Today I go out to do a lunch shop at one of the local restaurants. Just sitting there, minding my own business and eating my lunch. When I was done and it was time to get a bill, my server came and told me someone had paid for my lunch. I think I know which of the other customers did that but I could hardly run over and say, "No, No, I have to have that dratted receipt to get paid for my shop!"

Well, I'm turning in my report and have notified my scheduler. If I don't get paid I guess I can consider it a nice lunch. The MSC is one of the better ones in my book so I am thinking they will pay me the $10 for doing the shop despite the fact that I have no receipt.

Only a mystery shopper is dismayed if someone pays our bill. lol

LOLOLOL Oh my, that really hit a chord with me.

That's really amusing!!

At least the reimbursement part has been taken care of. The experience alone was a nice reward, don't you think? I wish
someone would pay my bill, whether I am mystery shopping or not.

I emailed my scheduler and her response was just what I expected. She thought it was funny and said to do the report and I'll get paid the compensation part. Kudos to Service Connection - I think they are the easiest to deal with of all the MSCs I currently work with.

I have had some random guy pay my bar tab on more than one shop for Merc. I just tell them that it happened again, and I re-do the shop again. I usually politely decline, but most guys are pretty insistent.

It happened to me at a bar in South Beach a few months ago. I had to come back and hour later and re-do that one. I could not do it the next day.

There is one MSC that has a check-box for meal fully comped and no receipt before you start the report.

I never checked that box, but if the service really failed you, and the manager is on the ball, they will comp the check!

I don;t ever want to check that box as the report will be 2x as long as it must be a nightmare service!

@SoCalMama wrote:

I have had some random guy pay my bar tab on more than one shop for Merc. I just tell them that it happened again, and I re-do the shop again. I usually politely decline, but most guys are pretty insistent.

It happened to me at a bar in South Beach a few months ago. I had to come back and hour later and re-do that one. I could not do it the next day.

You are defiantly dressing up too sexy for the assignment. I bet if you wore clothing that was more church like, you'd not have that problem.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2015 11:32AM by scanman1.

I was thinking SoCalMama is one HOT mama.. to get her bar tab paid for

@scanman1 wrote:

You are defiantly dressing up too sexy for the assignment. I bet if you wore clothing that was more church like, you'd not have that problem.

Church people have hormones, too!

Scanman, I know I'm an old woman and I'm nowhere close to being with it any more, but somebody please explain to me how you can possibly "dress too sexy" for a bar. I'm thinking if Mama dressed like a church lady she'd out herself for sure.

"Ed Masry: What makes you think you can just walk in there and take whatever you want?
Erin Brockovich: They're called boobs, Ed."

LOL You guys are funny.
Nah, I get hit on far more often when I dress "normal". Jeans or capris, basic t-shirt or blouse. Minimal make-up, etc.
Maybe I look loney? Maybe I look like a hooker? No idea. I guess I'm pleasant and can hold a conversation? Or it could be that a middle aged woman drinking hard booze at noon and watching sports in a bar is a pretty good catch? (and Sybil2 may be onto something )

I had such a lousy meal and service, sending the food back 4 times before they got it cooked correctly, that the restaurant comped the meal! Hmmm, no receipt, I took a photo of the outside of the restaurant, put in the report exactly what happened and the report was accepted and I was compensated. No receipt, get a photo of the location to prove that you were there!!

I was a "victim" too, but was sort of trapped. I was in a drive-thru and the cashier said the person ahead of me had paid my bill. She said that was something like the 50th person to pay it forward and they were trying to keep the chain going. And then she paused and looked at me.

Luckily, the bill for the guy behind me was actually a bit less than my bill! I paid it and wrote the MSC. They reimbursed the amount on the other guy's receipt.

I really, really, dislike this "pay it forward" thing. It's not like most people actually get anything for free. It basically just turns into awkward social pressure.

@niteowl wrote:

She said that was something like the 50th person to pay it forward and they were trying to keep the chain going. And then she paused and looked at me.

That basically gets right down to it.

