This is a first for me after all these years. For the first time an editor sent me an email telling me that my required inside purchase for gas shops "needs to be more diverse". In other words, I need to buy things other than my favorite iced tea. As long as we make the purchase and evaluate the service properly I don't see how in the world does it matter if I buy iced tea. It's a generic enough product that it certainly doesn't scream "Shopper" and it's irelevant anyway since moments later you go back inside in your vest with all your "official stuff".

Generic or diversity, huh: For a dollar what are they looking for? I would not even buy a bag of potatoe chips. The size is less than the average $.99 size but cost $1.49. So what are they wanting us to buy? Even scared to pick out a regular size candy bar or a 20 oz bottled of water.

ETA: Perhaps the editor wants us to our grocery shopping in the gas station store.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/2016 11:28PM by sojo917.

That is kind of weird. The only time I have been advised to buy a diverse assortment of items or ask different questions, is when I am doing a number of the same shops on a route or circuit. That way all of my reports don't all sound the same and they know I am not confusing the details of each shop. It is stated right in the directions to do this. I can't imagine what they care you purchase before you do your gas station audit, especially if it isn't in the original guidelines.

Is a "banana" diverse enough?

Try buying Lipton with a twist of lemon instead of your usual Snapple.

Ridiculous. Now we have to edit what we buy?

I am sure what the editor ment was mix up what you purchase and not to buy that same ice tea at every location. I assume you are either doing a route of these or you do quite a few over a short period of time. My friend who does tobacco compliance shops where all the cashiers deny the purchase was doing a large route of them. He got a comment to change the wording around or add a different word or two so they don't all sound the same even thou they are.

They've had good prices on Brisk iced tea at 97 cents, I'll have to throw in some Arizona brand too at $ 1.09. Maybe the client wants to make sure to turn an even better profit at our expense.

Yeah, they gotta get that extra 12 cents, LOL. I think it's baloney if it's a shop then reveal, but I guess you have to make them happy...

Lol that happened to me once. For a local restaurant, the scheduler (and / or editor) noticed I ordered basically the same thing each visit. I eventually received comments to change up my order for each shop. No problem. I ended up trying each item on the menu before that company ended their mystery shopping program altogether.

Because everyone who buys an iced tea is the auditor? I purchase a canned or bottled beverage at 99% of my gas stations. So silly.

Sounds like you got one of those teenage editors trying to justify their job. They seem to move around from brand to brand. I understand they contracted out the editing. Arizona ice tea is $.99 sometimes plus tax and it is what I buy if available. I throw it in the back seat or trunk, bring it home and it disappears. Did you notice, the editors don't have names. Only initials.

I'm sure the first station calls ahead to the closest stations to warn them that a shopper just visited them. Or the attendant remembers us from 2 months ago because we bought Arizona ice tea both times.

Give me a break.

Well obviously you should have some Caucasian purchases, some Asian purchases, African American purchases, Latino purchases, as well as a both gay and bi purchases to go along with your straight ones!

Oh, brother. If they want to tell us every minute detail of how they want us to do our jobs, they can call us EMPLOYEES. Until then they can frack off.

Perhaps you can just use more diversity in each report about buying the tea:

I purchased a Brisk iced tea.
I decided to buy a Brisk iced tea.
I selected a Brisk iced tea for my purchase.
Brisk iced tea sounded good, so I bought one.
The Arizona iced tea was 12 cents more, so I saved some money by buying the Brisk iced tea.
For my purchase, a Brisk iced tea, I did choose wisely. <(-.-)>
I sought out and bought a bottle of not hot tea that I got to trot to the spot where I would later squat.

Right now that would be a fight I would willingly call uncle. I'm fighting an editor over the fact nothing was priced. She keeps insisting, I could have found a product that was priced.

Well I did as a matter of fact, find a priced product. Sadly, the particular product was not on the list of acceptable products I was allowed to purchase.

Bite me!

