It's a joke that facebook is trying to keep us safe by telling people to use their real names. Anyone who wanted to commit mischief on facebook certainly isn't going to use their real name and Facebook wouldn't know the difference. So how is that "rule" protecting anyone?

And "the name they use in real life" doesn't necessarily mean their real name. If you sign up on Facebook as Hercule Poirot, that's the name you use in real life -- when interacting with Facebook. I can guarantee you that there are authors on Facebook under their pen names; I'm one of them.

I'd just as soon keep my competition at arms length. I'm not that friendly of a person anyhow. They are welcome to anything downtown or in a mall. Also food shops that don't pay. I prefer touring the small towns around here. The shops pay more, the scenery is prettier and there's less traffic.

I have never met another mystery shopper other than at my Chipotle training and I was not impressed with exception of one female. She was on the mark and we shared freely and bonded immediately. The majority of others kept to themselves or were totally new to MS.

There seems to be a bit of competition around here, but I'm still new and I have no idea how many people. So far I've mainly picked up fee-only shops, with bus fare or very minimal purchase for expenses. I have a couple reimbursement shops scheduled this week. Today I got 2 phone calls from schedulers. The first was great and found me a fee only bank shop, and I will likely do food shops for them later in the month. I do refuse to work for reimbursement only. I'm trying to make money, not potentially be out money.

I have more than one fake facebooks!!!

Deleted



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2015 05:48AM by iblessyah.

@squireparty wrote:

I live in Phoenix, Arizona, a metro area of four million plus people, and I don't get all the shops I apply for. Far from it. I suspect I have a great deal of completion as just this past Sunday I received emails from two MSCs urgently seeking shoppers for shops with nice bonuses attached to them - and they went lightning fast. All I can do is check the boards regularly, do the best work I can, and hope for the best.

Anyone living in Phoenix or thereabouts though - I'm not your competition for high end restaurant or hotel shops, nor will I do auto shops. And I rarely will do or apply for targeted shops. And I'm passing on assisted living facility shops, too. I also have been willing to show my face in some dicey areas on the West Side when I thought it was worth my while to do a given shop and have gotten some nice bonuses for being willing to show my face on the West Side - doesn't seem like I have much competition there nor do I worry about posting this here about my West Side shops as most people are not going to venture over into this area.

I am on the west side, lol. I live in Surprise but shop all over the valley and I mainly do post offices, banks and other things that don't require a lot of standing or walking since I have congestive heart failure. If I can sit down, I might do it. I do some fast food and casual dining too. I don't seem to find lots of bonuses though. I'm slowly adding a few companies to see if I can find anything else more interesting but I'm slowing way down because of my health. I'm dabbling in video while I can still stand and walk some but I tire easily. Not much competition, huh? Let me know in PM if you'd like to meet. I have a lunch shop at Native Grill on the 11th and need a lunch partner. Lol

I shopped the heck out of the west side until you moved to Surprise. I could see where you were shopping because you were picking up banks I used to get bonuses for and cleaning out the post office shops.

'Round here, shops at Gurnee Mills and Pleasant Prairie Outlets usually get taken eventually, along with home improvement and garden center jobs. Leads me to believe there's a few very-part-time shoppers who maybe work at the malls along with a few weekend males. Bank, car and tobacco/alcohol postings sit for a while. PO's would too, except I scoop 'em up. And only a brave few venture into Waukegan!

@dspeakes wrote:

I shopped the heck out of the west side until you moved to Surprise. I could see where you were shopping because you were picking up banks I used to get bonuses for and cleaning out the post office shops.

Sorry DSpeaks. Jeff gives me all the post offices down here I want because I drive to Wickenburg and Maricopa for him. Lol. I don't take all the teller shops. Each branch has a lobby and a drive-thru shop and there are 27 branches. Plus there's a 45 day rotation and a reshop period on them. I wait until the fee is higher before taking them and am doing only about 10 a month now. Also, my health isn't good so I'm pretty much down to my post offices and banks right now with some restaurants thrown in. I keep hoping to get up on my feet enough to do some video work. Don't think I'd get a very good video from my power chair. Lol. I hate cell phone stores and bank manager shops. They take up too much time for not enough money. I also don't do grocery stores or anything else I can't do from my chair if necessary. I did have alift put on the back of my car so I can take my chair with me.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2015 07:47AM by iblessyah.

