From two years ago this month:
Today's secret shopping job was freaky.
First of all, my job was to observe sales reps for a cellular company as they roamed around a grocery store, and to determine that they were doing their job, and to take a picture of them to verify they were wearing the right uniform.
When I got to the grocery store at the appointed time, I could not find the sales reps. I went home and called the marketing manager as was directed, and she said (a bit impatiently) that the reps were there, so I went all the way back to try again.
As it turns out, their presence at the grocery store was not approved by the management of the store, so they were posing as grocery shoppers (albeit in their promotional clothing for the cellular company) who occasionally stopped to chat with fellow shoppers about the phone they were using.
I stalked one rep in particular, an older woman, until she finally approached me. Then I walked away and stalked her and the other rep, a younger blonde woman with a baseball cap on, until I decided it was time to blow my cover and get a picture of them. I never got to talk to the younger woman, and only saw her back. I didn't want her to realize I was following her.
So I'd observed them for fifteen minutes and it was time to introduce myself and photograph them as evidence that I had done my job. I finally spotted them by the registers, getting chewed out by the store manager.
I approached the older woman after she walked away from the manager and said, "Um, hi, I've been secret shopping you." And then the younger woman comes up. She looks at me, and her face lights up in recognition, and I realize, shit, that's Ciara B., this effervescent girl who was 2 years ahead of me in high school and was in musicals with me and took driver's ed with me. We have one of those "omigod, what have you been up to?" moments.
But we can't talk much. We've both got jobs to do, and they're being ousted from the store anyway, so I took the picture of them (she hammed it up with a nearby cardboard cutout of George Bush, very vintage Ciara) and went on my way.
(For those of you who know the person I'm talking about--she still looked the same. Still has long hair and pretty nails and perfect lipstick. Although she may have gained a few pounds and wears a wedding band.)
Oh, and then the older woman asked me if she could get a copy of the digital photo I took. I said, "Sure, just give me your email address."
It was so very weird.
I knew Ciara from high school. We were in musicals together, from my 9th grade year on. We also took driver's ed together one summer, the summer after her father died in the motorcycle accident. She was one of those girls that everyone liked and admired, and she was beautiful too, with the long blonde hair she curled sometimes and a face you couldn't help but watch. I hope she's really happy.
This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.Today's secret shopping job was freaky.
First of all, my job was to observe sales reps for a cellular company as they roamed around a grocery store, and to determine that they were doing their job, and to take a picture of them to verify they were wearing the right uniform.
When I got to the grocery store at the appointed time, I could not find the sales reps. I went home and called the marketing manager as was directed, and she said (a bit impatiently) that the reps were there, so I went all the way back to try again.
As it turns out, their presence at the grocery store was not approved by the management of the store, so they were posing as grocery shoppers (albeit in their promotional clothing for the cellular company) who occasionally stopped to chat with fellow shoppers about the phone they were using.
I stalked one rep in particular, an older woman, until she finally approached me. Then I walked away and stalked her and the other rep, a younger blonde woman with a baseball cap on, until I decided it was time to blow my cover and get a picture of them. I never got to talk to the younger woman, and only saw her back. I didn't want her to realize I was following her.
So I'd observed them for fifteen minutes and it was time to introduce myself and photograph them as evidence that I had done my job. I finally spotted them by the registers, getting chewed out by the store manager.
I approached the older woman after she walked away from the manager and said, "Um, hi, I've been secret shopping you." And then the younger woman comes up. She looks at me, and her face lights up in recognition, and I realize, shit, that's Ciara B., this effervescent girl who was 2 years ahead of me in high school and was in musicals with me and took driver's ed with me. We have one of those "omigod, what have you been up to?" moments.
But we can't talk much. We've both got jobs to do, and they're being ousted from the store anyway, so I took the picture of them (she hammed it up with a nearby cardboard cutout of George Bush, very vintage Ciara) and went on my way.
(For those of you who know the person I'm talking about--she still looked the same. Still has long hair and pretty nails and perfect lipstick. Although she may have gained a few pounds and wears a wedding band.)
Oh, and then the older woman asked me if she could get a copy of the digital photo I took. I said, "Sure, just give me your email address."
It was so very weird.
I knew Ciara from high school. We were in musicals together, from my 9th grade year on. We also took driver's ed together one summer, the summer after her father died in the motorcycle accident. She was one of those girls that everyone liked and admired, and she was beautiful too, with the long blonde hair she curled sometimes and a face you couldn't help but watch. I hope she's really happy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/strph/67825680/
