I enjoy reading the old threads back in the day. To me, it helps put certain topics/threads into perspective. It seemed more active and lively back then. Some threads were quite testy/snarky, but there were also threads that were quite deep/heartfelt. Every once a while, I get into a deep rabbit hole of reading, and I wake up so sore the next morning (not joking, for real!).

Anyways, I wanted to start another topic in good fun and nature. No need to take this so seriously. If you could be a "fly on the wall" and watch/experience another shopper on these forums perform a shop, which shopper would it be and what type of shop?

I'll go ahead and list three and an honorable mention. Lately, that's how my mind has been working (in threes, and a bonus).

1) SteveSoCal - A multiple-night stay at a resort. I would want to see his approach and how he operates post-shop with the report. That's a long time though, and my pretty little wings would get tired. An evening of fine-dining and a bar visit would also work.

2) shopperbob - Any video-recording shop with today's equipment.

3) ServiceAward - Revealed gas station audit. These types of shops, I am ignorant to. I get so confused when people talk about brands and fancy terms. I would want to watch the most difficult shop where the gas station had a plethora of non-compliance/violations. Throw in a hostile owner too.

HM) drdoggie00 - Anything involving merchandising.

I lied, one more HM. johnb974 - Smartphone recommendation

@Okie wrote:

1) SteveSoCal - A multiple-night stay at a resort. I would want to see his approach and how he operates post-shop with the report. That's a long time though, and my pretty little wings would get tired. An evening of fine-dining and a bar visit would also work.

A couple of us actually have done this. He’s a great guy IRL

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2024 08:52PM by BayShopper22.

SteveSoCal is amazing. I've long wondered how long it took him to hone his craft. I've read his posts over the years and he definitely seems to have a good system down.

Well, @Okie, I appreciate the mention. You may be waiting a while though. I've not done a gas audit in months with one exception. On Tuesday I audited a Shell. It is currently closed being remodeled, so I knew all I had to do is snap an overview photo. I was in and out in two minutes. It is only half price, but I go by there, so not out of the way.

Before that, according to the magic app, the last real audit I've done was a BP in April. I was visiting a small(er) town today for an appointment. There were TONS of shops around. I counted 3 Exxon, 2 Shell, 2 Valero, 4 cell phone stores, 2 at Lowes, and some Merchandising stuff. There could have been more. I did not do any of them. I ate lunch at the drive-in place, went to a bin store, went to my appointment, went by Goodwill, picked up some tote bins at Lowes since mine local one was out of what I needed, ran into Family Dollar, and back by the drive-in to get a cone of soft serve before heading home.

I actually did work in some mystery shopping. It was two phone calls, both part of a larger shop.

The fly on the wall you would have wanted to be on was the Exxon with the owner who cussed me out, then sent her customer/boyfriend at me.

Hey, thanks for the shoutout, Okie!

1. SteveSoCal - Any type of hotel/resort shop that involves measuring towels with a ruler.

2. ses & morl - Gas stations - only to learn I've been doing them wrong all this time.

3. shopperbob - I'd want to watch him in action, but then I'd really love to pick his brain afterward.

HM:

Cool, on a multinight, multistate route.
Service, just so I could drive him nuts with my never-ending questions.
Cassiespark, for solid all-around knowledge.

SteveSoCal...but not on the shop itself. I'd like to see how he gets a fine dining report done in an hour! Restaurant reports used to take me so long, trying to find exactly the right phrasing and adjectives. They're all in my head, they just don't fall out onto paper, in what I think, is the right order. I quit trying. Seeing how it's done efficiently in a reasonable amount of time would be a thing of beauty!

D-dog - Don't worry, after all these years I've been told more than once recently by some editors' standards that I'm doing them wrong, too. With others, no problem. Go figure.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2024 12:44PM by sestrahelena.

I second stevesocal and serviceaward. I would add morledzep. It's not even a shop thing. These are just people I like reading their posts and have an admiration for or interest in.

