I loved doing the DYI home improvement shops for Beyond Hello in the past, but I may be done with them. The new requirement will no longer accept pictures of the store unless the store number can be seen. The problem is....most of the ones in my area do not have the address in front of the store. It's usually off to the side of the building somewhere. Another option is a receipt...but that would require spending at the most $2 just to generate a receipt

Most other companies use google maps to verify that a shopper was at the correct location when a purchase is not required.

They will also accept a business card but I have never been given a business card at this store.

At the Big Box stores and at small local hardware stores, you can buy a single nut, washer, or screw for $0.10 or less. I do it all the time.

Contact the scheduler to let them know. If there really are no numbers on the building, there is probably some way that BH can verify this. Sometimes, counter-intuitively, an address is written on a non-public entrance part of a building. To quote from Charlie the Unicorn, "You just have to be sneaky, Charlie!" If you have any doubts as to whether or not a photo from a specific angle of the store will be accepted, you can always contact your scheduler. They probably tend to appreciate knowing if there is a 'catch'' with certain shops, and they sometimes use it to update the shop guidelines----bear in mind that I wouldn't actually ask them to do this, though. I've seen it happen sometimes after I asked for clarification on certain things, so my sasking the question may have been a factor in it. Many schedulers are not really open to 'suggestions' from shoppers, though, so I tend to just e-mail them for the clarification. Sigh.

What 'most other clients' or 'what most other MSCs want' doesn't count. It is all about what your specific client and MSC want.

As for the business cards, many or most mystery shops seem to require you to get them, especially if you do not get a receipt of some kind. If the cards are not in easy reach, you are typically required to ask for them. It will help you in your mystery shopping career if you think of going after business cards as the rule rather than the exception. Think of them as an X on a treasure map. Some will take a bit more hunting than others, and I very sincerely doubt that nobody has a business card at this location. If you can't get one from the specific person you shopped, getting another one from someone else is often acceptable. Again, when in doubt, ask your scheduler.

Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2015 03:34PM by OceanGirl.

Buy something, anything, and immediately return it.

Take a photo of the receipt before you return it. I think you assumed that everyone would understand to do that. It never hurts to be explicit.

@parkcitybrian wrote:

Buy something, anything, and immediately return it.

I like to buy a candy bar, unwrap it (of course), take a bite, return to the counter and say, "i'm sorry but this isn't to my liking" and would like a refund. The reaction is priceless however one must have no shame in order to pull this off.

I do these all the time. I ALWAYS get a business card, it is a million times easier than photos. Appliances, Flooring, Lighting, and Doors/Windows will almost always have business cards. Just ask anybody working in those departments. I always say, "Oh, can I have a card with the phone number in case I forgot to ask a question my boyfriend wants answered?" The key here is that I ALWAYS have had to ask for a business card.

Sometimes business cards are sitting for the taking on the counter near the computer in those sections. Also they are usually by the pro desk for the taking. Personally I remember when these were with a previous msp and there was no POV at all.

@myst4au wrote:

At the Big Box stores and at small local hardware stores, you can buy a single nut, washer, or screw for $0.10 or less. I do it all the time.

Have done 3 shops for MF at a home improvement shop. You have to buy something in the scenario. I now have enough Teflon tape that I could use it to reenact several chapters of "Ghost" by John Ringo.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2015 06:33AM by 2stepps.

Business cards, carpenter pencil for .25 cent., .99 cents cleaner like simple green on the entrance.

Can you use GeoVerify?

there are a zillion individual screws for 15 cents or less in hardware dept near front of store.

GeoVerify is not an acceptable POV for the Big Box Shops that I, and I think others, are talking about. They offer several different POV options including a time and date stamped photo, but to me, all the stores look the same and they don't have addresses on them. I am much happier spending $0.11 for a 1/4" hex bolt. Hard to argue with a date and time stamped register receipt. $0.11 is less than 1% of the starting fee, and yesterday I bought a $0.06 1/4" hex nut. Ended up with a matching set for the day!