I like the idea of the plastic container. Those styrofoam thingys always leak juice into the bag! I think some people completely overreacted to the question. Yes, new shops have a lot to remember. Yes, new shops may require notes of some sort, typed cheat sheets, handwritten or typed into your phone. Either way, there are multiple ways you can stimulate your memory. One of the best tricks is to review the shop in your vehicle immediately before the assignment and do it while the information is still fresh. After you've done several other tasks and read the guidelines the day before you never remember it all. Being tempted to hide the guidelines on you and taking them in the shop is not unethical, it's fear. Fear of forgetting. It's like taking a test without studying. Just review review review, take notes, etc. The better prepared you are the more confident you will feel. As for me, you can say I violate the rules but on narrative reports where I have to "remember" exactly what was said. I do record. Even though I know the recording is inadmissible etc. it's for my personal records and I destroy the recording after my report is accepted. I feel better because I know my report is 100% accurate, and I know if I make a statement I can stand behind that statement because I know I listened to the tape! So call me unethical if you want to, I am accurate.

Someone posted that they record the sound of their own voice but not another person. They make statements that are relevant to their work, and no one else is recorded. This method might be ethical. It might be less obtrusive in some situations than in others. I have not done this. I merely mention it because I do not know how t find the relevant thread.

@johnb974 wrote:

@RedRose22 wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

Many times the guidelines tell you to do something that isn't required for the report. The company only cares about what's in the report, that is what they look at.

John I am curious about whether you work for ACL or not. Every report has a series of questions outside the report and one is if you followed the guidelines of the shop. I always wondered why they asked that question but I guess it is for you and others who only file the guidelines they think are important to the client. But the question that I have is whether someone would actually report that they intentionally did not follow guidelines. And yes I agree with you that it is possible you will not get caught for not following guidelines but someday you might. Many of us prefer to stick to the rules.

I had an avocado tree. On NYE on the last day of 1999, I was having dinner with my new husband shortly after moving here. We were celebrating with some of his friends. We were having lobster and salad with wine. I cut open an avocado for the salad only to find that the pit had roots. I stuck it in a cup of wather and put it in the window. It surprisingly grew, so after a few months I put it in a pot with soil. It lived for about 10 years. I was really sad when it died. It never produced anything; they can't unless they are able to cross-polinate, and of course where I live it didn't get enough light, either. But it grew tall and it was pretty, and I loved it.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

You have an avocado tree? Is it in a container or in the ground? How did it do?

He deactivated himself. If he hadn't, it would only have been a matter of time before they would have done it for him.

@sandyf wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

@RedRose22 wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

Many times the guidelines tell you to do something that isn't required for the report. The company only cares about what's in the report, that is what they look at.

John I am curious about whether you work for ACL or not. Every report has a series of questions outside the report and one is if you followed the guidelines of the shop. I always wondered why they asked that question but I guess it is for you and others who only file the guidelines they think are important to the client. But the question that I have is whether someone would actually report that they intentionally did not follow guidelines. And yes I agree with you that it is possible you will not get caught for not following guidelines but someday you might. Many of us prefer to stick to the rules.

I know in California restaurants have video cameras, but they do not record sounds. It is illegal for businesses to record customer conversations.

Honny, I've had one successful one for about a year, but it takes years for them to mature enough to grow fruit. That being said, they are beautiful with or without fruit. I had 3 on my balcony to get some sun when I discovered that the furry beast had dug each on up and didn't eat it, but just kinda nibbled. LOL
My grandparents lived in CA and had the most glorious avocado trees and when I am no longer an apartment dweller, I hope to have one in the ground and not just in pots.

My mother had several huge (up to the 10-foot ceiling) avocado trees in ever larger pots, but they never bloomed indoors or (naturally) bore fruit. Out of curiosity, I just looked, and they will not survive freezing temperatures. You will need to move to southern Florida, Texas, or California. Maybe parts of Louisiana, but I am not sure.

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

My grandparents lived in CA and had the most glorious avocado trees and when I am no longer an apartment dweller, I hope to have one in the ground and not just in pots.

Too cold in Louisiana. I am from north Florida, and it's the same latitude as Louisiana.

They can live a long time indoors if they have plenty of light. If you want instructions about starting one from seed just google it. There are tons of youtube videos.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Nooooooo......

