There is a local car wash in my area (Ohio based) that is named after the presumed owner's first name. The scenerio seems so predictable. The shop is video recorded and it is recommended to place your cell in your cup holder. I pick these up quite a bit since there are 6 locations in my city all within easy proximity to my house or work. I have noticed that the service advisor looks toward my cup holder as soon as I pull in. Over the weekend, I picked up two of these bounused shops and the service advisor yelled "this is the shopper" to the director after I paid. Luckily, it did not pick up on the audio of the video, but honestly it would have been funny (not funny if it caused me to be banned from the shops). Has anyone else experience this? I feel like a glutton for punishment because these shops are the bain of my existance, but I can't resist a reimbursed car wash and $25-40 shopper pay each.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2024 06:03PM by gigishopper.

i've seen something on a sassie shop board with car wash and video recording. It was never clear to me. I have not done one. it's not in ohio, but in a different state. Seems like a similar scenario. What are you "recording" if it's in cup holder? Is this to capture AUDIO? why not audio record instead? I did not understand the video part of it.

Do you stay in your car and drive thru the wash? I am lost at why/how video is necessary/helpful. I know with the QQ shops, you upload audio (different MSC)

So I guess my question is...what happens if you put your phone in the cupholder AFTER your interaction? keep the video running and have it sitting somewhere else instead.

I do lots of the Quick Quack car washes every month.

It's been awhile, but there were a few occasions where the cashier used the marker to put a big "M" on my windshield.

Pretty sure that stood for "mystery shopper".

That being said, its presence did not really change the prep team member's performance.

I have been ID in two shops. The first were the popular recurring grocery store shops. They had a brief shop where you observed the front. Also, you could do a location every other week, and they had dopey questions for the deli, meat, produce and at this location, the jewelry store. So, I thought one of the front people was watching me. At the following shop, a customer asked me if I were a secret shopper as the associates were talking about me. I self-excluded the location but still shopped it weekly, and asked dopey questions (not from the shop) all three of the areas. I did this for 3 months, until it seemed the coast was clear.

Another was a mattress shop. As soon as I walked in, the employee said I was that guy who was the secret shopper. I protested, he insisted, I acted mad and he said if I were here to look at mattresses for real, then we could go ahead. I still insisted. We did the interaction. I contacted the scheduler and told her what happened. I was paid, but excluded from the clients locations. About a year later, I was still receiving emails from the scheduler. I recounted what happened. She said check the location and see who was working. Another employee. She assigned me the shop and I followed through and did it. Now I can shop the client, but do not do it more than 1-2 times a year, and haven't shopped the location since then.

I had to laugh at this, gigi. Any idea what blew your cover?

I got outed at a Texas Roadhouse. My receipt had my first name followed by "SHOPPER". Guessing staring at the bartender's name tag (Utahns employ some unique spellings for names) was what gave me away.

Shop was still accepted, but I was blocked from that location for several years.

I am video recording the interaction with the service attendant. Placement in the cup holder is the perfect angle to record the person at the drivers side window. These shops can be difficult because after that interaction is recorded, the shopper has to then pick up their cell phone and record the interaction with the director. I had a shop rejected once because I dropped my cell phone for about 3 seconds while the vehicle was in motion and entering the wash lane. I did not pick up my phone since I was driving (I waited until my car was in neutral). I disputed, but ultimately lost since the entire car wash experience was not recorded.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

i've seen something on a sassie shop board with car wash and video recording. It was never clear to me. I have not done one. it's not in ohio, but in a different state. Seems like a similar scenario. What are you "recording" if it's in cup holder? Is this to capture AUDIO? why not audio record instead? I did not understand the video part of it.

Do you stay in your car and drive thru the wash? I am lost at why/how video is necessary/helpful. I know with the QQ shops, you upload audio (different MSC)

So I guess my question is...what happens if you put your phone in the cupholder AFTER your interaction? keep the video running and have it sitting somewhere else instead.

That is funny!

@CoolMusic wrote:

I got outed at a Texas Roadhouse. My receipt had my first name followed by "SHOPPER". Guessing staring at the bartender's name tag (Utahns employ some unique spellings for names) was what gave me away.

Shop was still accepted, but I was blocked from that location for several years.

I think that the placement of my cell phone in the cup holder (camera facing drivers window) is the dead giveaway. I don't know any other way to record unless someone goes with me and records, but that seems obvious too.

@drdoggie00 wrote:

I had to laugh at this, gigi. Any idea what blew your cover?

I am sure that the manager at a 5 guys knows exactly who I am. She has never outed me and I get superior service. Suddenly, They come from the back and wipe the table, sweep the floor and wipe the countertops. They often deliver the food to my table. I say nothing and neither do I. The manager also knows my name and used it when I order.

@CoolMusic wrote:

It's been awhile, but there were a few occasions where the cashier used the marker to put a big "M" on my windshield.

Pretty sure that stood for "mystery shopper".

Wow, how Nathaniel Hawthorne-like. Was the "M" in scarlet?