So, I've shopped a bit before, and am now returning in earnest. I don't currently have smart phone, just a tablet, digital camera, and home computer. I'm wondering how helpful is working from or with a smartphone? Thanks, all, and good luck!

I have what you listed and unless your want to do the mobil shops and use a lot of app's you can shop. I shop part time and do everything on my laptop, phones are too small... it will be your preference, try it before buying all other stuff.

Yes, I can't imagine working from a phone, but then again, I don't have one, so I thought I'd ask. I'm in the market for a smartphone, just researching now. In my previous shopping, I would carry a recorder to help with the entry later, but I was never required to take a picture (just bank shops) but I can see where an all in one would be pretty sweet. Thanks!

I use my phone for pictures and texting myself names descriptions and such....since it is so acceptable today also there are usually pictures needed, so a decent phone with a good camera works.

The all-in-one nature of the phone made it a great choice for me. I may forget a camera or audio recorder, but never the phone. In the beginning those two things and the GPS were it's primary uses. Since then my Outlook calendar can sync keeping my schedule at my fingertips plus I have a video app which is convenient on days I don't use my full video rig. I rarely use it for actual reports unless they are short and/or it is easy to answer a bunch of yes/no or multiple choice questions while leaving narrative for the laptop with a real keyboard.

I wanted to add this. If you were not interest in getting one at all my suggestion would be to hold off on the expense until you decided how much you want to shop. Since you seem inclined to get one anyway, go for it



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2017 07:12PM by LisaSTL.

If phones were good for reports, there'd be no other way to go, but even helping knock some of the report out while in the field would be great. I might report in overkill, not sure, but the narrative always took a good hour or more.

Anyone have phone they recommend? I know that's a loaded question and difficult to answer because my phone choice should be based on my needs, but I'd like to know if anyone has a favorite.

I'm kind of in the middle with narratives. Not the quickest yet much faster than some others report. A lot of it is repetition and getting acquainted with each MSCs requirements. If I can complete most narrative heavy reports in 45 minutes to an hour it works. My work is balanced with enough other assignments taking much less time.

I highly recommend Samsung my carrier is AT@T, bought at Best Buy. Price was great, charged it and got rewards and cash back....they have many, but not being high tech it is easy to use....be sure and ask about camera you need a good one.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2017 07:23PM by Irene_L.A..

I'm in Verizon country. Not many services work at my house and Verizon struggles, too, but you can drive down the hill and get service with most carriers. Maybe I should look at a cheap phone with one of those prepaids and use that when I get into town? Hmmmmmm.

I Am always behind in technology, because I refuse to pay the high prices for the new phones. I have been with Straighttalk for a long time and I am very happy with it. I always get a phone on the Verizon network. The way Straighttalk works, is the phone you buy determines the network you are on. I switched from Samsung to an IPhone last year, and love it. Although I went to a smaller screen, the iPhone seems much more stable and intuitive. Right now you could get a 5s, refurbished, from Straighttalk for 49.99. Their unlimited plan is $45 a month. There are other ways to go, and I am sure others will have some different recommendations. I don't like doing reporting on my phone. I like a full size keyboard.

I know, right? I don't even like typing on my tablet and I have a very nice tablet keyboard. But, hey, if I can knock off some of the reporting in the field, that would rock.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2017 08:22PM by pi2fly.

I love to buy "behind the curve" for phone tech. I highly recommend a Samsung 5 phone, if you can find one. It has a great camera, much better than an iphone. It is superior in most respects to the later Samsung models. Allows any aps you might later want for MS work.

I actually shopped the Samsung "behind the curve" and they are great. The security is the best and latest.
They are expensive but maybe next one I get in a year or so will be that.

i cant imagine working w/out smart phone. elec calendar is worth price of entire phone. some shops require geoveriy whioch i think needs smart phone. i have other shops require use of smart phone only. i dont do shops w/alot of narrative. too time consuming.

Which ever phone or carrier you decide on, I suggest making the purchase at Best Buy Mobile. They always seem to have a better deal or at least include gift cards with a purchase.

I use my smart phone for every shop...either geoverify, pictures, timings, or just to reread the guidelines as a refresher before doing the shop. I couldn't do a shop without one now.

After doing many wireless shops, I went with a Samsung J7 (free because I switched my account from another provider). Service is with MetroPCS, which is on the Tmobile network. It costs $50/month for unlimited data, text, and not-quite unlimited internet.

I use a smartphone for shops, great like they say for pix and texting. No carriers work at our house so I went on the cheap and got one from Consumer Cellular. Paid under $150 for the phone and our plan is about $45 a month for two smartphones including taxes. Having AARP made it a little cheaper and we have wifi at home so don't need a lot of data. It works just as good as the Verizon one I had and have never had any issues finding service, except at home which is normal with any carrier.

