First there are quarterly fluctuations in availability of some shops where the client has each location shopped only once per calendar quarter. Obviously, alert schedulers will hope to post those and get them all done early in the quarter.
Next there are the November, December and January quirks. In Nov and Dec shops get early deadlines because the schedulers, editors and MSC staff also want the holiday period through the end of the month for family and friends. In addition, some retail clients and even some restaurants do far fewer shops in Nov and Dec because they do not want to pay to have strictly seasonal employees shopped. Then there is the dreaded January lull, which does not really affect all shops. That is a time when many clients are changing MSCs or changing the survey or guidelines or, for some other reason, just do not get their shops released to schedulers until so late that either they slip into February or they all become emergency, rush jobs.
If you live in a place like FL, there are seasonal influxes of lots of shoppers to contend with, of course. And, of course, some students and teachers shop much more during summer recess than at other times, so you may see shops getting taken earlier in those months.
Have I left anything out, folks?
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.