The North Face

Are these reports awful? I signed up with this company in august and I keep seeing the shops get bonused (there are two somewhat near me). Am I one of their few shoppers or are they crap? I already hate doing purchase/return shops (why would I go return something that I just bought? who really does that?) so I really don't want to get into something I'm really going to hate.

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I've only done one, and it was about two years ago... but from what I remember, the report was just fine and reasonable, nicely laid out. As was the shop itself. Not bad at all.

I'm almost certain that the reason it takes so long, and is so difficult, for these shops to be filled... is that the shopper is required to be convincing as the athletic type ~ hiking, mountain climbing, skiing/snowboarding, and whatever other athletic pursuits the store caters to.

I get the feeling that a lot of shoppers are a bit, uh, older... and, um, un-athletic... and therefore don't qualify.

*I* certainly don't... the only reason I got to do that one I did (decent bonus on it) was because a.) they were desperate... and b.) it was December, and they allowed my non-athletic self to present a scenario as if I was shopping for a gift for an athletic friend/family.

I haven't seen them offer the gift scenario since. I even emailed and offered to do one with that scenario for them, last December, when they were seeming desperate and not getting the shop filled. They said they couldn't do that any more.

So... if you could pull off that you're athletic, I'd advise you to go for it.

Practitioner of the Nerdly Arts.

Not too bad to me. Did it a month or so ago.

It's a narrative-heavy report and the MSC sends it back to you if you aren't extremely thorough with step-by-step details.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

well I'm a husky athletic. at least this one is a camping scenario, I guess I can fit that scenario.

I do this shop about twice a year. I usually pose as a hiker needing boots. Yes there is a bit of a narrative but the pay is more than I get for my usual retail shops. Also not a problem with a return. I just say that I found something else in the mall that was closer to what I wanted. You could also say that it was a gift for someone and your spouse didn't tell you that she already purchased something.

I even asked the scheduler on the phone when she called me if there was a lot of narrative and she said not really, there was some narrative though. Damn, luckily I held out until the bonus was $12.

As long as you're shopping a store it's okay, but if you're shopping a North Face Outlet then the time required to stay in the location is pretty much a give away that you're a mystery shopper, IMO. Also the outlet stores usually have much less variety and run a season behind.

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

I did an outlet a few months ago, not bad except for the lazy employees. The shop was available here this month ago but they wouldn't pay an extra $5 on top of their bonus, so I had to decline. (Traffic near outlets is horrible in my town.)

Have PV-500 & UE certified

The one I did was an outlet, too. I hadn't remembered the time required to stay in the location thing until James mentioned it. It was a little excessive and awkward... and I can see how it would have been a lot MORE excessive and awkward had it not been Christmas time with all the special stuff to look at... and TONS of people in there made me hanging out far less noticeable.

Practitioner of the Nerdly Arts.

I did one a last year or so, and to me it was so much more trouble than it was worth. It was pretty narrative heavy, and the salesperson kept talking on and on and on and on....

As I recall, I didn't mind the narrative too much. It wasn't repetitive/redundant in nature ~ that's what I just can't take. I really don't mind the 'tell a story/paint a picture' narratives, either in sections or as one big piece.

I can tell a story just fine. And there's easy-ish ways to cover an associate who goes on & on & on & on.

Practitioner of the Nerdly Arts.

I've done a few of these and they are not that bad, except that they require you to return the item 5 minutes later. I think that screams "mystery shopper!" and I've gotten funny looks from employees which leads me to believe they made me. So I don't take these shops anymore.

As long as I'm paid reasonably well, I don't care about funny looks.

Practitioner of the Nerdly Arts.

They are narrative heavy as they require verbatim what models and details you were told about, and other things because the manager's bonus is tied to the score. They watch the video, you have to spent specific time in the store, you have to follow the frequently off the wall monthly scenario, and $12 is a very, very, low bonus to do them, even for very close locations, due to all these requirements. Frequently shops are rejected, as the MS warms you in advance, due to some of the numerous guidelines not followed. You need to understand the shop and the guidelines very well because frequently the store is somewhere in the suburbs, or small, and does not have in stock any of the sometimes very trendy technological items for the mandatory monthly scenario, or it is a warm climate item that you are supposed to be using weekly for training while you live in an area that is freezing cold and would be impossible so you have to improvise and know the merchandise well to do that.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2014 05:05PM by KateH.

