The mystery of a mystery shopper - how will you do as a person?

So here I am, like a stealth book character, being a mystery shopper in a branch of a well known SA coffee shop (or full restaurant in some areas). 

The brief is extensive and the questions on the app aplenty as you go through the process of cleanliness, ambiance, staff attention, uniforms, products available and in stock, your welcome, getting coffee like you ordered it (extra hot), how your food was and your sweet item (you have to have both, so devastated). In addition how loyalty app was handled, was it offered and on and on. With photos of everything they ask. Luckily today people take photos of food when they go out, so I did not look out of place.  

For this I claim and get my bill refunded to me and in addition a crisp R100 for my trouble. I can do a free meal and R100 thank you very much. Buys me 3 coffees at my favourite hangout in Gordons Bay. They have a lesser price for refills which is unheard of anywhere else that I go. Plus the two owners are really lekker. I will give them a mention in the PS below, however I cannot disclose the store brand I am currently sitting at. 

How has it gone so far? Average. Now since I visit this brand (restaurant) quite regularly somewhere else, I am used to superior service and a fantastic visit start to finish. This is not because I am now a regular, it was like that from the day they opened. 

So back to where I am. From when you step into the store, the app is asking ongoing questions, and they leave nothing unasked. I am surprised I did not have to check the floor for dust. But hey. You paying me. I will lick it if needed. So the greeting was non existent, they couldn't provide a cash slip, only a card slip, which is a problem as I have to submit the slip, they didn't ask if I had app, or suggest it - I waited until she handed me card machine. However the staff are very friendly, the store is pristine, the music not intrusive, the service fast. I just wish the loo wasn't on the complete other side of the centre. I have to have two hot drinks, which means that my 58 year old bladder needs to go 6 times. I am not packing up my whole laptop etc. for that. I shall pee in my jeans if needed. Yuck. 

Based on yesterday's blog, the spoil my fun two ladies have arrived and now I know all their business. I have put my buds in and James Blunt is belting. I can still hear them. Why????? Her marital issues are not my issues. 

The mystery shopper has made me think of something akin to it. 

Who are you when you are being observed without you knowing it. When someone watches you and your interactions - whether at work, or how you deal with a certain person. How you behave in a store, at an appointment, at home. Imagine someone with an app watching your interactions. Are you as nice as you think, do you treat others like you think you do. Are you respectful to those you should be. Are you neat and presentable, do you greet people nicely, do you chat about relevant and fun topics. Do you have depth (like a vast display of food in a glass display unit). Are you generous? Do you say thank you (my fav). The list is endless. 

Think to yourself for a moment - if a mystery shopper was marking you right now, how would you rate? No-one is perfect, but what could you improve?

till next time

c'est la vie xxx

PS Gordons Bay Coffee Cafe - Fatima and Melissa 

What winds you up

There is surely a time in everyone's lives when some things just push all their buttons. Or as my dear dad would say "gives one the shits". I don't know if it gets worse as you get older, but some of these having been giving me the ....... for at least 30 years. 

Now the last decades have brought us the mobile phone, which in time brought us irritation number one. People who sit in coffee shops (or restaurants) and take video calls or make business calls with their earphones in and laptops open. There is no reason, not one, unless your speaker is broken, not our problem, for having a conversation on speaker in a place where other people are working, relaxing or just not wanting to hear you and Tant Sannie chat on speaker or video or listen to Estate Agent, or a guy who is obviously just the man, speaking loudly whilst on earphones making sure everyone can hear just how successful he is. I asked a lady to tone it down recently after one hour. She shrugged me off. Those that know me will know how that ended. Also, why do you have to take a video call then. Go sit outside on a bench and take it. Even better get a take out coffee and stay out. Or take a normal call, at a normal volume.

Then. If you go and have a meal etc. with a friend, I am not referring to 8 people having a fun night out, I am talking about two people, and men are mostly the culprits here, why do you have to discuss your work or personal business at volume 9. Usually while doing an interview, sales pitch or just showing how big you are.  At the last 4 coffee shops I went to this was the case. Two guys at volume 900. Surely you can hear your own volume.

Irritation number 3. Why must you talk throughout a movie, show, concert or any other outing where your mouth is supposed to be closed. Whisper if you want to talk the entire time. At James Blunt last week the two women behind us wanted to catch up for 2 hours. The louder he sang, the louder they shouted over him. Why not just go and sit at Steers and get a burger and catch up while your husbands watch the show. If you go to a movie, why do you have to have your phone on super bright and Whatsapp the whole time. Unless you an online call service agent bunking work. 

