to hit me. Luckily there were other people around. Same thing happened at another one. I was taking a canopy shot and his car was in fueling area. When he came out of the store, he asked me WTF I was doing taking pictures of his car. I explained I wasn’t and that I was working. He would NOT believe me. He kept getting more and more angry and asked me if the ladies inside knew I was here. I said they did. He glared at me and I just walked away and started working again, but I was scared. These were both daytime audits. Makes me afraid to complete night audits.

Yep. I had a woman come out of a UPS Store screaming at me because she was sure the storefront photo I was taking was an attempt to get her picture. Maybe she was wanted by the police or something. I pacified her by showing her the photo and deleting it. I waited until she left and took another. A few months ago while I was taking a photo for a car-counting job at a gas station, a guy came over asking why I was taking a photo while yelling "There's serial killers out there!" repeatedly. I managed to calm him down and my explanation that I was on a job seemed to satisfy him.

I try to take photos as nonchalantly as possible but I guess I'm not good at it.

I guess I’m not, either :-). With the gas station audits you’re wearing a neon vest. You would think they would know you’re working. I thought the same thing…maybe they were doing something illegal or whatever. Well, stay safe out there.

Oh, yes. My unspoken mental reply is, "Don't flatter yourself, you're not as important as you think you are." But the actual replies have varied, from explaining the truth, to deleting pictures, to driving away quickly and hiding till the coast was clear. I was even accused of being a terrorist planning to blow up the gas station! Please. I surely would have not been a very good terrorist if my claim to fame was just one stupid gas station. People just don't know how absurd they are.

Angry? No... but last night I got this

"You like black guys?"
"Sorry, married with 5 kids"
"You can have number 6 with me"
"Have a nice night"
"Make sure I'm in one of your pictures to remember me"

I agree with Sestrahelena but not unspoken. If someone calls me out for mistakenly thinking I am taking their picture (whether on a shop or not), I give them the stinkeye and say "why in the h3!! would I want to take YOUR picture?"

@jgardn02 wrote:

I agree with Sestrahelena but not unspoken. If someone calls me out for mistakenly thinking I am taking their picture (whether on a shop or not), I give them the stinkeye and say "why in the h3!! would I want to take YOUR picture?"

I hope you're very big, or very armed.

Yeah, people get killed for less every day. If the accuser is already that unstable who knows what they'll do next.

@jgardn02 wrote:

I agree with Sestrahelena but not unspoken. If someone calls me out for mistakenly thinking I am taking their picture (whether on a shop or not), I give them the stinkeye and say "why in the h3!! would I want to take YOUR picture?"

I think that but work hard to keep my calm. I did actually say something like that recently to one guy, and immediately felt bad and started being extra friendly. It turns out he was a really nice guy and was just trying to start a conversation. We had an enjoyable talk. I always try to play nice with customers, but if they come off rude I give them the stink eye and explain myself as little as possible.

We have been watching a lot of "Court Cases" on reality TV. It is shocking how many violent criminals are out on probation or out after a short sentence. Be careful, people.

@KokoBWare wrote:

@jgardn02 wrote:

I agree with Sestrahelena but not unspoken. If someone calls me out for mistakenly thinking I am taking their picture (whether on a shop or not), I give them the stinkeye and say "why in the h3!! would I want to take YOUR picture?"

I hope you're very big, or very armed.

And even if you are, is there any reason not to treat others with civility and reply politely?

I had a person ask me if I had never seen a gas dispenser before as I was taking a picture on one!!

I get a bunch of men, mostly, asking me if gas prices are going to go back up, or when they will, and then it gets into politics almost every time. Especially at Shell stations. I have mostly learned not to engage at all. I just pretend I never heard them and keep going.

We were at a gas station, my son was taking pics for his shop, I was sitting in the POS Jeep doing paperwork from my last shop and looking at Faciebutts. Some little blonde girl came over to the Jeep and told my son that he can't take pictures of her because she's a minor. We both told her THREE times, my son tried to show her the pictures he took, and that she wasn't in any of them, she just kept telling him that he can't take pics of her because she's a minor, and that she's only 16. I rolled up the window and started the Jeep. I just moved to the other side of the station so that my son could finish his shop.

