Well I guess we will never know for sure why we can no longer shop for 5 Guys. Maybe I just reached the magic maximum number because I did eat a LOT of burgers for a year. My question is will I ever be not banned? I am relieved that there was no picture of me in the back stuffing my face with fries -haha.

I was told by a friendly Georgia scheduler to look for another Five Guys location (even if in a zip that you do not go to). If you see shops listed, then you were not banned from the client. If you shop a lot of them (the magic number), then they will block you from that location for about 90 days. This is similar to a rotation block in that it is to keep you from doing so many that you do get spotted. She said if you do not see it come back in about 90 days to talk to a scheduler or the helpdesk and see if you can get it unblocked.

Oh, I'm sure that on one of the restaurant shops they know me... well, they know me anyhow since we go there often (not just for shops), but at this point, they have to know.

Though, I can't for the life of me fathom why any joint that sniffed out a shopper would ever let it get back to corporate that they found one out. Keep it quiet, give them really good service and reap the rewards.

My nearest 5 Guys know where my regular job is; they think I come in there to eat on my way to work. Well, that is what I do; I just get paid to eat there!

I am pretty sure that I haven't been identified at 5G, even with the numerous times I've visited all the locations around here. The reason: even when I see a look of recognition, they still make mistakes somewhere.

My first question is how does a 5GUYS worker get on this forum? That worries me that any worker of a 'shopped' company can have access to our forums and see what we shopper's have to say. It's like having a spy in an AA meeting!

My second response is that I love doing the 5GUYS in my area. EVERY TIME, I have eaten at any of the locations, whether it was a shop or a private meal, the stores have been clean and in very good order and all the staff I have interacted with were polite and friendly. I don't mind the low wage because the report is not bad and I get a meal I really enjoy for free.

My third response is that there are many companies out there that will try to out the shopper. It just doesn't make sense since they are paying good money to find out how their employees/company is operating.

The persons full time job could be five guys and he/she is a mystery shopper on off hours for other stores. I am sure there have been Mc D employees etc on here that also have a side line of shopping other stores.

As for outting them. BONUS is the key word for most of the reason. (Not sure if 5 guys does but in general)
If they pass and get a bonus do not out. If there is even one bit of
improvement if they find you out they can get a new person in rotation.


niclinblue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My first question is how does a 5GUYS worker get
> on this forum? That worries me that any worker of
> a 'shopped' company can have access to our forums
> and see what we shopper's have to say. It's like
> having a spy in an AA meeting!
>
> My second response is that I love doing the 5GUYS
> in my area. EVERY TIME, I have eaten at any of
> the locations, whether it was a shop or a private
> meal, the stores have been clean and in very good
> order and all the staff I have interacted with
> were polite and friendly. I don't mind the low
> wage because the report is not bad and I get a
> meal I really enjoy for free.
>
> My third response is that there are many companies
> out there that will try to out the shopper. It
> just doesn't make sense since they are paying good
> money to find out how their employees/company is
> operating.

LeoRex Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh, I'm sure that on one of the restaurant shops
> they know me... well, they know me anyhow since we
> go there often (not just for shops), but at this
> point, they have to know.
>
> Though, I can't for the life of me fathom why any
> joint that sniffed out a shopper would ever let it
> get back to corporate that they found one out.
> Keep it quiet, give them really good service and
> reap the rewards.

If the location's identified you, you'll know.

I finally am able to shop at a nearby Five Guys locations once again. I had suspicion it was because I was identified by the manager. Though he didn't identify me on the spot, he knew exactly how I ordered and gave me a look like he knew lol. After those last couple of shops, I wasn't able to see this location available for self-schedule again until now. This happened I believe in August of this year. Otherwise, I've been able to shop all other Five Guys locations.

First of all, darn it now I have a craving for 5 Guys. I'm sure this has been covered before but here goes. If the workers go to the trouble of identifying the shopper (so they will be sure to do a good job and get a good rating and bonus) why would they then turn around and tell the msc that they identified the shopper. Why kill the goose that laid the golden egg?

In some shops I sometimes feel that they know I am the shopper but nothing has ever happened except exemplary customer service.

Is this a really good money shop you all are discussing that you would go 2 or more times with not being on a shop just to fool the staff?
Is this forum a membership secret society where you all speak in some sort of code?
This seems to be a closed rank sort of secret club on here.

I recently did a Five Guys 30 minutes before close shop. A worker from a neighboring business walked in and the entire crew greeted him like buddies. He went right to the pickup window and the store manager served him a large bag of fries with no receipt taped to it and he bypassed the register.

Now, I don't have any way to know for certain he didn't order the fries from the app on his phone and pay for them and they didn't bother to tape the receipt to the bag as they know him so well. The manager was the one who scooped up the fries and gave them to him. I was the only witness and customer in the store and was standing at the pickup counter when this happened. If I reported it and it was a legitimate purchase, I'd be outed for making the worst accusation possible. (employee theft from the manager) I could not know one way or another and there were plenty of other things to report that visit as they were already closing up the store before closing time and had several other severe issues going on that were seen by the other 3-4 customer groups that came during my visit.

