I overheard a shopper today...

While browsing the required 15 minutes in one of my favorite discount stores. There were few customers and the store was quiet. There were two middle aged men and myself. One of the guys phone rings and he answers it. "This is who?" "Do what?" "Oh, Botox Juans?" " I can't I already have something else." Hangs up tells the companion "They should have called sooner it's too late now."

So am I imagining it?

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Nope. We often stick out like sore thumbs, especially to each other. I've seen indiscreet shoppers at Costco, CVS and Foodtown...Costco was 2 middle aged men. You're not in Jersey tho, are you CoffeeQueen?

Shopping Central Jersey Shoreline. WHAT? I'm an adult?! When did this happen?! How do I make it stop?!

No, I'm in Kentucky.

I guess I'm completely oblivious to the shoppers in my area. The only time I ran into shoppers was during my Ardent training.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

I got spotted once. I was taking some photos of a gas station (unrevealed) and a woman I had never seen before walked right up to me and said "Are you a mystery shopper?" The instructions for that particular shop were to 'fess up if confronted, so I admitted that I was. It turned out she wasn't working for the gas station. She got a big smile on her face and said "Me too!"

We ended up sitting in that gas station parking lot for a half hour just shooting the breeze, talking about what kinds of shops we liked and didn't, what strange experiences we had had, and swapping tricks and techniques (much like we all do here). Neither one of us had met anyone "like us" before. It was kind of a neat experience to have a colleague of sorts, even if just for a moment.

I find it hilarious the guy said Botox Juan. I mean, who says that anyway? We do lol. Good story there coffee queen.

@Canuck wrote:

I find it hilarious the guy said Botox Juan. I mean, who says that anyway? We do lol. Good story there coffee queen.

Well he said the real name, I adjusted it. hahaha

@meghan9262 wrote:

I got spotted once. I was taking some photos of a gas station (unrevealed) and a woman I had never seen before walked right up to me and said "Are you a mystery shopper?" The instructions for that particular shop were to 'fess up if confronted, so I admitted that I was. It turned out she wasn't working for the gas station. She got a big smile on her face and said "Me too!"

We ended up sitting in that gas station parking lot for a half hour just shooting the breeze, talking about what kinds of shops we liked and didn't, what strange experiences we had had, and swapping tricks and techniques (much like we all do here). Neither one of us had met anyone "like us" before. It was kind of a neat experience to have a colleague of sorts, even if just for a moment.

That would be cool. No one has ever approached me like that. Customers sometimes ask if I work for whatever brand I'm auditing but thats all. Although as a general rule I'm all for the "mystery" in mystery shopper.

megan,
Imagine going to a shopper conference and having dozens and dozens of shoppers to chat with! It can be quite intoxicating to be in a room FULL of people who know what this is all about!

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I always wonder how anyone can do an audit and not be identified in the shopper. I've never done one of these clothes or electronic audits, but you're there for hours, going through merchandise ... that would stand out to me.

I was muttering over and over Botox Juan when I finally realized what it is.

@Tarantado wrote:

I guess I'm completely oblivious to the shoppers in my area. The only time I ran into shoppers was during my Ardent training.

Me too--and they seemed pretty inept for the most part. Like it wouldn't be too hard to spot them in the field.

BTW, I'm in the same area as CoffeeQueen, but I'm not insulting her with the above statement because I know she wasn't there... and it definetely wasn't me she overheard on the phone, because I find that pizza to be disgusting. >X-D

"The future ain't what it used to be." --Yogi Berra

@pinchers81 wrote:

@Tarantado wrote:

I guess I'm completely oblivious to the shoppers in my area. The only time I ran into shoppers was during my Ardent training.

Me too--and they seemed pretty inept for the most part. Like it wouldn't be too hard to spot them in the field.

BTW, I'm in the same area as CoffeeQueen, but I'm not insulting her with the above statement because I know she wasn't there... and it definetely wasn't me she overheard on the phone, because I find that pizza to be disgusting. >X-D

And I was positive that the person I overheard wasn't you. For so MANY reasons.