I had someone get pissy inside a KFC once and throw a fit. I think I may have deleted the photo and gotten a new one later, but I may not have either. I just told him I was working and moved on.

Also, "Miss Minor" above me can pound sand. She's 100% wrong.

Funny how people don't think they're already on camera all day long. Street cams, Ring cams, dash cams, ATMs, business security cameras. Even in their own homes, appliances and phones which could be hacked at any time.

They worry about someone taking their picture yet can't seem to get enough of selfie pics that they post everywhere online.

Humans, amirite? *sigh*

I have a little album on my iPhone titled MEAN MUGGING of people in the background glaring at me while I take overall photos.

The best is some dude who looked just like Quentin Tarantino giving me the Evil Eye at a Polestar showroom. (Seriously, it actually may have been him.)

Whenever I need a little laugh, I flip through the ten years of grouchy faces. It’s a natural mood lifter.

I take a different approach than most of you. I think about, what if I were a customer? As a customer, I expect a businesses to have security cameras and that I will be on them. As a citizen in the United States, I know the government is watching, too, whether that be from camera feeds, satellites, or these "UFOs" everybody is talking about. I want the former, hate and am scared of the latter. Such is life.

If I am pumping gas and I see someone off in the distance taking photo in my direction, I might wonder if my ex-wife has hired a PI to keep tabs on me. Or, if I had kid, I might think the worst. This would be especially true if the person was snapping photos from their vehicle, which I try to avoid doing. Most people do not know about mystery shopping or audits.

When you understand people do not know what you are doing, and consider we have media and politicians screaming at us that we are living in perilous times, it is easy to see why people might question what we are doing. My goal on these type of shops is first preventive. I avoid, to the extent possible, taking photos that have customers in them. I will patiently wait for a customer to take a step forward or come back, if needed. When I am unable to avoid people, I have been known to politely let them know what I am doing. I have found people to be appreciative of that. Taking a moment to be courteous and respectful goes a long way in assuring people you are not focusing on them. I'll add, I do not take photos if a young child will be in the shot. I might be on 100% legal ground, but that's just a boundary I think should be respected. As for the girl @Morledzep referenced, I probably would not have any idea of her age and wouldn't matter. If she isn't in the photos, there is nothing else you can do but continue your business.

If someone should get irate, I would do my best to deescalate as quickly as possible. I can handle myself (always watch hands!) and I do not tolerate people getting close to me.

These type of incidents should be rare. Out of the hundreds of gas audits I've done since returning to this line of work 14 months ago, I've never had a customer give me an issue on this specific subject. If you find you routinely have people confronting you on this, make sure you are not giving them another reason to do so.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2024 10:50PM by ServiceAward.

I had a gas station shop where a car with occupants was parked there from the beginning. Finally I decided to take a picture at an angle. The woman in the car started yelling at me to not take a photo. I said, "Then move your car.". They did and I got my photo.

I get the stinkeye a lot when I'm taking pictures of the checklanes in grocery stores. I just wear my lanyard and go about my business.

Service Award, thank you for your very thoughtful reply. I live in a big city. It is amazing to me how many people feel constantly threatened by the slightest thing. I turned off NextDoor due to others in my neighborhood constantly, and I mean several times per day, people reporting that a suspicious person is walking down the street so beware and lock all your doors and windows. These are public streets in a city neighborhood where there are a million reasons why someone not living on the block may be walking there. The only suspicious thing they are reporting is that they do not live on their block as far as they know.
But on the other hand, these are trying times and my area has had a rash of break ins, both cars and houses lately. There actually are some people out there watching to see your patterns of being home or gone etc.
If I were one of the people at high alert to bad guys all the time, the fact that a person taking my picture tells me they are working, even with a vest on that they can buy somewhere for a few dollars, would mean nothing.
So be careful and try your best to wait a few moments to snap your photo and be sensitive to those who feel risk is at every turn. They are probably people who every day tune into the local news that is full of warnings and reports of break ins, attacks, stealing of identities etc.
And yes, you or your son could be that stalker of underage, or even overage females. We hear about that on the news as well. And parents do warn their daughters to be on the lookout.
Be nice and understanding to these people. If they are scared being nice may soothe them. If they are mean and nasty people being nice may save you.

