Hi. I am fairly new to mystery shopping and I am having some trouble understanding ratings. I have done most of my shops for BARE. My first reports all received a rating of 10. More recently, my reports are receiving ratings of 9.

I understand why one of the shops was lowered. The rater noted, "The shopper did not include an "other" benefit (that the clerk mentioned) in the reply to xxx. It was inserted."

After getting the ratings of 9, I tried taking more time submitting my reports and making sure I re-read everything and check for errors. Even after putting in the extra time, I still received ratings of 9. On one report I just received a 9/10 with no notation of what I had done wrong. On the other report I received a 9/10 with the comment that the time I entered the line was rounded off and adjustments were necessary. That was somewhat frustrating because I actually did enter the line at 3:56:00.

In the future I can make sure I don't enter the line at an 00 second mark, so the rater won't think I rounded off my seconds. But I am somewhat unsure of what other things to do to keep my rating score from dropping.

I still have an average rating of 10, but I am concerned with my average dropping if I keep getting lower scores on my reports.

Additionally, I have no rating on one report. The rater put in the shop fee and the expenses for the shop, and added a comment "Please write all comments in complete sentences." I am not sure what parts of the report were not considered to be complete sentences. I am wondering if this was my use of "/." For example, I used the term "products / services" in my report instead of writing out products and services.

If I did not receive any rating at all for that report, does that mean it was not accepted?

Thanks.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2014 07:31PM by jatufu1.

If you do not receive a rating, it does not mean your report was not accepted. Many MSCs do not grade reports and do not notify shoppers of errors or changes. When submitting reports to these MSCs (actually, I think that is MOST of the MSCs I shop for) you will not hear anything, you will just get paid. In this case, no news is good news.

If I were you I would stop worrying. A "9" is not a perfect score but is a very good score. Learn from the feedback that is provided, but I wouldn't worry so much. Sounds like you are doing fine.

Thanks AustinMom.

I was just concerned because I been getting all 10 ratings and I was concerned about the drop in the score.

A 9 with BARE is great.

Ratings can vary from MSC to MSC and even with different editors. I find BARE one of the better ones to be consistent with, as their editing process is pretty meticulous, but predictable.

I keep a cheat sheet saved on all of my devices, of my MSCs' report Do's & Don't's. MSC 1- Use exact quotes. MSC 2: Don't use quotes, when describing associates, avoid race or weight/build. I pull it up, find the MSC, and look it over before entering a shop.

You get the idea. It helps me.

As long as I get paid I couldn't care less what my rating is.

The frustration can be when shoppers receive a rating with worthless editorial comments. My first couple of years, I received, "please use standard English" (rating was 8); "You wrote an excellent report and will be receiving a grade of 9 because we never had to contact you for additional information"; "Your report was actually very good. An 8 with xxxxx is on a 10 point scale, with 10 being perfect (and rare), and a 7 meaning average, or met minimal expectations." (rating was an 8). "Your report was good and could easily have been a 9", (got an 8) and "Great job, thank you! Nicely written! Your report was well written and required little or no editing!" (got a 9).

These reviews provided no specific, constructive feedback advising me how to improve.

Just occurred to me that these were all Sassie users. Maybe worth contemplating, but on second thought, not worth my time.

After years of shopping, I'm less concerned, with ratings. I keep getting assignments, and have always been paid. Build a history of consistency and quality of work, the rest will take care of itself.

Thank you BBird0701, jpgilham, and Mert. I feel encouraged by your posts. I am amazed at the learning curve involved in being a mystery shopper.

I'm new and just got an 8 rating from Bare, also. They said that I wasn't clear enough with what I wrote, and that they needed to edit it. I sort of got the gist that my report wasn't as organized as it could be. Is there anyway to find out the exact details of where you went 'south".

This was a second email from them. The first one said the same thing, but had no score. I replied and asked if they could clarify where I messed up. The letter content was the same for both, and the suggestion was to read the narratives aloud prior to sending it in. I don't have a copy of this report. I hadn't figure out that I should save them yet.

It is my 2nd shop completed. I'm now up to 3. Should I be freaking, yet?

Are there any tricks for getting the needed info without being obvious, or getting caught?

Will the 8 make me lose any of the payment?

Hi jatufu1, Learning curve is an understatement! I thought this would be easy money, and I could play spy.

Perfection is an art - but often a disappointment when you expect it from others.

Many shoppers expect to get 10s from each and every shop. There is nothing wrong with such high expectations. The problem we run into is an expectation that all companies that have similar grading systems give the same grades for the same work. It takes time to realize that you will get different grades for similar quality of work - some are more picky than others. Some emphasize proper grammar more than others. Some will scour your narratives for inconsistencies and inadequate clarification of 'No' answers and then ask you for more information while others are more relaxed. Some with give meaningful feedback that will help you improve and others will give an unhelpful generic answer that sounds more like a politician talking.

Does it matter? It depends.

Jatufu1 - You described a situation when your grades go down from 10s to 9s. I would be a little concerned if the change was for the same shops for the same MSP. That would indicate a drop in quality that you might examine in better detail. You could review the saved copies of your shops to see what was different. This drop might allow better rated shoppers to get shops over you, but if you are in the 9 range still, it should not be a big deal. If you have different, perhaps more demanding shops for the same MSP it matters less. Or, if you are comparing 10s from Bare to 9s from certain other companies like Intellishop (which is known for nit-picky grading and rarely gives 10s to anyone) then those grades are really equal. To help find out, you could research the individual companies to see how each grades.
Bottom line is that grades of 10s and 9s are really great when starting out and if you pay attention to companies that give meaningful feedback, you will be just fine.