I decided not to report something that was not a known fact. If I heard him "order" the fries at the pickup area, that would be different. So this is an ongoing thing, or it was ordered ahead of time.

I once had a kid come up to me at a McDonald's in a neighboring town while I was shopping them and he asked me if I was a Mystery Shopper. I gave the standard, "What's a mystery shopper?" He then explained that he worked at 5 Guys in my town and saw me there a lot and thought I was a shopper. I said something like, "Sounds like fun."

Now I go on the offense and tell all my close friends that if they want to get great service there to order a burger and then stand there silently and awkwardly until they are offered fries and a drink. Then stand at the counter and watch the fry guy intently.

My friends get great service and the employees don't look twice at me.

AndrewTX Wrote:
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Then stand at the counter and
> watch the fry guy intently.

Tell them to watch the fry guy when he shakes them and to then stare at the grill guy every time he touches the patty press and to just stare back and forth between the two like they have a nervous tick.
Then stare at their watch or phone time *BEFORE* taking the bag at the pickup counter and mumble the time with their lips like they are memorizing the time. That should do it for even the most unobservant employee.

Guess I will have to track down the 5G msc and get one for myself.

Scanman1, I once had a Five Guys were a female went behind the counter. She had on a plain shirt and torn jeans. Apparently she was a manager because no one challenged her and she knew everyone. She appeared to do a reading on the register. I had just finished a video shop and hadn't changed my shirt, so I turned my recorder on and got most of it on tape. When I was challenged as to what I reported, I suggested that the restaurant pull the video. I got the reply that the security system was out of order. At that point, I replied, "No problem, I have it on video." I sent the MSC a DVD and was paid. I was also told to never video record a shop again. Well, I'm sorry but if I have the evidence, then I'm going to submit it if it will help make my case to be paid.


scanman1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I recently did a Five Guys 30 minutes before close
> shop. A worker from a neighboring business walked
> in and the entire crew greeted him like buddies.
> He went right to the pickup window and the store
> manager served him a large bag of fries with no
> receipt taped to it and he bypassed the register.
>
> Now, I don't have any way to know for certain he
> didn't order the fries from the app on his phone
> and pay for them and they didn't bother to tape
> the receipt to the bag as they know him so well.
> The manager was the one who scooped up the fries
> and gave them to him. I was the only witness and
> customer in the store and was standing at the
> pickup counter when this happened. If I reported
> it and it was a legitimate purchase, I'd be outed
> for making the worst accusation possible.
> (employee theft from the manager) I could not know
> one way or another and there were plenty of other
> things to report that visit as they were already
> closing up the store before closing time and had
> several other severe issues going on that were
> seen by the other 3-4 customer groups that came
> during my visit.
>
> I decided not to report something that was not a
> known fact. If I heard him "order" the fries at
> the pickup area, that would be different. So this
> is an ongoing thing, or it was ordered ahead of
> time.

James Bond 007.5 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I had just finished a video shop and
> hadn't changed my shirt, so I turned my recorder
> on and got most of it on tape. When I was
> challenged as to what I reported, I suggested that
> the restaurant pull the video. I got the reply
> that the security system was out of order. At that
> point, I replied, "No problem, I have it on
> video." I sent the MSC a DVD and was paid. I was
> also told to never video record a shop again.

I usually have my video running from order till pickup. I run it for other purchase shops as well. When I get to the point in a shop where I am to describe the employee, I put, "See Attached."

I find a good "A-Frame" and pause the video in VLC viewer and grab a screen shot at 720P and I have the date and time stamp turned on with the seconds in the video. Whenever I am asked to describe something and I have it on video, I'll just grab a couple of key stills from the video and attach them to the report.

I have reported some rather terrible behavior where an owner's franchise license could be in play and having a photo of unauthorized store products or behavior have resulted in 10's from some companies.

Owners and managers both have a hard time fighting with stills of what they know is video and don't even try to deny actions in my reports with the video photo grabs in them. I can provide video with no audio, but I'm not paid for that and won't provide that.

I had an unbelievably long wait for a to go order from a restaurant that is a $70 type shop and I provided one shot of the cashier handing me the order receipt complete (with tip line) and another of another employee handing me the two big bags of food.

nevercoldinhouston Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is this forum a membership secret society where
> you all speak in some sort of code?
> This seems to be a closed rank sort of secret
> club on here.

Nevercoldin houston,if the forum is a secret society that speaks in some sort of code, I have not been issued the code. If, as you suspect, there is a closed rank of (a) secret club, please know, I have not been invited to join the secret club either.

In reply to, "Is this a really good money shop you all are discussing that you would go 2 or more times with not being on a shop just to fool the staff?", my answer is it can be and yes. If you get the magic call from a scheduler, it can be lucrative, however, if not, the basic shop fee, once it has "aged" a few days, is sufficient for those shoppers who are hopelessly addicted to the 5G's greasy fries. In combination with the easy report, it makes this an attractive shop to want to do over and over and not be "outed".

