Why do we have to describe ourselves in the report?

I noticed two shops I recently did asking for a description of myself, not only my attire. I even
received an 8 because I forgot to add my height. The question was, "Describe your attire. Now
describe yourself." Or something to that effect.

Don't we have a profile info? Why does it have to be in every report? What happened
to our anonymity? Aren't the employees shown the reports? I once saw my very report being read by
the cashier. What if I had my full description on it? I feel this new trend puts more risk to the shopper.

A high-end shop or an overt shop asking how the shopper was dressed is understandable.
An electronic shop asking for age and ownership of a cell phone or any gadget would be relevant but a
retail asking for height, weight, attire, hairdo and something else? Why? Would they eventually ask about
our race as sometimes some companies do when requiring a description of a staff for identification purposes?

I personally feel it defeats the purpose of having a mystery shopper since the staff would be on the
lookout for a customer with that description. What's next, a download of our recent photo included
in the report with the receipt scan? My question really is why?

What is your take on this?

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Didn't you already vent about this in another thread regarding editors? I thought we were trying to cut back on the redundancies?

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“I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.”
~ Jimi Hendrix

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” ~ Mark Twain

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I now remember mentioning it in passing in someone's thread. Completely forgot about it.
Unfortunately I really did not get anyone's take on it or see anyone's opinion on it in any
thread. It was bothering me. I wanted to know what the other shoppers think of it.

Holy Moses! This is a new aspect of the requirements which I just experienced. What do
mean vent on it? Is this your way of venting on my posting? Have you had to describe yourself
in a report? Did you feel it was acceptable? Did you respond to that post that's why
you remember it?

Ok, Shop2, I checked and saw your reply in another thread. You completely misunderstood my post.
I do not appreciate your describing my post as ranting.

It's easy to forget a prior post and hard to remember to check this board before we post another. Forgive us. We have other priorities. We are perfectionists and judges by trade and simply human in life and on this board.

Some are doing it because the corporate office wants to see whether the location staff reacted differently to men vs women, age, race, how the client was dressed etc. One of the hotels that are checking a specific features at their locations has the questions. A hotel again even had the same shopper shop two locations in very different markets and evaluate subjectively how the two locations differed. Other clients are under court decrees about their alleged discrimination practices and have to check whether their employees have the same behavior towards everyone.

Others are checking the video to match you up to the report. In the end it nulls you from future shops in that location unfortunatley.

CANADAMOMMY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Others are checking the video to match you up to
> the report. In the end it nulls you from future
> shops in that location unfortunatley.

The information is not released to the client, at least on the reports that I have been doing. Plus, 2 of them are revealed audits at the end. There is a popular clothing store that asks for race, etc because they are under legal order.

Actually it IS often released. More often than not.

KateH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CANADAMOMMY Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Others are checking the video to match you up
> to
> > the report. In the end it nulls you from future
> > shops in that location unfortunatley.
>
>
> The information is not released to the client, at
> least on the reports that I have been doing. Plus,
> 2 of them are revealed audits at the end. There is
> a popular clothing store that asks for race, etc
> because they are under legal order.

Several MSC's now 'require' photos to be uploaded into your profile before they will consider you for jobs. I had one MSC that I have shopped with a very long time that just sent out an email alerting me that they were updating their system and that no one could self assign anything until they had uploaded a current photo. (Side note....how the heck do they know it is current?? You can alter file dates....)

Kind of along these lines, on unrevealed shops, especially in more upscale kind of places, do you notice a difference in how you are treated based on how you are dressed? I sure do. I shop in everything from jeans and a T shirt to a business suit and high heels. There is a distinctive difference in how one is treated by employees.

A long time ago I dressed very casual for a chicken restaurant job. I was too lazy to dress business casual. Received a call from the company the next day about my attire. Who's shopping who?

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Why do we have to describe ourselves in the report?

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