The Shop Logs

Thursday I had two easy mystery shops.
One was taking a specific phone into get fixed and then mail it back to the company. This was a new company for me, so I always try to be extra careful in the reporting - but the shop itself was a breeze (once I figured out how to use the phone).
The second shop involved lying on a mattress - I am an expert at that! If there had only been a television involved…..hmmm…. maybe next time.
However, my second task that day was dreadful and the reason I dislike shopping unless it is mystery shopping! I had to buy a pair of jeans. Eddie Bauer, The Gap, Nordstrom’s Rack, finally Kohl’s had a pair. I wore them today & I think I was just tired because they’re not so hot. I can mystery shop all day, but shopping without instructions and reports seems to be infinitely difficult for me.

Like all plans where I decide to help my husband out, this one could have used more precise planning, maybe better organization, or less dogs and hillbillies.
I live north of the large metro area that most of the shops center around in my area; I can pick up some small towns that nobody can even find on the map usually. Two such shops were gasoline shops north and east of town that I decided I could use to put fuel in his truck. I took our two Jack Russell Terriers (tall skinny & short fat - what a pair) and set out in his truck.
The first shop I drove through town to make sure I had the right stations, some of those country stations don’t look the same as in the city. Yep, that was it…okay, I’lll just turn around here - I pulled into the end of this guy’s drive way - and decided not to pull in forward but sideways since he was standing in the front yard. At first I didn’t think there as enough room to make a u-turn in the road, but on seocnd thought…….yeah, well…..turns out I was right, not enough room. I am now halfway in the ditch with the slushy snow, sliding down further as dogs are jumping all over, a very calming environment. Okay, I’m stuck, that’s right, rock it back and forth, okay now I am more stuck. Dogs - still insane trying not to slide down the 45 degree slope the front seat has now become.
1. Panic
2. Call husband - lost call -poop!
3. Panic Again
4. Maybe that guy can help me, you know, the one working on an electrical box at 8 pm in his front yard.
5. Ignore the banjo music.
6. Try husband again - if I stand on this leg and lean over the bed of the truck I get signal.
Okay, so he did eventually show up with a bigger truck to pull me out, but meanwhile I turned off the truck, so I didn’t melt more snow. Sat with the dogs while they lost their minds, took them on a walk, although I only had one leash - you figure it out I know I didn’t! That dang hillbilly - cussing in his front yard the whole time couldn’t be bothered to help me, but as soon as my husband and father-in-law show up he walks out to ask if they need any help (this is why there is no gun rack in the truck).

Saturday found me at the mall for four shops in 1 hour 20 minutes. I did drive out to the farther of the two malls near me, but after all ice cream was involved.
(Insert husband “doing the math” to find out just how much I will do for just how little.)
For instance, Saturday found me eatting two pretzels, an icee, a lemonade and a large mint/chocolate ice cream. That was way too much in such a short period of time and I was upset to my stomach, but I had to do it. What else could I do to fill the time between my purchase and return that was the main staple of this mall run…..maybe shopping could have been the exercise I pay for instead of the empty calories I was paid to consume?

I had my three shops ready for after school today, the second day back from Holiday break, how brave(stupid?) am I? I had printed out the paperwork before I went to bed last night & had them under my purse to put in the car for after school to remind me where & in what order I was headed today. Good Planning!
Dang it if I didn’t get to the first shop and forgot the department I was supposed to shop!
I had to sit in the car in the lot and call home and humbly ask hubby to go home for me, open my email and find the target department listed in my email. Eatting cell phone crow has never been as fun as this….he was at the junk yard getting parts for a vehicle he is fixing for me. Nice. Real Nice.

I changed my posted back to it’s original title, “Mystery Shopper’s Blog” and the entire thread was removed……

I wanted to see if there are any other MS blogs out there. I know the best source to contact online MS shoppers, but I was hesitant to post. I posted:
Title:
“Mystery Shopper’s Blog”
Post:
“Would you, Could you on a Blog?
(I wanted to title it that, but was afraid of what *moderator* would say!)
I have started blogging and wonder if:
1. Would you be interested in reading another shoppers blog (weblog/online journal)?
2. Would you be interested in writing your own blog?”
I was nervous because often on this forum people find it easier to cut down other people’s ideas than put forth their own. I received some nice emails from people who chose not to post, and some neutral/positive comments, but also some real humdingers!
The moderator did not like being named in my post - I got an email with CAPS - yikes. I guess the Green Eggs & Ham reference was a red flag of insecurity & I was pounced upon…..I thought it was funny. The moderator changed my title to “Would you, Could you talk about Mystery Shopping in a Personal Blog?” A nice compromise.
The first response I received struck me as funny. Within seven minutes of my post the poster took the time to (compulsively?) reply: “To reply in brief, No and No. There is enough stuff on the web that I dont need to see or contribute to any more at this point.” Okay, thanks for your contribution. Maybe it was just me though.

I took a bowling shop because I had skipped many trips to the lanes since Thanksgiving. Many shoppers do not like the bowling shops, but I find them easy and relaxing. I am in no stretch of the imagnination a good, or even passable, bowler, but these are fun to me. (The report is too easy also!)
To get my husband to go I take the one closest to our house and he fell into my trap perfectly on New Year’s Day! After I let them walk us to our lanes he was miffed because, “that makes me look like an idiot.” He doesn’t realize, the world is full of idiots and they hardly recognize each other, no one will remember him.
I realized I had been made when the food worker, no lane server but the cook/cashier himself, came to check on us/ask if we were enjoying ourselves/etc. I said to myself I neededto pull this stop out of the rotation for a bit! Then as we are finishing up our last game this guy is standing at the back of our lane with this goofy smile…it kinda creeped me out. He walked up to us and asked if we knew who he was (LOVE it when the creepy guys do that!)….turns out we went to High School with him and oh yes, he was married to the manager.
Now I had no way of knowing that my New Year’s Resolution needed to involve anything like this. How bad is this looking for my next three shops tomorrow?