Questions re: First Gas/Convenience Store Shop

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these challenging times!

I've always shied away from the convenience store shops with gas island checks due to what seemed to be low pay for what was required. But I just scheduled one for tomorrow because the bonus offered seemed to make it worthwhile, especially as I'm going to be in the area anyway.

Probably a dumb question, but.... When you pull up to the pump, are you supposed to get gas or just make your observations? The reimbursement is for a small inside-store purchase, but isn't it weird to pull up to a pump and not get gas? The instructions are: "Park at a gas pump and evaluate your fuel island and the nearest one, blah, blah, blah." Then you go inside to browse the store for cleanliness and organization, do the restroom check, and make your purchase. (I do need gas, but probably before I end up at this store, and no way am I going to actually use the restroom, but I can pretend.)

I know many of you can do these in your sleep, but, as usual, I'm nervous about doing the first one. The only convenience store shop I've done is for inside food and service only.

TIA!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

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Hi Birdy,

If this is for an Intelli shop, park at the pump and complete the external and internal evaluations and internal purchase. This does not involve a fuel purchase.

If it is for a different shop, you will need other information. Good luck!

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2020 10:46PM by Shop-et-al.

Yes; it's Intellishop. I understand you don't *need* to purchase fuel, but isn't it odd to pull up to a pump and not get gas? Do you stay parked at the pump while you go inside?

Thanks!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Where I live I see people all the time pull up by the pumps and go into the store and don't buy gas. No one pays any attention to them. I myself have done it, I stop to use their window washer stuff and then go into the store.

@sueac101 wrote:

Where I live I see people all the time pull up by the pumps and go into the store and don't buy gas. No one pays any attention to them. I myself have done it, I stop to use their window washer stuff and then go into the store.

Weird; around here, nobody does that. In fact, other customers and store employees get annoyed if people park at the pumps too long after getting gas. I got gas once and left my car parked at the pump while I went in to get coffee. When I paid for the gas and coffee, the clerk said they had begun wondering why my car was parked at the pump for so long before I paid.I got the feeling they were ready to hunt me down in the aisles!

Almost nobody in my area leaves his/her car at the pump unless they're just running in to pay for their gas or buy cigarettes. If they're going to to get food or coffee or use the restroom, they pull up to the store parking after getting gas.

Regional customs can be so different across the country, I guess....

So.... I do need gas. If I get gas and do the island observations, then pull out to park in front of the store and finish the shop. that shouldn't be a problem, should it?

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

BirdyC, I wish to know where is this magical paradise where people are polite and considerate! Don't really need to know but most places customers park at pumps for extended periods while not getting gas which I think is so RUDE! If it's a busy day and pump availability is scarce it really chaps my hide to have to wait until some slob finishes eating their lunch inside the store. It completely surprises me that some shops want us to take up pump space like that and possibly cost the station gas sales.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2020 09:32PM by sestrahelena.

Well I have done plenty of Gas Station shops and/or audits, I have not done this one. I am guessing the design of the shop was made to make it easy to see the gas area while disguising it as a customer. I can see a problem if there are limited pumps say like 4 or less with taking up a gas pump. I always assumed it normal for someone to go inside for a purchase of coffee or snack after or before pumping and then leave. If I was going to be in the store more than a few minutes I out of decent respect always pull to a parking spot not at a pump after pumping then go inside. There are some stations usually in rural areas that don't have parking outside of the pumps but its rare. There usually are inconsiderate people in every area that will take up a spot and go inside to consume a meal at places that may have a qsr inside. But yeah Birdy lives in a utopia area apparently LOL. On gas audits I pump then go inside make inside purchase go back outside move car to non pump parking spot, put on vest, and go back inside to announce self and do audit. Does anyone actually take pictures and complete audit with their car taking up a pump the entire time? I would hope not.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

You know that this is a miniscule shop and not a lengthy audit, right? The mystery shopper might look to observers (until they leave without buying gas) like a person who is paying for fuel indoors and possibly having a pit stop while there. This does not seem like a big deal.

Audit instructions clearly state that the vehicle should be moved after the mystery shop and before the audit.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

It is not the audit.