Then the I want to be addressed in my home language thing. Recently a guy walked up to a pay point at a Supermarket in Paardevlei. He spoke to the cashier in Afrikaans. She replied in English. He insisted on paying for his frozen fish and 2 lit Coke whilst speaking Afrikaans. He then made a fuss over "do you want a bag" as she could not say it in Afrikaans. He went large. I am still trying find out, since English was her 2nd language and not his, then what was his second language? Xhosa? No. I can assure you he of the big mouth does not speak any of the other languages besides English and Afrikaans. And please do not come to me with the people must be served in their language. So when Person A goes into Mr. B's shop, will he manage to deal with her in her language? No. English is a business language. Get over yourself. And why must I stand behind you in the queue so you can do all this. Why. 

Then my absolute fuse blower. The use of the word "them". Not in reference to other people, or other situations or other groups. No the word "them" when applying to a certain race, usually in a Community Group posting - look at the beach litter (btw we have one of the cleanest beaches, I can see it 24/7). Then someone will come along "dis hulle wat dit doen". Somehow hulle always comes from a certain sector. I got bad service in Checkers today (want hulle weet nie van beter nie). Or the pale lady who let her kids leave all their icecream papers on the beach where I was sitting because "hulle sal dit skoonmaak". Them. Best you walk a wide berth around me with that generalisation. Or better still - did you see in the media yesterday that Orania now has their own bus service?. No "them" there. Off you go. 

And lastly, the lack of use of the word thank you. For a gift, a call, something done for you - big or small - a favour, a treat, a coffee, anything. Say thank you. If your parents didn't teach you or insist on it as a child, I will happily teach you as an adult. No one has to remind you, no one has to ask you to say thank you. Just do it. It's a no brainer. 

Ok, before I work myself up - 

Till next time

c'est la vie xxx

If I am running you know someone is chasing me

Well that saying is one that would always have applied to me. Understand me nicely. I don't run. You know when someone says "let me run and fetch this" - I don't even do figure of speech running. 

Then at the end of July, after a lecture delivered by my kids as to my health, and do I want to live to 100 and do I want to still be able to play with my future grandkids and so on and so forth, I had a think. My exercise regime (apparently my beach walks are not enough) and great love of all things chocolate, had become concerning to them. Hence the lecture. I said ok (thinking in my mind jeez who is the parent). However I realised that I was panting a lot (between fridge and couch) and did sleep badly, have enormous stress (ok haven't found that solution yet), a new heartburn habit and some other things. 

So I started the only thing that works for me - calorie counting. You may think it is laborious but everything has a kj label on it, and with a simple app on your phone it is easy. Can't find it? Just scan the product barcode and boom. Once you get into it, it is quick, effective and means you continually can see how much you can still eat. My daily limit is 5323 kj.  You may think it is little, however when you cut out the massive portions, it is enough. You have to get used to it, but you won't starve. For the first 5 weeks I did no chocolate, no treats, nothing. Now if I want to have some chocolate, then I know that 5 little blocks is one serving and will cost me 473 kj. However there is no point in eating 5000 kj of junk. It does not mean that some days I want to put an entire cheesecake in my mouth. 

Are there cheat days - obviously, I normally use weigh day as a small cheat day, but it is not a free for all.

So between end July and today I have lost 7kg so far. Almost a bag of dog food. Lekker hey. 

Then I saw an advert on FB - Coach Potato to 5km. A ten week programme of 3 times a week in which the purpose is, to over that period, get you from being a potato, to being someone who can run 5km. 

Now granted, I did think we would be eased into half running and half walking a km or so on day one. I nearly died when I drove my car on the route afterwards and realised we had done a 30 sec run, 30 sec walk, for a total of 3.8 kms. I am not sure where Couch Potato to 5km in 10 weeks came from but I have full faith in the very patient, super nice and encouraging young man who is our taskmaster, encourager and motivator. When he says 4, 3, 2, 1 to indicate we must swop between running and walking or vice versa, I think we sometimes want to punch him in the throat. However as a group we love him. Today I found that the timing was going very well for me. 

How did my body react? Well. The first morning after running, when I stood up I seemed to have frozen from the hips down. I shuffled my feet along and found sitting down and standing up awful. My lower back felt if I had been passing bags of cement around all day. Wednesday oiled up the limbs again but on Thursday my quads (I have quads I discovered), seem to have seized. More pain. Friday we were into a routine that allowed us even running and walking periods, but my knee seems to have gone on strike as in "what the hell are you doing, thudding down on us 3 days a week". Seems my hamstrings are unhappy. Today we did 45s run and 30s walk, stretching ourselves. My knee is still not happy, but hey. I do the whole route every time. I have not slacked off, cut it short, walked non stop or died. I only have to compete with myself. And if that means I am at the back all the time, so be it. Today was my easiest day so far. 

Just a note - I now put on a latex glove before I slather on all that Deep Heat as instructed by Mikhail. Why? Because I obviously should have washed that hand a lot better before I touched my face or went to the loo. Enough said. 

Onwards and upwards. I remind myself that it can never again be last Monday. My first day to run has come and gone. 

till next time

c'est la vie