Some days I think I want to stay in bed and cover my head....

[TinysMom]

As many of you know - I'm a merchandiser (vendor). I go in various stores and do projects for a number of different companies. Soon I will be going to Walmart once a week to work with their helium balloons and make sure they're out and on display. I go into Home Depot once a week and fill the candy at the registers. I straighten, stock and order new greeting cards every week for one Dollar General store, and every other week for two Dollar Generals and one Family Dollar. Some of my projects are regular and ongoing - some are on-time things.

The upside of this job is I get to make my own schedule - and with some companies I can pick and choose the assignments I take. The downside of this job - is I make my own schedule.....and sometimes it just doesn't work out right.

Like today....I deliberately picked today to go into Walmart because I had three projects that were due by tomorow and one due by today. I also had some due by the end of the week (I've had 3 weeks to get them done - but I've been very busy with other jobs and this was the best week for me to schedule them).

I partly deliberately picked this day because the majority of my department managers in Walmart have said that they prefer I don't come in on a Monday....

So I go in today - and half of my managers are off. It turns out that they worked this weekend for the "no sales tax" weekend...and they were able to take today off instead.

Mind you - tomorrow I'm booked with two HEBs (fairly short work), a Family Dollar (short job) and I was going to finish my last Dollar General for the week so I could take Thursday off. I was also going to get my pharmacy call done tomorrow so that Friday morning - as soon as I was done w/ Home Depot - I could be done for the weekend - meaning I'd have all day Thursday off, work 90 minutes Friday morning and have Fri/Sat/Sun off. I know next week will be hectic because I'm doing the resets in Dollar General for the greeting cards (the Halloween / Thanksgiving / Christmas cards are going to be put out).

So I get home and I'm talking to Art and I'm thinking, "I suppose I could maybe go out and get one more store done ...so that tomorrow won't be so bad since I have to go back to Walmart..."

Then Millie hears my voice and comes running in and jumps up on me....

Have I mentioned Millie LOVES water? That Art has made her a pool outside and she jumps in and out of it all the time when she's out there? Have I mentioned she hasn't learned about shaking to get the water out of her fur?

Or that she doesn't seem to understand that water - plus dirt = "getting mud on mommy"???

I'm in my last work clothes outfit for warmer weather - I was going to do laundry this afternoon.....

:bigtears:

So either I'm going to have a longer day tomorrow than I like (I will survive) or I will work tomorrow and Thursday. I haven't decided which option to go with yet.

Art told me I should just "celebrate" the fact that I'm done early today....

...I can't.

I just picked up a mystery shop for Sears - $21 for a 15 minute shop (especially since we'll be in the same plaza) is just TOO GOOD to pass up...

Oh well...it could be worse. I could be back to working on the phone as a customer service rep - or I could be working 8 hours per day in the same place.

I guess I'll keep my job...uh.....jobS...

 

[SOOOSKA]

Hey Peg, what do you actually do as a Mystery Shopper? Curious minds want to know.

Susan

 

[TinysMom]

SOOOSKA wrote:

Hey Peg, what do you actually do as a Mystery Shopper? Curious minds want to know.

Susan

Oh Susan - what I do is different for each company and each shop pretty much. Due to non-disclosure agreements I've agreed to - I can't share a lot of stuff.

But I can give some general information....

For fast food shops - one of the major concerns is....how quickly did you receive your food? Was it acccurate? Was the food hot?

For sit down restaurants the questions are often more about service...did the waiter/waitress know about the specials...did they refill your beverage...did they check if your food was ok...etc.

For "knowledge" based shops - like a bank teller shop - was the teller confident about completing the transaction, did they pick up on a cue you dropped about needing special service, (ie. "I can't believe its almost time for the kids to go back to school...I don't know how I'm going to be able to afford their clothes this year.." is a cue that they should pick up on to suggest a loan....)

For major stores it might be did all of the employees who came within X distance of you make eye contact and offer to help?

In many places I check to see if the bathroom is clean.

I've done grocery stores where I had to note if the various departments not only answered my question but smiled and asked me if they could do anything else to help.

Basically - as a mystery shopper - I look for anything the company tells me to look for.

I was averaging about $100 per month - sometimes as high as $200 and sometimes lower (depending upon how much I wanted to work). I live in a small town so that's pretty good.

But I'm dropping back on my mystery shops - mainly doing the ones I like. Now that I"m merchandising - my pay per hour is greater than mystery shopping - which was really more about what I could "add" to my life since I was in some stores anyway. For instance, when I did the grocery store - I got paid $6 for the report plus reimbursed $6 towards my purchase of 10 items or more. So I looked at it as getting $12 towards my groceries....

I hope this helps. I've shopped the following types of businesses:

• the "mart" stores
• grocery stores
• gas stations
• fast food
• sit-down restaurants
• steak houses (in Alaska)
• book stores
• post offices
• UPS
• appliance stores (like Sears)
• video rental stores
• home improvement stores

and so much more.

I once mystery shopped a college cafeteria. Oh - and I mystery shopped a day spa...

I do enjoy mystery shopping but after a while - I get sick and tired of it and need to take a break. I'm in that break period right now.

I'll go ahead and do Sears - it is a $5 shop (no purchase needed) that they upped to $21....so I can't resist...