I ran across this forum trying to find out what exactly I might be doing or how someone managed to stay "covert" doing a small pharmacy shop with a 50 item audit.

I'm brand new, and the offer for a chain drugstore "sorta close" to my home (10-15min drive, not near anything I need to be near but not ridiculously out of the way either) for a base of $10 plus a $20 bonus. But a "covert" 50 item audit?

Are they nuts?

I'm tempted but this just seems silly. At the original amount - heck no. But at $30? Is that worth it for an hour of feeling stupid in a drug store?

Thoughts?

It is a problem because after a little while the store will be watching you like a hawk thinking you are a shoplifter. I really liked the idea of one shopper to make a handwritten list of the items in a notebook and go in to do your pricing. If anybody asks what you are doing, you are getting prices for the ladies at your Aunt's assisted living facility. You just want to help them stretch their dollars as far as they can. And by the way, does [store name] have any sort of rewards program that could reduce their costs?

That approach strikes me as something that won't get you thrown out of the store, explains your dawdling and doesn't reveal that you are actually doing a competitor audit of their facility.

Well, people have to wait on prescriptions all the time, so dawdling shouldn't be taken as too out of the ordinary.

But the 50 item list without purchasing anything is stretching it. Even if I go in with my iphone, have the items listed out on it, and snap photos of each one, I don't think I could get away with it.

It's such a small space that 50 items just doesn't seem plausible.

If you don't think you can pull it off, don't take the job.

Duly noted.

I've actually done a bunch of these exact audits over the past week or so (earlier today I did 2 120-ish lists with the same $20 bonus at a supermarket). I even ended up doing all 5 of the visits for the local drug store over a few days (bonus kept going up so I kept taking 2 at a time).

My experience/tips - bring the print out in with you, and fold it over a few times so you can 'palm' it easily if a worker walks by. I just write the prices next to the name instead of in the 'right' section. Most workers won't even notice if the isles are tall enough that they can't see over them, or if they do they don't care - I did a whole section of feminine products while someone was stocking down the isle and they didn't bother me at all. Other shoppers may look at you, but again, they don't care.

Once you get the hang of it, the lists don't take as long as they say - I was getting the 50 items lists done in about half an hour, and got both 120 lists done in an hour and a half today.

If you're really worries and can bring someone with you, do it - you can either ask them to ask employees to show them where something on the other side of the store is if they're hanging around the area, or just use 'goofing off with my friend/family member while shopping' as your excuse for being in there so long. Or if you want, grab a basket, throw in a few items taken from areas you're auditing as you go around, and then just walk back around putting them away before walking out when you're done. If an area is in plain site of the pharmacy or something, write the items on a scrap paper real quick and if anyone does ask, tell them that an elderly/injured family member asked you to find out how much X items tend to cost because they need some but can't shop themselves. I've done all of those.

Oh, and a tip - if any sections are too close to the pharmacy counter (diabetes supplies tend to be in that area), try to go after the pharmacy closes to do that section. They tend to close up before the store does, and then you don't have to deal with workers there giving you weird looks.

Good luck! Unless the folks working at your local stores are way more involved in their jobs than they are in my area, you should be fine.

[edit] Realized I'm a day late, but hopefully this'll still help you in case you decide to try any out in the future.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2012 02:09AM by wackogirl.