XCat wrote:

LesBeProud- wrote:

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Thanks for applying! Maybe you could try picking two shops on the forums and reviewing them?

The Writers Corp Review - Application Review #1
Preliminary Inspection (9/10)
On first glance, this shop seems very professional. However, something negative that stands out to me is tinypic's ‘missing image’ image. I'm sure the front page would fit together a little better if the image was there, although it isn't a huge deal (especially for a now-closed shop). Other than that, the first few posts give off a very professional vibe. One thing that really makes them stand out is the fact that shop information is in an image as opposed to text. I really like that choice, as you immediately feel that the owner has already put in a lot of effort to make their topic look nice, and would do the same with your order. I also think using a unique font and some symbols in the title makes it stand out a bit from the plainer shops, but distinguishes itself from those which are more over-the-top and ‘extra’, as it doesn't overload your brain. After scrolling a bit through the owner's other front page posts, I found that they were all professional and stayed pretty consistent in the way of branding. (Similar layout, font/color scheme, etc.)

One suggestion I might have is to add a little more to the posts, such as using more BBcode or adding a directory to navigate. However, there are only a few important posts to scroll between, so this is a minor issue, really.
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Service (8.5/10)
The staff are very professional and kind to both each other and their customers, which can really make or break the environment of a shop. They also seem to get orders done very quickly and make sure products are completed to customers' specifications. I did notice one incident of a dispute between an employee and others, but it was resolved very well and in a polite manner, which also goes to show that the staff are a great fit for the shop.
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Products (9/10)
As the shop is closed, I could not order, so instead I took a look through a few of the orders listed at the end of Page #1. What they lack in quantity is made up for in quality. The writing is very impressive, and the critiquing is neither overly harsh nor sugarcoated - it's kind, but it's also very constructive with suggestions that will be sure to help the customer improve.
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Other Comments
I forgot that I used to work here, and it was for a reason - a great startup idea, other kind staff, and a way to help others.
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Overall (9/10)
I think this shop had a lot of potential, if not for the fact that it had a lack of orders. However, if it were to reopen (although I know you have moved on) I think it could be greatly improved with both your increased experience and a little revamping.

Cat's Fiction Shop Review - Application Review #2
Preliminary Inspection (7.5/10)
Noticeably a bit older than your other shop, Cat's Fiction Shop presents a slightly more personal, yet amateurish vibe to it. It's not bad, per se, but rather, in need of some improvement. That's understandable for an older shop, as they naturally take a lot of work to get them just right. I feel like the banner matches well with the color scheme. I also love that there's a little more color, but it just doesn't quite fit right. Perhaps it's the lack of other formatting. Also, the ‘Join!’ is not fully centered in the quote box, which is a bit bothersome. One thing to try would be to use this code rather than just spacing it:

[center] Add some text! [/center]

Still, the effort is there. Also, I think that instead of listing staff activity levels below the staff list could be made better by coloring the names within the list itself to make the post more compact.
Additionally, I don't think the way the forms were ‘centered’ looks very nice from an aesthetic point of view. Perhaps try using quote boxes instead.
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Service (4/10)
I don't quite understand why orders were closed several months after opening. This may be contributing to the small amount sent in. Also, I don't think that one of the orders was handled very well. 27 days after being placed, the customer made a (very logical) complaint. I also see only one completed order from a shop open about 6 months, which isn't exactly good.
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Products (N/A)
Unfortunately, there was only one completed product linked on the entire thread. It was deleted, so I am unable to give a score in this category.
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Overall (5.5/10)
While this shop had some good potential, some mistakes were made from the beginning that seemed to turn off potential customers and never giving it much of a chance to improve, snowballing into its closure six months after opening. However, you seemed to have gained some knowledge from both of these (semi-failed?) shops, and Cat's Shop Review Shop is definitely doing well, so I'm happy for you there.

LesBeProud- wrote:

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XCat wrote:

LesBeProud- wrote:

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Thanks for applying! And about that particular order for Cat's Fiction Shop, it is a lot more complex than it seems. I had a whole comment thread with them on their profile before they complained explaining that the staff member had gone inactive and they insisted that I completed it, even though I told them that my art skills were lacking for that kind of order (which they deleted to use to complain about me and Cat's Fiction Shop), and I unshared the order due to excessive hate mail. And then said customer basically hate-mailed me until I shut it down. I kind of wanted a fresh start anyway.

