I don't like doing service station audits, but a scheduler called and asked me to do an "easy" Shell audit that was a mystery shop followed by a revealed portion with a "few" pictures. I foolishly accepted and when I got the instructions discovered that pictures of both restrooms were required. How does one do that? I took care of the women's restroom, but there was a steady stream of men entering the men's room. I stood outside for quite a while before an opportunity arose to run in and take a quick pic. I got the urinals and stalls, but no sinks. I'm sure I attracted lots of attention by standing outside the men's room and watching men go in and out. My shop was put on hold because my pic of the men's room didn't include everything. The instructions said that just a picture of the urinals wasn't enough. I responded by cropping the picture to include only the stalls! It was accepted.
The instructions for this shop were 38 pages long. It took me almost 2 hours to read it all and take the quiz. In addition, there were other documents such as the letter of authorization and the current ads. The "few" pictures included 16 pump photos plus the usual signage, building, canopy, etc. pictures. There were also several indoor pictures. This station had 16 extra photos because items not in compliance were numerous. Maybe I'm a slow worker, but transferring all those pics to the report took forever. Even with a $20 bonus, I probably made less than $5.00 an hour for my time. Note to self: DO NOT DO AUDITS if instructions aren't available in advance.
After all this ranting, my question is just about the restrooms. It would be fine if the restrooms were unisex or even if they were single rooms that could be locked. But how is a shopper expected to enter a large restroom for the opposite sex? I think it may even be illegal in some places. We keep hearing about trans-gender people having to use the restroom of the gender on their birth certificates.

Because this shop is a reveal shop, I ask the clerk to check for me and then I go inside and take the picture,

Reason 568,256 I only do unrevealed gas station jobs.

@PSE wrote:

I think it may even be illegal in some places. We keep hearing about trans-gender people having to use the restroom of the gender on their birth certificates.

Once you have revealed, you're working, so it would not be illegal to enter it. No different then the station employee going into the opposite restroom to re-stock the toilet paper. Granted, that doesn't make the pictures any easier to get but I usually find that there is a break in the action at some point. However, I don't do travel centers of brands that require both bathrooms inspected. Sometimes, you just need to know what locations to pass on.

That scheduler lied! Shell is never easy or a "few" pictures. It is one of the most intensive audits and rarely gets bonused enough to be worth it to me. When it does, I knock on the men's room door or ask someone coming out if there was anyone still there. Alta360 has some gas audits that are much simpler, but the pay is ridiculously meager with no reimbursement on required purchase.

With some stations, such as large, busy truck stops, you are allowed to just take a photo of the door if you are unable to enter after awhile since there are always men inside.

In my experience, if you act like it's a big deal, it will be. I simply knock, if no answer prop open the door with my foot, snap the picture and move on. Overthinking it will cause things to take forever. I really don't get what the big deal is, it's just a place to go pee, everyone does it. BTW, just move on, do everything else, and circle back to it. And, in response to your thread title, if it's required I do it. If I'm unwilling or unable to complete the assignment according to the instructions, I don't take it. So yes, I would.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2020 03:10AM by KarenMSW.

Shell is my least favorite station by a large margin due to all the indoor photos in addition to those outside. I will do one occasionally if it is bonused but I really don't like them.

Shell has been the one I learned to not do and never have thanks to this forum. I have pretty much done every other gas branded audit. To the OP now that you have done one and know what is required you can negotiate better for what you know is a fair price. Also the time to do will become less and less the more you do. 8-sided pumps sounds like a medium to large size station. I also would just prop door open and take pic of opposite restroom if there is a break. If no break you should be able to state reason in report for no pic.

@Equine24 wrote:

Shell is my least favorite station by a large margin due to all the indoor photos in addition to those outside. I will do one occasionally if it is bonused but I really don't like them.

I feel the same way. I love the other stations but this one I only do a few a year when they are bonused. Way too many pictures.

I don't get it. Shell isn't much more detailed than E/M. Like 5 additional pics and that's about it. I'm in and out of every one of them in 15-20 mins including reporting.

If the restroom is busy and there is a steady stream of users, I just take a picture of the door and move on. I explain it in the comments. Never been questioned.

With the large restrooms, when they are not so busy, I call out asking if anyone is in there, just as an employee might do. If I hear no answer, I still enter cautiously, snap my pics as quickly as possible, and then leave pretending I didn't see the feet in one of the stalls.

It doesn't matter if it is men or women restroom. If it has customers, you wait a reasonable length of time and then move on.

Jeez. This isn't rocket science or brain surgery. You're getting sub-minimum wage to do these. Knock and announce. Take the photos and go. I did these for 10 years, but quit over 10 years ago because they pay never increased enough or at all. If they wanted quality, qualified people to do these, they would be paying a whole lot more.

I'm still making $40/hr min. Now it's much more. Far fewer people willing to work.

