I did a shop for Coyle yesterday wrote a 200 word narrative but wont be able to submit as I am missing 300. It took me 1 hour to write my narrative and 3 hours to complete the shop without counting the driving time + gas. I feel bad but I am going to cancel even at the expensed of being banned from this company. 4 hours total for $20 its not worth it.

An hour to write 200 words? That means that it probably took you 20 minutes to post your message here since it was 74 words and 353 characters. I admit that it can take longer to write 200 words than to write 500 words because it is hard to cram everything into just 200 words. If it really takes you 60 minutes to write 200 words, this is definitely not the company for you. Actually, there are more than 200 total words required in the short explanation boxes for the Five Guys reports (different MSC, this is not a violation) and I have never heard anyone complain about having to write too much for the Five Guys reports or the reports taking an hour to write.

However, I agree that $20 is not much. If it took you 3 hours to complete the report (from your wording, it seems that is how long you were on-scene doing the shop itself), then $20 is definitely not enough assuming that the time on scene needed to be much more than 30 minutes.

@happytails wrote:

I did a shop for Coyle yesterday wrote a 200 word narrative but wont be able to submit as I am missing 300. It took me 1 hour to write my narrative and 3 hours to complete the shop without counting the driving time + gas. I feel bad but I am going to cancel even at the expensed of being banned from this company. 4 hours total for $20 its not worth it.

The shop it self took two hours. one hour tour plus another hour interview, and waiting for the sales associate. NO this isn't the shop for me. Oh and my post took me 2 minutes to write

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2021 05:52PM by happytails.

Each shopper should work according to their talents and an element of acceptability. As for me, the consumable does not exist that is worth a Coyle assignment. I am quite pleased with a Roadhouse steak and sides that run no more than 20 minutes for the report. I place zero importance on either ambiance or status, but for those to whom either or both have value, Coyle is a logical choice.

My first and only shop for Coyle took me at least as much time as yours did and I earned $15 for the pleasure. It wasn't the report that was an issue for me but the customer who kept butting into my discussion with the salesperson who was more than happy to include her and continue to discuss their mutual trips to Tokyo. Yes i could have left and come back again but that would have taken even more time not to mention my 90 minute free parking would have run out. I had to stay and wait as there was info I needed to get and demos I needed to hope the sales person did and then a bear of a report to explain why many of the questions went sideways. I never have an issue writing 500 words. But that experience soured me on a better paid future Coyle shop. It would have been a lot of work for $15 even if my salesperson was doing his job.

Coyle has some assignments that are just a few hours beyond where I can go just now. When next I can take a few days off, stay somewhere long enough to complete a Coyle shop and report, and get a few hours of sleep after those events, I will be delighted to try one or more of the shops. As far as I know, these are casual or non-luxury dining assignments.

Like shopperbob, I have no status in mind. I like to try new things, such as hotel shops where multiple narrative boxes required a minimum of 200 or 250 words each. I had to organize entire days around the given tasks so as to space them out instead of glomming them together. (When I worked in resorts, I always wondered about the guests who needed this, then that, then the other thing, and still needed some other thing while most other guests seemed to disappear into the woodwork and then leave quietly.}

I like that one Coyle shop now has an intriguing addition to their menu. I will figure out how to get to that location and have that experience! And, if the new menu item is as good as it sounds when I read the various recipes for it on the recipe sites, I will let you know that you might want to try the recipe at home or elsewhere.

Until then, I need to get back to the talking head job even though my voice is iffy-- and add one shift per week which will get me to that Coyle location.

[anyone who is still awake could count the errors, words. and/or characters and determine how much blah-blah i provided here. these paragraphs would not meet any msc standard, but they undoubtedly qualify as drek, blah-blah, geez lady get a life awreddy, and other descriptors. if nothing else, the op might get a giggle out of an absurd example that could be expanded, improved, pared down, and/oror otherwise made suitable for reporting. if so, the op might be more willing to take on gigs that have writing components.]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2021 06:37PM by Shop-et-al.

Is this your first shop for Coyle?

I think you should complete the shop and stay in good graces with them. The more narratives you do for them, the easier they will flow.

It often takes the better part of an hour for me to cut my narratives down to just 500 words. I tend to write well, but seldom compactly on the first few drafts. Its painful cutting what one knows is good narrative, good detail, and good arguments. Sadly, in this industry there are very few firms which value the latter. Just the facts as if facts alone can convey the nuisance of a situation.

I'm sure you meant "nuance", but I giggled at the appropriateness of nuisance.

I thought nuisance was perfect. My shop was a real nuisance.