I was going to say I don't know I missed this thread when Okie first posted...but that's also the answer to the question; I tend to focus extremely hard on one task at a time and ignore everything else.

And also, everything gets faster/easier with repetition.

I generally don't work at hotels or dinners outside of taking notes. I try to enjoy the experience. I leave the receipt on my desk when I get home, and go to sleep/unpack, or do whatever needs to get done in my life that day. In the morning, I put the coffee on, scan receipts and organize my files while it brews, and then I get to work. It's not that exciting to watch because I just sit there drinking coffee and working until I am done, or at least, to the milestone in a hotel report where I want to be. Those can take 6-12 hours total.

I do have a 'trick' that I use in my regular work life as well, where I set milestones and rewards for progress. Dining reports don't get breaks, because they can be done in one sitting, but hotels can have snack breaks, meal breaks and such when I hit a certain point.

The rest is all about organization and having a really great ergonomic work environment. My main job requires a relatively large technical setup, so I have an large computer monitor (50") that allows me to spread one doc with notes, another with the narrative and the online form across the screen to see everything. I can also set up rows of pictures across the top of the screen so I can see the different meal courses pictured.

My theory is that sitting on a dining experience for the night while I sleep allows me to process it and think about it. I have been doing this for so long now that's it habit, and my brain is doing a lot of work while I sleep. The overall experience is clearer the next morning. The tipsy feeling has faded and been replaced with a caffeine buzz instead, and I don't have to spend much time chasing my words. I sometimes use dictation software for longer hotel reports and speak the narrative, then do an editing pass when I might clean up some wording.

But...I am only good/fast at these one or two things. I don't do as well with other MSCs outside of Coyle because it's not part of the 20 years of repetition I am used to (As evidenced by me blowing a taco shop last week). I used to struggle with the ACL reports because of their accordion style reporting software where sections are opening and closing, so they took too long, and I just stopped working for them.

I am amazed at people who can set up long routes of small ships and keep all those receipts organized. For a hotel or restaurant, it'd very limited amount of paperwork involved. It's just one big paycheck.

And @drdoggie00 the towel measuring scenario was a whole different kind of shop so I had to create a new technique, because there was no narrative and everything had to be done on site. I did one pass on arrival (room pics), and another the last morning (towels and sheet measurements). I also did 65 of those hotels and many were back to back, so it got faster and easier over time, and I never had to refer to the instructions after the first few that I did locally. The check in/out days were always lost to travel and reporting, but the middle day was always a day off and I used those shops to travel across Europe one summer with a free day to go sightseeing every other day.

And thanks everyone for all the kind words above!

Steve, if I recall correctly (may no longer be true), AAA, through its travel division, used to hire full time hotel evaluators and I believe they were employees....in that case you would be evaluating directly....sounds like you would have done well in that capacity.

@BarefootBliss I've been checking to see if they're hiring lately. I don't know where they post those jobs, though.

Thanks for sharing your experience SteveSoCal. It's nice to have someone experienced with Coyle talk about their approach. It was good to read about your routine, and how you rest and reenergize. It's reassuring I'm approaching it correctly. I agree with your sentiments. Before, I always had this thought that shoppers did the report on-site along the way or were highly stressed about it all throughout. Rather than be a fly, I want to read your report instead now.

I have a similar setup, and I agree 100% with the monitor setup. However, I lack your discipline and focus though. My attention span is short, and I compartmentalize the report too much and kick it down the road. As a result, I end up cramming at the last minute. The thing that hurts me most is submitting the report late.

But the one thing that helps me personally is taking inventory of all the required photos on-site before leaving, That, I will take the time to organize and be diligent about. In a similar manner, also blocking out periods of time to get all of the interactions out of the way.

For Coyle, I don't do as many shops. I always have to reset and reframe to write with timestamps, quotes, play-by-play, environment, and the type of questions.

For ACL, I think I'm good with those now. I've done so many, where the report goes fairly quickly now. Personally, I like how it's sectioned off. I can finish one part, do something else, and come back to it later. The narratives are not too long. From my experience, I think they do appreciate conciseness, brevity, and being direct.

