I do not like any of the FF shops I have performed (Sonic, 5 Guys, Moe's). I also can say that I hate the Senior Living one. It has 2 parts and they you have to remember all of this stuff. I did not know that they had 2 when I did it and ended up having to go to the other site. It took hours to complete the narratives. I am finding that almost anything that is truly mystery is not to my liking and the low pay.

Who do you do 5 Guys for. They are in my area, but don't the company that does them.

The Sonics where they don't have a restroom entrance because they keep the back door locked for security reasons. Recently was in a run-down area and had to check the restroom. Asked where the restroom was. Told it was in the back. The carhop walked me through the kitchen. The floors were slippery. Feels strange being the only customer they've probably seen in a month who has to go so bad that he needs to navigate across the greasy floors to get to the restroom in back. After checking it I didn't want to go back out through the kitchen. Employee with a mop said I could go out the back door. Don't like it at all.

Irk, you have been a member since 2008 and most of the time your posts are still asking others to violate their ICAs and the posting guidelines of the forum.

LisaSTL Wrote:
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> Irk, (blah blah blah)


Well, look at the handle chosen.

Nice to know I take a great deal of time and trouble to craft fabulous responses and all you read is, "blah, blah, blah."

LMFAO

HAHAHA! Like Charlie Brown's teacher.

Naw... just trying to save space. Hee!

Agree that the pizza is bad but I always get paid. It is just that once you do one they hound you to do more and pizza6 times a month from Papa's is not good.

aggiejim72 Wrote:
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> The Sonics where they don't have a restroom
> entrance because they keep the back door locked
> for security reasons..... The
> carhop walked me through the kitchen.

*normally* when the restroom is located inside the location with no exterior entrance it is not considered a public restroom, and does not need to be evaluated. I always ask if they have a public restroom instead of asking if they have one I can use. Usually they'll say no but we have one inside you can use. I mark that as no public restroom and be done with it.

Mine was an apartment shop. In person and audio. Took a half hour to read the shop requirements, make a recorded phone call, hour and half to do the shop in person. Then another hour and a half to repeat what I had already written for the first phone call. Then my audio recording device only captured 80% of the conversation that I had already transcribed. Figured at least 6 hours for this shop for nothing. Live and learn.

I have had two Papa John reports rejected because they said the photos were not good enough. As a former photographer, I seriously doubt there were any real issues with the photos. Never again.

You must be doing something wrong ask them?? I am not a pro when it comes to using the camera but I have never had one rejected from any company.

I would have to go with Coach outlet store. 8-11 women customers, 4-5 employees, 1 small rack with men's items (belts, wallets etc.) and 1 really obvious MShopper wandering around for 20 minutes. Did two of them before swearing them off.

You go to BWW EVERY day ???

whosear: I do alot of them
> because I go to my location not on shop almost
> everyday anyway.

The Swedish furniture store where you run around the extensive showroom, have over 100 ambiguous questions and they get a free bee from you because ambiguous means there is more than one answer to the questions they ask. It does not matter which answer you chose they wanted the other answer. Your shop is void because you did not do the shop correctly.

The new car shop where you must not ask any questions. Allegedly you are buying a $25,000 to $60,000 vehicle. The salesperson is mentioning features but as per the guidelines you can not ask for more information or clarification therefor you show no interest in the presentation. After about five minutes of showing no interest in the presentation the salesperson is presenting the frustrated salesperson shows you the door. If you did not get a business card allegedly to write down info and know who gave you the info when the salesperson introduces themselves the shop is void as you must get a business card. It the salesperson left their card in there other pants or is new and has not been given a business card you do not get paid.

The soft serve ice cream shops where you have to look at the chest of a teenager for a nametag. Usually they do not wear a name tag so you ask. I have eaten tons of ice cream. Except when I was a teenager myself I never had a burning desire to know who was serving me. I never saw anyone else who had the burning curiosity to know the server's name. When a person of my age asks a young lady for her name it is a little creepy. Either you are a dirty old man trying to pick her up or you are the mystery shopper.

All of those shops that ask you to bring a guest to a restaurant but do not compensate you for the meal the guest must eat. You might consider the meal experience a discount as they say that you have a dinning experience on the house but in reality you are working. Your focus is on the shop and not on the enjoyment of having a dining experience with your guest. Your guest, however, may enjoy the experience. If the shop happens to burn your food or give you inferior service you got zonked as there was no value to the experience.

Sorry I could not just pick one.

Just so I do not appear to be totaly negative, I do enjoy some shops as they are quick, pay for the gas on my way to the beach and give me lunch. In two days I get the summer off and become a beach bum until Labor day.

Buffalo Wild Wings - I've done several of these shops. You gotta go on Tues or Thur when the wings are on sale for 69 cents each and don't pick up the ones that have so many requirements. I like it when they pay 25 bucks and I can pick it up for Tue/Thur. Normally I take a friend, complete the shop in about an hour (1.5 if I bring the friend) which includes the write up.

bgriffin Wrote:
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> *normally* when the restroom is located inside the
> location with no exterior entrance it is not
> considered a public restroom, and does not need to
> be evaluated. I always ask if they have a public
> restroom instead of asking if they have one I can
> use. Usually they'll say no but we have one
> inside you can use. I mark that as no public
> restroom and be done with it.