Hedgehog Corner Review:

Title: 8/10- I like how it has some different characters. The name of the shop is very noticeable because it is in Caps. Even though the whole thing is normal font, its easy to notice because all the other shop titles are in some fancy font.

Banner: 10/10- The shop banner is simple, and sometimes ‘Less is More’. Credit was given to the maker of the banner. The name of the shop is easily read. The secondary banner is unique and cute.

AoS: 10/10- I placed my order and about 10 minutes later it was ‘taken’.

Quality: 8.5/10- I was hoping that the final product would be hosted on a image hosting site, because it seems WAY more efficient. I'd recommend using cubeupload since it's free. But I guess you have to do what you have to do.

CS: 9/10- My order was in the UoC so that was an interesting way so that way your workers can have an easier way of keeping track of new orders

OE: 9/10- I'd recommend coming to this shop, you will have a nice experience.

Lightning Studios Review:

Title: 10/10- The title is unique because it doesn't use normal fonts.

Banner: 10/10- The title is displayed so it has visibility.

Availability of Staff (AoS): 9.5/10- It took less than 30 mins for my order to be ‘Taken!’ by someone.

Quality: 9/10- The only thing that is my problem is the banner size. Everything else was great!

Customer Service (CS): 8/10- It seemed like they were very busy. But they finished my order in less than 3 days.

Overall Experience (OE): 9.5/10- I'd recommend coming here they have good quality, CS, AoS.

Arsxi_ wrote:

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LesBeProud- wrote:

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Clove’s Image Hosting Service Review

Preliminary Inspection (9.5/10)

Clearly, the first thing anyone is going to see is the title. The title uses symbols to great effect, a great sign! I would suggest adding fancy fonts, but I kind of like it the way it is, to be honest. The banner is also lovely, maintaining a minimalistic feel but still beautiful. Amazing job so far!

The pastel welcome heading is also a nice touch, though I’d recommend centring it so it stands out more. The introductory paragraph is also a nice touch, and sums up the shop in an engaging way, though I’d recommend experimenting with BBCode or bolding it to make it stand out more from the rest of the front page. In another shop, I’d be concerned at the lack of a directory, but it’s fine since there are very few pages and they are all in immediate succession on the first page of the shop. Awesome job so far!

The rest of the first page is well-formatted and clean, though it could be worth experimenting with using BBCode, symbols, etc. to make it more visually attractive, though I do like it the way it is. The little explanations and the border between the different sections are also a nice touch. The only thing I’d say is that the colour of the “thanks for visiting” section at the bottom of the first page seems a bit jarring compared to the pastel blues of the rest of the shop. But great job so far!

I scrolled through the rest of the pages and determined that they are helpful, informative and fitting in with the design of the shop with their minimalism and pastel blues. The only thing I’d suggest is considering making either a separate banner for each post or to put the main banner at the top of each post to make them a bit more exciting. But great job!

Overall, Clove’s Image Hosting Service is well set out and informative, with a cohesive feel linked together by its minimalism and pastel blues. It also has an amazing banner and title, so fantastic job!

Service (9/10)

My order was completed very quickly, being taken in less than an hour and completed five minutes after it was taken! The staff were also friendly and polite, which is great to see! The order confirmation message was also nice, though correct capitalisation would have been good. But overall, Clove’s Image Hosting Service has great service and friendly staff!

Product (N.G.)

I’ve chosen not to grade the product since I’m not entirely sure what I could grade since there is very little you could do wrong when uploading images! So the shop’s overall score will be based on the Preliminary Inspection and Service categories.

Overall (9.5/10)

Overall, Clove’s Image Hosting Service is a delightful shop that is well-formatted and informative with fast service and friendly staff that caters to a very unique section of the market. I’d definitely recommend ordering there if you cannot use CubeUpload!

clove- wrote:

^^ thank you so much! We'll definitely implement some of those suggestions.

LotusLavender wrote:

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• @LotusLavender: You have a huge amount of experience on the Requests forum and with shops! It is a credit to you that you have been owner of the Shop Partnership Association, and formerly owned what I'd call the most successful banners shop on the Requests forum, ever! Congratulations!
  
  
• @cubbywindowsdpc: You have a decent amount of experience on the Requests forum, and of course you own your own shop review shop! I think you're a great addition to this shop!
  
  
• @LesBeProud-: Including your old account, you have a huge amount of experience on the Requests forum! But what really made me want to hire you was the amazing quality of your reviews - you have great attention to detail which is so useful in the Preliminary Inspection stage!
  

XCat wrote:

Announcement
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XCat wrote:

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