Hi fellow shoppers,
I see a gas station for mystery shop and reveal with photos for $12.5 and $6 reimbursements.

Is it easy? The photos? And if I do it once will I never be able to m/s that location? Is there a rotation?

Kindly help
Thanks a lot in advance.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2017 09:26PM by newbieshop.

Would need a little more info. I do some gas stations for a particular company and I can shop them repeatedly because the mystery for them is in not knowing when I will show up. By the time I'm on the property, I've already gotten a ton of photos outside and I'm inside on the way to the bathroom before anyone even recognizes me. And staff are not always the same so there's even less risk, especially when I have on a jacket and a beanie in this colder weather. A lot of the mystery is in when we will show up and what time of day and so forth. They try to rotate it so there isn't a rhyme or reason to it but of course there's always a risk of being recognized.

Clinen, thanks a lot for the info. I am still unsure whether to go ahead or not. This one has to take photos for every no item and photos are to be taken later.

The reveal gas stations in my area have a year rotation. Hence why I've only done 2, and I waited until they were bonused at that.

@Kakita987 wrote:

The reveal gas stations in my area have a year rotation. Hence why I've only done 2, and I waited until they were bonused at that.

A year? Wowza. I've spotted a few on 180 day rotation and I think I even saw one shop on 270 day rotation, but I've not seen any for a year. Thankfully, my area usually has the 60 day rotations on most gas stations, and one company that I work for does not have any rotation rules but does ask that we get all of our photos first before alerting anyone to our presence.

Newbie, there's no reason why you can't call the MSC and ask them your questions.

Best of luck.

Sounds like the Exxon shops the OP is referring to. If so, the rotation is one month. They are not difficult, but may seem overwhelming the first time you do one until you get the hang of it. Make a cheat sheet for what you need to look for. It's hardly worth it to only do one and go through all the self-training. They become more valuable as you can do a bunch of them every month. Once you become familiar with the requirements, they should take between 20-30 minutes on site plus the report.

I agree sounds like the Exxon/Mobil. Not hard. Only problem is you have to take a picture of each pump and that can get time consuming if the station is busy. I like doing those shops.

In the past, these shops required the purchase of cigarettes that were then to be given to the cashier! I avoided these like the plague once I found that out! Have they dropped ridiculous requirements like this?

The Exxon/Mobil that I do have never required the cigarette purchase/return. You buy $5/gas and $1/store. Then the audit.

You have photo to take before the reveal and photos to take after the reveal. Pick your time to go to the GS. If you go when the station is busy, you will have to wait on customers. If you go earlier or later, your time on the lot can be reduced. Take a picture of anything and everything. You don't need a cheat sheet if you have read the guidelines.

My first photo after the reveal is the employee. I take four pictures of him. One reason, I do not want him to change into his uniform while I am outside taking the pictures of the pump. After taking the outside pictures, I go inside and take one more picture of the employee. By this time, he has on a name tag. I take a picture of the name tag for "name only" questions.

I've done one with a particular MSC and found it overwhelming, mainly because the report didn't print well and was hard to read. I tried filling out some of the info on site with the iPad, but had the same issue trying to read the pump questions.

I'll admit I was probably making it harder than was required.

I've done multiple mystery reveals with other MSC's and they were easy peasy.

If you are asking about Maritz, I would take it slow so you can figure out a flow. I found my shop to be choppy and it did not register well in my brain. But then again, I have comprehension issues with all of my Maritz shops.

@MA Smith ---------Your best bet is to download the guide. And read it in its entirety to have on hand what the questions on the report form actually says. Unlike the shopping shops guideline, the EM guidelines appears to be a screen shot of a form. Schedulers and editors do not see what we see, because they do not have access to the questionnaire. If the form is actually a screenshot, then what you see on your IPad is visibly worse. I am sorry for you.

Thanks guys.. the shop does seem over whelming but then there arent many nearby, so moving on.. thanks again for your replies

I did lots of Exxon shops in 2014. I remember that the form had very small print and was hard to read. Enlarging would not help because it would cut off text from either side.