I've had that situation too and sketchy neighborhoods. I had my neighbor use her circuit machine and wrote site auditor on the back of my vest never had a problem sense

@Shopper2 wrote:

I've had that situation too and sketchy neighborhoods. I had my neighbor use her circuit machine and wrote site auditor on the back of my vest never had a problem sense

I like that idea. For those without access to such a machine, you can buy inexpensive vests that can be customized on Amazon.

@ServiceAward wrote:

When you understand people do not know what you are doing, and consider we have media and politicians screaming at us that we are living in perilous times, it is easy to see why people might question what we are doing. My goal on these type of shops is first preventive. I avoid, to the extent possible, taking photos that have customers in them. I will patiently wait for a customer to take a step forward or come back, if needed. When I am unable to avoid people, I have been known to politely let them know what I am doing. I have found people to be appreciative of that. Taking a moment to be courteous and respectful goes a long way in assuring people you are not focusing on them.

Sorry, walking 200 feet across the parking lot to open the door of the store and tell someone who I didn't even see that I'm taking a storefront photo wasn't a practical option. Don't assume we're bulls in a china shop mindlessly snapping photos with no regard for our surroundings.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2024 12:54PM by KokoBWare.

@Shopper2 wrote:

I've had that situation too and sketchy neighborhoods. I had my neighbor use her circuit machine and wrote site auditor on the back of my vest never had a problem sense

Good solution for revealed audits, although obviously a no-go for covert shops.

@KokoBWare wrote:

Sorry, walking 200 feet across the parking lot to open the door of the store and tell someone who I didn't even see that I'm taking a storefront photo wasn't a practical option. Don't assume we're bulls in a china shop mindlessly snapping photos with no regard for our surroundings.

I did not say anything about going into the store to tell anybody anything. If I am in the fueling area and I need to get an overall photo (e.g. E/M shops), and if it is consistently busy, I may let the person nearest me know that I need to grab a photo so they have an opportunity to take a step outside my shot.

I was not speaking directly at you. Now I am. You stated,

@ wrote:

I try to take photos as nonchalantly as possible but I guess I'm not good at it.

I offered advice to cut back on interactions with customers that can quickly go sideways. Take it, leave it. Doesn't matter to me. Whereas it seems many people have issues with this, I don't.

Let's beat this dead horse, just because I'm bored, and I'm trying to give myself a reason to cut my nails.

I agree with Service, when I'm taking pics at gas stations I do my best to avoid taking pics of folks, I wait until they are hiding behind their gas pumps, or go inside the store when I'm taking pics of the store front. At the counters, when I need a counter pic, if I can't get a break between customers, I only take the pic with their back to the camera, or I stand and wait. For whole site pics, I use the editor to blur out license plates and faces that are visible. But I also take several pics and from both front corners of the location so I have enough pics and possibilities.

Sometimes there are people who just can't resist looking at the forking camera. You tell them you're taking pics and they are going to be in them if they don't move or hide and they still stand there and look at the camera. Those folks get their pictures taken, and their faces blurred out with the photo editor.

Like I said before, I'm friendly, to a point, but if they're going to try to start some kind of confrontation, I will walk away. If someone asks me politely what I'm doing, I'll tell them that I am simply doing a marketing audit for the gas company. If they ask how I get the gig I tell them it pays @#$%& and I'm an independent contractor, it's not a job to do if you're looking for a regular or a good paycheck.

Add me to the list, I also avoid getting people in my photos....I just adjust the angle or else, wait for it....I walk to another location and take it from there or wait for it....I wait a few seconds for someone to move. lol.
Considering how many shops require a photo of restroom interiors, I can't help but think some of you must be very popular lol.

I take my photos and move on. Time = $$$$
I'm not wasting time avoiding people or bluring out anything. The brands that I photograph do not have a requirement to do that, so it's not done.

Of course we all try to get photos without customers and let them know what we are doing when we are in their space, but the real world intervenes and sometimes you just have to take the shot or you will never finish.

One thing to keep in mind is the growing amount of violence at gas stations/fueling areas. You see it all the time in the news from around the country where there are muggings, attempted kidnappings, and shootings that happen at fuel stations. I would just try to calmly defuse the situation with an angry customer ASAP because you never know what angry people who confront you might do.