No worries, I have plenty to do. I do postal shops in Sedona and Flagstaff and Show Low for Jeff and once I went to Safford for him.

I wasn't complaining, just noting that I can tell when you're shopping.

Look into concealing your camera in a ball cap. That might work for you but you'd have to be careful not to shake or nod your head much. There are also eyeglass cameras.

I have no competition. I'm primarily video and we are closer knit than that. I like everyone to get money. I find that if you work out relationships with schedulers and you do a great job on your work you never have to worry about someone else moving in on your assignments.

Plus I have a shopping partner and this is all we do so when someone ask us 2 go to Texas for 50 jobs we're leaving the next week. :p

For most shops, the eyeglass camera is not recommended because of excessive head movement.

@dspeakes wrote:

Look into concealing your camera in a ball cap. That might work for you but you'd have to be careful not to shake or nod your head much. There are also eyeglass cameras.

Someone on a mobility scooter would probably have less movement than someone who was standing, I'm thinking. It might be worth experimenting with rather than giving up video entirely. It would raise the camera about a foot from chest level, compensating somewhat for the seated position.

Every training class will tell you that the star of a video shop when there are employee interactions are the employees. If you're at a retail shop it's going to look odd if you stare at the associate when they are showing you clothes or helping you. If you are doing an apartment or new home shop you can't look around and dig through things like a real person would do. It's just impossible to do a job like those, sex shops, automobile, etc with a head cam.

That's why the chest is best. You can always face your chest towards someone and then look at the cabinets, or dig through some clothes.

Jobs where the person is seated at a desk are pretty easy with headgear type cameras. Those aren't your as typical though.

Yes, JR, we all know that chest is best -- if you are standing, putting the focal point near the target's face. Chest doesn't work that well for someone who is seated on a scooter because all she'll be shooting is everyone's navels and chests.

It's going to be a lot easier for her to "follow" the employee with her eyes (and head) than to rely on turning physically in place like a standing person would have to do in order to keep the target in frame.

I was wishing I had a head cam last week when I was seated across the desk from one person and the other person sat at a right angle to me. When I turned my head to look from one speaker to the other the camera remained pointing in a 45 degree angle, missing both of them. And it would have looked very odd for me to be pivoting in my seat every time the other one started speaking so my chest was pointed in the right direction.

One size does not fit all. Iblessyah has to do these shops primarily seated. We're discussing options that work for her, not what works for "most" people. If she can find a way to produce acceptable video with alternative methods, that leaves video shopping open for her. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But it might be worth experimenting with. Even finding a way to conceal a camera in a choker on her throat might help.

they make purses (hell you could home brew that) and she could arrange in on the scooter or in a basket on the front. She should be far enough back most of the time depending on shop.


A silk or infinity scarf could theoretically work. She'd have to make sure it's dark enough and doesn't look bulky.

I feel like we can just repurpose anything big enough to fit a dvr and button camera. Velcro, sewing, and paper clips can do wonders. It's just a matter of knowing what's available on a person riding a scooter. Do we have access to what this scooter looks like or can someone get that? Any piece of clothing for the most part can be jury rigged though

www.brickhousesecurity.com/product/hd+waterproof+spy+watch.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&from=fn

I'd have to let my hair get longer. I wear it really short. The wires might show. Maybe a wig would work? Lol. I can't climb steps at new homes or apartment buildings but could shop senior facilities.

@dspeakes wrote:

No worries, I have plenty to do. I do postal shops in Sedona and Flagstaff and Show Low for Jeff and once I went to Safford for him.

I wasn't complaining, just noting that I can tell when you're shopping.

Look into concealing your camera in a ball cap. That might work for you but you'd have to be careful not to shake or nod your head much. There are also eyeglass cameras.