You have two options here:

1. Be a jerk.

2. Pay someone else's bill.

Not a fun set of options, in my opinion.

But maybe I'm just a curmudgeon?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2015 11:30PM by JacobJ.

You're not a curmudgeon. Everyone should make a regular practice of giving to others with open hands. Nobody should ever be intimidated into giving.

I've had the unpleasant experience of being pressured, intimidated and publicly denigrated regarding donations. I worked for a company with a charitable foundation. During my employment the tsunami hit Sri Lanka followed by Hurricane Katrina nine months later. The company was matching donations so I chose to make the maximum donation they would match for each. Shortly after Katrina the annual United Way drive started. In all honesty I am not a fan of the United Way because of experiences while serving on the board of directors of a charity trying to get some of their funding. Since I had made such large donations to the other causes I decided to opt out of the drive. The team leader, or whatever silly title she was given, went on a crusade against me because of my decision. Ironic since she hadn't contributed a dime to the other fundraising efforts. It was so bad there were employees who told me they regularly "pledged" money without agreeing to the payroll deductions and just ignored the mailings asking for payment of their pledge. It always made me so sad people were willing to lie about giving money to charity in order to get that 100% participation so they could wear jeans to work one day or something equally silly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2015 02:34AM by LisaSTL.

I'm involved in a lot of community volunteer programs and local charities. I have little respect for United Way and I try to donate/volunteer directly with the organization rather than allowing United Way to take their cut.

I worked for a fortune 100 company and they held an all employee meeting and sat us around a conference table and handed out the paperwork for the automatic payroll deduction for the United Way. I was livid and tore the packet in half and loudly announced I needed to use the restroom. I did not return. About an hour later my co-workers came back and said that they sat through a high pressure pitch. I refused to even listen to the pitch and my manager told me that he wishes he could have done what I did and to never walk out on a meeting like that again. He had no choice but to schedule it and allow the United Way suit run his hour long pitch on the clock.

If I donate to a charity, I certainly won't do it based on peer pressure from my employer.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2015 03:36AM by scanman1.

My employer does the same high pressure presentation for United Way. I do not donate money and tell people "I have a personal issue with some of their donation guidelines so I will not donate cash. However, I do participate in some of the events such as building lunches for the homeless shelter". The "personal issue" is true and if someone asks for details, I say it is something I would rather not discuss but it involves woman's issues". That usually shuts people down from asking further questions.

I volunteer both my time and my money as I believe God leads me to. I believe in the principles of "pay it forward" but with no expectations. As God has so richly blessed me, He expects me to bless other people. If I am blessed and retain all the blessings to myself, I become "spiritually constipated". What comes into your body is meant to pass through it. what comes into your life is meant to pass through it. I don't usually pay for a meal at a drive through, but I have. More than likely, I have mystery shopped a fast food restaurant or pizza chain, taken my picture or done my evaluation and then passed the food on to the first panhandler I see on the street corner. That type of blessing doesn't cost me anything to pass on. In the "Pay it Forward" principle you are supposed to do something hard, that costs you something. Setting aside time and giving of yourself to seniors, homeless, or just less fortunate people in this life is hard sometimes with our busy lives and schedules especially when you have children. But I guarantee you that your children will see what you do and follow in your generosity. My daughter does. And my granddaughter does. It is a legacy I wouldn't change for anything. and it doesn't cost me anything that God didn't give me first. This has been your one minute daily devotional. Lol

I have no problem with Paying It Forward as long as the decision is completely mine. This means I do it on my time and on my dime..not when I'm sitting in a restaurant drive-thru or similar. Likewise I will not support those $2 cashier requests by some of the big chains. I think the businesses I do give but I do it either in person or by mail to the charities of MY choice. I think the businesses put both the customer and the staff member in an awkward spot when they have these campaigns. To add insult, the business then often posts signs patting themselves on the back by stating how much "they" donated to XYZ charity. It wasn't them that donated, it was their customers! I have a friend who quit work as a cashier at Wal*Mart rather than continue to have to ask each customer to donate $2. Wal*Mart had made it obligatory for the staff to ask.
And there is my rant for the day.