I use the "Shop It - Timer & Stealth Notes for Mystery Shopping" app on my iPhone. It's available for Droid as well. This app is awesome! You can take notes and it looks just like you're texting. You can also tap the screen and it marks time (awesome for those crazy FF shops where you have to report times down to the second.) It also records audio and you can take pictures in the app and upload everything to your email (except audio) in one file. It's a great way to keep your jobs separate when doing routes and every function you need is all in one place. The developer of the app is just awesome. I have an iPhone 6 plus and had problems initially and she emailed me personally and trouble shot the problem and fixed it. Also, I recommended a new option and she said they will implement it in their next update. How many apps give you personal service like that? I have nothing to do with this app and am I not being compensated for this post. I just think this app is really a huge benefit for us shoppers. The developer is a mystery shopper herself and created this app based on her own needs and frustrations (I asked her for info and she shared her story). Are there other shoppers here that use this cool tool?

Sounds like a great app I'm buying an iPhone next month when my upgrade comes up. How much is it from the App Store?

Alex, it's only $2.99. It's well worth the price. I would have paid much more than that now that I realize its value. Don't forget to claim the expense on your taxes!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2015 07:00AM by MelNel525.

Sounds pretty cool but I don't know if I would pay for it. If there was a week trial available I would definitely give it a shot and see if it works better than what I do now Thanks for sharing!

You probably should know that if you use the recording feature that you cannot download that recording should a MSC require proof of a statement made.

I used it for a couple of months, but I just couldn't manage to keep from accidentally tapping the screen t the wrong times when I was trying to take timings and make notes. I wish it would let you go back and edit what you've done so you can say what was what, or delete a time you took by mistake. Then it would have been perfect! I finally got frustrated with it an quit using it. Now I just videotape almost every shop so I have all the info I need and can just concentrate on interacting properly with the associates and/or remembering the scenario! (I realize that only works if you have the video capability (also without audio in a 2-party state))

MelNel - Your post made my day! Thank you for the kind words. Like I told you, this app is my 'pet project' and not a business, so encouragement means a lot.

- as noted above, you can't email the recordings... that was a compromise I had to make when initially designing the app. One of my pet peeves (on the iPhone at least) is that the "giant microphone" appears on the lock screen and the pulsing red band is at the top of all screens if you use the on-board recorder. So we developed a work-around that doesn't use the recorder the same way. I always suggest our voice memos be used just as a supplement to your memory. DVR's are great for recording entire shops. You can also actually use Shop-It and the on-board recorder at the same time if preferred (but won't have the recording clips saved within the app).... just start a shop, then minimize the app, start a recording, then flip back to the app. On the very rare occasions someone has needed to send a recording as 'proof' (and they were glad to have it), they just held the phone up to a tablet or comp'r microphone and recorded it to that device manually. Clarity is not seriously degraded. Someday I want everything to link with Dropbox.

Tracyp - Yes, I imagine Video trumps everything!!

Dixie - The App store and Google Play don't have any way for us to offer a 1 week trial (wish they did!). But the next-best-thing is that you can purchase an app, try it for a week or two, and return it if it doesn't work for you. Apple doesn't like to publicize it, but it does take returns within a reasonable time. Droid apps can be returned by the developer - and I gladly offer a refund, no questions asked. Not every tool works for every person, and I would MUCH rather someone returned it than be dissatisfied!

I love suggestions - many of the current features (including the 'tap the screen') were the result of input on this forum - Thank you!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2015 07:17PM by dkdshop.

Lynn: I really appreciate the work you've put into this app and if in a revision you could create some way to edit or add info to those timestamps so that the user could go back and note what was happening at that time, I think this app would be just about perfect. Maybe it's just me, but I can't tell you how many times I had 4 timestamps but only 3 "events." At the time it happened, I knew which one was due to an accidental tap of the screen, but when I was reporting the shop 4 hours later, I couldn't remember.

