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Shopping before scheduled date

August 25, 2022 11:57AM
Hello. I'm still fairly new to this and I am wondering about scheduling. If I schedule a shop for, say, March 31 and I find myself in the area a few days earlier than that, is it acceptable to go ahead and do the shop as long as it's within the date range the shop is available? Thanks in advance for any guidance on this.
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August 25, 2022 12:23PM
Hi, and welcome @Danny91075!

As a scheduler myself, my advice would be to check in with the scheduler to be sure. Sometimes there are multiple shops per location each month, and there can be limits of how many can be done within a certain amount of days or on the same day. Some projects also have beginning and end dates that do not necessarily coincide with the 1st or last day of the month/quarter.

When in doubt, always best to ask first!

Have a great day!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2022 12:24PM by KSSPete.
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August 25, 2022 12:26PM
Often when you request or select a shop, there is a range of dates available and you pick one. When the shop is assigned, you may find that the begin and end dates are the singular date that you selected, in which case you can only do it that day unless you have the option to reschedule. Sometimes when you select a date, the assigned shop shows a range of dates for the beginning and end dates. If that is the case, you can do it "early" or "late" as long as it is inside the window shown on the shop.

So the answer is "maybe".

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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August 25, 2022 12:45PM
Thanks for replying. Those are some of the things I thought might be the case. I'll be sure to check in when this happens.
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August 25, 2022 03:16PM
Many companies used to offer more of a "range" meaning that they could be done over a 2 or 3 day period. It seems like a shift has happened over the years where you now have to pick a specific date.

Ipsos has a feature where you can change the date yourself 1 time online. ISS software allows you to change it yourself a few times. Marketforce will allow you to reschedule as well. Those are 3 that stand out to me as being easiest to change yourself. Most of the other companies you have to request it to be changed for you.
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August 25, 2022 03:46PM
The Source (aka "Trendsource" ) gives you a date range and doesn't restrict you from shopping any date within that date range. Second to None lets you re-schedule your dates. On the Ipsos Metrics platform, I have been able to pick one date and then do it earlier than the selected date with no issues. On the other hand, with companies who use the Sassie platform, it varies. For example, with Reality Based Group, I can do my shop on any of the dates in a date range for a particular convenience store. But with Confero, I have to pick just one of the available dates to do a particular shop. So it varies, and as mentioned above, if the guidelines don't spell it out for you, check with your scheduler.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2022 03:47PM by guysmom.
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