Hi everyone! I am thinking about performing some merchandising in addition to mystery shopping. I would love to get some feedback on the supplies you have found useful in performing your job. A few of the items that come to mind are a duster and a box cutter. I know the supplies needed are often dependent on the type of job an individual would be performing. I would like to just get a general idea of what you find useful to have on hand.

Thanks!

What kind of merchandising do you do?

I have a canvas bag I keep things in, and the contents change depending on the job I am doing but normally I always have a black sharpie marker, scissors, microfiber cleaning cloths and I keep my clip board in that bag so I don't lose it even at home so I know where it is to clip my paperwork for the day to. I also keep a bottle of water or two, a small first aid kid with bandaids, neosporin and alcohol wipes and some tums..all just in case. The water being to keep from getting dehydrated. Other than that if I need something specific to a job I'm doing that day I will toss whatever item I need into my bag and then take it back out again when I get home so it doesn't get too cluttered and it keeps it simple to keep the contents pretty generic.

I am not actively merchandising yet. I am in the process of signing up with merchandising companies currently.

Clip board/binder, Portable battery pack(mine has up to 4-5 phone charges worth), Bag, pens/sharpies, and steel toed shoes, however mine are composite toed. I paid $30 for mine(almost brand new) and they retail new for $180.

Steel toed shoes
Box cutter
Pen and marker
I use the stores cleaning supplies.
If you are going to merchandising beer or soda like I do make sure you have a change of clothing in your trunk. At my last stop today I received a beer shower and had several secret shops scheduled.
I also keep aspirin, band aids and deodorant in my car.

@sstazz wrote:

Steel toed shoes
Box cutter
Pen and marker
I use the stores cleaning supplies.
If you are going to merchandising beer or soda like I do make sure you have a change of clothing in your trunk. At my last stop today I received a beer shower and had several secret shops scheduled.
I also keep aspirin, band aids and deodorant in my car.

Never leave stick deodorant in the car, it melts on a hot day. Trust me.

For store remodels or large reset work:
I use a stepstool which is also a tool box. ( I'm vertically challenged)
Multi tip screwdriver ( I do lots of battery replacements and interactive installs)
Small hammer ( for those shelf brackets that have been in place for years)
Pliers ( some of those price label tracks just won't give up the ghost, also wing nuts that won't budge)
small tape measure ( for back rooms where the shelves and brackets are not separated, also for setting shelf heights)
Painters tape, packing tape, index cards ( to set where the shelves are supposed to go for other people, cards to label defective, damaged, etc. product, clear tape to seal boxes if you have to send back product)
Magnifier ( those nail polish bottles and mascara tube numbers are just too small)
Garden type kneeling pad ( It helps if you are doing bottom shelf work, I have seem guys using the workman type knee protectors)
Outlet tester ( sometimes you need to know if the interactive display is broken, or, if the outlet is dead)
Various colored markers, pens, pencils
Snug fitting plastic gloves for dusty work, work gloves for the really ugly stuff.
Plastic hangers for hanging damaged packaging (product is still good, just has a torn hole to place it on hook)
Small Swiffer for dusting.

All my stuff is well marked or brightly painted. So many people show up without anything for resets. They like my tools so well, they try to liberate them occasionally.

I do keep a first aid kit in my car with all the Aleve, triple antibiotic cream, band aids, ace bandages, etc.
I also have extra dividers, label holders, hooks, etc. in my car. If I need them, I go get them.

For cycle work I travel very light- clipboard with storage, 2 pens, paperwork and a note pad.
If I don't think I will need it in a store, I don't drag it along.