@sestrahelena wrote:

@Shop-et-al wrote:

I see something else in that...

Dinner?

I didn't say I kill 'em, it just made me picture Daryl at the gates of Alexandria, dead possum in hand, "We brought dinner."

But I haven't been in that situation yet so I haven't needed to eat them.

"I didn't say I kill 'em, it just made me picture Daryl at the gates of Alexandria, dead possum in hand, "We brought dinner."

Daryl at the gates of Alexandria?

Walking Dead.

Sadly, I know, and I'll be ok if I have to move to FL, TX or CA to do it. lol

@myst4au wrote:

My mother had several huge (up to the 10-foot ceiling) avocado trees in ever larger pots, but they never bloomed indoors or (naturally) bore fruit. Out of curiosity, I just looked, and they will not survive freezing temperatures. You will need to move to southern Florida, Texas, or California. Maybe parts of Louisiana, but I am not sure.

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

My grandparents lived in CA and had the most glorious avocado trees and when I am no longer an apartment dweller, I hope to have one in the ground and not just in pots.

That would be southern Texas, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend that. It's not pretty and the political climate is not that great right now.

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

Sadly, I know, and I'll be ok if I have to move to FL, TX or CA to do it. lol

@myst4au wrote:

My mother had several huge (up to the 10-foot ceiling) avocado trees in ever larger pots, but they never bloomed indoors or (naturally) bore fruit. Out of curiosity, I just looked, and they will not survive freezing temperatures. You will need to move to southern Florida, Texas, or California. Maybe parts of Louisiana, but I am not sure.

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

My grandparents lived in CA and had the most glorious avocado trees and when I am no longer an apartment dweller, I hope to have one in the ground and not just in pots.

I was thinking in the Brownsville area, solely in terms of weather climate.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

That would be southern Texas, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend that. It's not pretty and the political climate is not that great right now.

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

Sadly, I know, and I'll be ok if I have to move to FL, TX or CA to do it. lol

San Padre Island, perhaps? That's quite nice I hear.

Ah.

Never watched it.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Walking Dead.

Best answer, find another system that works for you. Not taking the shop is sometimes not a good option as I have found that there are times you don't find out the detail involved until after accepting. Even with those, I have cancelled and state the reason, but really, really hate doing that. Even worse are those shop with requirements that directly contradict themselves and it is a standard on some of the simplest shops I do. I have chosen to follow the instruction that requires proof it was followed, not the one that is more of a "guideline" on how to proceed. BTW, the company KNOWS the contradiction and does not "fix" it.

Best answer, find another system that works for you. Not taking the shop is sometimes not a good option as I have found that there are times you don't find out the detail involved until after accepting. Even with those, I have cancelled and state the reason, but really, really hate doing that. Even worse are those shop with requirements that directly contradict themselves and it is a standard on some of the simplest shops I do. I have chosen to follow the instruction that requires proof it was followed, not the one that is more of a "guideline" on how to proceed. BTW, the company KNOWS the contradiction and does not "fix" it.

I’m a newer shopper and have just wasted the last 17 minutes of my time reading this post/thread and I have come to the conclusion that mystery shoppers (me included) are the most nerdy people on the planet...I have also finally figured out why I can’t make any new friends in my new town....It’s most likely my intense nerdiness that turns my prospective friends off...I did have one friend until she quit smoking...We both worked from home and every time I saw her out front smoking a cigarette I would walk over and talk her ear off until she was done with her cigarette. I guess I should feel good about the fact that my supersonic needy nerdiness has the power to get two-pack-a-day smokers to quit cold turkey...I quit cold turkey once, but I didn’t like the taste of it when it was heated up, so I went back to two packs of Buddig a day...
P.S. John - I have a feeling you’re a lot like me and like to rattle cages and get people riled up for the fun of it, so please keep up the good work and PLEASE OH PLEASE invite me when you get hauled into court someday for not following the guidelines while doing a mystery shop...Judge Wapner must be rolling in his grave after reading that one!!!

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

@Susan L. I have an incredible imagination, so your post about squirrels with thunder thighs just made my day. OMG I needed that laugh!

Jenny -
You made me laugh with this comment....
likes to hide his nuts in my plants

Good thing you didn’t forget the L on that post eh?

