I'm the 'nice' mystery shopper

I do a lot of gas station audits. I was told again the other day that I'm the 'nice' mystery shopper. For Union 76, I usually do them every other quarter unless the MSC calls and asks me to do them more often. What's funny is that I have never once awarded the Golden Ticket. I always think I'm too picky but apparently not in comparison to my competition for these jobs. I do consider the fact that they are gas stations and not Nordstroms but at the same time I do not like dirty restrooms or food sections nor do I like graffiti.

When Cori still had their client, I would do a certain route every other month. I always heard about "the other guy." I wonder what they say to him about me?

Speaking of gas station audits, have you ever encountered bongs and switchblades being sold in the food mart? I have. Once I reported it because they took the switchblade out and was playing with it. I haven't reported the bongs until the new 76 audit that specifically asks about drug paraphernalia and porn.

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Depending on the msc, if they get enough good feedback
for the stores about you they may award you the route
permanently with no rotation.

That happened to me on a group of stores I do. The client
requested that only I do the shops from now on because
they like the way I did them and never got justifiable complaints
from the stores about me.

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There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots
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When you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody

I often heard about other auditors who were cocky, arrogant and downright a-holes to the employees. While my demeanor has always been friendly, I also consider myself reasonable rather than just nice. A scheduler once told me, "They are gas stations for God's sake." We were discussing other auditors and how white glove cleanliness outside or having employees available to pick up a piece of trash the moment it was dropped were not reasonable expectations.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

Can I ask about those Union 76 shops? I've only seen scattered ones, here and there. (Does the MSC give them out as routes, and that's why I'm not seeing them routinely, or have people just grabbed them before i took a look at the board?)

LisaSTL Wrote:
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> I often heard about other auditors who were cocky,
> arrogant and downright a-holes to the employees.
> While my demeanor has always been friendly, I also
> consider myself reasonable rather than just nice.
> A scheduler once told me, "They are gas stations
> for God's sake." We were discussing other auditors
> and how white glove cleanliness outside or having
> employees available to pick up a piece of trash
> the moment it was dropped were not reasonable
> expectations.

That comforts me. I'm not a white-glove sort of person, and I've worried that I'm being too slack. (I DO report things that are wrong--I just have that 'these are gas stations' idea in the back of my mind.)

It is a fine line to be sure. In some ways I approach it through the eyes of a customer when evaluating cleanliness so a little water spot on the door will not be noticed but smudges indicating that door hasn't been cleaned recently will. I have also evaluated stations immediately following thunderstorms or while inches upon inches of snow are melting so mats and floors are not clean. I always included notes because to me it would be unfair for them to be harshly judged on circumstances beyond their control.

I've not known this MSC give out routes at all but maybe the oldtimes can answer that definitively.

The old audits were done quarterly. You would see a lot in Jan, April, July and October. Not every station is audited every quarter. It seems to me to be more about volume than location as there are a few very remote but very high volume stations I do every quarter (for really good bonuses).

The program is changing, and from what I can tell, they are going the way of Chevron, i.e., mystery shops that are separate from the audits. I've been asked to do a couple of the new audits. One paid $14; the other paid $100. The new mystery shops are basically a losing proposition at this point.

I agree LisaLST. It's one of the reasons I get so aggravated with the reviewers for the company that does Jack in the Box. Ive been told that the fact that it is snowing outside with a foot of snow on the ground and a line of skiers ten deep waiting to use the restroom is "not relevant" to the cleanliness section of my report.

In answer to you other question, I have never see switchblades being sold but I have bongs and other drug paraphernalia. One brand has asked about that for quite a while now.

>> I have bongs and other drug paraphernalia.

Typo or confession?

@whiterosie - Hi neighbor! I have never gotten any feedback on you from the gas station managers.

Anyway, when I do a gas station audit, I usually introduce myself to the manager as "Hi again, I am here to audit your gas station. Yes, I am the bad guy". I usually do this with a smile and clearly joking. I believe that it breaks the ice.

I don't do white glove audits on those, but just a customer's perspective, and usually don't report unnecessary flaws if the manager spots them and corrects them on site (for example a missing badge that mysteriously appears a minute afterwards).

When I have had to go back to a business for a revealed audit, I am usually greeted with a positive attitude.

Interesting, I do also get comments from the managers on sloppy or inexperienced auditors.

C

---
"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind..." - Henry Ford

Ishmael Wrote:
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> >> I have bongs and other drug paraphernalia.
>
> Typo or confession?

Neither.

It's part of the sentence, exp: "I have not seen (blank) there but I have bongs and paraphernalia."

Might have <added>

But I "have seen" bongs and paraphernalia."

Quite a few have told me that they didn't like the other guy. He was a snob, rude..cold..they said they liked me better. Well..I am friendly but if something is not correct, I'll report it as such. I don't fool around on the job.

