@CoffeeQueen wrote:
I love to create a route for the day and shop some rural towns in my neck of the woods. But this enjoyable pursuit comes with its own challenges.
Recently I shopped a bank in a very small town. It was an easy shop, where all I needed to do was get a business card. After the interaction I asked for the business card. The banker I spoke with had just been promoted and didn't have one. It clearly had not occurred to her yet that she might need them. She gave me a brochure and wrote her name and number on it, and I took a generic card with the bank name from the desk we were sitting at. The MSC accepted it but the client refused it. The MSC paid me anyway, but i could easily have been out that fee. Therefore:
Don't go somewhere rural for just one shop, even if the fee is really good. If you do, be aware that you are running the risk of completely wasting your day and gas.
Getting a receipt is not always easy either. Once I was auditing a gas station and during the mystery shop portion the CSR tells me when I ask for a receipt that the printer is down. He writes me one out by hand and I swear to god it looked like a 5th grader did it. So even though I didn't have to buy gas I did in hopes of getting a receipt. First gas pump, no receipt. Second gas pump, no receipt. third gas pump... well you get the idea. I finally gave up. Luckily the MSC paid me for the shop but I also had pictures from the location.
Recently I had an MSC ask me about a receipt I got from another small town. It was a hardware store. They wanted something with the address of the store on it. I had to tell them, the receipt is the receipt. I have no control over what is on it. In that store I had been waited on by (no joke) a guy name Bubba who was wearing coveralls and barefoot.
Next pitfall, GPS is not reliable. I have had it take me 50 miles out of my way, right past the location I was looking for. Always give yourself at least 2 hours leeway for getting lost, if you have never been to that particular location. The good news is that next time you will know where it is.
Along with the pitfalls are some great perks. Driving around in the countryside always cheers me up. I meet great people and avoid city traffic. Throw in some gas stations and even your gas will be covered, plus you get to work outside a little.