Frankly, video is great, but sometimes it's overkill, and having to go back through and watch a video just to see the timings is a bit of a pain! Your app is much easier for something simple like that!

tracyvp - That's a good suggestion; I'll try to get editing into a future update (In an effort to keep the app really linear and simple, some things are trickier than first seem... but it's on the list!).

In the meantime, here's a simple work-around I use (didn't really think of it as a work-around... it's just what I'm in the habit of doing). Immediately after a 'shop', you can press the icon to email your note... in that email you can edit away and add or delete anything you want, then send it to yourself (just takes a moment to do this). You still have the original 'raw' shop note within the app for safe-keeping and organization, but your emailed version will contain all that data plus any additional info. Not a perfect solution, but hope it helps.

I use Shop It on almost all of my shops -- I'm pretty sure I first read about it on this Forum, gave it a try, and have never looked back. It's great for marking time to the second (as mentioned, simply tap the screen), and reviewing the voice recordings has been a lifesaver on a couple of shops when I couldn't remember a sales associate's comments that I needed to include on a report. Easy-peasy to learn to use -- although I admit I did a couple of "practice runs" before I used it on an actual shop (I'm pretty cautious by nature). :-)

One of my favorite things is the "panic button" -- if you're "texting" yourself a note and a staff member approaches, you can just hit the "panic button" (the "Next" button on the keyboard) and a (fake) word game pops up on the screen so it looks like you're just noodling around in an online game. A simple tap again brings the app back onscreen right where you left off.

I agree, a simple way to delete an inadvertent time-stamp would be helpful; but even without it, its a great app! (And remember the minimal cost is tax-deductible.)

@MelNel525 wrote:

>>I use the "Shop It - Timer & Stealth Notes for Mystery Shopping" app on my iPhone.<<

On the android playstore, the app is named "Myster Shop-It Timer & Notes" for anyone looking for it. Price is $1.99

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

Thanks for this app. I love it! Suggestion, to make it more user friendly for me, when I tap the screen, if it listed the time rather than Tap 1 it would be great. I know nothing about writing a program, so I don't have any idea how hard it would be or if it is even possible, but it would sure help me. Again I love this app.

Is this still available for Android? The link on the [www.just-shop-it.com] site to the Play store doesn't work and when i just search "Shop It" it doesn't see to find it.

@Linlam wrote:

Thanks for this app. I love it! Suggestion, to make it more user friendly for me, when I tap the screen, if it listed the time rather than Tap 1 it would be great. I know nothing about writing a program, so I don't have any idea how hard it would be or if it is even possible, but it would sure help me. Again I love this app.

I actually use the mark time number to label what the time was for by making a note after it For example, "1-counter (I arrived at the counter). 2- total (I was given my order total)." I make these notes while I'm timing. It just looks like I'm texting. Now, the number AND the time would be great!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2015 07:16AM by MelNel525.

In the Play Store, search for
“Shop It!” Stealth Notes & Timer
exactly as it appears in the line above this. You will then be able to find it. Searching for just "Shop It" leads to apps for shopping lists and such.

I decided to invest $1.99 and will try to report back here on my experience.

Not to take anything away from the shop it app, but there is an audio and video app that will run fully hidden and allow the phone to shut off and still record audio and video *AND* allow the phone to fully work as normal. This can be done in airplane mode as well as allowing calls to happen and texting.

Perhaps shop it app author can learn a few things from this app and include its capabilities.

I have no incentive to post this $10 app.

It works as promised and I use it as my second video recorder. It does the same with audio.

I still use my 808 HD camera as my main recording device. Now I have two.
Setting the phone down on the table and having the screen shut off and being capable to use the phone as normal is a huge plus as an audio recording backup to my video.

I have a case to make it video friendly that I have made as well.


[play.google.com]

@myst4au wrote:

In the Play Store, search for
“Shop It!” Stealth Notes & Timer
exactly as it appears in the line above this. You will then be able to find it. Searching for just "Shop It" leads to apps for shopping lists and such.

myst - thank you for clarifying that.... Not sure why the link wasn't working, seems to be OK now. I've tried to optimize it to be more searchable on Google Play, but so far their algorithm is a bit of a mystery to me. By the way, as I mentioned earlier if it doesn't work for you for any reason, I will refund your investment. Thanks for trying it and I hope you like it.

scanman - that sounds like a good app, and honestly since it already exists would probably be perfect just to run in the background. Shop-It's 'Secret Sauce' is the covert text entry, and that would still work great. Thank you for the tip.