I have picked this shop up when it pays $28. My shop has never had any rejection, but they did come back asking for exact items I tried on (names) rather than just vneck athletic shirt, they wanted the technical name. That was a little frustrating. Other than that it wasn't too out of the ordinary. A little narrative heavy. The return thing is annoying, especially since you have to wait 30 minutes and the location I shop is a urban location so you just want to leave the area...but find yourself having to go shop around the other stores. The return part is the most annoying part of the shop out of the sheer nuisance, but all purchase and return shops are always frustrating for that reason.

They do require you spend a certain amount of time in the store, and I always cut it very close usually being off by a minute or 2 and it has never been a issue, I usually stand in the dressing room for a longer time checking email and such because you can only lap the store so many times.

Visit my blog:

[mysteryshoppinggurl.wordpress.com]

mysteryshoppinggurl – I don't recall a 30 minute wait before being able to return. I recall being allowed to return almost immediately. But it has been a while since I did this shop, so my memory's probably got the best of me.

I don't think it's a big deal as some of you guys are making it. When they ask why I'm returning, I just state that it was meant to be a last-minute gift, but my girlfriend called me a couple minutes too late about not needing the gift anymore.

Simple.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

I think these just reveal themselves.
-The employees know they are shopped
-you have to present a scenario
-since it's a jacket I'm not using a fitting room
-now I'm trying on a shirt that doesn't go with my jacket scenario
-I buy a shirt instead of the $200 jacket I we talked about for 20 minutes
-I show up the same day to return it.
-The results are shared with the employees so all of their suspicions are confirmed for next time

while any of this is possible for a normal shopper to do I just think it's all too obvious.

I did the shop a month ago and I had to wait 30 minutes to return the item. It made it slightly less obvious, but purchase and returns are just weird when its same day.

Visit my blog:

[mysteryshoppinggurl.wordpress.com]

The scenario changes every month, and it is not always clothes, so the clothes to try in the fitting room is an additional interaction. The item you buy has to be different from those discussed with the associate. The return is allowed after 10 minutes. The results are not only shared, but the managers watch the shop on CCTV because their bonus is tied on the score.

I have done it before I was a Mystery Shopper. If I am shopping and find the same item cheaper at another store, I will definitely take it back that same day. I still do it as a consumer when not on assignment. Is that bad?

Based in MA...
Love To MS Nationally!

BusyB223 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have done it before I was a Mystery Shopper. If
> I am shopping and find the same item cheaper at
> another store, I will definitely take it back that
> same day. I still do it as a consumer when not on
> assignment. Is that bad?

Of course not! As long as you returned it as the same condition you got it as.

Buuuut, if you're a person who likes to stunt for the night by wearing clothes with the tag still on them and then return it later..... THAT would be bad.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

Sounds a bit much for $12 especially if it is purchase and return. That is like doing 2 shops for the price of one. Maybe for $25 but not $12 - just not worth my time.

LOL... Nope no stunting with the tag on it to return it. Just a savvy shopper.

Based in MA...
Love To MS Nationally!

I'm confused about the msc that does these shops. I've applied for two of the North Face shops. The deadline is Sunday (day after tomorrow). I have yet to hear from them, and my app still shows as "pending." Does this msc always wait until the last minute to assign these?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2014 02:00AM by Phoebe70.

Well, it's now 9:00 PM Saturday night and my North Face applications still say "pending." The deadline is tomorrow. I refuse to wait around and not plan my day based on one msc. I've never done any shops for this msc and I have to say this situation has left a bad taste in my mouth.

I did go through some issues with them and they admitted they are going through some kind of scheduling changes at this time. The day before the shop they called and asked me if I could do it the next week instead because it was double booked, I told them I couldn't. Then they called and told me it was fine to do the original day. The scheduler also apologized and mentioned the changes happening.

Thanks for the info. Since it's a weekend, I probably won't hear anything until after tomorrow's deadline. It's a shame, because I was planning on being in the are this weekend, and I am already planning to buy a NF jacket before the cold hits.

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