I entered the convenience store and the associate (5'4" Female, long brown hair, no glasses, early 20's) at the register greeted me with, "Good morning!" I returned her greeting by asking, "What do you have that is more diverse than Brisk iced tea?" Her blank stare indicated to me that she was clearly hearing impaired, so I repeated my query by both shouting it verbally as loudly as I could while simultaneously using American Sign Language. The clerk shifted back a few inches, and with a look of her concern on her face, she placed one hand beneath the counter, still not speaking. I stood staring at her for her for a full minute waiting for her to reply, but finally realized that her awkward silence and the sweat forming on her brow indicated embarrassment on her part for working at a convenience store that carried nothing more diverse than Brisk iced tea, so I proceeded to the cooler and procured what the clerk had silently confirmed to be the most diverse item, a 97 cents bottle of Brisk iced tea.
I stepped toward the counter and the clerk made excellent eye contact. In fact she never once took her eyes off of me during my entire time in the store. Wordlessly she conducted the transaction, accepting my cash payment, making proper change from the register, and providing a receipt without my request. Although she did not smile at all, her dexterity was notable as she did all this with one hand while the other remained beneath the counter.
In consideration of her hearing impairment I signed and screamed, "Thanks!" The clerk immediately moved her free hand to beneath the counter as well, her weight shifted forward, feet shoulder length apart, with one foot slightly more forward than the other and pointing toward your me. I waited fifteen seconds, never breaking eye contact with her, as a small rivulet of sweat wound its way from her brow around her left eye. As she clearly was going to extend no expression of farewell other than her intent gaze and focused body language, I tipped my tin foil hat to her and then signed/screamed, "Have a nice day!" The clerk flinched but did not reply. I departed.
The associate did not ask for or offer a rewards card. She did not offer a credit card application.

There once was a shopper named Cettea
Who really loved her favorite iced tea
But then a grumpy, bored editor
Got mad at Cettea and sweated her
About her lack of product diversitea

...and YES, I have too much time on my hands this evening.

Every time you have to buy the wrong kind of tea, answer that the visit made you uncomfortable, undervalued, frustrated, angry. When asked why you felt that way you can say, "I had to buy diverse tea instead of my favorite tea."

@bgriffin wrote:

Well obviously you should have some Caucasian purchases, some Asian purchases, African American purchases, Latino purchases, as well as a both gay and bi purchases to go along with your straight ones!

It seems to me Mystery Shop Forum no longer likes diversity, Twice today I was reading a thread and liked two different replies. When I got to the third and very diverse reply and clicked like I got a pop up that said I had already liked that one. It was my first time and it was diverse as I clicked on one by Bgriffin the third time.

@elcarev68 wrote:

I entered the convenience store and the associate (5'4" Female, long brown hair, no glasses, early 20's)...etc, etc, "Have a nice day!" The clerk flinched but did not reply. I departed.

Max number of characters allowed: 300 Number used 57,946 Please go back and edit your response.
SF (editor)

Cettie, Goat Queen of Zoltar - maybe you should buy condoms or tampons next time, see what kind of comments you get from your editor then.

I decided to "mix it up" tonight and bought cat food instead of gum or a drink as usual. I made some sort of off-hand comment about, "I didn't know you sold cat food." The clerk said, "I hope you aren't going to eat it."

WTF? #1 if I was, I'd be offended. #2 if I wasn't, I'd be offended.
Luckily for him that "clerk was an asshat" was not a choice on the list.

Edited for typo

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/2016 09:10AM by SoCalMama.

That was hysterical!!!!! I loved it!!!!!

@InPlainSight wrote:

That is kind of weird. The only time I have been advised to buy a diverse assortment of items or ask different questions, is when I am doing a number of the same shops on a route or circuit. That way all of my reports don't all sound the same and they know I am not confusing the details of each shop. It is stated right in the directions to do this. I can't imagine what they care you purchase before you do your gas station audit, especially if it isn't in the original guidelines.

Employees at different stores in the same chain sometimes compare notes. It helps to ask for different items in the grocery stores, too. You usually don't want to ask for anything too obscure, especially if you've used it recently on other shops in the same area. I once had a new associate go ask for help from someone whom I'd audited in the past and who had completely blown me off. The associate nodded, gave her a knowing look, and said, "Oh, that's a HARD one." BUSTED!!!

@teriraia wrote:

Ridiculous. Now we have to edit what we buy?

Yup.

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

Is a "banana" diverse enough?

Asking for common fruits and vegetables is usually fine. Works even better if they're kept near the back.

I'd ask the editor if she really means "varied".

@Kate in Edmonton wrote:

Cettie, Goat Queen of Zoltar - maybe you should buy condoms or tampons next time, see what kind of comments you get from your editor then.

Or a sex toy. Cheap ones are sometimes kept near the condoms. Don't even ask me how I know...

It would apprear that the editor I dealt with doesn't particularly care for iced tea. So ...... this last time I got 4 lemonades instead.