2nd to none has one similar. Park @ pump. Evaluate pump and exterior. No gas purchase requirements. Go inside, eval, purchase, leave. It's in and out in less than 5 min.

I have a reason to be there, including blocking a pump. It is required of me and I'm being paid to do it.

ETA on second thought, it may be SCM rather then STN. Damn those s's.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2020 02:26AM by nslinhar.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Audit instructions clearly state that the vehicle should be moved after the mystery shop and before the audit.

Not for this shop; must be a different one. You have to browse the store and check for a number of things. I was in there for close to 10 minutes making the observations, checking the restroom, taking photos of the problem areas, etc. Far longer than a pit stop and paying for gas. Maybe it took me longer than it does most people, but since it was my first one, I didn't want to miss anything.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2020 02:17PM by BirdyC.

Well, the shop went great. No problems making the observations, was able to take photos of problem areas, etc.

BUT, I lost my receipt. I shoved it in my pocket with my keys and change, and somewhere between the location and home, it must have fallen out when I made a couple of other stops along the way.

I did the report and sent an email to the scheduler explaining the situation. She says she can't accept it without the receipt or a geo-verify code (which I didn't do). I don't expect to be reimbursed for the purchase without a receipt, but the photos have the EXIF data embedded, which not only verifies the time and date, but the GPS points as well.

I'm waiting to hear back from her as to whether they'll accept the shop if they pull the data. Have any of you ever been able to have a shop accepted based on the EXIF data?

This is Intellishop. I have an excellent record with them (all 10/10 on reports, no flakes, and just one re-schedule in the year or so that I've worked for them). Are they totally hard-line with this sort of thing?

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

@BuffaloNY101 wrote:

I can see a problem if there are limited pumps say like 4 or less with taking up a gas pump.

That's the case at this location; there are 2 islands, 2 pumps each.

@ wrote:

I always assumed it normal for someone to go inside for a purchase of coffee or snack after or before pumping and then leave. If I was going to be in the store more than a few minutes I out of decent respect always pull to a parking spot not at a pump after pumping then go inside.

Yes; of course it's totally normal for someone to run in to pay for gas and grab a quick coffee. But this shop involved more than being in the store for 3 or 4 minutes, so, like you, I, and most people around here, pull to a spot after getting gas if they're going to be in the store for awhile.

@ wrote:

But yeah Birdy lives in a utopia area apparently LOL. On gas audits I pump then go inside make inside purchase go back outside move car to non pump parking spot, put on vest, and go back inside to announce self and do audit. Does anyone actually take pictures and complete audit with their car taking up a pump the entire time? I would hope not.

This wasn't that kind of audit. And we're both saying the same thing, I think, about not tying up a pump unnecessarily while being inside the store for more than just a few minutes.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Somehow, the thread evolved to audits. It seemed like a good time to distinguish between this tiny shop and the more extensive audits. You did not complete a revealed audit. You just followed instructions to park at the pump and then complete the required evals and purchase. It is okay that you wisely took more time for your first assignment. You spent more time than you will on future, similar assignments. This does not give rise to a concern. The client wants what they want. You are you, so undoubtedly you did a great job with noticing what was and was not there.

Somewhere, there is a thread about weird and crazy shops. You could add this park at pump but don't buy gas thing to the list of strange things that we agree to do... :

@BirdyC wrote:

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Audit instructions clearly state that the vehicle should be moved after the mystery shop and before the audit.

Not for this shop; must be a different one. You have to browse the store and check for a number of things. I was in there for close to 10 minutes making the observations, checking the restroom, taking photos of the problem areas, etc. Far longer than a pit stop and paying for gas. Maybe it took me longer than it does most people, but since it was my first one, I didn't want to miss anything.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

This was definitely not an audit. I haven't tackled those yet at all. It was just an odd convenience-store shop. The others I've done were just to buy a food and/or beverage item and observe timings and customer service.

I was able to pull the GPS and google map data from the photo EXIF information and send that for verification of location. The scheduler accepted it, but we'll see what happens in editing. First time I ever didn't have any kind of receipt. A couple of times, I had just the CC receipt and not the itemized one, but they were accepted with a "don't do that again" warning!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

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Questions re: First Gas/Convenience Store Shop

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