Thanks! Had no idea.

You must be typing on your phone Irk.

Did you miss the memo of ICA?


lrk Wrote:
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> Who do you do 5 Guys for. They are in my area,
> but don't the company that does them.

I used to do that with two locations here but stopped. These are not public restrooms really. The manager would always be there with a key. Seeing the same face is not good. I finally decided to report NO public restroom because I didn't see one. That is the truth. None. The msc has been accepting my report for over a year now.


aggiejim72 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Sonics where they don't have a restroom
> entrance because they keep the back door locked
> for security reasons. Recently was in a run-down
> area and had to check the restroom. Asked where
> the restroom was. Told it was in the back. The
> carhop walked me through the kitchen. The floors
> were slippery. Feels strange being the only
> customer they've probably seen in a month who has
> to go so bad that he needs to navigate across the
> greasy floors to get to the restroom in back.
> After checking it I didn't want to go back out
> through the kitchen. Employee with a mop said I
> could go out the back door. Don't like it at all.

I enjoyed doing TGFridays when it was JUST an alcohol compliance check, but once they added more and more requirements I quit doing them. I would feel bad too when the ID wasn't checked because I knew it meant the server/bartender could loose their job. While I understand the need for the person being served a drink to be over 21, but it still made me feel bad, except for 1 time when the Server was HORRIBLE!

I used to manage a gas station so i know all too well the creeps that sometime frequent the establishment. Glad you survived it.

pammie8223 Wrote:

> I decided to leave Chipotle alone after have done
> the training, the pay was not enough for the
> detail involved imo.

I totally understand your decision. I went to a local Chipotle for training last week and also decided this mystery shopping gig was not for me. Too much detail and not enough pay for what they want overall.

I have found Potbelly and Dewey's Pizza are no no's. They have too much detail for no pay. That is right you get some of your food cost back but nothing for your travel or time.
Papa John's was that way also till I told them I needed a bonus for all the pictures and time to input the report. You know what they now pay be the bonus every time.

Psst, PHD, I have the perfect solution for you for your ice cream woes. It goes just like this and I've used a variation on it for shops with missing nametags:

"I'm sorry--is your name Stephanie?" [The employee will probably say no. See below for what you do if she says yes.] "Wow. I'm sorry, it's just--you look SO MUCH like my pastor's/boss's/neighbor's daughter, it's uncanny. What is your name? She'll get a kick out of this."


Everybody has a story about somebody else's "twin" that they met, and it'll make you look less dirty-old-man and more like you pay attention to the things around you. If by some astronomical chance the employee IS named Stephanie, you go like this: "Your dad didn't tell me you got a new job! How's Randy doing?" When she gets confused and asks who Randy is, you say " . . . you're not still dating Randy? Oh, that's TOO strange. I'm sorry. You look SO MUCH . . . . " It's not an impossibility, either. The number of people who've stopped me in my life INSISTING I'm somebody named Jennifer is too high to count on my hands. (I'd be curious to meet Jennifer. This has been going on now for more than ten years.)

What if stephanie says how do you know randy? lmao

The more convoluted your story the weirder you look. It looks less weird to just ask for the name.

My least favorite shop of all time was Bed Bath and Beyond because of the scenario carrying bulky items around the store (what sane customer would do that?) and the difficulty of gathering required information such as names off name tags that could not be read due to placement. No more. No way. No how.

MDavisnowell Wrote:
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> because of the scenario carrying bulky
> items around the store (what sane customer would
> do that?)

:raises hand:

Never mind, you said sane customer.

Bgriffin, the reason I suggested that "out" is because of how often it happened to me when I worked at the gas station. (And always with women named Jennifer and Lara. Seriously who are they why do I have twins?) In a week or so, you'll be forgotten if you do it with the right mix of fancy-that and casualness.

I hate the scanning price ones. You are suppose to not stay at one scanner and move around the store to keep from getting detected. There are anywhere from 258 to 600 scans to be done for each booklet. The worse is when the store a. only has one or two scanners or b. one or two scanners out of 4 that are working. I have suggested repeatedly that they not use one store in particular due to the number of working scanners. I did get discovered within 10 minutes of entering the store on the last round. The schedulers agreed that this particular store should not be on the list. Here it is two months later and the next round has been assigned, the same store is still on the list and I am required to shop it. If discovered, you must go to the nearest same type of store to finish it.

I actually love the car shops as I get to drive new cars and find out the latest technology. When I can afford my next car, I won't have any trouble figuring out what I want. I am able to do most of the reports in 20 to 30 minutes as I have done so many. Yes I am taking their time, but when I buy a new car, I shop around too. The salesmen know they are on commission and know that they may not always sell a car.

I too hate the ones where you are asked the same questions in different ways and then have a narrative where you have to reiterate everything you have already written, but it must be different from what you have already written.