I've done 9 Chipotle reports, and have decided to stop doing these assignments.

Every single report I've submitted has come back needing either further clarification or nit-picking on employee descriptions (I've previously ranted about how one editor wants me to state the hair color, and another editor states that I should not mention hair color).

I recently submitted my last Chipotle report, and the editor wrote back stating that they needed further clarification on 11 items! I'm just not sure what they're looking for at this point. I am very detailed, and I review the guidelines several times before I do each shop.

I spend approximately 1 - 1.5 hours on each report, and then another 30 minutes answering the editor's questions. I spent $20 on my shop (took my daughter) and I get a flat $27 fee. So not worth it.

I simply don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I've been shopping for 5 years with over 100 companies. I've never had an issue with the other shops like I have with Chipotle. I read about all the other shoppers who have no issues with the Chipotle reports. It must be just me

I've decided that life is too short to deal with the stress involved with the Chipotle shops. I'd rather be a paying customer on my own dime than deal with their reports and editors.

I'm sorry to hear the problems you are having, Phoebe. I agree that under those conditions, I would be annoyed and would not continue to do the shops.

It must be a regional thing. My experience has been the opposite. I do 2-3 a month and have never been asked for clarification on any of my reports. In the old system, when we used to see a place for feedback, I usually just get "good report," although a couple of times they instructed me. Once it was not to tell race. Once it was to say I no longer needed to tell the height of the team members. I usually take my son and we spent $16 or so (one bowl, single taco, two waters, chips) so I make about $10 which is not a lot.

Chipotle is a fairly cheap meal and one that I am willing to buy on my own dime. The places that are much more expensive are the shops I take that I'm willing to slave over a challenging report. If I were dealing with the stress you are having, I would not still be doing these shops. Totally agree with you.

My experience has been similar to AM's. Havent had any problems just occasional feedback, usually because i said employee somewhere. What sort or clarifications are they asking for?

An example: I quoted the cashier as saying, "Hi there! Any chips or drink for you?" It was returned to me asking if the cashier mentioned salsa or guacamole. I kinda thought that it was evident in the direct quote that salsa and guac were not mentioned. Silly me!

Another example: I mentioned that there was a delay for chicken, which caused the line to back up (bottleneck). It was returned to me with "Other than the back up for chicken, were there any other delays?" I clearly had written that the only bottleneck seen was when they were waiting on chicken.

Adios, Chipotle!

I don't blame you.

I don't like Chipolte so have never done a shop...

but if they specifically want to know about salsa or guacamole...saying what was offered does not cover it....you do need to specifically state that it was not offered....the person could have mentioned salsa/guac later.

and saying there was a bottleneck for chicken does not say there were no other delays..in your example, you just say a bottleneck for chicken...and don't say 'only' when you describe what you said initially...

but again without seeing the shop requirements..and the actual report......and only basing this on what you report their complaints to be after the fact...i couldn't say if your statements were actually adequate or not.

I did a few of the Chipolte shops and decided they just were not worth the trouble,
plus I really did not care for the food. I live in a area that has much better Mexican
food. Also, they are to picky for what they pay you to do the shop.

If enough people decide to quit doing the shops, then the well of shoppers will run dry.

I didn't like the excessive detail so I stopped.

This company only appears to have one client, so they are risking a Grassroots type of meltdown.

Phoebe70
An hour and a half on any report is to long. Just answer each question on the report without to much detail. I haven't done this shop so I can't compare this to shops I have done, but I have never spent an hour on any report for $20.

@jmitw wrote:

I don't like Chipolte so have never done a shop...

but if they specifically want to know about salsa or guacamole...saying what was offered does not cover it....you do need to specifically state that it was not offered....the person could have mentioned salsa/guac later.

and saying there was a bottleneck for chicken does not say there were no other delays..in your example, you just say a bottleneck for chicken...and don't say 'only' when you describe what you said initially...

but again without seeing the shop requirements..and the actual report......and only basing this on what you report their complaints to be after the fact...i couldn't say if your statements were actually adequate or not.

