I've never done one, always been too afraid of the intimidating timings, etc., but they are starring to get interesting end of the month bonuses. Advice, please? thanks.

They are very easy, very fast, and the report is easy with no narrative. Names are nt required and hou need only two timings inside and outside. The ones here actu ally offer good service and I rarely have a negative report.......once in. while timings are long. With wifi, staying 15 minutes is no problem. I can do reports on my tablet. Worth it to me if I want a fast breakfast or lunch. Bonuses? You bet. I'd be all over that.

I agree with AustinMom. These are very easy and fast...and sometimes the bonuses are great!

They are easy and fast once you get the hang of it. I do the walk-in part first. I think you have to stay in the dining room at least 15 minutes after you receive your food, and then wait 5 minutes before doing the drive-thru. Make sure you get receipts for both. I only do these when they're bonused though.

^^^

You only have to wait between each section, if you do the drive-through first. If you do the dining room then eat for 15 minutes, you can do the drive-through instantly afterward.

I also only do them if they are bonused, though - as you are effectively doing two shops. I would recommend taking them only if they are no less than $15.

When the bonuses kick, they are definitely worth it. Fast and easy.

McDonald shops are good shops to train on, they are that easy. A couple of timings, a couple of bites and a few 'check the box' answers.

You have to do one very six months or you lose tour certification. I did a couple in my work clothes then changed shirts for the second part. But here they are not offering bonuses so it is not worth it for me.

Phoebe70 Wrote:
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> They are easy and fast once you get the hang of
> it. I do the walk-in part first. I think you
> have to stay in the dining room at least 15
> minutes after you receive your food, and then wait
> 5 minutes before doing the drive-thru. Make sure
> you get receipts for both. I only do these when
> they're bonused though.


Actually Phoebe, if you do the walk in portion first and stay the 15 minutes inside, you do not have to wait an additional 5 minutes, before starting the drive-thru.

If you do the drive-thru first, then you do have to wait 5 minutes before starting the walk-in portion of the shop.

These can be great when they're bonused. If you don't stay active with the company, you won't get those telephone calls with the good bonuses. If you like the food, it's an okay shop for base fee.

They are always worth it IMHO.
The shops are easy and the reports are easy. They have the easiest timings also, as there are just two times to note.
They get bonused, so I rarely do them at the initial amount, but I would if it fit in my day.

I agree here with the consensus. I'm always happy to do a bonused McDonald's.

Very easy reports once you get the hang of it. The sandwiches are so-so, but I love those French fries.

I have to disagree with the consensus. I find them too stressful, but, I admit, I do have a low stress threshold. For this reason, I've let my certification expire and the $10.00 bonus to recert is not the least bit tempting.

(heart)

&stilllearning I am curious what is stressful. I find they have so few things to notice that they are easier then most. I don't need a name or description. I have all the time in the world to notice the cleanliness and how the food looks while I sit. I don't have to take photos.

I would say many other shops are a lot harder. Doesn't matter what we each prefer, but I just wonder what is stressful about a McD. shop?

Ha, did you read the part about me having a low stress threshold?

Actually, everything is easy peasy and exactly as you described, except the timings. I use a watch with a built-in stopwatch, which could be the reason for the stress. What method do you use?

(heart)

I use the recorder on my phone. Then I have the exact time the order was totaled - because I hear it on the recording. and the the exact time the food was given to me. I could also use the stop watch app for back up.

But how do you do the timings for KFC where they want about 5? I find that one stressful.

I haven't seen that one. There's no way I could do 5 timings. No way! They would have to call the paramedics for me on that one!

Thanks for the suggestion. My iphone is like foreign territory to me, so I'll have to play around with it.

(heart)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2014 08:36PM by stilllearning.

I dislike McD's because you're essentially being paid $3.25 per shop. I won't do them for less than $18.

they always start at $10 around here. I know some people call it two shops, but I find it so easy, I will at times do it for $10. Luckily I usually do them when on the way somewhere and often do them for $20 and up.