I'm not surprised. Not a damned day goes by when I don't get assaulted with offers to order another Tea Party pizza. The least they could do is offer a decent bonus.

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

No, I'm in Kentucky.

Me too! But not a middle aged man. No way I could be mistaken for that!

MissChele - Shopping KY, IN & OH
Thread Killer

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2015 02:44PM by MissChele.

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

No, I'm in Kentucky.

You are in Kentucky? Do we have to type slower so you can read it? Just kidding! lol. Even if you read it backwards it will not make much sense.

Most people around here have no idea what MS is. I would love to bump into or overhear a fellow local shopper someday

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

Oh PHD, there are few people on this forum I won't screw with. Coffee Queen is on the short list

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.

Hey. She's my friend, missy.

Don't hurt her.

Canuck my friend, you misunderstand. The short list is people I won't eff with

@dixiewhiskey wrote:

Most people around here have no idea what MS is. I would love to bump into or overhear a fellow local shopper someday

My funniest came a number of years when UPS was shopped and the shipping stores were also shopped. I was in with my package on a 'shop the store' and the guy in front of me in line as doing a 'shipping shop' for the shipping. He duly pulled out his cheat sheet to give the address on W. Wacker Dr. in Chicago that the shipping shops were for. The attendant gave him that knowing look and immediately sweetened up her attitude. He left and she was back to bored to handle my package that was headed to another part of the country that was not nearly as telling. Since the store did DHL, FedEx, USPS and UPS, my shop was to see which carrier she recommended.

That's too funny, Flash! It would have been hard for me not to grin or laugh a little

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

I managed a straight face until I escaped the store, but I could hardly wait to get back to forum friends for a really good laugh. But what it did let me know was that the shipping shops had been overdone. I certainly did enough of them that to this day I remember the full name and address of the person we shipped to. There just are some of those where the MSPs don't mix it up enough to keep the shops secret. I don't know if Babies R Us is still shopped, but if so, I wonder if Jill in B___________, MA is still the expectant mother we are to have looked up for us in the baby registry.

I would love to know some of the shoppers in my British Columbia area. It would be so nice to have coffee and trade war stories. Some years ago I did get to know a shopper from the Gold Certification conference and we would meet up for coffee. She moved away and I still miss our little chat/@#$%& sessions.

@Piled Hip Deep, PHD wrote:

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

No, I'm in Kentucky.

You are in Kentucky? Do we have to type slower so you can read it? Just kidding! lol. Even if you read it backwards it will not make much sense.

Yes I'm extremely dull-witted. You need to spell things out and then explain them again.

@dixiewhiskey wrote:

Most people around here have no idea what MS is. I would love to bump into or overhear a fellow local shopper someday

I once tried to explain to my parents what MS was since they remarked i was eating out too often. When I got to "Essentially, they pay me to eat", my dad says "They pay you? As if anyone needed to pay you to eat!"

Hahahaha! I'm all effed up. Ignore me.

@LisaSTL wrote:

Canuck my friend, you misunderstand. The short list is people I won't eff with

@meghan9262 wrote:

I got spotted once. I was taking some photos of a gas station (unrevealed) and a woman I had never seen before walked right up to me and said "Are you a mystery shopper?" The instructions for that particular shop were to 'fess up if confronted, so I admitted that I was. It turned out she wasn't working for the gas station. She got a big smile on her face and said "Me too!"

We ended up sitting in that gas station parking lot for a half hour just shooting the breeze, talking about what kinds of shops we liked and didn't, what strange experiences we had had, and swapping tricks and techniques (much like we all do here). Neither one of us had met anyone "like us" before. It was kind of a neat experience to have a colleague of sorts, even if just for a moment.

When I read this weeks ago I remarked to my husband that I've never seen another shopper at work. We did a few days ago, however. We were driving by and saw someone taking debranding photos of a recently closed drug store. So, I'm not the only one wandering around taking pictures.

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