Hi All,

I have a resturant shop that requires split timing but I am not allowed to bring a cell phone.

Getting a digital watch is not out of the question but won't it be more obvious that I am a MS if I keep glancing and jotting down times?

Any ideas?

Honestly for shops like this, I recommend not doing the shop. I think if the client is expecting unrealistic guidelines, they will find a reason to reject your shop. Unless it is a high end restaurant that does not allow dinners to have cell phones either, you should be treated no different.

Thanks Seattle,

No, it is not a high end shop. I am new, with only two shipping shops under my belt. There are not that many opportunities out there for me yet.

The shop involves taking a partner, ordering two rounds of alcoholic drinks each, at different times. Then, we would be ordering a round of non-alcoholic drinks and one appetizer to split.

Thanks for the advice, I will let this one go...........thanks!

That would be a lot of unrealistic timing to have done and at least 5 deliveries to your table. I am sure a server would notice if you press a button on your watch every time she comes, especially with how few people wear watches now days. A simple tap on a cell phone (to record a stopwatch lap time) would not go noticed. On the other hand if you simply count in your head the times, then you could not have a conversation with your table guest which would also be an unusual thing to do.

I imagine the no cell phone is geared towards making sure you do not sit at the table and be glued to your phone texting non stop or having a phone call, in which case the server could argue they did not feel you were open to conversation and that is why they did not approach you as often. If this is still on the job board, you could always email the scheduler and ask if this is the case. I would still be cautious though. Worse case though is do the shop and see how it goes IF it is a place that you would want to go anyways and are OK with paying the bill out of pocket, if that case you would only loose time but could have another great shop on record. If it is somewhere you do not want to spend money at, do not risk it. For instance, there is a MSO who wanted me to shop a doughnut shop and take several photos of the menu boards that had to be crystal clear. I would not want the doughnuts, so if they denied the shop, I would have spent money on doughnuts I would give away and not want. If I did a bar shop and the shop was rejected, but I enjoyed the food and the drink, I would not care so much about the money, just be concerned about the shop rating...

Wow! I'm doing this exact shop later today (don't know if it's for the same company) but I didn't see anything in my instructions about not taking a cell phone. In mine, I also have to document up to 6 other observed transactions in the bar, including the time they ordered, the transaction was rung up and the time they paid. There is absolutely NO WAY to do this without either bringing a pen and paper to write it all down or do it on a cell phone. Even with a watch, you'd not be able to keep track of the which of the 10 different transactions was which without writing it down. Whoever wrote those guidelines must be out of their minds! I'd sure like to see them try to do that!

BeachBumess,

If you have not been shopping long and do not have experience with dining shops, I would hold off doing them until you have more shops under your belt. I would take dining shops where you can use your cell phone for timings to gain experience; hence, more confidence in doing them. The more shops you do, the easier it becomes to remember things. I have found that my memory has greatly improved since I began MSing. I used to have a heck of time remembering descriptions of the cashier and had to repeat it over and over on the way to my car. Also, I would forget the time the shop ended and couldn't wait until I got out of sight to write it down. I take note on an index card concerning the flow of the shop and anything else I need to remember. No one is the wiser of what is actually written on the card. It could be a shopping list or a to-do list. I also use the card to write down notes while performing the shop. The restroom or fitting room is a good place. If there is no restroom or fitting room available, I have gone so far as tell the associate that I need to make a phone call. I will say something like, "Gosh, I just thought of something I need to remind my husband about, do you mind if I call him before I forget?" They step away and I call my home voicemail and leave a message.

I also use a crossword puzzle from a newspaper when I am doing a bar integrity shop or on some dining shops, like Panera Bread. A crossword puzzle works great while doing a bar integrity shop, especially if you are a girl like me. It keeps the boys from bugging you. I don't think it would be a good idea to use a crossword puzzle on a fine dining shop. In your case, you could use the restroom to take notes. And, you could ask your guest to do the same. No one would be curious of you and your guest having to use the restroom a couple of times.

Good luck and stay safe out there.

Thanks everyone for the valuable advice! Had I not found this forum, I would be a bumbling idiot out there!

Once I become a seasoned shopper, I will not forget your guidence and will pass on the good karma by helping other newbies!

I see no reason to dump the shop. I have a digital voice recorder that uploads the recording via usb to my computer. As it plays back I can see the time elapsed. I start it and conceal it. Then I have a "marker" for every timing, by saying a word or clearing my throat. It has a setting so that I will not pick up other voices (for two party consent states). If you prefer, you can use the dvr "pause" button and just speak the timings into it during the shop. That method is faster when writing the report.

Yes, having a visible cell phone will affect timings for bar and restayrant visit, as many servers are trained to provide privacy if you appear to be using the phone.

Thanks Walesmaven....a digital voice recorder. Would you share the kind/make? How big is it and where do you conceal it? (hearing James Bond music in my head)

I have read here that some have an app on their phone that records and times. I tried one, Cogi for android but could not figure it out.