@maranatha wrote:

I did lots of Exxon shops in 2014. I remember that the form had very small print and was hard to read. Enlarging would not help because it would cut off text from either side.

The form was a screen shot of the form. While the Client believes we see the actual form we do not. Funny thing is the scheduler or editors cannot complain b/c like I said they don't see what we see. They have a form of there own that they use as a check list. It would be better if the Ss and Es had the "other documents need for this shop" in front of them.

BTW, The Client thinks that if they actual printed out that form it would take a 100 pages because of the dispenser questions is printed at least24 times. Go Figure. ("other documents needed to complete this shop" x all those pages)

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2017 07:02AM by sojo917.

The form can be turned into an 8-page form if you take each page and enlarge it-- or do what I did and rewrite the questionnaire yourself. There are questions there that do not apply (just like on the yellow station form).
I have turned it into a 3-page form plus the one page of the pump requirements.

Reply to the original question.
Just remember one of each pump. Remember you must include the pump from top to bottom: if you cut off the top or bottom you will have to redo the shop(resubmit acceptable photo) the same thing with the PID and the overall. Then you need one of the staff torso and name tag and one of the bathroom. This is the easy station with a reveal the yellow station has a little more to it.
But once you get used to them it is easy work. It really takes longer to send the report in than doing the shop itself.
Good Luck and Have Fun!

@KanusWeb wrote:

The form can be turned into an 8-page form if you take each page and enlarge it-- or do what I did and rewrite the questionnaire yourself. .................................................

This seems like an awful lot more work. When alI the Client has to do is not take a screen shot of the form and submit the original form as he sees it. While we may be discussing 2 different GS forms, I for one, am not rewriting anything. I use the question format established in the guidelines.

If you decide to try these stations I strongly recommend a well thought out worksheet. I have done hundreds of these and by using a worksheet can complete the shop in 20 to 30 minutes. I have never used the tiny print form provided. However, if you don't think you will be doing many E/M shops in the future it may not be worth the hours to compose your worksheet.

I will do my first of five scheduled shops tomorrow. There are so many pages of instructions, it is overwhelming. I wish I had the cheat sheet you guys mentioned. I will keep studying and hope I can put it all together.

The guidelines used to come with a "cheat" sheet. Check your guideline last pages and see if there is anything that represents a paper of the required photo pics. That would be your first cheat sheet. The next would be the pump dispenser sheet, what should be on the pump and what should not,. Providing that all 5 shops aren't tomorrow, maybe by the fifth shop you will have your own cheat sheet.

update, I did not pick up any that time.

Doing one next week bonused, if somebody can tell me about checking for drugs n porn mags. we have to do it after the reveal yes?

in thay case, the reps are fine seeing the evaluator take pics of such items that are not allowed?

thanks
I would appreciate help.

@newbieshop wrote:

update, I did not pick up any that time.

Doing one next week bonused, if somebody can tell me about checking for drugs n porn mags. we have to do it after the reveal yes?

in thay case, the reps are fine seeing the evaluator take pics of such items that are not allowed?

thanks
I would appreciate help.

You check for them after the reveal, yes. However, during the mystery portion when I am looking for my item to purchase, I'll scope out the store for areas where I could see them placing them. If feasible, I will take a slow walk by that area, and take a glance.

After the reveal, I will try to still get a point where the attendant is focused on another customer, to take the pictures of the paraphernalia items. Otherwise, I will (usually) wait until after I have taken the uniform photo, and take the paraphernalia picture(s) as the last thing I do. A couple times I have had an attendant scream at me that "I can't take that picture!" but at that point, I have done everything, and can say "yes I can", and walk out. If I think there is a high chance of the attendant hiding them (and usually when I think the attendant is also the owner), I will take the pic right away. Ideally, there is a customer right behind me, so they begin helping them and don't notice I already have the picture taken. Only once have I had these items removed before I got their picture, so I feel good about how I go about it.

