I do a lot of gas stations the quick and easy ones, probably another 80 by the 30th ( end of the 3rd quarter). When I give the letter I ask for permission. When I see an out of order sign I say I say I see the bathroom is out of order. Half the time they say oh you can use it (Detroit area). I say if it is a public rest room I have to take pictures. Usually they let me and it is clean.
I have had customers ask a number of times what I am doing and had a few take my picture. I do warn people standing in front of the building for that shot. I ask them if they would like to move or be in it. About 10% pose. I will text them a copy if they want.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2021 02:44AM by 87Supra.

ignore the haters, they dont define you

Sadly, I have found that loading the photos to the report takes longer than doing the audit sometimes. I used to be able to load them as I was taking them, but now the Sasse photo upload goes so slow that it puts me in danger of “loitering!”

Sad

I have had people ask me if they could paint bollards, clean bathrooms, fix signs etc etc. Most aren't hostile about it though, just kinda sad when you say no.

Most bizarre experience?

One location took down my license plate number because I apparently received permission from the lesser manager not the "head manager" at the time? For some reason this made the employee incredibly hostile because I was already taking pictures by the time he noticed.

When I saw he wrote down my license plate I LOST IT on him. I mean let holy hell rain from the sky LOST IT on him. I have never lost my temper before no matter what (worked as a store manager before this and am pretty unflappable)but I did not care in that moment if I was banned from the client. I told the employee how DARE HE be writing down the license plate of anyone, nevermind a female auditor driving by herself as she is grading his location. Like how do I know he doesn't have some buddy at the DMV or local PD that can turn that license plate into an address? Maybe that sounds absurb but you never know someone's level of crazy and writing down the plate number was already absurd.

Emailed the scheduler immediately and told her the entire thing. I was honest that I completely lost my temper and was actually YELLING but stressed how incredibly unsafe I felt, along with documenting it on the report. I didn't lose rights to the client so I assume the employee is the one who got in trouble.

Generally, though, a cranky or unfriendly employee is the most eventful thing that might happen.

It recently happened to me doing an independent C-Store, I was at the initial phase of taking outdoor pictures. A guy, who I assume is the owner comes out and begins berating me, cursing, etc. No opportunity to present the LOA. Queue to leave, of course, but the guy actually is blocking me from getting into my car! More expletives, shoves me, I'm in the middle of nowhere, the guys starts making threats, if I get in my car I'm going to take you down, etc. I'm freaking out, luckily more customers arrive and he was the sole employee, so, he goes inside the store and my opportunity to run back to my car and flee. I called the local Sheriff and I pondered pressing charges for assault. However, this idiot had already ruined a portion of my carefully planned route for the day and I would lost several hundred dollars in pay, so, I asked the deputy if he would talk to to the guy and that he can't be touching / shoving people. Five plus years of doing this and first such encounter. Be careful out there.

I get open hostility now and then, but last week was the first time I've ever been threatened by a cashier. I offered the LOA, introduced myself, I told him I just needed to take a few pictures and then I would be on my way, and he agreed. Then as I was finishing up the inside pictures he started yelling at me, he said he isn't an employee, and he is no the owner or a family member of the owner, so he can't give me permission to take the pictures, and he doesn't want his picture taken (too late, that's the first picture I take..). I said that if he's not an employee or the owner (or family) that he shouldn't be serving customers and I should probably call the police. I went outside, took the outside pictures from the inside of my car in case I needed to leave in a hurry, because I can't run, I can just barely walk. I left the property before entering the pictures and the survey.

Mostly when there is a problem I just have them call their representative or the 1-800 number on the LOA and then go about my business. No one has ever scared me like that man did last week.

@jrj76 wrote:

I am in the short term need to make shopping my full time income. How many of these shops can you do in one day? For some reason I have always been kind of scared of these but as I really would like to make some money I think I might give them a go.

When I was healthier, in a single day, I could do 10 - 15 of the simple mystery only gas station shops, it was a HARD day, with lots of driving, but it was possible. The longer drawn out shops, mystery + reveal and lots of pictures, I could do 6 - 10 in a day, but that was also a VERY long day, and often they also involve a LOT of driving. Now I can't do that anymore, my knees are far worse than when I was initially injured at work when I was a mechanic, and I ended up with some residual side effects from contracting Covid. Now I can do 3 - 5 mystery + reveal shops or up to 10 of the simple mystery only shops, and I now need 1-2 days to heal in between.

This is why I haven't even considered gas station shops. I am new to shopping and I am already an anxious person anyway, so the thought of dealing with someone hostile in person just gives me even more anxiety. Nope! I will stick to my phone shops until I am more confident.