Okie, I began video/audio work in Aug. of 2009 at $60 and worked my way up to $200 for the NFL piracy jobs. The pay began decreasing for me in 2014, with my last video work 2 1/2 yrs. ago. It was incorrectly, at one point, thought that recording was the wave of the future. The last shop notice I received was this past spring for $45; I did not consider the work.

dr, through this Aug., I have only completed 5 jobs for category 1--money. Category 2--leisure has been far worse @ 1, with cat 3, travel expense defrayment @ 159. My last good day was 11/30/22; I completed 4 apts. and 2 account inquiries for $540.

A final comment: I have never regretted entering this line of work. While it has never been as fruitful as I hoped, shopping has permitted me to be an independent person. To work as I choose, when I elect and where I deem acceptable and profitable.

@BarefootBliss & @nolimitem those AAA jobs still exist, but they are more of what Okie was envisioning; you get salaried from the company and 100% of your travel expenses covered, but are always working on property. Alone. It's not a vacation, and the pay...not that great. You also don't get to choose where you are going.

I always assumed the AAA evaluators would live somewhere near a major airport, but also somewhere rural enough to make it affordable.

I only want to do the travel shops with my wife these days. I had plenty of solo travel in my youth, so we look at the hotels as a romantic getaway now. I trade my days off from my main job and schedule around that, in order to have free days on the trip. I used to book a location and then fill in all of the unscheduled meals with shops, but I am moving on from that. I took a shop end of this month in NYC that has very little food provided, and we plan to use that free time to visit some of our favorite restaurant without the stress of having to report on it. It's enough of a value to just get a comp 5-star hotel room in NYC.

Perhaps I can start another thread with trip reports like I used to do. I am no longer up for shopping my way completely around the world, but have had a few good select hotel evaluations this year already.

@shopperbob wrote:

A final comment: I have never regretted entering this line of work. While it has never been as fruitful as I hoped, shopping has permitted me to be an independent person. To work as I choose, when I elect and where I deem acceptable and profitable.

Well said, Mr. Bob!

@SteveSoCal wrote:

I took a shop end of this month in NYC that has very little food provided, and we plan to use that free time to visit some of our favorite restaurant without the stress of having to report on it. It's enough of a value to just get a comp 5-star hotel room in NYC.

Perhaps I can start another thread with trip reports like I used to do. I am no longer up for shopping my way completely around the world, but have had a few good select hotel evaluations this year already.

I would be interested in the trip reports. I'm curious about when airfare is involved. When you submit your application, do you already do research beforehand on airfare costs, and then propose possible shop dates?

I think one reason why I was able to get my foot in the door is because where I live is not really a tourist or destination city. I was a local nearby. Lately, I've been seeking resorts and nearby areas where there are more outdoor activities available.

@drdoggie00 I would tell you, bring on the questions.

@nolimitem Thank you.

@SteveSoCal I agree with you that repetition is key. The more you do, the faster and more efficient you become.

I have a rule of 3s I follow in life. As it relates to mystery shopping, I will do a job 3 times before I make a final decision on whether I like it or want to stay with it. This gives enough time for me to work out my own kinks so I can properly evaluate whether it is a job I enjoy, not worth the money, etc. In traditional employment situations, I advise people to remain at a new job for 3 months, before deciding whether you like or dislike it. Three months would be my rule for dating before getting married, as well. You get the idea.

@ServiceAward wrote:

Three months would be my rule for dating before getting married, as well.

I'm going to counter with 1 year on marriage.

People can fake it for a while, but I feel like after year, there are going to let their guard down at some point, and show you who they really are.

This is coming from someone who dated various people for 35 years before getting married, so perhaps I'm more apprehensive than most.

@Okie I research the travel costs and base my bid on that, including my travel in the shop request.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

@ServiceAward wrote:

Three months would be my rule for dating before getting married, as well.

I'm going to counter with 1 year on marriage.