Watching the Wheels - A grade of 8 is good for a beginner and it will definitely get you paid. There is no need to freak out as I and lots of other shoppers started out with this grade on a number of shops. It indicates that there are things to learn and the companies understand that. Some of it depends on the MSP. Some give meaningful feedback, like it seems you have gotten. Some of them don't. For the former, I absorb it and try to improve. For the latter, I don't let a grade of 9 and sometimes an 8 kill me. If you pay attention to meaningful feedback it sounds like you will be just fine.

Good luck and have fun!

Watching the Wheels - An 8 will get you paid, and is not too shabby. Likely, so will a 7, 6, or 5. Going forward, a 9+ may be required for certain assignments.

"Are there any tricks for getting the needed info without being obvious, or getting caught?"

Definitely. Search the forum. If you don't find the specifics you need, please post again, with specific needs.

Some MSC sites will allow the shopper to save a pdf of the shop; others do not. For those that don't, before submitting, right click on the report (or use whatever tool your browser provides) and save your own copy. Step away for an hour or so. Return, re-read, and edit with fresh eyes.

Watching the Wheels Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The letter content was the same for both, and the
> suggestion was to read the narratives aloud prior
> to sending it in. I don't have a copy of this
> report. I hadn't figure out that I should save
> them yet.

Ironically, I have not done this yet, but proofreading your writing aloud can be an excellent way to polish your writing. When we read silently, we have a tendency to read what we thought we wrote, rather than what we actually wrote. When we actually hear what we have written, we can often catch places where the writing needs to be clarified.

Hang in there! And good luck!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2014 07:13PM by jatufu1.

vlade5394 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jatufu1 - You described a situation when your
> grades go down from 10s to 9s. I would be a
> little concerned if the change was for the same
> shops for the same MSP. That would indicate a
> drop in quality that you might examine in better
> detail. You could review the saved copies of your
> shops to see what was different. This drop might
> allow better rated shoppers to get shops over you,
> but if you are in the 9 range still, it should not
> be a big deal. If you have different, perhaps
> more demanding shops for the same MSP it matters
> less. Or, if you are comparing 10s from Bare to
> 9s from certain other companies like Intellishop
> (which is known for nit-picky grading and rarely
> gives 10s to anyone) then those grades are really
> equal. To help find out, you could research the
> individual companies to see how each grades.
> Bottom line is that grades of 10s and 9s are
> really great when starting out and if you pay
> attention to companies that give meaningful
> feedback, you will be just fine.
>

That is interesting. So far I have done two shops for IntelliShop and received a 10 on both of them. So I feel encouraged. One thing I did notice is that both recent 9 scores that give the rater's initials are from the same person. So it might not be that the quality of my work has decreased, as much as I had a rater with higher standards.

I was a bit frustrated with the one that noted I rounded my time, when I actually did enter the line at the time I reported. But I guess I can see where they might think you rounded your time if the seconds are 00.

I will still try work on polishing my work a bit more the next time. I would like to get at least one 10 again.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2014 11:56PM by jatufu1.

Mert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
Step away for
> an hour or so. Return, re-read, and edit with
> fresh eyes.


I will certainly try to use this advice. Now that I think of it, considering the fact that I am often typing up the report in the middle of the night when my mind is wanting to wind down, I am probably lucky I have done as well as I have.

I really appreciate the fact that those of you who have so much experience take your time and try to help those of us who are new.

Thank you so much!

jatufu1 Wrote:
> That is interesting. So far I have done two shops
> for IntelliShop and received a 10 on both of them.
> So I feel encouraged. One thing I did notice is
> that both recent 9 scores that give the rater's
> initials from the same person. So it might not be
> that the quality of my work has decreased, as much
> as I had a rater with higher standards.
>


You have good instincts. Encouraged with 10s from Intellishop is a proper place to be. And you have discovered that inconsistency with grading for the same MSP is a phenomenon too often seen. With experience you will learn how each of your MSPs grades and view their grades and feedback within that context.

Mert, I like your idea of saving the report, taking a breather, then re reading it.

I know that I'm stressing a bit over remaining objective when I'm writing. I have past corporate restaurant chain management and trainer experience and find that I will automatically start doing an internal check list of "what I would change" to fix some of the areas that might not be getting brought up in what I've been asked to check.

Is there anyway to add some of these unasked for observations into a report without being penalized.

EX:

A shop I did yesterday is in a VERY SATURATED shopping hub in my area, there are numerous competitors within a square mile radius of this store. What stood out to me was the horrible street visibility of this store. I overshot the place twice, and was beginning to think that it either didn't exist or that its signage was not up to date. I know in my heart of hearts that the public is having problems finding the shop. This area is also a very heavy traffic area because of all the stores and parking can be evil.

I personally will drive to towns further away just to dodge the traffic.

Watching the Wheels,

There is always a way to add such observations - just send an email to the scheduler explaining that it did not 'fit' into the report. I have done this when the staff of a retail store was conducting a race around the building between two employees and the entire staff was having spirited discussions over it. I wrote up the report without mention of the race. When I realized unusual conduct related to the race needed to be explained, I submitted a supplemental narrative in a separate email. My job was done and I let the scheduler/editor figure out how to use it. It also helped avoid any emails from the editors asking me to explain that unusual behavior. However, the better way is to add it to the narrative as permitted.

There are two caveats. First, consider reporting facts more than opinions. For example with your poor visibility example, you could focus on the size of the storefront, size and placement of any signage and colors/lighting of the sign. Those facts would be presented to explain why you (and any normal shopper) could miss it. The second point is that some MSPs embrace extra observations while others don't really want them because it doesn't fit into the form of the report. The forum is a great source for figuring out which is which.