I need to invest in some equipment and technology as I do more mystery shopping. Some are things I have that need to be replaced and some are things I've never owned before. They are as follows:

1. Laptop-I have two which are both on death's door, both of which I've used for mystery shopping reports, and wasn't sure if I needed to replace them with something specific.

2. Smartphone-I have almost always had Android smartphones. The one I have now needs to be replaced, and I wondered if there was a certain brand or model that worked better than others for mystery shopping.

3. Tablet-I've not yet had an assignment that required the use of a tablet, but I've seen some posted, mostly audits. I have an LG G Pad 7 (10.0). I didn't know if I may need something else for some of the audits that require tablet use of if this will suffice.

4. Digital Camera-I've seen one or two assignments posted that required shooting pictures with a standalone digital camera, not a camera on a smartphone. If I purchase one for assignments, which brands and specifications are best?

5. Hidden Video Camera Recording Equipment-I've never purchased or used this equipment before, so I know nothing about what I should look for. Any recommendations about what and where to purchase are welcomed.

Thank you in advance for the help!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2017 06:38AM by theminx.

When it comes to concealed video equipment, please do a forum "search" on "video" for "past year" and you will find a wealth of information. The industry standards for video product mean that a PV-500 rig with an upgraded camera and a long life battery (7 hours) will be needed. Do NOT just buy off the Internet. Many have been ripped off by getting cheap discontinued models (discontinued due to many problems) and camera that were NOT upgraded, and just items that were junk. (Key ring cameras, pen cameras, eye glass cameras, cameras in baseball caps, etc.)

I use a Samsung S5 phone, superior to Samsung S6. You can probably get one at a low price now that the S* model has been released. Mine does a great job.

I prefer Android phones for shopping because of the PDF capabilities. If I want to download a form or guidelines it's easy as pie.
Almost any little point and shoot camera will be good for most jobs. I have a little Nikon coolpix that has done hundreds of gas stations in the 3 years I've owned it.
I always buy the same laptop. A middle of the road HP. Not the cheapest and not the most expensive. It has done everything asked of it without complaint, the latest one, for 3 years now.

I recommend the Brother black and white printer. Come with a cartridge that last a long time. No need to buy expensive ink refills.
I also love my Neat Receipts, the portable one, it's only about 12" long by 2" wide. Keeps and records all receipts perfectly and quickly. I never have to adjust the size. Works great for all receipts, automatically goes into my documents library, business cards, PDF, receipts. Cost about $100. go on line to view. www.neat.com
or 866-632-8732. Simple to install, just plug it into your computer. They offer a full scale one for those who need to file lots of things. I found I only need the portable. Easy to travel with if necessary. All you need your computer no electricity.

CQ, I am able to download and open PDFs on my iPhone.

Good to know. I have never had an iPhone but have had multiple sales associates tell me they don't do PDF.

@LisaSTL wrote:

CQ, I am able to download and open PDFs on my iPhone.

iOS natively opens PDF's, Word and Excel docs.

Someone was trying to sell you an Android phone, I think.....

Your first mistake, assuming a wireless sales associate knows much about phones. There is a reason they are one of the most shopped industries.

I do not know your financial situation but if you can only buy one item at a time and then wait until you earn more money for the next, unless you have a relative or neighbor you can go to if your laptop fails, I would prioritize the laptops and get one which you know will work. You can keep the best of the other two just in case there is some issue with the new one. But then you may not be a dinosaur like I am. I cannot imagine doing long narrative reports on a small screen of a phone. Is it even possible? I have never tried.
I

Also, I highly recommend doing some apartment and new car and new home shops without video before tackling the video version. You need to develop confidence with the type of shop so that you can go into your first shop of that kind doing video, IMHO. Yes, bgriffin started with video, but he is a rare bird, indeed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2017 04:23PM by walesmaven.

As for video equipment, first make sure you live in a one-party state/area. Other than Florida, I'm not sure which other states are two-party. If you're going to do the bulk of your shopping in a two-party state, there's a limited amount of shops that call for a video rig which would probably be the most expensive investment of all the items you're asking about.

Like CoffeeQueen, I also use a Nikon Coolpix for my camera needs and never had a photo rejected.

"but he is a rare bird, indeed"

Are loons rare?

@sandyf wrote:

I cannot imagine doing long narrative reports on a small screen of a phone. Is it even possible?

Possible?...yes. Easy?...not really.

I did a string of dining assignments last year that required me to do a lot of traveling through different countries, sometimes staying for just one night in each hotel, and had airfare that did not include luggage. I decided to travel as light as possible and did not bring my laptop. I instead brought a small bluetooth keyboard that fit in my backpack and completed all the reports from my phone.

The good side of that is that I could hang my phone from the seat in front of me in even the smallest seating arrangement on an flight or train, and type from the dining tray. I was also able to proof the narratives while in taxis, waiting to board a flight or just sitting on a beach. I had more access to online services when in remote locations since it was a phone as well. I composed the narratives in the Word app on the phone, then copied and pasted them into the forms when scoring. I also used voice recognition to dictate some of the longer narrative sections when I had a private location.

I was not nearly as fast or easy as sitting at my desk writing reports on my laptop, but it allowed me to travel with just a backpack, be on the go and get the reports in on time.

@LibraLady wrote:

As for video equipment, first make sure you live in a one-party state/area. Other than Florida, I'm not sure which other states are two-party. If you're going to do the bulk of your shopping in a two-party state, there's a limited amount of shops that call for a video rig which would probably be the most expensive investment of all the items you're asking about.

No offense but this is particularly poor advise. Some of the most fertile video shopping states, including Florida, are two party states.

To elaborate on bgriffin's post. Two party simply means both parties have given permission to be recorded. In the case of video shopping targets, the permission is granted long before the actual video shop is performed. In some cases it is part of the employment contract signed at the time they are hired. The employee agrees they may be recorded as part of their job and ongoing training which then applies for as long as they are retained. I think people make the mistake the permission needs to be given at the same time as the actual recording.

I do tons of video in MD and PA and often go to FL (all 2 party consent states) for video routes. Lisa is absolutely correct about how consent is given by the sales agents in 2 party states. Also, actually the laws in 2 party states pertain to the AUDIO recording that happens along with the video.

When did Florida become a one-party state?

It is a 2 party state, I believe! It was among those I shop that are 2 party states.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2017 09:10PM by walesmaven.

Florida is a 2 party state. That means you can't record without both parties consenting. Most industries that are video shopped have their employees sign forms stating they consent to be recorded during their work when they are hired.