I am in NJ which I believe is a one party State.

NJ is a one party state. I use a Panasonic. It is about 1/4 the size of a pack of cigarettes and fits into a shirt pocket or into a bra. Essential equipment for MS. Price, less than $50 for one that plugs directly into a USB port without a wire.

Thanks Walesmaven,

Will search for one right away.

Cannot tell you how much I appreciate that you take time out of your busy schedule to help a newbie.

Thirty years ago, I was a new real estate agent. Mentors were far and few between. It is such a competitive business! As I learned the ropes on my own, and bulit a very successful business, I always stopped to help new agents. The result? I have wonderful working relationships with so many agents in a very competitive enviornment.

So, thanks again!

Reporting back in that I completed that bar integrity shop last night and it was easily the most stressful shop I've had in my short career. I do NOT know how anyone would ever be able to keep track of all the timings and amounts without writing them down or using a cell phone!

I had to time 4 separate orders for myself/guest, including time the order was taken, served, rung up and paid, and of course the amounts. That was do-able.

The tough part was trying to do the same for 6 different observed transactions of other patrons in the bar. I just couldn't get all of them. I have the Shop-it app on my phone, AND on an old phone that I use as a PDA. I was frantically taking timings and making notes on BOTH of them because I would get an "ordered" and "served" time for one patron, then another patron would walk in and order, and I'd have to document that before the 1st one was paid. It was NUTS! Then I'd forget to watch and see what was rung up on the screen or what the bartender poured! My husband was NO help! He just doesn't get that you really have to be precise and he kept saying things like, oh, just say it was $9.72. It doesn't matter! I was getting so irritated with him!

I just finished the report now. Fortunately this one gave me 24 hours, and I took every bit of it to analyze all my notes and try to make some sense of it. I will not be at all surprised if they reject it because there were several places where I just couldn't get the information and I wasn't going to lie about it. We'll see what happens. If nothing else it was a great learning experience for me.

If anyone has advice for how to handle all of those concurrent transactions next time, please let me know!

Hi Tracyvp,

I will be interested to see how the seasoned shoppers respond.

I am new to this too and have turned down these shops.

My instructions said specifically, no cell phones. And it wasn't a high end shop!

I have started looking at digital voice recorders, which were suggested to me yesterday. I think it was Maven, she said to keep it in your bra and either cough or have a code word when you need to check time. It has a USB port to download to your computer and you can advance to certain times so you don't have to listen to the whole shop.

Hope I have this right!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2014 04:54AM by BeachBumess.

Mine wasn't an especially high end one. It was a hotel lobby bar of a mid-range hotel of the kind that would cater to business travelers of the middle-management level.

Did they require you stay 2 hours? Mine did.

It was supposed to be 90 minutes. But we didn't get done in 90 minutes and were there 2 hours. Just because I got distracted and forgot to order our appetizer! I'll be really curious if this one is accepted or not. It really was very, very hard and I don't think I'd take another one until I've had a few more complicated meal shops under my belt.

I know I live in a 2-party state but honestly, I don't think I could do some of these shops without recording them. I had one today that asked me for direct quotes from 4 different employees over the course of a lunch shop. This in addition to timing 5 different things. I really don't know how anyone remembers all that stuff without recording it!

You do not have to record what the other person said. If you need the exact greeting and the bartender says, "Good evening. What can I get for you?" You say (for the recording)," Good evening. What you can get for me is a xyz on the rocks," You can set the recorder so that it is not picking up anything farther away than your voice. If someone says, "Have a good evening," my reply is, "I always have a good evening; I hope you do too." They say, "Thank you." I say, "You're welcome."

I do this with 15-25 airport shops in one day and have exact quotes for every shop, on the record, using this method. I set ythe recorder to "dictation." That way it is not picking up the other side of the conversation.

I have a split time watch, it has a memory of up to 16 splits. very useful. It's called acusplit and you can get it on amazon for around $23. it's also silent

Not sure what your exact requirements were. If you can record the event then I do not understand what the difference is between a recorder app on your phone versus a digital recorder. I use an app on my phone to record every shop I perform. If a step in an event happens I say something, like "thanks" or I might sniff, cough etc....

I have a dinner shop coming up that says no recording devices can be used. Fortunately the timing related questions do not ask for exact timing.

isaiah,
The difference is that the shop requires NO cell phones. The covert use of the DVC gets around this.

Here is a link to a great source of very cheap voice recorders:

[www.dx.com]

As your buying direct from China and paying with Paypal, do expect it to take up to a month for the little bubble bag to arrive.

I'd not buy the $10 models. The ones in the $25 range with metal bodies are clones of name brand recorders.

Thanks everyone! Feeling blessed and effing greatful for finding "youz all". ( a little bit NJ, a little bit deep South) !!!