I do work for a few companies that use the Shopmetrics reporting platform and don't require much narrative (1 or 2 sentences), or none at all. I can submit the reports using the MobiAudit app after leaving the location in a few minutes while sitting in a parking lot before driving to the next location. For shops that require a photo, I can open the MSC website on my phone and take photos uploading it directly from my phone which saves a few steps from the old days when I used my digital camera, transferred photos to my desktop, then uploaded them to the report. I have an LG, which has a great camera. It's a decent phone, but I hear Samsung is better. My husband and stepdaughter love their iPhones. When I do cell phone mystery shops, I have heard salespeople raving about the new Google Pixel. As far as shopping without the phone, yeah, you can, but I love being able to check email and grab new shops right away instead of going home and checking email to find that shops were taken by other shoppers. Also, some companies use GeoVerify now and you have to have a Smartphone for that. Additionally, there are times that my vehicle GPS doesn't recognize an address. Google Maps almost always does.

You can do Mobi on your tablet offline and sync when you get home. And most companies that ask for GeoVerify have other options. I prefer to print out the instructions and keep them in a notebook in my go-bag. It comes down to what you're comfortable with.

I tried the smartphone. Wasn't really worth it for me, so switched back to a cheapie LG phone that takes great photos, does everything but connect to the Internet - and costs me $20 every three months (it could connect, just gets expensive.) I have the latest and greatest at home, but the smartphone felt like an appendage more than anything else.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2017 03:58PM by iShop123.

Is anyone going to buy the iphone X?

You could always do a few cell phone shops where you can get a sales associate's help in picking out a phone LOL.

For work I've had a Blackberry and an iPhone. When I finally decided to get a smart phone I went with an android and absolutely hated it. When I decided to switch carriers (from pre-paid to contract), I got an iPhone because I loved my work one. Don't regret it.

If you're in the market for a smartphone, you can get a 32 gb iPhone SE (equivalent power to an iPhone 6S) for only $140-150 before taxes. For a budget phone, it's pretty much the best bang for your buck.

The best thing about Androids are there are many, many free apps available. iPhone has some built in apps but most of their other apps you have to purchase. My husband and stepdaughter are loyal Apple users because they are very easy to use. If you ask most people who work at cell phone stores, they are Android or Google users.

Thanks for that!

I rely on a smartphone for taking photos, keeping a shop calendar, GPS navigation, etc, while I'm working. What a pain it would be to be without one. However, if you like your tablet better, you could look into getting cell service for it.

As far as getting a smartphone, make sure you have one that has a good camera and look for one with lots of memory and storage space. I recommend the first because I do a lot of audits and take lots of photos, but occasionally, shops require that you take a photo of the front of the location where you shopped, or something inside the location, like your food during a dining shop. I recommend the second because I had an inexpensive phone a few years ago and ran out of storage space. Besides taking photos and having Maps, Shopwatch (for timings), several MSCs now have their own app that they want you to download, then some require GeoVerify. Some shops even require you to download the app for the business you are shopping so that you can make an order or get a coupon off the app. I once did a hotel shop which basically consisted of using your phone to unlock the hotel room door in lieu of a keycard. So, definitely get a phone with lots of storage.

I have had older model high-end phones that I bought inexpensively off the Net. I just got a new phone, but a mid-range model. It has a good camera and it has lots of storage. It is unlocked for whatever cellular network I want to use. It cost just over $200. Better than $700, I say. It is a Moto G5 with 64 GBs, 12 MP camera.

JAS, I've been using iPhones for about eight years now. I have purchased a grand total of maybe two apps. One of those was Whip. After seeing it on Big Bang Theory, I just had to have it

That's good info. My stepdaughter has spent a good amount of money on apps. My husband not so much, because he really doesn't use his iPhone that much. I have never spent a penny on an app with my Android. I really can't say that Android is better since I have never had an iPhone, but it appears Apple people love Apple and Android users usually stick with Android (but not always). I hear a lot of great things about the Moto X and the Google Pixel whenever I do cell phone shops. About 1 out of 5 cell phone store associates I interacted with recommend iPhones. That really doesn't mean anything, either, other than maybe there were other associates in the store who used iPhones that I did not interact with.

I use a corded rotary phone given to me in April of '65. I have never needed to inquire of one if they can hear me nor has my choice of service affected me as a shopper. The main reason being that none of the assignments of which I have any interest require a cell. I tend to gravitate toward those jobs that are narrative intensive, but pay from $50 upward, so attempting to type on a phone would be a time consuming disaster.

I'm gonna tease you a little bit, Bob, and ask if you do shops for Maritz, LOL.

But on a serious note, smartphones aren't all about typing on phones. I sometimes check my email on my phone and get shops that I otherwise wouldn't see until I got home. They are good for much more than completing shops on, but that being said, some of the shops I do that are heavily bonused and have 0 narrative can be completed with ease on a smartphone using an app.

To each their own, however, and if the rotary phone works for you, that's great!