I did state that the "only" bottleneck was for the lack of chicken, and was still asked for clarification.

I've never been to a Chipolte and I don't like Mexican food (I am guessing that is what they serve) so I have no idea what the reports are like but I agree that 90 minutes for a $20.00 shop is ridiculous. I spend about an hour on my fine dining reports and those meals are well over $100.

I will tell you this though. A few years ago, there was a Chiplolte training somewhat near me. I registered for the training because 1) I had no idea that they only had one client and 2) to check out my "competition." I was told the class was already full but they would put me on a waiting list.

The day of the training, about 45 minutes or less before the start time, the MSC sends me an email that there was a last-minute cancellation so I am now registered for the class. The only thing was that I was already working and about two hours north of where the training was being held. I contacted the MSC and told them that I would not make the class on such short notice. They seemed to get angry with me saying that I should have kept my schedule open for that day. I asked if they were going to pay me for missing a full day's work by not scheduling anything while being on a waiting list but they did not seem amused.

I say good riddance to them. There are much better restaurants and MSCs to work for.

I am sorry that you have had a bad experience with this MSC. They are actually one of the most forgiving and most understanding MSCs for which have ever dealt. It has been my experience that they are always on the side of the Shopper.

I too have never been asked for Clarifications on my reports (I think I have done about 12 of them now) Only a note "Well done, over all." Sometimes I am thanked for the Great amount of details I give. And very seldon a suggestion for improvement --- once i was told I did not need to include Height, another time I was told I should include shirt type. Maybe you have a very picky editor (which I do not think is the norm with this MSC.) I always find that putting too much details is better that not enough. Spell it out! Cross all your Ts, dot all your I's. And yes always say weither the Cashier offered Guac or Salsa! A Drink and/or Chips? A tray when 3 or more items purchased?...etc. The form is all about the narratives, if there were yes/no buttons for these details, that would be different. But there are not!

For those that have not done one of these reports, 90 minutes (especially in the old reporting format) is not uncalled for, for these reports, especially for your first few. I never schedule other shops on a Chipotle Shop Day!

I wanted to quit at first too. But the reports do get easier, and in fact they are easier in the new Reporting Format (once you get used to it.) That being said if it ain't worth it for you, and you keep getting asked for Clarification, then maybe this particular MSC and Chipotle Shops aren't for you. Sorry to hear that thou, because they both have treated me very well.

The first report took me two hours, but every report since then has take over an hour. You must quote what each employee said to you (tortilla, salsa, linebacker, expeditor, cashier). You must comment on every single ingredient (4 types of meat, 2 types of rice, 2 types of beans, 4 types of salsa, guac, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, veggies, chips). You must place a phone call and quote verbatim what was said. Count the number of tables occupied, the number of people waiting in line, and the number of people actually going down the line (both when you arrive and when you depart).

I'm a fast typer, and I take copious notes, but I still have never had it take less than 1.5 hours. I'm getting a headache just thinking about that report.

It must be a matter of what region your in. I have never had any questions about my reports other than some feedback on terminology they like to use. I report hair color, glasses, shirt type, tats and earings as identifiers and the editor for my region has never had a problem with it.

I can't seem to get the report time down to less than 1:15 minutes. There are always issues to report and I swear they send me to problem locations. More issues means a longer report. I did my first report on the old system and thought I was going to drop them and then they went live with the new website on my second report and it is much simpler than the first months report on the old system. I think I'm putting in more detail then they require.

I'm sticking it out, as I have the visit details memorized and it's getting easier each time. I don't have to buy a drink, but the iced tea is very good and I can drink three glasses there and take one home to sip while doing the report.

How long does a report take you long time shoppers on this program?

Have your reports gone faster with the new site format?

