Video Shopping is A Gas!

I started video shopping recently. I'm still working out some of the kinks in **MY** new equipment, but I LOVE IT! Thank you to all the seasoned shoppers who made suggestions about video shopping. Thank you to those who gave me directions and names. As a result, I saved a bundle when buying my equipment, which by the way was paid for through loaned video equipment

This forum was a start for me in getting the information. I asked for information, not answers. I was told where to look, and I looked.

It has been almost one year of mystery shopping now for me, and I've done more than I imagined existed. I've made mistakes, but I have tried to make up each one to the schedulers. Some of them have been exceptionally grateful! And then there are the mistakes that I have NOT made, in part due to this forum.

All I can say is that "It's a great day in the neighborhood!"

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

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More About Video Mystery Shopping

What wonderful news! Video is not for everyone; but for those who love it, it is so exhilerating. Welcome to the Sabots: Sisters And Brothers Of the Traveling Shirts!

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Thanks walesmaven. You are one of the seasoned shoppers that I was thanking for your guidance. You should be proud. I have read so much on the forum where people ask the wrong questions, i.e. give me the name of xxx, and then get upset when people don't give them the name but instead point them in the right direction. I typically take that direction for them! lol

That shirt is where I have to work out some of the kinks, keeping the camera straight. My gut likes to move it and if I put it a button higher, other parts of my body will point to towards the ceiling!

Anyway, have a good day and great shopping.

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

Thanks, but I am just "paying forward" all of the help and moral support that I got when I started.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

My fees for new home shops have been going up lately.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

CureMS just make sure that your shirt is on the baggy side. However my husband who has a serious belly on him tried video shopping just once and we could not get the camera angles right. As you said, the camera kept pointing to the ceiling.

You might want to have Kathy Hart modify a shirt for you. You can reach her at
SureShotShirt@gmail.com

She had modified shirts for many shoppers and for law officers. She holds a patent on the simple design that she uses. Many shoppers swear by her work.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I have a video shop this week. I'm new to video shopping and not yet certified. I want to do more before I make the investment in it and the gear. Any suggestions about picking up new assignments? Any advice for a new video shopper? Thanks in advance!

Just amble on over to the Video Shopper Network and be sure you are signed up with all seven of those MSCs. Then add EPMS, Check their job boards and/or email to say that you want a chance. Make a test video that you can send in, being sure not to use any video that you recorded for a shop, as that belongs strictly to the MSC that it was made for.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

fitgirlsd - check out measure consumer perspectives too. they will loan you the equipment for video shopping.

good shopping!

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

Thank you, walesmaven I will be sure to go over to the forum. The advice about test footage is invaluable.

CureMS, I will do so. Thank you (:

I have done several video shop and have a shirt but would prefer a different one. Any suggestions?

.............................................................................................

**Throw me to the wolves and I'll come back leading the pack!**

Lisa,
What sort of shirt are you using now? I cannot suggest an improvement without knowing what you do not like about your current one.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I agree with Wales. Having said that, I have found chef shirts to be a good choice, at least with my build. The only thing to be aware of is that because the shirt has two rows of buttons, your camera angle will be off-center. They are also available in different colors with black buttons. I have them in white, blue, red, and black.

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

Button down medical scrubs work well also, especially if you are portraying a medical profession

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

I like the scrubs idea. I'll have to check them out on my next uniform shop.

James, don't you get a lot of people asking you for cooking advice? Likewise, I would think the scrubs would invite medical questions. Yes? No?

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I guess I'm ok with medical questions. I just say that I am a home health nurse. If they ask what type of care, I say something obscure like pancreatic care. It is also something that I can draw from. Plus I come from a medical family, so I feel comfortable talking about home health care. But, you can also say that you are a home health care aide - they do personal hygiene care or any type of housework needed. Some only do transportation. But all of them can wear the button down scrubs.

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

There are a few members of the forum who can vouch for my cooking skills...killer ribs with a 15-spice rub and mustard bbq sauce comes to mind. Yes, I can portray a chef, and actually did on a few apartment shops. Fortunately, I did work my way through high school in a restaurant so that, coupled with the fine dining/bar evaluations, and being a Food Network junkie...yes I can be comfortable with the backstory of opening a new restaurant in town.

And I had a local chef [before I got into shopping] tell me that, "Cooking is art. You have the whole pallet to work with. Baking is science. You have to precisely follow the directions or you will have a mistake.

On a home or apartment shop you do have to have a backstory. I just found a white lab coat with black buttons so I've added that to my wardrobe. My next shop for the uniform place I'll pick up a cheap stethoscope. On video apartment shops I can be Doctor Bond.

stilllearning Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> James, don't you get a lot of people asking you
> for cooking advice? Likewise, I would think the
> scrubs would invite medical questions. Yes? No?
>
> (heart)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2014 06:29PM by James Bond 007.5.

OK pm me your city. I have GOT to try some of those "killer ribs". Now I come from a BBQ family. My family builds commercial smokers used in some restaurants. I can smoke up to 20 slabs of ribs in an hour. And they ARE tasty!

In my apartment shops, I am a home health care nurse. The other side of my family was all medical. I worked in my fathers office and at moms nursing home as a teenager. Recently, my son was sick for about a year, and I had to do a lot in terms of helping to nurse him back to health. I also watched the REAL home health nurse every time she came. In addition, with my MS I have spent a lot of time in and out of medical facilities. So I've kind of picked it up and feel comfortable answering any questions. I'm REAL convincing!

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

@JB: "My next shop for the uniform place I'll pick up a cheap stethoscope. On video apartment shops I can be Doctor Bond."

Hilarious! I was going to suggest Toys R Us, but you have to buy the whole kit. [www.toysrus.com]

I can just imagine the videos.

@CureMS: "Recently, my son was sick for about a year, and I had to do a lot in terms of helping to nurse him back to health."

Oh my, that must have been the most stressful, gray-cloud-overhead year of your life! How is he doing now?

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2014 07:08PM by stilllearning.

And I can still be Doctor Bond without the stethoscope...who's to say that it's not a PhD?

After 4 weeks in ICU, and another 2 months in the hospital, and 9 months under home health care, he is almost back to normal. He has most of his strength back, has gained back a lot of the weight he lost, and BEST OF ALL (besides surviving and being healthy now) he had a new good job and has MOVED OUT! Yea!

As for the stethoscopes, you can probably pick up one cheap on Ebay or Amazon. Look for the one time use/disposable ones. They are usually yellow. Learned that when son was sick too!

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

Great job and great news!

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I can attest to JB's killer bbq ribs! And, he is a charming host.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I still think about those ribs and it's been a couple of years since I had them.

Time to build a bigger bridge.

Ok stop with the ribs. It's making me hungry.

Back to video shopping - I have a question. When doing apartment shops, we're told to come up with a different name and email because the company keeps track of who visits the apartments. Is there an easy way to go about the different email aspect? Or do I just need to keep getting gmail emails. I already know how to route them all to my mystery shopping email so I do have to check all these emails. Suggestions?

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

I have my own website for my Photography/Writing/Publishing business. I added a page where I "sell" spam-free emails for business professionals. That's just a red herring in case a target decides to see what [my domain name] is all about. So I can have as many names as I want at my domain.com.

I don't have my picture on my website, so the target can't make an ID that way.

Thanks 007.5. That's kind of the same as getting the gmails and routing them all to my main email. It's still a pain but i do keep up with them. The same thing is happening at one of the university shops. But at least i just reuse the apartment shopped gmail ids. Who would have thought 30 or 40 years ago that this would be a problem. LOL

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

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