(heart)

Nevercoldinhouston are you a secret shopper? We have a lot in common in this Forum and each speaks about their shops. I don't know of any code! I guess you could call it a club since you need to be a shopper to participate or a scheduler or a editor.

@ nevercoldinHouston: Please disregard my previous post, since now it all makes sense.

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

(heart)

Is the secret word ethics? And do I win a cigar?

I was told I was spotted at BW3's so I have been told I have to wait 2 years now. At first they told me 1 year.

I did a 5 Guys last month, and the receipt showed "employee purchase" $0.00. But I paid the $10.79 the cashier charged me. Obviously, there was stealing going on there. I submitted the receipt with a clear detailing of the visit, and was paid. No questions asked. Wonder if that cashier still works there...

RyanM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did a 5 Guys last month, and the receipt showed
> "employee purchase" $0.00. But I paid the $10.79
> the cashier charged me. Obviously, there was
> stealing going on there. I submitted the receipt
> with a clear detailing of the visit, and was paid.
> No questions asked. Wonder if that cashier still
> works there...

I had that happen once as well. When I noted it in the report, I expected a question from QC as additional documentation and backup to my report, but there was no question. The report was processed and paid just like all the others. My cashier was the manager. I also suspected it might involve theft, but I just reported the facts without voicing what I thought. I'm sure the district manager viewed the video in that one.

Austin, I'm not surprised it was the manager who didn't ring your purchase correctly. I was with a major chain of stores for 6 1/2 years and during my time there I was disabused of some of my ideas about theft. Most of the major theft I learned about was carried out by managers who were very well paid. They didn't need money for everyday expenses but were taking advantage of the opportunity to steal on a regular basis, covering their tracks by firing innocent cashiers for stealing. Not to say all the cashiers were innocent either. When desperation meets opportunity, that's when it happens in the case of the truly needy. The manager who rang a zero purchase was a zero person.

I think I have been outed at my local 5 Guys. During a shop tonight the manager approached me and asked how the crew was doing. It wasn't something I did as I eat there when I'm not shopping too. I think I might have to invest in some wigs.


Shoptilyoudrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Screw it. I'm doing the shop next week and I'm
> busting out my Elvira wig. (I'm a blonde)
>
> Ha

It seems that some one has leaked the shop's information. It may be previous shopper, a manager or someone else. Another problem is that the shop's scenario, including items to be ordered, are the same for every shopper. Employees are not silly. They will form an idea after a while and will be prepared for next times.

I personally tried some of those Pay-Eat shops just for the knowledge and to be honest, they are not worth the trip or time. Those low payig shops require more time to input the data and the auditors keep sending the shop and asking for more info. Let's be smart. The food industry profit are any where between 50-65%. So if the shop pays $10 in meal allowance, you are only getting paid $3.50-$5.00. I'd rather visit a fine diner shop and get $150 reimbursement.

I do these shops at least once a week (well bonused I may add) I LOVE them. Each time I think I am 'outed' it turns out I am not. I was talking to an employee of said restaurant and she was saying they knew for sure who their shopper was because he "checked both bathrooms". LOL - I don't think so!! (at least I hope he didn't!!) Hoping I don't get spotted - I'd be so sad to lose these shops!! YUM!!!!

Hi All,

On a somewhat related topic I wanted to share my experience working in retail (before I started mystery shopping). I worked at the store that sells everything for your house and BEYOND while I was in college. At the beginning of the month each store was given two scenarios that would potentially be shopped that month. The store managers were encouraged to share the scenarios with employees. We knew if we were going to be expecting a Bridal Registry, Knives, Sheets, etc. So some stores DO inform the staff of the scenario to watch out for, like the company I worked for. We actively tried to do our best when anyone came in, but strived to go above and beyond even more if one of those scenarios came up. You'd be surprised at how many people come through a store each month asking about the scenario. Once we received the report back we'd always try to figure out who the shopper was. In my 3 years of working there, none of us were ever able to identify the shopper!! You my think that asking specific questions about items will draw attention but there are real people out there asking detailed/ off the wall questions!!

PS: We were NEVER allowed to review the cameras to find the shopper. Management was very strict on that.

On the 5GUYS shops, we are able to purchase anything we want. Since I have been doing them, we have not had any purchase restrictions placed on us other than to order a drink, side dish and main dish. If they ever put restrictions on what we can order, I would not be able to do them as often as I only order the burger, fries and drink. That is what I order at any burger joint.

niclinblue, the order requirements used to be a burger, fries, and drink, so you would have been just fine. mhanieh, the shop guidelines have changed since you last did one of these shops. The order requirements are much more flexible than they used to be and a variety of different main items can be ordered now instead of a burger (the shopper still has to order fries and a drink and sometimes a milkshake too). Also, the shop very much is worth it when the shopper gets a nice bonus from a scheduler. Many of the fine dining shops I do require lengthy narratives. I like them very much, but the 5 Guys shops are pretty simple, with very little narrative. When the bonus is right, it's a very nice shop.