For the salsa/guac queastion they specifically want a comment on those. So you should specifically say they did or did not offer those.
For the bottleneck, it is my understanding that they are looking more for things like there was a backup at the reguster because there was no expo, or the crew member at salsa was slow, or there was not enough room at the drink statoon. Running out of chicken should have been addressed at the top under the chcken comments. I'm guessing thats why you got that question. I could be wrong.

The reports are tough. I like eating there and enjoy the shop and observations, but after a year and a half of doing them i still sometimes dread the report.

I do not commemt on every food item. Only the ok or nope items and if one of the greats looked particularly great.
As for counting tables and customers in line, thats the easiest part to me.
The reports take me 30 moinutes, sometimes slightly longer. I have taken a couple of months off since i have been on the road so much so have not used the new system yet.

I was told to comment on every food item, even those that I did not consume. For every item I had to comment on appearance, texture, size of lettuce strips, etc.

I think I have the editor-from-Hades.

I'm pretty new to this program, I did my first three last month, and have two scheduled for this month. I found that the first report took me a little over an hour but I've been able to knock out the others in around 45 minutes. Editor feedback on one was a message clarifying a crew member's title ("for future reference", and a simple "Thanks for your report" on the others.

I agree that the pay isn't great for these assignments, but I live in a major city and pass three Chipotle locations on my daily walking commute to/from the office. Given the lack of rotation requirements, I can get several of these done a month with barely any overhead.

I don't blame you. I'd be done too. Like Sybil, I was offered training but as a backup. I kept the date open up until the day before training at which time I hadn't heard anything so I went ahead and scheduled myself some shops for that day. I get home to an email stating there was a spot being held for me. I replied that I had kept the date open for two weeks but didn't hear anything so I went ahead and scheduled some work.
I don't know why they would expect me to potentially lose a day of income just in case they want me. Thats not how I operate. I'll be just fine without chipotle.

@Phoebe70 wrote:

@jmitw wrote:

I don't like Chipolte so have never done a shop...

but if they specifically want to know about salsa or guacamole...saying what was offered does not cover it....you do need to specifically state that it was not offered....the person could have mentioned salsa/guac later.

and saying there was a bottleneck for chicken does not say there were no other delays..in your example, you just say a bottleneck for chicken...and don't say 'only' when you describe what you said initially...

but again without seeing the shop requirements..and the actual report......and only basing this on what you report their complaints to be after the fact...i couldn't say if your statements were actually adequate or not.

I did state that the "only" bottleneck was for the lack of chicken, and was still asked for clarification.

I am saying on here..you didn't make it clear that you did initially say 'only'.....on here it looks like you just said there was a bottle neck at the chicken

on here you say ' I mentioned that there was a delay for chicken, which caused the line to back up (bottleneck)'

and then you say it clearly said only......

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/09/2015 01:39AM by jmitw.

I felt like that about one bank shop I used to do. I could not seem to do that report to their satisfaction.

I signed up for training near me but was not selected. About two weeks after it was held, I was invited to another one but it was about 60 miles away and through a metro area's traffic. I politely declined. I showed me they had little consideration for shoppers or else poorly organized. I also felt slightly insulted. From the many comments, it was all for the best.

The msc and editors are pleasant, they've never been snippy or rude with me. I just can't seem to give them what they want.

@marklewis wrote:

If enough people decide to quit doing the shops, then the well of shoppers will run dry.

I didn't like the excessive detail so I stopped.

This company only appears to have one client, so they are risking a Grassroots type of meltdown.

Good for you. The MSC for Chipotle is one of the best I've worked for.

That just means more Chipotle for me if more shoppers stopped shopping for them in my area!

@Phoebe70 wrote:

The msc and editors are pleasant, they've never been snippy or rude with me. I just can't seem to give them what they want.

So why stop shopping for them? Comments are just comments. They're not offensive, from what I can tell. Just take the comments and continue to the next shop.

I don't care how pleasant they are, when it takes over an hour for that amount of pay, and then the editor still comes back with questions, the pay is simply not worth it (for me).