When my husband was alive he would go with me and do the mens room.
Now I just knock on door no answer I push door open, snap a couple of pictures.

For a while the editors were sending a lot back to us for stupid reasons. I quit doing them then. It was a lot of work and then to have almost every one rejected. I have done very few since then and they go through.

Thanks for the heads up on Shell. I was about to consider doing these kind of shops/audits again and now I know a bit more about what to avoid.

It:s the dumb inside photos that get me. I used to that it was a trade-off since you only had to take the pictures of the pump you used. When they added the requirement to take every pump without raising the fee, I said goodbye.

I also used to do a lot of Shells but haven't in a long time. I found the actual time on the shop not to be too bad, but the report and picture checking etc seemed to take me too long to be worth it. I don't remember why it took so long, but I always regretted taking them after sitting down to do the report. I would need a large bonus to do more.

On my last round, I took one near my house w a decent bonus. It was an evening shop and I did the women's restroom and knocked on the men's. Never heard anything nor did I see anyone go in and surprised the poor guy using the restroom. Dear people, lock the door or acknowledge the knocking.. not sure who was more red.. him or me!

Perhaps he did not hear you...

@foodluvr wrote:

On my last round, I took one near my house w a decent bonus. It was an evening shop and I did the women's restroom and knocked on the men's. Never heard anything nor did I see anyone go in and surprised the poor guy using the restroom. Dear people, lock the door or acknowledge the knocking.. not sure who was more red.. him or me!

My particular Shell station had no restroom doors. It was one of those big ones where you go through a short walkway. The walls were tile. I suppose I could've called out, but it would've been a loud call without going down the walkway. Asking the CSR to check that it was empty is a good suggestion. In my case, he was busy the entire time, but I could've at least tried had I been smart enough to think of it!

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Perhaps he did not hear you...

@foodluvr wrote:

On my last round, I took one near my house w a decent bonus. It was an evening shop and I did the women's restroom and knocked on the men's. Never heard anything nor did I see anyone go in and surprised the poor guy using the restroom. Dear people, lock the door or acknowledge the knocking.. not sure who was more red.. him or me!

But why not lock the door ????

@PSE wrote:

I don't like doing service station audits, but a scheduler called and asked me to do an "easy" Shell audit that was a mystery shop followed by a revealed portion with a "few" pictures. I foolishly accepted and when I got the instructions discovered that pictures of both restrooms were required. How does one do that? I took care of the women's restroom, but there was a steady stream of men entering the men's room. I stood outside for quite a while before an opportunity arose to run in and take a quick pic. I got the urinals and stalls, but no sinks. I'm sure I attracted lots of attention by standing outside the men's room and watching men go in and out. My shop was put on hold because my pic of the men's room didn't include everything. The instructions said that just a picture of the urinals wasn't enough. I responded by cropping the picture to include only the stalls! It was accepted.
The instructions for this shop were 38 pages long. It took me almost 2 hours to read it all and take the quiz. In addition, there were other documents such as the letter of authorization and the current ads. The "few" pictures included 16 pump photos plus the usual signage, building, canopy, etc. pictures. There were also several indoor pictures. This station had 16 extra photos because items not in compliance were numerous. Maybe I'm a slow worker, but transferring all those pics to the report took forever. Even with a $20 bonus, I probably made less than $5.00 an hour for my time. Note to self: DO NOT DO AUDITS if instructions aren't available in advance.
After all this ranting, my question is just about the restrooms. It would be fine if the restrooms were unisex or even if they were single rooms that could be locked. But how is a shopper expected to enter a large restroom for the opposite sex? I think it may even be illegal in some places. We keep hearing about trans-gender people having to use the restroom of the gender on their birth certificates.

I am a male with the same problem. What I do if I can't get in the bathroom take a picture of the signage ( I have be burnt before) If you read the guide it show that you Have to take as much of the bathrooms as possibly for any shop or company and they want that sink in the picture. Being a Master Plumber and having to check bathrooms for occupancy, I crack the door and at the top of my lungs I ask if there is anyone in there. I then repeat it again, I then walk in and a time or two no one answered and there was someone in the stall. The best one is when a women came running in and run in to me instead. I just looked at here and told her I was check the plumbing and I was a plumber.
You have now done a gas station shop. I hope you got a picture of EVERY Pump also. Most of the time you can get in and out even filling out the form on site in 1/2 hour to 1 hour and then You have to fill the report.
They are an easy shop most times but don't do them unless you can make expenses (drivetime and Milage)

I like doing a BIG Route for me and I do get my mileage and hotel rooms.

Not a shop tale, but a bit about an elderly hubby who has a phone addiction which even shows up in personal shopping. He can get lost in his phone, if not in the restroom, and not hear me when I knock loudly on the door and ask very loudly of he is in there. Sometimes, another person will enter or ask in a louder voice. At other times, I wait...