You "friend" would rather quit smoking than hold a conversation with you?
Nice introduction.

@Shoppin4MyTurtle wrote:

I’m a newer shopper and have just wasted the last 17 minutes of my time reading this post/thread and I have come to the conclusion that mystery shoppers (me included) are the most nerdy people on the planet...I have also finally figured out why I can’t make any new friends in my new town....It’s most likely my intense nerdiness that turns my prospective friends off...I did have one friend until she quit smoking...We both worked from home and every time I saw her out front smoking a cigarette I would walk over and talk her ear off until she was done with her cigarette. I guess I should feel good about the fact that my supersonic needy nerdiness has the power to get two-pack-a-day smokers to quit cold turkey...I quit cold turkey once, but I didn’t like the taste of it when it was heated up, so I went back to two packs of Buddig a day...
P.S. John - I have a feeling you’re a lot like me and like to rattle cages and get people riled up for the fun of it, so please keep up the good work and PLEASE OH PLEASE invite me when you get hauled into court someday for not following the guidelines while doing a mystery shop...Judge Wapner must be rolling in his grave after reading that one!!!

Someone would rather quit smoking than hold a conversation with you?

Nice introduction, and welcome to the forum.

@Shoppin4MyTurtle wrote:

I’m a newer shopper and have just wasted the last 17 minutes of my time reading this post/thread and I have come to the conclusion that mystery shoppers (me included) are the most nerdy people on the planet...I have also finally figured out why I can’t make any new friends in my new town....It’s most likely my intense nerdiness that turns my prospective friends off...I did have one friend until she quit smoking...We both worked from home and every time I saw her out front smoking a cigarette I would walk over and talk her ear off until she was done with her cigarette. I guess I should feel good about the fact that my supersonic needy nerdiness has the power to get two-pack-a-day smokers to quit cold turkey...I quit cold turkey once, but I didn’t like the taste of it when it was heated up, so I went back to two packs of Buddig a day...
P.S. John - I have a feeling you’re a lot like me and like to rattle cages and get people riled up for the fun of it, so please keep up the good work and PLEASE OH PLEASE invite me when you get hauled into court someday for not following the guidelines while doing a mystery shop...Judge Wapner must be rolling in his grave after reading that one!!!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2019 09:48AM by HonnyBrown.

Love the Walking Dead reference in this thread! Savage

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2019 10:37AM by Flguy56.

Honny - you’re mean! Wasn’t it obvious that I was kidding?

@JASFLALMT wrote:

That's crazy. I have never done a shop where I could not remember what I needed to do. If you are having that problem you should not do those shops.

You can remember the time you entered a, say, restaurant, the name of the host and description. If you were seated within the time allotted per instructions. Remember the name of the bartender, description and if and what he offered you (drink names and menu items). You remember when your beverage arrived, and when you ordered it... when your app or salad arrived after ordering. When your entree arrived and when you ordered it. Describing the restroom is pretty easy to remember, I'll give anyone that. What the host and server recommended. Any small talk with anyone in the restaurant working, including the mgr's name and description. If tables were being cleared and what that person looked like. If you were recommended gift cards .. and, we all know about 50 more things.

This IS HARD to remember it all. Even my 20 year son can't remember all that, including all questions you are supposed to ask.

I've been doing this for nearly 20 years, so yes. Back in the day, I had to enter everything on a paper form.

Then mystery shopping evolved into websites. After that, I had my husband helping me (before I had a smartphone). Nowadays, I have my smartphonen with timings, but I also have a photo option. Each time something is delivered, I can capture a photo (instant timestamp). And so forth. It's really so much easier now than it was 19 years ago. I love technology!!!

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I've been doing this for nearly 20 years, so yes. Back in the day, I had to enter everything on a paper form.

Then mystery shopping evolved into websites. After that, I had my husband helping me (before I had a smartphone). Nowadays, I have my smartphonen with timings, but I also have a photo option. Each time something is delivered, I can capture a photo (instant timestamp). And so forth. It's really so much easier now than it was 19 years ago. I love technology!!!

That's fine for timings, not any good for remembering what everyone said.

Are you kdding me at this point?

If after all this time of doing this, if you can't remember what people say, you are truly hopeless.