Porn is usually with the magazines. I don't find many examples of this, but when I do it is with same local/regional chain, so I know to walk right to it. On the station that is mystery shop only, this is an annoying pic to take if another customer sees you. I will say there was one station, mystery shop only, that was so slick with concealing their porn, that I never noticed it until about 5-6 visits. Makes me wonder if customers that might want it even realize it. They can't completely hide these items as they want the people who want them to know they have them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2017 09:54PM by tcurione.

@tcurione wrote:

You check for them after the reveal, yes. However, during the mystery portion when I am looking for my item to purchase, I'll scope out the store for areas where I could see them placing them. If feasible, I will take a slow walk by that area, and take a glance.

After the reveal, I will try to still get a point where the attendant is focused on another customer, to take the pictures of the paraphernalia items. Otherwise, I will (usually) wait until after I have taken the uniform photo, and take the paraphernalia picture(s) as the last thing I do. A couple times I have had an attendant scream at me that "I can't take that picture!" but at that point, I have done everything, and can say "yes I can", and walk out. If I think there is a high chance of the attendant hiding them (and usually when I think the attendant is also the owner), I will take the pic right away. Ideally, there is a customer right behind me, so they begin helping them and don't notice I already have the picture taken. Only once have I had these items removed before I got their picture, so I feel good about how I go about it.

Porn is usually with the magazines. I don't find many examples of this, but when I do it is with same local/regional chain, so I know to walk right to it. On the station that is mystery shop only, this is an annoying pic to take if another customer sees you. I will say there was one station, mystery shop only, that was so slick with concealing their porn, that I never noticed it until about 5-6 visits. Makes me wonder if customers that might want it even realize it. They can't completely hide these items as they want the people who want them to know they have them.

thats so so helpful. I hope I nail it.

And then comes the pump and outside pics? I want to get the flow of the shop right.

@newbieshop wrote:

thats so so helpful. I hope I nail it.

And then comes the pump and outside pics? I want to get the flow of the shop right.

Good luck!
After the reveal, it doesn't necessarily matter what you take pictures of next, as long as you get all the pictures you need. The MSC is great to work for, but they are firm on wanting the pictures they tell you they want!

@ wrote:

Good luck!
After the reveal, it doesn't necessarily matter what you take pictures of next, as long as you get all the pictures you need. The MSC is great to work for, but they are firm on wanting the pictures they tell you they want!

Thank you again.I will update once I go through the shop. Its a first time for this one, I wonder how I will fair.

Most of the stations where I've found paraphernalia have it right front and center at the counter where it's nearly impossible to take discreet photos. I just take them whether they see it or not. Yesterday I had an owner tell me he did not care if the client removed his franchise because he makes so much more money selling it than gas..sad to me that many folks are using. At another station where I would now need a huge...one of those "ginormous" bonuses to return, I had an uncomfortable situation. After I took a brief look in the kiosk and thought I saw a lot of the usual paraphernalia, I parked the car and went in...no more than 2 minutes after getting my gas. The entire display was changed to normal stuff with no paraphernalia in sight. I thought it was me and I just imagined seeing it. I mistakenly forgot to take the cashier's photo somehow..probably in a dumbfounded state at that point...and I had to return the next day. Much to my amazement the entire display of stuff was back...hookahs, bongs, pipes etc all layed out in the glass cabinet. I actually found synthetic marijuana there months earlier which I believe is now illegal. I have no idea how they completely switched it all out so quickly, but it really annoyed me. I only saw one guy pumping gas and working the kiosk. It was like he pushed a button and the counter disappeared with a new one in it's place. We're talking about a large heavy 3 foot glass cabinet loaded with the stuff on three shelves. I joked with the fellow after the reveal about getting rid of the stuff and he commented that they were not allowed to have it..adamantly.."No More." Ha ha. He must have recognized me or my car and somehow got rid of it all. I managed to take some quick covert photos the second day. Just amazing. Yes, I reported it all. If I ever go back there, I'll visit the store first. But I don't really want to because it was really, really weird.

@MsJudi that must have been terrible. glad you got it all done right )