I signed up for Market Force and have my first fast food restaurant to do. I have a couple of questions.
1) When I'm done, I fill out a form to show I did it? Correct?
2) I don't have a scanner, will I need one? Can I mail in the receipt?
3) How long do I have to login my findings? Can I then later add the receipt if I go to the library and scan it?
4) Anything else I should know?
5) Do they pull the cameras feeds and actually check if you are eating alone? Mine said to eat alone, but I'd prefer to eat with someone.
Thank you,
Mary

All of this is covered in your shop instructions. If you do not follow the shop requirements the location manager may just check the video and challenge your report. So, if you do not eat alone you may not be paid AND you may be banned by the company from all furture shops.

Just because you would prefer to ignore the shop instructions is no excuse to do so. If you take the job, you take the rules.

Thanks for your answers. I will follow the rules, but I thought I'd ask.
One more question.
Do pictures from your digital camera work for sending the receipt in?
I don't have a scanner.
thanks, Mary

I think that most people us digital cam pix for receipts. I haven't needed a scanner for years.

Westendorf,

Welcome to the forum and to the Mystery Shopping World!

If you are taking mystery shopping to the next level anytime soon, I would advise you to invest in a scanner. There is a bewildering choice of Wireless multifunctional devices out there-They print, scan, fax, copies, download apps, are web enabled...name it-they do it! Most are at very competitive prices too!

I also own a portable scanner which I find really handy when I am inputting reports away from my home office. Sometimes you have to observe deadlines with receipt /photos submission, and Market Force is one of the MSC's that requires you do so within 12 hours of shop completion.

Please pay attention to ALL the rules, most companies have vidoes and they will compare your report to the video recording. Again, Market Force is rather strict on shoppers not bending any of those rules!

Good luck!!

If you haven't already, go to Market Force, sign in, and look on the left for "get paperwork." Print out the paperwork AND the survey form for your shop. It will tell you EXACTLY what you need to do, when to do it, how to do it, and in what order to do it. It will be very explicit.

You MUST follow those directions! It was a bit disconcerting that you haven't even done a shop yet and already you're asking if you're likely to get "caught" if you do it wrong. You are being paid to follow the EXACT instructions you are given.

It's not about getting caught. It's about being able to do the job correctly. It may seem silly that they insist you go alone, but if you are with someone else, are you going to IGNORE your companion so you can observe what is going on in the restaurant? Or will you be chatting with them, eyes on your companion, attention on them instead of the job you are being paid for? A customer sitting with someone but ignoring them while they glance around to see what the employees are doing is going to stick out more than someone sitting ALONE, glancing around out of apparent boredom. We must preserve our anonymity at all times, and act like a normal customer, not like a mystery shopper. We cannot draw attention to ourselves.

If you're uncomfortable dining alone (it takes a little getting used to) then fast food shops may not be the right kind of job for you. Try bank shops -- they are easy and quick and a great way to get into mystery shopping. And they're less fattening.

Take a crossword puzzle with you. It will give you something to appear to be doing so you're not so self-conscious about being alone, and it will enable you to jot a few notes inconspicuously. (Fill in part of the puzzle before you go, even with nonsense words, so it will look like you're actually working on it, without you having to actually look at the puzzle clues, which will distract you. Fill in the employee's name in some of the boxes as soon as you can.)

It obviously cannot be stressed enough, especially with this MSC - be sure to follow all of the assignment guidelines as they are outlined. Do not try to freelance by looking for a way to get around instructions that you may not like. If you are uncomfortable with a scenario after thoroughly reading through the guidelines, cancel the shop as soon as possible.

Market Force has a lot of assignments that are good for new shoppers to try out. The instructions are clear and specific, so it is easy to know what is expected. This MSC has little to no tolerance for shoppers that do not complete an assignment as they intended it to be done, and will deactivate those immediately that cannot or will not follow their guidelines.

I love my portable scanner. I tend to shake too much when taking closeup pictures so I have to take several -- waste of time -- with the scanner, I just need to hold it steady until the rollers grab the document and I get a clear image every time. Takes a few more seconds but worth it to not have to look at four pictures on screen to see if any are clear enough to use.

But I didn't buy it until I had made enough MSing to pay for it. Make sure you're in this to stay before investing in a lot of equipment.

I have scanned my pictures and I have taken several pictures with my iPhone. You have to go in, crop, and resize the picture to turn it in but it really isn't that hard. My printer has a scanner on it. I just find it easier to take a picture when I am on the go so I can turn in my shops quicker. Just be sure they are not blurry. I haven't had a shop there where I have HAD to eat alone. You are required to pay on a separate receipt if you take someone on most of the jobs but I would go by the outline it gives you either way. I have enjoyed shopping for them and wish you luck!