I often get that I'm nicer than the other people. And quicker. An exxon shop just told me the other guy took almost two hours. How in the heck?

I note things that get fixed. I'll mark the person off for no name tag, but day they then put it on.

One said to me the other day, "you sure take a lot of pictures" The other guy took a few and stayed 20 minutes.

Well? I told her that a picture is worth a thousand words and I'll be about an hour. Want to make sure I don't make a mistake.

I take quite a few pictures. Usually at least double and frequently triple what I need. I always take a couple of overall that i can steal a close up photo out of if i realize I'm missing something. But less than 20 minutes on site.

Cabazan, I try not to do gas stations down in your area because it is too darn hot! But I did the 76 at Indian next to the freeway yesterday. The manager said someone else had been there over the weekend. I had to explain that the audits are changing so some stations are getting hit back to back. Was that you that was there last weekend?

I almost got blown away. The wind ripped my glasses right off my face. I didn't have my DSLR with me. I couldn't my hand steady in the wind and without the motion settings had a hard time getting clear photos.

I, too, take a ton of photos. I photograph every pump from away and close up, the air machine, the bathroom, the oil, credit card apps, pop, food dispensers, cash registers, landscaping, etc. I can do most of them in 15 minutes unless they are super busy or have more than eight pumps. I tell them I photograph everything not because there is something wrong, but so I don't mix them up with others I'm doing that same day.

Early on I realized I needed to photograph things such as the front of the bathroom door because I couldn't remember after the fact if it was a women's or unisex. Same with oil as I seem to get a lot of 76s that sell Chevron oil. I also forget if they sell diesel. Sometimes only one pump has diesel. This way I'm covered and when I'm home in comfort reviewing the photos, I see things I missed or see things that clear them on an issue.

barbage Wrote:
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> In answer to you other question, I have never see
> switchblades being sold but I have bongs and other
> drug paraphernalia. One brand has asked about that
> for quite a while now.

Our county has cracked down on the sales of drug paraphernalia, owners & manager's & sales people have landed up in jail. I did a recent audit and took photo's of Synthetic Urine (in the box). The MSC has never notified me if that is or is not included in the 'not to sell' list. My neighbor who is a sheriff's deputy could not answer that for me as he had never heard of it before.

I have been told that I am nicer than other auditors, too. The employee was referring to the fact that I made polite conversation and let them know I was leaving. He told me that other auditors don't say anything beyond announcing themselves and asking them to fill out the form.

Do you all let the employees know when you are finished?

I have been referred to as the "nice mystery shopper lady" when I did a DT and then reveal, for a famous burger joint.

I went inside, had them sign the papers and explained the results. They said, "Oh, most of them just slap the papers down on the counter, ask for a signature and then walk out."

I said, "They don't explain your results to you?" Most of them say no.

I like to give them positive encouragement, when we go over the paperwork, it just feels good when they do a great job!

Wow! It amazes me how seemingly rude and lazy so many shoppers/auditors are. I did my first (and second) FF reveal shops and went over the results both times. It seems appropriate when you are asking somebody to sign a paper to let them know what they are signing.

TeriW Wrote:
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> Wow! It amazes me how seemingly rude and lazy so
> many shoppers/auditors are. I did my first (and
> second) FF reveal shops and went over the results
> both times. It seems appropriate when you are
> asking somebody to sign a paper to let them know
> what they are signing.

Perhaps they think "Part 2, Reveal" should be hurried along, since they did "Part 1, Drive Thru" and maybe it feels like 2 shops to them?

If we know the shop pays a certain amount of money and we are required to do both DT and Reveal, we need to give a 100% until complete. Thank you Teri for giving 100% !

Thanks SD, but I didn't eat all of my food, so maybe I only gave 93.9%.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2014 01:11AM by TeriW.

For GS audits I always completed the inside portion first. Before leaving I thanked the employees, told them the rest of my observations would be outside and then I would be off and out of their hair until next time.

We should model standards of behavior that we're auditing. Please, thank-you, have a great day...
Invest in good karma, or live by the Golden Rule, or just try to inspire them to do their best so we have less to report.

I've always peeked inside and thanked them before I left, on the gas station audits. I don't have my system organized enough to do all the inside first, and then move to the outside--I keep popping back in to double-check the brands of oil, or the credit-card merchandizing display.

I just hate it when I have to backtrack on something I forgot. It is my intention to do the inside first in the same exact order every time, then go outside. Inside, I take all necessary pictures and fill out my cheat sheet. Outside may not work in the exact same order depending on pumps being occupied, but I try to do the outside the same way every time, too. Outside, I like to reverse the order, stand in front of the building, and make most of my cheat sheet notes that I can determine from that position. Then I take the pictures. After that, I check my picture list to be sure I have everything and also check my receipts and staple them to the folder.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

I think it only takes a few seconds out of our lives, to say: "Thank you. Great Job."

Thank you for saying that, SunnyDays. Great Job!

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