HEADS UP! Trendsource TIME FRAME CHANGE for one of their clients!

Hey all,
For any of you that do the shops down South (may be other areas as well...not sure) that involve buying AT LEAST 3 items, spending $9.00 minimum and interacting in several depts including 2 in the store aisles, the TIME FRAME has changed from 9AM-9pm Sun thru Sat.....they must NOW BE SHOPPED Mon-Fri 4 pm - 8 pm, and Sat-Sun 12 noon - 6 pm. Just a heads up for anyone out there doing these....I didn't realize the change until I got an email earlier this afternoon, as I hadn't yet done my certification.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2016 10:16PM by guysmom.

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In SoCal it has been that way for a very long time. The result is that often there is no associate to evaluate in the focus departments because they have all gone home. This is especially true in their low-end stores (the chain where it smells like maggoty meat when you walk through the door and regularly has assaults and murders in the parking lot).

I do about 12 a month or more. They extended the report due to the holiday, so reports had been due Sunday/Monday, before xmas they extended two days Friday and Saturday before normal due day. They are always shopped Monday thru Friday 4 to 8, and weekends 12 to 4..nothing has changed. I just did a few. I always find someone to evaluate, never three in grocery, usually just one. Time for these remain the same, change was just for the holidays. I personally don't know what @whiterosie is talking about with assaults and murders in the parking lot...I must live in a decent place, never happens in my town.

Live consciously....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2016 11:14PM by Irene_L.A..

I'm in the South (Tennessee) and the time requirements haven't changed since I started shopping them 5 years ago (Mon-Fri 4 pm - 8 pm, and Sat-Sun 12 noon - 6 pm).

Each of our three stores has had a minimum of one murder in the parking lot. The stores are gang infested in bad neighborhoods.

The parent company has two different chains in this area--the one with Boars Head that is more upscale and the one that caters to the EBT crowd. It's the latter that is always filthy where you have to make your way around panhandlers and often see the cops there arresting shoplifters and gang bangers.

I did one recently where the smell from the maggoty meat was so bad I was trying not to gag while asking my questions. Got my hand slapped for saying that is why I would not shop there on my own. I knew I would but the odor was so bad I couldn't not say anything in the report.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2016 12:47AM by whiterosie.

I'm in SC and up until this coming new cycle, the store (it sells the Boars Head) hours have ALWAYS been from 9am-9 pm Sun-Sat. It sounds like this area may have been the only one, since the above posters all seem to have the 4-8 pm hours, so I guess the client(s) are trying to make it all consistent or something. The ONLY problem I have with it is that it still gets dark around here by 5:30 pm, and there are several areas of town I WON'T drive in where these stores are located, if it's dark out. So now, instead of doing 3 or 4 in a day, I'll have to limit it to 2 until the time changes so it's not dark when I do them!

I'm wondering the same. I've only noticed a few competitor stores shopped during those longer hours. My regular shops in the Southeast with them for the last 36 months have been at the 4p-8p or 12p-6p hours. If I am shopping late, there are often no associates as someone else mentioned. I try to stack 2-3 of these into one day to grab up necessities and make it a good little trip so I can get stuff for the week to fix. It gets dark here early too. By 6 PM, it's night out.

MegglesKat

@whiterosie wrote:

Each of our three stores has had a minimum of one murder in the parking lot. The stores are gang infested in bad neighborhoods.

The parent company has two different chains in this area--the one with Boars Head that is more upscale and the one that caters to the EBT crowd. It's the latter that is always filthy where you have to make your way around panhandlers and often see the cops there arresting shoplifters and gang bangers.

I did one recently where the smell from the maggoty meat was so bad I was trying not to gag while asking my questions. Got my hand slapped for saying that is why I would not shop there on my own. I knew I would but the odor was so bad I couldn't not say anything in the report.

Fortunately, I carry concealed so I feel a little more at ease on shops. I don't know if that's rule breaking, but the law says it's legal to do so with my paperwork or I can open carry if I like. The local stores are firearm friendly too, even the big boxes. The only no-no's are our mall, post, and school naturally.

MegglesKat

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2016 03:07AM by clinen11.

@clinen11 wrote:

I'm wondering the same. I've only noticed a few competitor stores shopped during those longer hours. My regular shops in the Southeast with them for the last 36 months have been at the 4p-8p or 12p-6p hours. If I am shopping late, there are often no associates as someone else mentioned. I try to stack 2-3 of these into one day to grab up necessities and make it a good little trip so I can get stuff for the week to fix. It gets dark here early too. By 6 PM, it's night out.

Happily shopping the Pacific Northwest. Shopping since 2013

I don't know why my comment won't post. They are two different chains.

Happily shopping the Pacific Northwest. Shopping since 2013

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2017 05:18AM by RedRose22.

TrendSource shops two different grocery chains in the South. The one is the national chain, which has been 4-8pm on weekdays and 12-6pm weekends for as long as I've been shopping them. The other is a chain that I'm pretty sure is just in the Carolinas, and that one did have a 9am-9pm time frame Mon-Sun. That is probably the one you're referring to. Not sure if they are competitor shops or not. The latter had a requirement of purchasing a DownDown item for a while, which would not have had any equivalent in the former, but they are definitely both shopped by TS.

Happily shopping the Pacific Northwest. Shopping since 2013

Speaking of those competitor shops in the Carolinas... I grabbed up a store card while in NC and it scans at the other competitor stores computers in TN, KY, etc. It registers as a store card. I keep thinking it must be a mistake or a bar code issue, but my card definitely scans at both chains. I accidentally brushed it against the self check one day fiddling with my keys and it showed up as a valid card. Weird!

I worded that weird. It would be like your Plenti Card accidentally brushing the register and showing up as an Extra Care Card. 0_o I'm still not sure why or how it did it but I tested it several times and each time the thing shows up on my receipt as a second card. Strange. I'll have to remember when in NC to try it the other way around.

MegglesKat

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2017 06:31PM by clinen11.

Also to keep in mind, there is a parent company to many grocery brands shopped by Trendsource, with often similar or exact guidelines.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2017 10:25PM by OCyou2.

I have done a couple for trendsource and it has always been mon - Friday 4-8 and sat and sun 12-6. I have not had any problems finding employees to evaluate.

@RedRose22 wrote:

The other is a chain that I'm pretty sure is just in the Carolinas, and that one did have a 9am-9pm time frame Mon-Sun. That is probably the one you're referring to. Not sure if they are competitor shops or not. The latter had a requirement of purchasing a DownDown item for a while, which would not have had any equivalent in the former, but they are definitely both shopped by TS.

You are right on the money, RedRose! Yup, the chain I shop in my state (SC) did have the 9-9 time frame, but that has now changed with this new cycle...maybe the Client wants to get all the stores on the same time frame. And yup, the purchase of a DownDown was a requirement for a while. Sounds like you also shop them.

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HEADS UP! Trendsource TIME FRAME CHANGE for one of their clients!

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