Setting: After dark, mystery/reveal audits.

Station 1.

Me: Walking to my car after taking all photos.

Voice behind me: “Excuse me!”

Me: Keep walking, don’t turn around.

Voice: “EXCUSE ME!!!”

Me: turning silently toward the voice which belongs to a lady in a van.

Van Lady, accusingly: “Is there a reason you’re taking pictures of everything???”

Me: “Yes.” Calmly turn to resume walking.

Van Lady, nearing hysteria: “Excuse me! WHY are you taking PICTURES???”

Me, matter-of-factly: “It’s my job.” Walk to car, get in and beat it out of there as fast as possible.

Van Lady: Stomps into store.

Station 2.

Me: sitting in my car, taking notes after all assessments and pics have been done. There is a knock on the window. I turn to look. I am blinded by bright light as a lady takes an up-close picture of my face through the glass with her cell phone and flash. Like the true detective she must think herself to be, she shouts through the glass.

Camera Lady, indignantly: Who ARE you?”

Me: Reach for an LOA with the station’s logo on it. Hold it up to the window with a glare of mild contempt for the rudeness that had just been bestowed on me.

Camera Lady, after seeing the logo: Big fake smile and a thumbs-up.

Me: Resume taking notes. Resist desire to open the window and slap the taste out of her mouth.

Also Me: Probably all over Camera Lady’s Facebook page now.

Station 3.

Me: Pumping my gas while a loud, deep-voiced woman is bellowing at the store entrance. With her is a huge-ass dog on a leash, just shy of great dane size.

Dog Lady: “NO! I don’t want those f***ing chips! I told you! The other kind! Are you f***ing STUPID?” This goes on and on.

Me: Pull to a parking spot and go to the store entrance. Now there is a girl of about 8 years holding the dog’s leash. Dog Lady is in the store. Dog wants to join her. Kid cannot make dog sit. Dog Lady yells at kid from inside store. A lot. Kid cannot control dog. Kid hits dog. Dog Lady FLIES out of the store and starts wailing on kid. Slapping, punching and hollering. They leave on foot.

The End

These have been true stories which all happened during the same night. I just had to share with those who can understand. Thank you for reading! Anybody else?

As the lyrics go, "The freaks come out at night"

Maybe get a vest, even though if that's the shop I think it is it doesn't require one. If you really want to ham it up, get a clipboard too. People like those you encountered will often fold up like a tent in the face of "authority".

Tonight was a real low for me at a gas station shop. I was asked if I was a working girl.

@sestrahelena, you are my second nominee for the "Worst shop of the year" award along with @Eric in Tampa. I wouldn't be too worried about your pic showing up on pic lady's social media page, taking a flash pic through glass does not give good results, unless you are aiming for a big pic of white. Dumb does as dumb is. Saddest part of your story (besides your struggles), was the idiot dog lady wailing on her kid. Hard to imagine what goes through the mind of some people.

I believe in discplining kids, but to wail on them because they cant get A DOG TO SIT? Really that is the low of low. To the op, that is crazy, but kind of nice to know people are nosy lol..what if you were a dumb criminal and was up to no good.????

And oops didnt realize kid hit dog, but I still say the adult went too far based on what you wrote.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2019 06:16AM by dawnhu.

I did a gas station mystery/reveal shop last night, and the clerk said the crazies come out when it is cold.

The safety vest is a good idea. I have one. Maybe I should stamp AUDITOR on the back in big letters. Or maybe DON'T ASK. JK. I just hate attracting attention to myself. In any instance. I would be a perfect hermit, if I could.

I got the impression the dog lady was on some sort of drugs. She seemed methy to me.

"Do you have a reason" was the stupidest question I've ever heard. Which is what my brain was thinking at the time. Even mentally unbalanced people have reasons for what they do. It might not make sense to anybody else, but they are reasons nonetheless.

People ask all the time about what I'm doing. Usually it is in a friendly manner or just out of curiosity. Occasionally when someone asks if I have taken a picture of them I will assure them that they were not in the shot and offered to show them the picture. Normally it is not a problem.

I wondered if something horrible had happened in that area that put everybody on high alert?

And if I was taking pictures for evil reasons, would I not be more discreet about it? The whole thing just made no sense at all.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2019 01:36PM by sestrahelena.

And those overly concerned customers could have easily asked inside the store to find out what was going on before making accusations. Or called police. After all, if they were that panicked about my activity, why approach me directly? I could be dangerous, right?

Many years before mystery shopping and at a different type of business, we saw the parent beat the kid. We were gobsmacked, although we had not heard that term yet. This happened in broad daylight and in an open area. I still get a profound 'GAH!' whenever that happens. Reading about your incident inspired a loud 'GAH!'

I dunno about your questioners. It seems that 'everyone' is now a detective or the next expose star!

I did a night shop...gas station...was backing up to take better pictures with my phone in the dark and I stepped into a hole and fell down. If I hadn't stepped in that hole I would have walked backwards right into the street (with cars driving by). I haven't been excited about night shops since.

part 2
I was getting gas and a station was closed inside and I was supposed to go in and buy something you know to check out the bathroom etc....well after I pumped my gas at the station partially closed (pumps still working) a carload of men pulled up before I had the chance to leave and said they were on a scavenger hunt and needed to take a picture with someone pumping gas. I was quite sure I would get kidnapped or worse by these drunk guys but they left after the picture was taken. Luckily my shop was still accepted but the MSC did not call the shop closed because the pumps still worked!

It's the downside of the "see something say something" mentality. There are those who would turn us all into snitches. If we are not real careful as a nation it will turn out to be the beginning of something truly awful.

@dawnhu wrote:

I believe in discplining kids, but to wail on them because they cant get A DOG TO SIT? Really that is the low of low. To the op, that is crazy, but kind of nice to know people are nosy lol..what if you were a dumb criminal and was up to no good.????

And oops didnt realize kid hit dog, but I still say the adult went too far based on what you wrote.

I imagine that is LEARNED BEHAVIOR and that Mom is providing the example!


OP, I once had mystery shop a gas station in a rural area that was closed. I was on the phone with my scheduler to clarify the procedure for a closed station when the owner rolls up next to me in the parking lot and threatens to call the cops if I don't leave the property. She said that I was trying to case the store because I took a picture of the closed sign on the door and of the gas station from a distance. Furthermore, I was loitering by sitting in my brand-new car having a phone conversation with my scheduler. I showed her my LOA and she calmed down a bit. She still took photos of my license plate.

Wailing on the kid lady needs cops called on her.

Thanks, I can definitely relate to the questions from customers and the customer stares. I usually avoid eye contact with them so as not to get into a lengthy conversation. People are very curious. Never had anyone chase me down though.. lol

nm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2019 05:44AM by iShop123.