Curious if anyone is filling out the survey at the end of the McD reports.

Mr. Mistery Wrote:
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> Curious if anyone is filling out the survey at the
> end of the McD reports.


Do you mean the one where they ask if you enjoyed conducting the report? ...All those questions? Or something else?

57carol Wrote:
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> I've never done one, always been too afraid of the
> intimidating timings, etc.

57carol the time points required are intimidating at first. The problem with the timings for McDonald shops is that performing the timings can cause you to not pay attention to what else is happening. But if you can get a digital voice recorder here is a good way to do a McDonald's shop. I did one this week.

First, do the drive thru first. And wait until there is no line, because you want to give the employees a chance to meet McD's time to serve requirements. And if there are 6 cars in line at lunch then not only will you spend more time waiting but there is no way the location will get a good rating from corporate. McDonald's rates the performance on a 100 point scale. They have some formula where they take the report you make and assign scores. I know this because I shopped a McDonalds and just two days after my report was filed the location manager announced on a handwritten sign that she placed where anyone could read that the location got a "perfect 100 score." I even took a picture of it. But what corporate didn't know is that when I got there to do the dine in a woman from a Latin American country did not know how to count USA money and the clerk was kind enough to spend 4-5 minutes counting her money for her, and she couldn't speak English. So wait until the line is short or non-existant if possible.

Then, start your timings using your digital voice recorder. Just enter the line like the guidelines say and at that moment start your recorder. These recorders have built in clocks and they will keep track of the time for you. Then when you order your food hold the recorder so that it can't be seen but so it will catch what is said.

Then as you proceed to the window to pay speak to yourself on the recorder--things like "Remember to get a receipt" because it's happened to me that I forgot to get the receipt and I had to go back through the line and buy another meal. Then as you approach the window and are ready to stop countdown 3, 2, 1, stop. Keep recording but now when you playback you'll know where to end Timepoint 1.

You keep recording until you get your order at the pickup window. As soon as the order presenter is about to give you your food just turn the recorder off with one hand and take the order with the other. Now you have all the timings for the drive thru saved for when you play it back and get the times from the recorder.

Pull over and take a picture of your drive thru receipt. One less thing on your mind. Taste the food and feed the fries to the birds that are always hanging out at McDonalds. I love feeding the fries and the buns to the birds.

For the dine in section, drive your car to the other side of the McDonalds so the employees working the drive thru don't see you go inside. Now go up to the counter but again, wait until you see a register with nobody in front of you. Just act like you are looking at the menu from 10-15 feet away until you see an opening. Because the better the employees do the easier the report will be and I think this MSC likes to submit good reports to this, their biggest client.

Just start your recorder when you enter the line, and keep it out of the line of sight of the order taker by using the register to block their view of your hand with the recorder.

Also, always take two $5 bills with you to McDonalds shops and order something that will cose $4 and some change, so that when they hand you the change you will be able to catch the coins in one hand and not have to fumble around with bills, like if you had paid with a $20 bill and got $15.43 back.

Stop timing when you get your order. Make sure your time in and out of the location is synced with the timestamp on the receipt.

Probably others have good tricks too.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2014 02:34AM by aggiejim72.

so you wait until there is no line to artifically inflate the
score instead of providing a real world experieince?

I use "Shop It!"
[itunes.apple.com] apple
[play.google.com] android
I'm not affiliated with the app at all but I did buy it for my iPhone several months ago and got to beta test the android version. It's great for timings but also for taking notes like descriptions when needed. If you're searching the play store you have to type "shop-it stealth"

Whatever you do, completely ignore what aggiejim posted. Just follow the guidelines and perform the shop naturally. It isn't hard.

