stressful day with my shops.

I had 3 shops planned today, 2 car and 1 cell phone. Printed out the information and maps I needed. This morning, I grabbed the map and outline for the first shop, along with the others. I got to the first shop, on buying a car. Finished it, went back to my car for the next shop. I didn't have the map or all of the outline. I picked up the wrong papers. I looked for the cell phone shop. I had the address and outline, but no map. The good thing, the second car shop was very close by. I just had to ask some people where it was. The cell phone shop was 3 miles away. I just headed in that direction and asked some people where the store was. I got to the cell phone store, went very well. As I left the store, I looked two stores down, and there's the pizza place, I've been getting offers to do. Had I kept that information with me, I would have been having pizza and completing another shop.

From now on, I prepare each shop in a folder, for the next day. Don't mix any other papers in that folder!!! I also need to keep memos on shops where I know I MIGHT be. Some of this would be so much easier if I had a tablet. Maybe I should put everything on my lap top and keep that with me. That could also save me on paper.

I did compete all my shops. It just took more time and effort than it should have.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2015 11:36PM by johnb974.

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I suggest using a GPS program on a smart phone. I know that you have said elsewhere that you can not afford one. I suggest that printing costs money that you won't be spending, and that the cost of not being able to use GPS and not being able to check shop instructions while on the road and the cost of not being able to get emails when on the road is much to high. Save your pennies. Get a smart phone. If you can accept one or two additional shops per months because you respond to emergency requests with bonuses while you are on the road, you will come out ahead.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Organization is key in this business.

If you have an Android Phone and don't even have data, you can load your state maps into the "Here" GPS app and it even has most of the franchise locations in the database and gives you turn by turn directions:

It's 100% free: [play.google.com]

It even has a high quality downloadable voice that sounds better than Google's for both male and female voice in English and British accented voice. I like the British Female voice.

Be cause of my current financial situation, I cannot afford a smart phone or a tablet. I can take my laptop with me, from now on. That will do until my finances change.

@johnb974 wrote:

Be cause of my current financial situation, I cannot afford a smart phone or a tablet. I can take my laptop with me, from now on. That will do until my finances change.

You can buy a Samsung Galaxy light with no contract for less than $30 and it will run the here GPS and has a 5 MP camera that has given me 10's with the photo's.

A couple of bank shops or FF shops will buy this very small and capable smart phone. You don't even need to keep a working sim card in it or pay for any service. Just use it as a camera and the GPS if your really tight. MetroPCS will make you pay for 1 month of the lowest cost service to get the phone and then you can let the service lapse.

You can use Google Voice when you are in free wifi and not spend any money to use it as a phone when at a shop. Most shops have free wifi around or in them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2015 01:12AM by scanman1.

@LauraJeanne wrote:

Organization is key in this business.

I agree. Over the years (even before I started MSing) I developed a system that works for me. When I come home I set my purse on the kitchen island and pile the things I need to take next time I leave the house on top of it. Now when I forget something I have no one to blame but myself.

Johnb974, I suspect you don't carry a purse (!), but if you designate a place to put things it will be easier to organize yourself.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

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stressful day with my shops.

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