Hello all,

I just selected a gas station audit and am very apprehensive about doing it as it has been some time (6 years) since I have done one.

A little background - Prior to the pandemic I did hundreds of these audits for the old company that has gotten rid of their mystery shopping business. The audits were all on paper with photos taken on your phone/camera to be entered later at home. It got to the point where I probably could have done them in my sleep. Now however it looks like it is done entirely on your phone with taking and loading photos as you go.

I'm trying one near my home to see how it goes. The guidelines don't look that much different than before, but I am concerned it will take me much longer than before as I am very unfamiliar with the technology. How difficult are these audits to do vs. the old paper and pencil ones? I could normally be in and out in less than 20 minutes unless there were lots of infractions. How long do these typically take? Any advice will be welcome. Thanks.

They can still be done with pencil and paper. Just make sure the check in on the app while there. But if course you will want to do the first few on the app because the requirements have changed so much.

The biggest thing that will impact your work is connectivity. If the job is on Presto, and you are missing just one bar of reception, you will be SOL. Either it won't work at all and tell you you're offline or it will work very slowly which means taking forever uploading pictures as you stare at your screen and wait. This could be a real time waster. With all of the shops, submitting the data later at home is not forbidden. You can do it. The problem there is finding out too late that you either forgot to get a picture or got one that's too blurry and you'll already be home. As long as you get your work submitted within your deadline, doing the reports at home is not a problem, even though they make it seem like it is not an option. Just remember, that if the job is on Presto you must use the check in feature at the location. Or as close to it as possible in the case of no reception, adding a note in the comments as to why the check in address is not correct. I recommend allowing location tags on photos (hidden).

There are many discussions on these forums regarding various types of gas station shops. You may want to read about some other experiences which will give you an idea of what to expect.

Above all, just be aware that the company that now holds these contracts (from your description of the previous company I believe I know which) will always question your work, often gives incomplete instructions, and generally assumes that all shoppers are liars. So be extra careful, document everything and try to guess what the guidelines really mean. Sadly, the landscape in this regard has absolutely changed, and not for the better.

Thanks for the feedback. How exactly can you still do them with paper and pencil? I looked at my selected audit and don't see anywhere that you can see all of the questions. All I see is a button that needs to be selected when you reach the location. I assume at that point; the rest of the audit opens up. How exactly would you get a printed version since you are already physically there?

Also, the point about getting the photos exactly right is valid. I used to take 90-100 photos per location and then if the MS company got back to me with a problem, I typically had a photo that showed what they were looking for. Is that possible with Presto? There is no way I would do a route if I thought I might get sent back to a location that was 100+ miles away.

True that the questions and answers populate depending on what you've chosen as an answer for a previous question. It's probably best to do your first one on site if you can to know what the possible questions are. As you are working, jot them down to make notes for yourself and you can create your own spreadsheet of questions and answers to take with you. Take notes with paper and pencil for when you get home so you can remember the details. I used to do that with the previous company. But now, many have been simplified and I have been doing them so long I mostly just rely on all the pictures I've taken to know what was good or bad and only make notes about extenuating circumstances or something that's not obvious in a photo.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2025 07:39PM by sestrahelena.

I have spread sheets for the various brands, but with Presto now being simpler, I don't really use the one for the blue and red expensive gas brand. It's best to do one near to you using the app to see exactly what's required. Sometimes there's a surprise in the report so that even if you made notes or a cheat sheet from the guidelines, you might miss something...ie. photo of fuel area, store exterior etc. I'm much more comfortable now submitting while on site so I know I haven't missed any photos or questions. It's saved me quite a few times as I always tend to skip something or the other as I walk around the lot. I just sit in my car and finish it up there and pop out to get anything I've missed. They really aren't difficult at all. The more you do, the easier they will seem.

Thanks for all the helpful comments and encouragement. I will put my "big boy" pants on and go out and do the assignment. This particular gas station is within 2 miles of my house, and I had done it with the previous MS company more than 25 times over the years. It is in a suburban location so connectivity should not be a problem. Thanks again.

Something to consider when you are at a revealed audit and have no reception. All these stores have wifi. You just have to ask.

Most of them anyway. My son did a Shell station that is a bait shop near the lake, they gave him the password to what they called wifi, but I'm pretty sure it was a slow version of DSL. He ended up having to upload all of his pics at the next stop.

Sometimes it takes too long to do them online so I get my pics and my notes and do them at home. The new company is pretty strict on the reporting of current POP and as stated above, lots more editor questions.

good old maritz, yea... miss that company. as far as reporting though, things go way faster for me doing it on presto as opposed to using the old maritz site or app, it's just more streamlined. on site all i do is check in with the app, but i don't do the reports there. i take photos, and input everything when i get home.

@Grokie63 wrote:

Something to consider when you are at a revealed audit and have no reception. All these stores have wifi. You just have to ask.

You can teach an old dog new tricks!

I had to bail on a remote Mollusk in Presto because I could not check in. Had I thought about this I could've easily done the mystery shop portion then ask to get on WiFi and back off the check-in time.

@kedmunds1 wrote:

Sometimes it takes too long to do them online so I get my pics and my notes and do them at home.

Absolutely. Before almost all the brands I do shifted to Presto it worked best to knock out the shops and do the reporting at home or in my hotel room.

Now I don't always have that option.

A big part of my current MO: reverse order, both for gigs with multiple pump pictures (Mollusk) and doing reports.

I do not deviate from this at the former as it leads to the most efficient data entry on my phone. As the most labor intensive of the gas brands, you have to make every minute onsite count, so I just grab other pictures I need until the pump(s) I need to continue open up, while quite often cursing under my breath when the car is there too long.

Your camera library shows most recent first, so working backwards makes your pics show up in the right order for reporting efficiently.

Gas stations get easier each time.