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Having company reject your pictures and demand you go back.

August 01, 2019 07:57PM
I have worked for this company for over 20 years. Never had a problem with my picture taking, until this past month. Several of my jobs the pictures were rejected and they demanded that I drop everything and go back instantly and retake pictures. They want a full front on view showing the product display and surrounding area. The aisle is not wide enough to stand and take a full front. have to stand at an angle and take several pictures from different angles to show everything. Explain in comments why pictures taken from an angle, they still demand a full front picture taken from straight ahead.
I even took a tape measure and put on floor in front of one to show the aisle was only 4.5' wide and sent them that picture with the others.
Oh, and they are not paying for me to go back and redo. The jobs are 40+ miles one way.
They have new managers at corporate and I don't think they have ever done a merchandising job in their life, some of the things they are telling us they want done.
Won't mention company, but anyone that works for them will know.
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August 02, 2019 08:07AM
I know this won't help with this job but I wanted to tell you for the future. I bought a new LG V40 and it has a setting that I can stand only three feet away from the Walmart gift and debit card cube and get the entire side of the cube in the picture. I am sure a new Samsung phone would have the same type of setting.

As far as dropping everything and going back to take pictures, I might do it one time and then really consider whether it's worth working for them in the future.
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August 02, 2019 11:24AM
Anytime I had issues with pictures, after going 20 miles away, and explaining what happened, I would tell them I'm not going back just for a few pictures. I would also think twice about doing this shop again. My pictures were accepted.
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August 02, 2019 11:40AM
John, it's not a shop. It's a merchandising job. You are in the merchandising section of the forum. Often we merchandisers are employees, not independent contractors.
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August 02, 2019 09:53PM
@OP: I will not ask exactly which client and display you are talking about, but I can relate and commiserate-- at least a little bit.

I know of one display that is less than two feet away from a column. The column limits where the merchandiser/photographer can stand. It is easy to get the angled views. It is a chiropractic nightmare to get the full front view of the display. Perhaps a different camera would make the task easier, or stretching your arm as far as possible to position the camera more closely to a front view than an angled view would help. But the bottom line is this: the column makes it absurdly difficult if not downright impossible to obtain the required full front view of the particular display.

Another option is to relocate the display within the store that has the column. But that is beyond our control...

Bach is not noise, Madam. (Robert, in Two's Company)
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August 02, 2019 11:53PM
can't move the display, it is an inline. This is an ongoing job. I told my manager that I would only do it one time as they don't pay mileage. It was supposed to be done by another merchandiser, but apparently they quit, before they even started.
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August 03, 2019 08:01PM
I know reps who will call the store and ask for someone there to send them a picture. This might work if they remember you.

Former mystery shopper, current merchandiser.
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August 03, 2019 08:02PM
Also, sometimes if the aisle is too narrow, you can stand in the next aisle and take a photo over the top if the shelves aren't too high. Stand on the base deck.

Former mystery shopper, current merchandiser.
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August 04, 2019 04:06PM
Please don't stand on the base deck. Not only does it damage the deck (causing endless headaches for reset teams) but you risk tipping the entire gondola over on yourself. I have seen serious injuries from this.
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August 05, 2019 12:44AM
cm
" Also, sometimes if the aisle is too narrow, you can stand in the next aisle and take a photo over the top if the shelves aren't too high. Stand on the base deck."


The stores I do all have 6 feet or higher shelves.
And at my old age I'm not about to try and stand on a base deck to take a picture.
If you fall off and injure yourself, then the company sure won't pay for your medical.
They most likely would say "How stupid are you, this is a safety hazard".
Along with the store reprimanding you for it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2019 12:46AM by sueac101.
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August 05, 2019 12:54AM
I do have a step stool, but that's a really good idea about having an employee stand on a step stool and taking the photo from the next aisle over. I definitely would do that one (I don't particularly like standing on step stools if I can avoid it).
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August 06, 2019 11:54PM
@stormraven73 wrote:

Please don't stand on the base deck. Not only does it damage the deck (causing endless headaches for reset teams) but you risk tipping the entire gondola over on yourself. I have seen serious injuries from this.

I suppose I shouldn't take for granted that everyone understands the structure of a base deck and where it is safe to stand without damage or injury. I don't service any stores that have gondolas so unstable that weight on a bottom shelf would flip it. What types of products do they sell? How do they move product for resets without tipping them over?

Former mystery shopper, current merchandiser.
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August 06, 2019 11:58PM
@sueac101 wrote:



The stores I do all have 6 feet or higher shelves.

You can stand in the aisle and hold the camera up over your head and see what you get. Check the photo and adjust the angle and height accordingly until you get the shot you want. It might take a few tries, working blind, but it seems better than a rejection and/or return trip.

Former mystery shopper, current merchandiser.
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August 07, 2019 01:58AM
@cm wrote:


I suppose I shouldn't take for granted that everyone understands the structure of a base deck and where it is safe to stand without damage or injury. I don't service any stores that have gondolas so unstable that weight on a bottom shelf would flip it. What types of products do they sell? How do they move product for resets without tipping them over?

I have, unfortunately, seen many unsecured gondola bases when doing resets, most in the pickles/salad dressings aisles!! As for moving products, we do it by the cartload, one shelf at a time, replacing whatever gondola pieces we need to for safety and presentation. Sad, but true.
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August 08, 2019 05:45PM
Definitely true. And I have seen some of the people they have building gondolas during store remodels. Not always the sharpest tools in the shed.
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August 08, 2019 10:17PM
Oh, and I hate how they stack glass in the pickle aisle...shudder. They should put pickles in plastic. There is always at least one broken jar during a reset.
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August 09, 2019 09:23PM
I'm not suggesting clearing off pickles to get a photo. There are a lot of retailers that I service that have stable base decks with large boxed product. Office supply, electronic, drug store.

Former mystery shopper, current merchandiser.
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August 09, 2019 09:34PM
No one thought you were. It was a related side conversation.
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August 14, 2019 01:49AM
I always take extra pics on my phone, just in case they reject mine. I have had issues also, with the narrow aisle and wanting a direct photo. Luckily, i just got a Samsung Galaxy10, and it has an incredible feature where it can zoom out, and do panoramic pics.
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August 19, 2019 11:07PM
I was send back once to retake pictures. Not only sent back but ran into a person who had come back to do the work I had done,told me I had done it all wrong and then called a supervisor to report my bad attitude(with whom she seemed to have a personal relationship). I quit when the next job wanted us to stop what we were doing on a project and take customers of the store to wherever they wanted to go(a job I think belonging to store employees) so I quit..
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August 19, 2019 11:14PM
Well, Anniemaria, while I agree that you had a bad situation with this company overall and having to go back to take photos in your situation was unreasonable (plus running into that other person who reported you), I do agree that when you are working in a store and a customer needs help, it is the right thing to do to help them if you can, especially if you are being paid by the hour. If it's a flat fee I get why you can't do that, but if it's hourly there is no reason to not escort them to the product or find an employee to help them.
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