@myst4au wrote:

In the Play Store, search for
“Shop It!” Stealth Notes & Timer
exactly as it appears in the line above this. You will then be able to find it. Searching for just "Shop It" leads to apps for shopping lists and such.

I decided to invest $1.99 and will try to report back here on my experience.

Thanks, found it.

I've been using the ShopIt app for a while now. Does anyone else find that when you finish up your shop and look at your phone that you have a bunch of random time stamps from jostling or inadvertently touching your phone?

I love the Shop It app, though I do have to take care not to touch the screen if I need to put it out of sight.

I have a slot in my purse where it can lay on it's side fairly protected, with the volume button facing up. This way I can just touch that to do timings - much more discreet than holding the phone and tapping it. I especially like it for FF and POffice shops where you are at a counter and need to time things but still hand over money and get change. That is hard to do and still hold on to the phone and not accidentally tap it.

One thing that threw me off in the beginning was when I would set up a shop with a name to get it ready ahead of time it records that time and then again at the end when I finalize the shop that time is also recorded but I do that step after I am back in the car. So I just ignore those two timings.

I like the app, except I forget to put it on airplane mode. It takes just one text or a call to zero out all the recording.

Scanman1 - Would you please share the name of the app you use? And if it's available for Android? Thanks!

@scanman1 wrote:

..., but there is an audio and video app that will run fully hidden and allow the phone to shut off ......

[play.google.com]

Lisa - Scanman had an android link in the post - I don't know anything about that recorder app and haven't tried it, but I would love to know if it would make a good "companion app" to 'Shop-It'

Depending on the tools you have and the kind of phone you use, almost no third-party apps are really needed, to be honest.

Timings – For those crazy timings we all keep track of during restaurant shops, fast food shops, etc. I just screenshot my phone's clock (note that my phone shows an analog clock with the seconds hand). I screenshot the time to remind me when I begin and end a shop.

Notes – Well.... I use the built-in notes feature on my phone.

Photos – Well, I use the default Camera app.

Voice Recordings – There's a default app for this as well. But I found a dedicated voice recorder to be more useful for me, especially during T-Mobile shops when the sales associate integrates my phone in his sales presentation.

If there is a useful app I found, it would have to be TapeACall Pro for iOS (also on Android). For $10, I found this to be the best app to record my phone call shops (of course, I abide the phone recording laws, which vary by state). I prefer this app over using a voice recorder sitting next to my phone on speaker.

Yes, smart phones are amazing multi-taskers! I used to text notes to myself (to my google number) including timings... then switch to the camera as needed. Then I decided it would be so much simpler if my text notes could be time-stamped to the second and simply saved to one place instead of all the back-and-forth... so I designed an app that would do that for me

Honestly, I do completely understand that not every tool works for every person (or is necessary)! It made my life a bit easier, though.

I've been using the Mystery Shopwatch Lite version, but I'm going to give this one a try.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2015 09:25PM by nutmegstategirl.

I linked directly to the app store in the post. This recorder app don't fall down and does not require airplane mode. You can shut the screen off and use the phone as normal AND use the other apps on the phone and it keep s on going!

@scanman1 wrote:

I linked directly to the app store in the post. This recorder app don't fall down and does not require airplane mode. You can shut the screen off and use the phone as normal AND use the other apps on the phone and it keep s on going!

I have no problem going into airplane mode. When I'm on a shop, I cannot answer phone calls or text messages. I definitely don't need the distraction! When I'm done, they are there for me to respond to. Not that I get many of those during the the time it takes to actually do a shop.

And by the way, you can shut the screen off for the "Shop It" app too.

I got ShopIt today, looking forward to using it. I tested it here at home and like what I've seen thus far. Thanks Lynn / dkdshop!