Some new car shops' guidelines ask you to keep down the time in the dealerships to 45 minutes. I have shopped the same car salesperson twice. She recognized me as someone who had been there before. She just said, "How long have you wanted a new car? Isn't it time you go ahead and get the car now?" The third time I went there, I made sure to steer clear of her. She did notice me and thanked me for coming in, though.
I have spent as long as 1 hour and 45 minutes at a dealership before. I even told them I had an eye doctor appointment. The salesman just said, "The appointment can be rescheduled." and went on. I was ticked because the appointment was a shop, too!
One thing you can do to save time and prevent being spotted: have an idea of what you do for a living and how much they make. Think about if that person could afford the car you are shopping. Another thing: don't act like you know nothing about cars or everything about cars.
If they think you nothing about cars, they might waste your time explaining how the energy from the gas gets to the motor and the waste from the petroleum goes into the exhaust...or they might try to build rapport for 20 minutes chit chatting about how to ride in a car with a dog. If they ask too many questions or get off the topic too long, you can politely say you would like to get back to the subject of the vehicle.
If let on you know a lot about cars, you might lose track of time discussing the horsepower of different engines in different models and the efficiency of that fuel or another.....
Do your homework before the shop. Get to know what features are in a couple of models that someone would need. If you do not have an assigned model, pick one and look at the details of the features. You can tell the salesperson at the beginning, I would like good gas mileage, the ability to haul large items occasionally, side airbags, and a smooth ride--knowing those features fit one and only one model. Now you just saved 20 minutes of them trying to find the best model to recommend.
As for oil change shops: most cars only need an oil change every three months--six months for the very new ones. Most of them do not pay much except for the reimbursement. I only do them for three or four cars, including a couple of dear friends/relatives.
For mystery shopping in general: try to schedule shops in the same neighborhood or suburb for the same day. Look at a map before you apply for shops if you need to. You will save time and gas.
Sorry for the long book of a comment!
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Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2016 03:19PM by kattyk.