I ride in a Jazzy when I can't walk far. It's a chair rather than a scooter. A scarf rig might be the trick. When I go to Vegas in November I'll bring a bunch of scarves and talk to Cody. I don't usually wear scarves in Phoenix in the summer though. Lolol

@iblessyah wrote:

I ride in a Jazzy when I can't walk far. It's a chair rather than a scooter. A scarf rig might be the trick. When I go to Vegas in November I'll bring a bunch of scarves and talk to Cody. I don't usually wear scarves in Phoenix in the summer though. Lolol

I wasn't even aware this was for you in a scooter until Dspeakes pointed out.

Okay, crafting something aside from something you already wear (poking a hole for a button cam or other similar device

There are things like this.

[www.amazon.com]
I dont really like this option.

I looked up jazzy scooters though and from what it looks like these are the ones with a completely open front because it's more like a mobile recliner. IS yours like these or is yours more like a moped style with handlebars for steering?

[www.spinlife.com]

It seems to me if it's the open front that moving the button camera to another spot can tilt it up so you're getting the right view. This same affect can be attained by using extra velcro or something to prop it up a bit without wiggling constantly.

The other option on an open front is something attached to the top of the chair *unless of course you're too tall and you can't do that)

I'll wait for you to reply about what kind of scooter. The open front seems totally doable without having to get too creative.

I actually think something like this might work too as you can adjust it on your lap as needed.

[www.spygearco.com]

This to me seems like the ideal solution as you can still look around like a normal person, and a person on a scooter holding her purse on her lap isn't going to look unusual.

@donnashoppingca wrote:

I have a lot of new competition in my area as of recent. The iSecretshops get taken as quickly as they are posted. Pandora as well. Lego shops, too. I would love to try a Lego shop.

Chomp chomp chomp. I scoop up my local legos in under 10 minutes after posting

iblessyah!
We will meet at last. I will also be at LV and making 2 presentations.

@dspeakes wrote:

No worries, I have plenty to do. I do postal shops in Sedona and Flagstaff and Show Low for Jeff and once I went to Safford for him.

I wasn't complaining, just noting that I can tell when you're shopping.

Look into concealing your camera in a ball cap. That might work for you but you'd have to be careful not to shake or nod your head much. There are also eyeglass cameras.

Looks like our areas do overlap a bit. I do Sedona and Flagstaff, too.

I'll have to look at all those links next week. Lol. I'm busier than a one-armed paper hanger and am supposed to be cutting back. My chair is a Jazzy. No handlebars. It has a joystick on the right arm rest so it's open on the front. I might be able to rig something that would "look up" instead of "out". Still, I'll tak to Cody in Vegas in November. Getting ready to have foot surgery. Also, new homes and apartments might be out for me if they have steps. I can't climb steps at all.

The purse idea looks good but I'm not investing yet another $2000+ in camera gear. loll figure something else out or not so it. Waiting until conference is my best option right now. I'll bring my chair and can talk to Cody and Kathy Hart and see what we can rig up that won't cost a fortune. The chair in the spinlife link is my chair.

@jrossetti wrote:

@iblessyah wrote:

I ride in a Jazzy when I can't walk far. It's a chair rather than a scooter. A scarf rig might be the trick. When I go to Vegas in November I'll bring a bunch of scarves and talk to Cody. I don't usually wear scarves in Phoenix in the summer though. Lolol

I wasn't even aware this was for you in a scooter until Dspeakes pointed out.

Okay, crafting something aside from something you already wear (poking a hole for a button cam or other similar device

There are things like this.

[www.amazon.com]
I dont really like this option.

I looked up jazzy scooters though and from what it looks like these are the ones with a completely open front because it's more like a mobile recliner. IS yours like these or is yours more like a moped style with handlebars for steering?

[www.spinlife.com]

It seems to me if it's the open front that moving the button camera to another spot can tilt it up so you're getting the right view. This same affect can be attained by using extra velcro or something to prop it up a bit without wiggling constantly.

The other option on an open front is something attached to the top of the chair *unless of course you're too tall and you can't do that)

I'll wait for you to reply about what kind of scooter. The open front seems totally doable without having to get too creative.

I actually think something like this might work too as you can adjust it on your lap as needed.

[www.spygearco.com]

This to me seems like the ideal solution as you can still look around like a normal person, and a person on a scooter holding her purse on her lap isn't going to look unusual.

I live in Taylors, SC in Greenville. I would love to meet others in the area.