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Experienced Apartment Shoppers

September 04, 2015 02:44PM
This is a question for the experienced apartment shoppers. I am close to 2 months in on this MS journey. I have never attempted an aprtment shop. One has popped up in my local area. It is not a targeted shop. What kind of advice would you give to someone who has never completed one of these shops?
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More Discussions About Apartment Shoppe (All Companies)
More About Apartment Mystery Shopping
September 04, 2015 10:34PM
Don't book any other shops that day. You will need all of your focus as there is a lot to remember. It will seem very overwhelming, but gets MUCH easier even the 2nd time. The first time or two, the report took me two hours! Now it's 30-45. Print a copy of the report and park somewhere close but out of site - McDonald's, gas station, etc. Make as many notes as you need to refresh your memory when you write the actual report. I can do 3 in one day without notes now; it makes for a very long, yet profitable, day. Whatever your relaxation method of choice - bubble bath, wine, TV - have it ready when you're finished; mine is vodka. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, but only if you shop nowhere near me!
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September 04, 2015 11:47PM
You can put notes in your cell phone when they get up or if they have you wait for them. What they were wearing, eye/hair color, tattoos, glasses, scars, etc., as well as those around you may see. The apartment number(s) shown, wall color, cabinet color. Anything you notice on-site that can prove you were there, like something being worked on or even if you hear Ann Jones ask for a package she was expecting. Do not forget their business card or at least a floor plan or other promotional material, if not all. If the person you meet with is new and they write their name on a business card but do not include their last name, ask for it. And yes, it is a boring, repetitive and long report to get used to! And just as Lisa4984 stated, it gets a lot easier as you become experienced with them.
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September 05, 2015 01:56AM
I have completed as many as eight in one day. However, they were video shops with minimal reports and the reports were not due until whenever I could get them in. For written shops I'm on the same page as the other Lisa, two to three a day would be the max with any other assignments just the dead easy variety.

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.
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September 05, 2015 02:02AM
Don't take 'em at less than $35-40 and watch out for EPMS. Long narratives needed, but that's ok if you like doing them as I do.

Kona Kathie
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September 05, 2015 02:08AM
Also, even if it's technically an 'unrecorded' shop, feel free to take advantage of a recording device as long as you're not in a two-party consent state. Otherwise, that's usually illegal. The one really big exception is if the individual being shopped has signed an agreement with the client which allows for unannounced, recorded audits, and we won't always get told whether or not they have done so.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2015 02:10AM by OceanGirl.
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