@Tarantado wrote:

@marklewis wrote:

If enough people decide to quit doing the shops, then the well of shoppers will run dry.

I didn't like the excessive detail so I stopped.

This company only appears to have one client, so they are risking a Grassroots type of meltdown.

Good for you. The MSC for Chipotle is one of the best I've worked for.

That just means more Chipotle for me if more shoppers stopped shopping for them in my area!

@Phoebe70 wrote:

The msc and editors are pleasant, they've never been snippy or rude with me. I just can't seem to give them what they want.

So why stop shopping for them? Comments are just comments. They're not offensive, from what I can tell. Just take the comments and continue to the next shop.

I agree with Phoebe and I understand completely. I haven't had similar problems, and performing Chipotle shops currently meets my needs.

But, my reasoning is: Although I like Chipotle, the food is cheap. I can easily afford to eat Chipotle on my own dime and have no report to write, unlike other, more expensive restaurants where I would not eat unless I was performing a shop. At a more expensive restaurant, I would probably spend the same amount of time on the observations and the report, but I would be compensated with a more expensive meal, giving me more value for my work.

I continue to perform the Chipotles because the MSC is so nice and so professional and because the scheduling is flexible. It makes it easy to fit into my schedule any time I want. That flexibility is important to me, and it's a major reason I continue to do the Chipotle shops even though the financial payback is not great.

I don't think it is the comments that bother Phoebe. If she could just read the comments and move to the next shop, I think she would. It appears to me that the editors are coming back requesting clarifications. If I were getting multiple requests for clarification after each shop, I would begin to feel unsuccessful. At the same time, the time spent responding to those clarification requests would add to the overall time spent on the assignment, making it no longer worth it to me. I think it's a matter of how much aggravation might I feel getting clarification requests to which I must respond and how many requests might make the time spent on an assignment no longer worth it.

Kudos to Phoebe for evaluating her situation and making a well-thought-out analysis of "not worth it." Also - kudos for writing a perfect rant - professional, well-written, clear, detailed, and no bashing.

I have never had a problem with them. The first few times I received comments from the editor which helped me write a better report. They are pretty specific on the descriptions. They stay away from anything confrontational as the employees read these reviews just the basic and distinguishing characteristic. The tortilla warmer gave my dish to the next person (male, 5' 10", blond, glasses) he described each item and asked me if I would like....., Expediter, female, 5'2 brown hair pony tail, tattoo on the inside of each arm.

The reports are not so bad after a while. I agree with Austin mom they are a good company and flexible. I find that every company wants there reports differently, there is no standard I make notes in my spreadsheet by company name. Some want you to use the persons name others want you to use the word salesperson. Maybe you can contact your scheduler or the editor and just asked how can I improve to make my reports successful for your company.

I would not quit yet you have the option of rejecting what is scheduled. Maybe do that for a bit till you reassess it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2015 02:41PM by Xzodx.

this sounds like different editors and you got the "crap one".....I have never done a shop bec the training was never at a suitable time for me....sounds like that was a blessing in disguise....

I've only done one Chipotle assignment and the editor seemed easy-going. The notes just said, "Thanks for your well-written report. Next time, please mention whether you were thanked by the cashier. Thanks!"
It is kind of a long report. I'll do a couple more and then decide whether it's worthwhile or not. After doing about five or six Smashburgers, I decided it was too time-consuming for $14. At least this is $27 and I like the food.

@AustinMom wrote:

Kudos to Phoebe for evaluating her situation and making a well-thought-out analysis of "not worth it." Also - kudos for writing a perfect rant - professional, well-written, clear, detailed, and no bashing.

Definitely +1 to this. Entertaining though it can be, it gets a little old reading, "MKT FORC DECLINE ME RAPPORT OMGGG WWWWHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYY I HAT THEM" every day...

With inflation and Chipotle raising its prices last year, the fee should be adjusted for the amount of work we do.