I got the Magic Wand scanner from Office Depot. Somewhere around $90 and absolutely fantastic. I love it.

CJ410 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have scanned my pictures and I have taken
> several pictures with my iPhone. You have to go
> in, crop, and resize the picture to turn it in but
> it really isn't that hard. My printer has a
> scanner on it. I just find it easier to take a
> picture when I am on the go so I can turn in my
> shops quicker. Just be sure they are not blurry.


You still crop? I stopped doing that. I guess there were some tweaks in my HP all-in-one software via updates to where if I crop, the receipt comes in over 1.0 MBs and I can't get it in. Oh well, it comes in clear, otherwise...no complaints from the other end yet.

AlfredB1979 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CJ410 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have scanned my pictures and I have taken
> > several pictures with my iPhone. You have to go
> > in, crop, and resize the picture to turn it in
> but
> > it really isn't that hard. My printer has a
> > scanner on it. I just find it easier to take a
> > picture when I am on the go so I can turn in my
> > shops quicker. Just be sure they are not
> blurry.
>
>
> You still crop? I stopped doing that. I guess
> there were some tweaks in my HP all-in-one
> software via updates to where if I crop, the
> receipt comes in over 1.0 MBs and I can't get it
> in. Oh well, it comes in clear, otherwise...no
> complaints from the other end yet.



Yes'm, but only if I took a picture of it. The original file pulls up under a photo preview on my Mac so I figure while I am resizing, I may as well crop it down.

As a heavy shopper for MarketForce, I can assure you, that they prefer you "scan" your receipts, business cards and photos.

The best idea is to BUY a scanner, practice in your free time, until you understand how to use it...

As for eating alone, certain "burger shops" REQUIRE you to eat alone. If you don't want to eat alone, do NOT take that shop!

I love eating alone.

I highly emphasis the eat alone for this FF shop. I shopped one of the corporate training restaurant and I was quite experienced and did everything right. Unfortunately, the workers didn't. I was questioned because the cashier's receipt showed there was more than one person in the car (did y'all know they code the receipt at the DT????) I gave them the time, my vehicle info and told them to pull the video to show that I was alone. They did and I was paid. I was getting phone calls and emails asking if I had someone in the car with me.

Can you have your dog in the car with you?

I know in the instructions it says absolutely no one, but I can't remember if they specifically mentioned a pet. It seems they may have, though, specifically 'outlawed' pets, too!

I was just wondering, because there is a shop for this place near my vet, where I will be taking one of my dogs next week. : )

Tell the dog to duck when you go through the drive thru.

Actually, some dogs could really throw off the timing if they are used to getting a treat from the drive thru window.

StormCloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can you have your dog in the car with you?
>
> I know in the instructions it says absolutely no
> one, but I can't remember if they specifically
> mentioned a pet. It seems they may have, though,
> specifically 'outlawed' pets, too!
>
> I was just wondering, because there is a shop for
> this place near my vet, where I will be taking one
> of my dogs next week. : )


I've never specifically seen anything referring to not having a pet with you, but I probably wouldn't, because because after doing the drive-thru, you would have to leave the pet in the car alone for at least 15+ minutes while you did the inside, checked the bath, and made the required dining room stay.

Yeah, I'd thought about having to leave him alone in the car while I'm on the inside part. But on the other hand, it's no wheres *near* too warm here ~ nor too cold at this point... and at his age he just snoozes in the back seat of the mini-van on his blankie. : ) (He's a big Smooth Collie.)

I once did a whole out-of-town route with my little dog (now at Rainbow Bridge) along in a big crate in the back of the mini-van. She was just getting over being sick, and I didn't want to leave her at home alone. Neither did I want to try to reschedule the six to eight shops I had that day! I had my Dad come along to be with her in the car. It was pretty much the same time of year as now, and she had lots of blankies just in case she got chilly. There was a quick-serve shop where I *was* allowed to eat with someone, and Dad was hungry, so we both went in. But we didn't stay longer than required! She was just fine, btw. : )

She passed a few months later from something else... but she was over 14 years old, too. She was my heart-dog, and I really, really miss her still!

Anyway, I've really digressed ~ I apologize! I could have sworn I have read some instructions where it lists all the types of companions you're not allowed to bring that said pets! It seems one thing on the list may even have been inanimate!

AustinMom Wrote:
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> I've never specifically seen anything referring to
> not having a pet with you

This is from the shopper guidelines: "Go alone! Don’t bring children, babies, pets, spouses, friends, anyone! Even if they are just riding in the car with you or meeting you in the dining room after you’ve ordered, your shop will be invalidated and you will not be paid if you are not alone."

StormCloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I
> could have sworn I have read some instructions
> where it lists all the types of companions you're
> not allowed to bring... It seems one
> thing on the list may even have been inanimate!

Hmmm. Didn't see any mention of husbands. LOL!

Hi,
I've performed MarketForce and altho I do have a scanner, many times my wifi doesn't work properly, so I use my smartphone to take a photo of the receipt, crop it, and upload it to my documents report. I make sure it's labeled properly with the codes of the shop, my name and the date, etc. I haven't had any problems with payment. I do make sure that the photo is absolutely clear and readable.
As far as bringing someone along on the shop, that's a negative. Only do whatever the shop instructions tell you. They have the right to negate your payment if you do not follow the instructions implicitly. Do you want to take that chance? I wouldn't. It's just not worth it. They can as someone previously mentioned, pull videos to check.
The only animal that is allowed would be a companion animal by Federal Law, and that animal would probably be listed somewhere on your application or known to the company, wouldn't it? People that have companion animals also have Doctor's notes, and the animals have special tags/neckerchiefs, etc.

I've only been doing this work for a year, but I have learned that time spent in preparation makes your shop successful. Guidelines often sound childish or scolding, but if you pay attention to them you won't waste your time at the shop.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2013 11:52AM by emccded.

> AustinMom Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> > I've never specifically seen anything referring to
> > not having a pet with you


THEN shopgal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is from the shopper guidelines: "Go alone!
> Don’t bring children, babies, pets, spouses,
> friends, anyone! Even if they are just riding in
> the car with you or meeting you in the dining room
> after you’ve ordered, your shop will be
> invalidated and you will not be paid if you are
> not alone."


AHA!!! I *thought* I'd remembered that pets might be a part of that list! Thanks, ShopGal.

On this topic... on the longer out-of-town routes, I often have my Dad come along. One of us drives, the other reads the maps. Sometimes we change up who does what. I like when he drives as I complete shop notes, and even photograph receipts to save time. I also enjoy the company, although sometimes I do like going alone if it's a town I'm well familiar with.

Anyway. A couple of these routes have had this particular dining establishment in them. I always drop Dad off at a nearby store, then drive to the location and do the shop. Then I pick him up again after. There's almost always somewhere nearby he can go that is interesting to him.

Except... three or four times now he's found his way to where he's not supposed to be!

Once I left him at nice park with benches & trees, located on a community college campus. Some fellow got into conversation with him, and Dad goes and says that his daughter dropped him off there so she can go to (shop). So the guy gives him a ride to the lot! Dad says he couldn't talk him out of it. Fortunately, I had just finished both portions of the shop and was just about to go and get him.

Another time, I leave him at a Goodwill nearby. He loves places like that. I do the dine-in part first, and then when I'm in the car, waiting in line at the drive-thru, there goes Dad on his way into the restaurant. He looks over to make sure I see him, so I don't go looking for him at the Goodwill. I give a slight nod, but try to look like I don't see him. He calls over, "Just going in to use the can!" I think, "Oh, dear LORD!" If asked I'll just say I don't know the crazy man in the parking lot. I was never asked.

There was one other time, too... but I forget the specifics. Then once my sister sees me heading to one, but thankfully she's heading out and leaving. Then another time my brother, who does a lot of his travels on foot, spots me in the parking lot and heads over. Sheesh! At least I'd just finished both portions again.

StormCloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> when I'm in the car, waiting in
> line at the drive-thru, there goes Dad on his way
> into the restaurant. He looks over to make sure I
> see him...He calls over, "Just going
> in to use the can!" I think, "Oh, dear LORD!" If
> asked I'll just say I don't know the crazy man in
> the parking lot.

Hilarious! Ya just gotta love our dads. Too funny! They definitely have their own unique style of doing things.

Ok, I know this is off-topic, but speaking of dads and how they roll inspired me to share this story...

I'm at the zoo with the family when I am just a kidlet. There's a thick cluster of people in front of the polar bear exhibit and I can't see a thing. Dad takes me to the next exhibit which is empty. He says, "Look in there and point." I ask, "What? There's nothing in there." He gently tells me, "Just do it. I'm going to show you something." So I follow his instructions. As we are staring into this lifeless exhibit, a crowd starts surounding us, peering intently looking for its inhabitants. He guides me to the back of the continually growing mass of humanity that is gathering. Then he smiles at me and says, "Look at that. There's your first lesson about people. They are sheep." He then took me back to the now crowd-free polar bear exhibit.

Awww...thanks StormCloud for your post on your dear Dad. Mine has passed quite a few years ago, but yours reminds me so of mine! I would take my Dad along and he would make friends no matter where he would go, always a smile and a twinkle in his eye. But he would he would start conversations with everybody! Anyway, your post was a pleasant thought to me.