How much does the equipment to do video shopping cost, anyway?

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I'm really curious as to how much the equipment to do video shopping costs.....and how many shops would I have to successfully complete to make the investment in the equipment back? Any info would be appreciated! Thanks.

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Current price of a new PV-500 rig is about $700. Depending on what shops you elect to do, that could be returned in anywhere from 3.5 to 15 shops. Best to get some experience with MSC-loaned rigs first.

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.

And to add to what Wales said, get some experience with each type of video shop before investing in the equipment. In the forthcoming issue of Mystery Shopper Magazine, you'll read about what happened when this shopper violated two of the cardinal rules of video shopping.

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Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

I just spoke to an MSC about this yesterday. They sell the kit for 600.00 for the button cam majiger and they also have the spy glasses for other shops. I'd definitely practice first before shelling out that kind of cash. Also, maybe I'm not signed up for enough companies because I only ever see 2 MSCs that have video shops. One is for 50.00 a shop and the other is for 200.00 a shop.

Floating around like a feather hoping the wind will set me down somewhere awesome.

Who has them for $600? Measure's price is $690 and the 7 hour extended battery is an additional $80.

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.

Someone from Measure told me 600. I might have misheard her? But I really don't think I did. I don't remember her saying anything about an extra battery or it's price though. Only that there was an accessory kit for an additional fee. Don't they have these available on eBay? Or a spy shop? I'd try there too. Or do what I did ask the company, well if I'm interested in buying the equipment could you try pretty please to assign me 4 shops video shops to recoup the cost of the camera. They didn't say no.

Floating around like a feather hoping the wind will set me down somewhere awesome.

My information was from the site, $690 for a rig including all the accessories. The only thing a shopper might need is the extended battery if you are going to route shop or have longer scenario shops. I don't think any of us ever pushes the limit on battery life because it is not worth risking the shop. Unlike other types of shops, there will be few opportunities for a reshop on video assignments.

Be careful about other websites. While prices might look better, they don't always include everything. Because I had an Amazon gift card I was looking at possibly buying components and it was going to be much more expensive.

MCP is selling cameras again? At the IMSC GA conference, we were told MCP no longer sells them. I bought my equipment directly from Lawmate.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

@ cubbiecat ~ And how much did they charge you and which camera did you get?

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“I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.”
~ Jimi Hendrix

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” ~ Mark Twain

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” ~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Shop2LiveinFL Wrote:
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> @ cubbiecat ~ And how much did they charge you and
> which camera did you get?

I got the Pv-500 EVO because it's easier to use than the ECO. I bought extra batteries and it was around $700-ish.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

You will need the extended battery life for many of the video assignments.

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'm not sure if I'd be comfortable doing one of those $200 shops - you know, the dentist visit... Dentists make me nervous, and even though I do attend my appointments regularly, I guess I'd be too nervous to pay any attention to details.

C

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"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind..." - Henry Ford

How can you video a dentist visit? My dentist puts one of the "drip bibs" over my chest so the button cam would be covered.

@Shop2LiveinFL - That would be probably my first mistake... Too nervous to know how to figure out at that moment how to overcome that problem...

I FEAR dentists.

C

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"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind..." - Henry Ford

I am more afraid of video than a dentist. I have never had a cavity or a filling but I did have braces for six years. Made it real difficult to play the flute when I was a kid. My lips would get stuck to my braces all the time. Maybe I should be afraid of flutes!

There're 2 additional considerations concerning purchasing equipment:

1-The ability to receive work requiring a shopper with a rig.
2-Personally contracted work that has a much higher and quicker pay. My best, to date, was $400 for approx. 2 hrs. work; the money was paid when I delivered the disc.

The dentist shop evaluates the dentist's staff, not the dentist, so having the camera covered part of the time, mostly when the dentist is present, is not an issue. It's all about how the support staff treats the patient, and the clarity and completeness of info given by staff.

No need to remember anything; it's all recorded. LOL

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.

walesmaven Wrote:
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> You will need the extended battery life for many
> of the video assignments.

I agree. I should've gotten at lease one 7 hour battery, but I got several 3 hour batteries instead.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

Changing batteries in the middle of a shop is sure to make for BIG problems.

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 did change batteries in the middle of a shop and not just once. I do not recommend it. One time was also the only time out of several hundred new car shops when an associate did not accompany me on the test drive. The battery died on the test drive, in Duluth, Minnesota no less. The only footage lost was after pulling out of the lot alone. At times like that you just thank the video shopping gods.

Video mystery shopping can be really useful. Video mystery shopping is a reliable way as it provides the live footage of the situation. But you need to take care of the equipments and should use them properly.

The dentist scares the s*** out of me but I'd be cool doing the chiropractic shops. Though how to not smash the camera when you lay down is beyond me. I even asked that and was told they give you pointers in advance for video shops. The inky thing I can think of is removing it before you get into your gown and setting it between your clothes in a chair or something like that.

Floating around like a feather hoping the wind will set me down somewhere awesome.

Lelou, I have not seem any medical/dental shops where you would have to change. I have visited a dermatologist alone and took someone to play the patient on the chiropractic. Even then she did not change clothes as it was an initial consultation.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2014 04:14PM by LisaSTL.

With respect to the camera glasses:
These have very limited acceptance for video shops work. Shoppers have to be able to turn their heads to look at things being pointed out by the target, while still keeping the target in the picture frame. For that, the body-mounted camera is a MUST. Also, clients and editors report getting vertigo from the sharp changes in ascpect that come with the eye glass cams.

They are a last resort for capturing targets during a bank drive thru, for instance, or when the target is behind a very high counter (car rental scenarios). If/when they are needed, the MSCs usually will loan you a set. AND, they are of very, very limited use for those of us who actually need glasses to see to do the shop!

In other words, you will miss very little by not buying your own video cam glasses.

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.

Absolutely what wales said. I have a regular route of shops which would work well with the glasses. It is still hard to justify paying more for the glasses than I make each month for the route. Unless there is a major uptick in car rental and FF shops I am going to stick with my multi-tasker button cam. There is also the issue of hiding the wires. My hair could certainly do the trick when it is down, but if I decide to wear a ball cap and ponytail or put it up there is really nothing to cover them.

Good thing I have a shaved head. The wires would NEVER stand out on me!

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

Advice needed from the experienced video shoppers. I need to buy a couple of SD cards in 8 GB size. Does anyone have a brand preference - Trescend, PNY, SanDisk? Is there a difference between a class 4 and 10 and does it matter with the PV-500? One more thing, what about micro card with the little slot thang, are those better or worse than the regular cards?

THANKS!

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

DO NOT try to use those little micro-SD cards with the adaptor gizmo. High failure rate.
I buy SanDisk 8 GB cards, only, and have not had problems with my PV-500s. I buy packs of them at Costco, where they are a lot less than at office supply stores.

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.

Thanks Wales. I'll look for them in Costco.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

Ditto to what Wales said. I generally buy the Class 10 when available as I will eventually recycle the cards to my DSLR cameras and the Class 10 have a higher write speed, IIRC.

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How much does the equipment to do video shopping cost, anyway?

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