The OP focused on GS shops. Repetition and time management on site and in reporting are everything.
Try to schedule just one or two brands of GS shops in a route. On site you’ll be going through the motions, on auto-pilot taking pictures. More later.
Request an extension ahead of time for reporting.
Develop a cheat sheet, so that your paperwork is minimized. I do 6 GS brands regularly and use a quarter page sheet for one, a one page sheet for three, and the full eval form for two.
Have your paperwork, vest, camera, extra batteries, and your gas cans in your vehicle or at least set out the night before.
Most, but not all, GS shops require daylight. Drive to your most distant point in the route to arrive as the sun is rising. You’ll maximize the amount of light you’ll have to work, and you’ll leave the closest to home locations until last in case you don’t get them done, leaving you the least distance to drive if you have to go back.
On site, get your gas, get your receipt, get your snack, get your receipt. Return to vehicle, take a photo of both receipts together (I have done thousands, and have never been questioned about using a single photo of both receipts for each individual receipt photo). Put receipts in binder. Don vest.
Return to store or attendant and present the LOA. Ask cashier/attendant for any demographic information and to turn on exterior lights when required. Evaluate restroom, taking vested selfie in mirror. Take all required interior photos. Take all interior infraction photos (you already saw/evaluated the store when you got your snack).
Outside, you’re on auto-pilot. Take all required photos. Take all infraction photos. Return to store to write down infractions on your cheat sheet. Take 20 seconds to check camera for presence of all photos. Your cheat sheet should have a list of required photos that you just put check marks next to. 20 seconds to catch a missed photo is worth saving hours in returning to site for a photo later.
Note: You’re only using your paperwork twice. Once when you present the LOA. Once when you return to store to write down infractions and check for photos.
Thank the cashier and attendant (just call it out if there’s a line of customers). Depart.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. Keep it to 12-20 minutes on site, tops. Bag a lunch if you want to eat healthy. Make an ongoing meal of reimbursed $1 soda/coffee and granola bars if your blood sugar and cholesterol permit.
At home, download the photos. Rename them in batches according to location (select all photos for one location and rename them together, i.e. 23 photos for one site become “2016-02-17-GSNAME-LOCATION (1)” , “2016-02-17-GSNAME-LOCATION (2)” , etc. They are already grouped together, with the receipt image always the first one in the location-grouping. Your computer numbers them for you, and if you use the first image in the selected group to rename, it will remain first in each location even after renamed.
Use PixResizer to resize them to the right size. It takes less than ten seconds per 100 photos and is easy enough for techno-dinosaurs to use.
Sleep, or begin reporting until you fall asleep at your computer or until Jeopardy comes on and you use that as an excuse to break for dinner.
Report your shops in the order that your photos appear in the “Resized” folder. It’s easier to turn pages than create new folders, and you’ll always be uploading the photos from the top of the Resized folder. Keep any required comments to the bare minimum, e.g. “The service was polite. The store was clean. The lot was in good shape.” Upload all your photos at once at the end of the report, not during data entry. Use the image preview to upload the correct image into the correct report slot. Submit report. Submit invoice. Write compensation and reimbursement on cheat sheet or report form, staple receipts.
Move that location’s photos from “Resized” folder into a “Submitted” folder. Your next group of photos for your next location to report is now at the top of “Resized.”
Repeat, repeat, repeat. 8-15 minutes reporting time per location.
Update payroll/taxes spreadsheet.
Prepare for next route.
My record for most in one day:
Sunoco – 21 (does not require daylight)
Exxon – 17 (does not require daylight)
Valero – 18
Shell – 14
BP – 13
Gulf (current MSC) – 11
Keep in mind, that even if your tank and gas cans are full, you can keep going as none of these have a minimum gas purchase any more. If needed to complete your route, 30 cents in the tank gets you the same required receipt as a full two gallon, $5, or $6 purchase, just less useful reimbursement. I’m only doing these with $10-$40 bonuses per location, so I’m OK with leaving a few bucks in gas on the table.