Some shops require a lot of detail, name taking, etc. You get the picture...
I have discovered two ways to make the shops more fun, enjoyable and less stressful.
1. I take my daughter with me. She helps with some of the details. She is very good at names and discriptions. And she gets a cut. She knows if she does a good job she gets paid also.

2. I recently bought an MP3 player with voice recorder. I hang it around my neck with one ear plug in my ear. As I am going through the store I simply 'talk to myself'.

A while back people would look at you as if you needed mental therapy. But now, with just about everyone with a hands free cell phone, no one thinks the wiser.
When I get home I play it back as I fill out the report and than I delete the recording. I works great! And I saves a lot of time.

Really great idea..but I noticed some company's do not want you bringing children.
Glad you found some that do.

A great idea. Thanks for the information.

I also have taken my 13 yr. old daughter with me on several mystery shops. We did video shops, cell phone shops, department stores, and clothing stores which appealed to teens. She was very helpful in remembering names and helping with descriptions. She was also good for role playing. She also helped me with price audits in fast food locations. She was able to obtain prices from the menu board as I would be writing them down. However, she became embarrassed when I started taking pictures. I must admit I was embarrassed too. I needed to be covert. How can you be covert when you need to take a picture of the store hours which is located on the door and also take a picture of the play area, keeping in mind they require quality pictures. These are popular locations where people are constantly in and out. I questioned this, but never got a response. In this day and age, I was quite uncomfortable trying to take pictures of a play area! I waited quite some time until there were very few children there and tried to remain as covert as possible. If I was a parent sitting there and observed "my actions" I would have reported it to management. I only did three of these audits and at least only one had a play area. However, it still bothers me to this day.
Just one more comment. If it states in my directions not to take someone on my assignment, I don't.

I thought I was the only one who took my 14 year old daughter (chuckle). We have had fun together this summer, and she is a much better photographer than I am. She would see me packing up my satchel, and be ready at the door. Helping me made us so much closer, made the job easier, and I think made us less conspicuous, even when we were taking hidden notes. She even learned to contain her social nature at appropriate times. The shop companies were getting twice the value, and they didn't even know it.

For Sandy, we took an exterior shot of a store that had alot of trees and such blocking it. We waited until after the shop to do it. Since there was alot of blockage of the sign, drove the van (rolled it, really) while Jen stood on the running board with camera in hand, telling me which direction to roll the van for the best shot. We were laughing so hard, as Jenn tried to use the door of the van to hide herself. She got great pictures.

Okay, so sometimes I spent my stipend on her. But she's worth it!

How to make shops easier? Do exactly what the companies ask of you: Do your report immediately. My memory deteriorates exponentially.