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mr. Mistery Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Curious if anyone is filling out the survey at
> the
> > end of the McD reports.
>
>
> Do you mean the one where they ask if you enjoyed
> conducting the report? ...All those questions? Or
> something els

No.....I had not done an MCD shop in awhile and this week at the end of the report there was an optional survey where they ask questions like.....do you print out the guidelines for every shop....or do you print them once for each kind of shop. They say they are looking for feedback to help them make the reports easier and better.

Couldn't they start by removing all the questions asking if you like the shop and would do it again? When doing several of the same type of shops it was always frustrating to have that page appear at the end of each because there was no option to skip it and just submit.

techman01, let me divide and conquer your statement.

techman01 Wrote:
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> so you wait until there is no line

Yes, and this is acceptable according to the guidelines and the MSC, even if not to techman01, whose opinion doesn't matter to the client or the MSC. I can look at the menuboard as long as I want, and then, as some real-world customers would, I can get "in the shortest line." Remember that instruction?

>to artifically inflate the score instead of providing a real world experieince?

techman01, I refute your assumption that there is anything artificial about entering the shortest line or taking time to look at a menuboard before entering a line, and I'd like to invite you down from your lofty mountaintop and enter the real-world gutter of a McDonald's shop. There is nothing artificial about choosing to enter short lines or to wait until there is no line. Some people do this as part of their real-world experience. And this MSC permits the shopper to enter the line whenever they want. Only a trained mouse runs through a maze to get the cheese at the end of the run, and only a shopper-mouse blindly enters the line at a McDonald's just because that's the moment that he/she arrived.


Mantis Wrote:
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> Whatever you do, completely ignore what aggiejim
> posted.

Mantis, I am paid well and always paid for McDonald's shops and have done many of them. So let's have a look at the advice that you give to a new shopper.

Mantis Wrote:
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> Just follow the guidelines and perform the shop naturally. It isn't hard.

First, you patronize the OP like so many know-it-all shoppers who've got 25 shops and some free food do. You say "it isn't hard." That is just your opinion. When I did my first McDonald's shop I was nervous and they didn't seem easy because I wasn't familiar with the timing requirements. And you say to follow the guidelines, well that is helpful to a new shopper. Your post has no substance because the guidelines state that you can enter the lines anytime you want, and what is natural to you is your subjective opinion about what a natural shopper does. Better keep praying Mantis because you are absolutely wrong.

Here's a real world tip, new shoppers: You will increase the chances of getting sick if you do many McDonald's shops. These locations seem to have alot of sick people working and eating there. The bacteria and virus get on the door handles, and are floating through the air. So many people couging and sneezing. You will find yourself getting sick unless you use an anti-bacterial product like I do. No more problems doing these shops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2014 02:16PM by aggiejim72.

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Couldn't they start by removing all the questions
> asking if you like the shop and would do it again?
> When doing several of the same type of shops it
> was always frustrating to have that page appear at
> the end of each because there was no option to
> skip it and just submit.

The surveys are the way this MSC accumulates shopper data to crunch in their hunt for negativity bias. If you don't answer those questions at the end of your survey in the right way their predictive analysis programs will detect bias and burnout and result in deactivation.

Mr. Mistery Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Curious if anyone is filling out the survey at the
> end of the McD reports.

Yes, I filled it out because I am not afraid of anything this MSC throws my way. I told them my opinion in the same way that I do here. I held nothing back. Also I thought that alot of shoppers would be too afraid to submit the survey since it sounded like BS to me, especially that part about not printing the guidelines over and over like you are supposed to and then promising not to tell Quality Control if you admit to not printing the guidelines.

But then I'm not like MANTIS and TECHMAN01 who print out the guidelines each time, all 11 pages, using up their printer ink, because that is what they are told to do. And if they are not doing that for every time then they are violating their agreement with this MSC and the client, because the instructions are crystal clear--you MUST print out the guidelines for every shop, over and over.

Now I have to go make some shop money. Glad that the information that I submitted to this thread will help somebody. Tired of reading comments like "It's easy" with no explanation. Had to add value to this thread. Mission accomplished.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2014 02:38PM by aggiejim72.