People can fake it for a while, but I feel like after year, there are going to let their guard down at some point, and show you who they really are.

This is coming from someone who dated various people for 35 years before getting married, so perhaps I'm more apprehensive than most.

A year is fine. The point of 3 months with respect to marriage is NOT to rush in. It's a floor, not a ceiling. The ceiling would be 3 years. If at the three-year mark you have not married or haven't planned on it, then something is going on. (This applies to people who want to get married - or at least they tell their partner they want to get married.)

Before the 3 months, comes the 3 dates over 3 weeks. When I finally decide to go back into the dating scene, I'll give a lady 3 dates over 3 weeks to convince me why I shouldn't move on. LOL

Hey @ServiceAward - I always had this thought in the back of my head, that you and @drdoggie00 would eventually settle down and get married.

@Okie wrote:

Hey @ServiceAward - I always had this thought in the back of my head, that you and @drdoggie00 would eventually settle down and get married.

The doc is a wonderful lady. Truly. I'm afraid the doc would go running away, of course kicking me a few times for good measure.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2024 03:59AM by ServiceAward.

… and screaming

@Okie wrote:

… and screaming

Touché

@ServiceAward wrote:

When I finally decide to go back into the dating scene, I'll give a lady 3 dates over 3 weeks to convince me why I shouldn't move on.

Someone has to take over the reins of dating through MS!...and agreed on 3 years max.

A side note on dating while MSing; I once dated someone who had nearly photographic memory. I could text her the next day after coming home from a trip and ask her the name of the bellman at check in, and she would instantly have an answer. The relationship was not so great otherwise, but I was loathe to break it off because she was the best shop companion ever. Even after we stopped dating, I would still take her MS trips, and my friends simply referred to as "Hotel Girl".

SteveSoCal quite the ladies man Hm, is it wrong to live with someone for over three years and not be married? In this said example, both are financially independent and have no desire to have kids.

@Okie wrote:

Hey @ServiceAward - I always had this thought in the back of my head, that you and @drdoggie00 would eventually settle down and get married.

That won't happen as long as he keeps playing hard to get. Thanks for the laugh!

@ServiceAward wrote:

The doc is a wonderful lady. Truly.

You're too kind....thank you.

I'm fans of both dr. doggie and serviceaward. I would definitely be expecting a wedding invitation, whether fictitious or not!

@Mellifluy wrote:

I'm fans of both dr. doggie and serviceaward. I would definitely be expecting a wedding invitation, whether fictitious or not!

Instead of invitations, you will have to apply. Included in your application must be a short narrative about the last wedding you attended. If approved, you must arrive no less than 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Have your timer ready! You must note to the milisecond the time the ceremony started. During the ceremony, you must raise an objection and note the reaction of the minister. A minimum of three photos are required, including a selfie of you giving a thumbs up the moment the new bride and groom kiss. Reports are due by Midnight. You must be available for the next 120 hours to answer any follow up questions by the editor. If you fail to adhere to any of the guidelines, your report will be rejected, you will be banned from the program, and a true embarassment of this great mystery shopping company. You must purchase a wedding gift of your choosing but it must cost at least $150. There will be no reinburisement for the wedding gift. The shop fee is $69. Payment will follow 14 months after the shop is completed. We vaule you here at Bullcrap R Us MSC. If you have questions, please do not contact your scheduler, Dickie. This is a fun shop!! You don't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2024 06:51AM by ServiceAward.

@Mellifluy wrote:

I'm fans of both dr. doggie and serviceaward. I would definitely be expecting a wedding invitation, whether fictitious or not!

Aww, thank you, Mel! I'm a card-carrying member of your fan club as well. I'll mark you down with a +1, but how will you decide which side of the aisle to sit on? -lol-

@ServiceAward wrote:

This is a fun shop!! You don't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

-laughing as I read- You forgot "quick and easy!"

You should have @BabyBooey19 in charge of the venue and wedding catering

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2024 07:24PM by Okie.