I seem to be following around a real creep in the gas station shops in my area. I've heard it from employees and managers at nearly a dozen different locations after the reveal portion of audits at two different brands of gas stations covered by two different companies. They tell of a shopper who berates, chastises, and even yells at them for deficiencies found in audits. The employees are very much on edge and angry, making for a tense revealed portion of these visits. Very sad was a recent shop for which I was only the second visitor since the site changed brands and got picked up by the MSC. When I checked in before leaving to thank them and say bye, the cashier said, "Aren't you going to yell at us for everything we're doing wrong?" The story she then told explained her cold demeanor post-reveal, and really pissed me off re. this guy who's giving us a bad name.
I've let the offended employees know that what they're getting from this guy is not right, and that they have every right to complain. Should I be encouraging them to speak to their fuel supplier? To the MSCs? Should I be reporting this to the MSCs? If they complain to the supplier, I fear that the MSC could lose the contract, and I lose the future work. Is there an ICA concern with me giving MSC contact info to the offended employees? How involved can/should I get in reporting this to the MSC?
Your thoughts?

I would start with contacting your scheduler.

I would also consider telling the employees to complain to their higher-ups about this treatment.

they should tell their supplier who will contact their contact at the msc and take care of it.

Conveying that information could hardly be considered "tattling." The employees should not have to put up with such abuse and the MSC has every right to know about behavior which could cost them a client.

I also would tell the scheduler.

I ran into something like this once at a station, and I reported it to the MSC. I don't know if I did the right thing or not, but it felt right.

I always make a mention in the reports for gas station audits as to whether the employee was cooperative or not after the audit was revealed. In the case of the OP, I would explain the initial attitude of the employee towards the audit, and then detail what the reason was for their negative demeanor. Just so you know, I've never had one of these reports kicked back for including that information.

elcarev68 Wrote:
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> I seem to be following around a real creep in the
> gas station shops in my area. I've heard it from
> employees and managers at nearly a dozen different
> locations...of a shopper
> who berates, chastises, and even yells at them for
> deficiencies found in audits.

This person should not be out in the field conducting mystery shopping assignments. Deficiencies found during audits aren't even supposed to be discussed on-site with anyone in the first place. Becoming emotionally abusive about deficiencies is completely unacceptable on so many levels.

Report it to your schedsuler ASAP. That person may very well be a danger to the employees.

I would tell that to the scheduler and possibly someone else in the MSC, like the project manager. He/she can then trace who it was that shopped the day they were being yelled at and take the shopper off the projects or even ban him/her outright from the MSC.

I agree. If the person doesn't have the authority to discipline, then that isn't their job. On top of that, correcting behavior isn't done in an abusive manner. This person could be potentially dangerous. I would let someone know about the situation.

Time for a counterpoint:

I have personally heard stories, that's plural, of yelling involving myself that were definitely a gross exaggeration. I'll detail a single episode so as not to bore.

Approx. 10 yrs. ago, I owned a video sales outlet selling titles running the gamut from animation to adult. As required by the town in which my business was located, I forbade anyone under 18 from entering, irrespective of their being accompanied by an adult. One day, I refused entrance to a minor in a manner that was polite and in a normal tone. In addition, I had large poster board signage at the entrance. While the teen understood, I heard his father state to the female I had "yelled" at the boy.

Two final points: I once had a female who failed to attempt a close on a Jenny Craig assignment accuse me of sexual harassment and I was dropped from a route of banks three yrs. ago because the target accused me of discourtesies. A paraphrasing of the following adage may apply: Things are not necessarily as they may seem!

"They tell of a shopper who berates, chastises, and even yells at them for deficiencies found in audits."

That in itself is reason to report this. Irregardless of whether or not the shopper YELLED at them. Every audit for every gas station I've done specifically say to not discuss findings with the employees.

Often after discerning the situation I will share with gas stations folks the things that could improve their audit. I do a lot of country stations and often they are totally in the dark as to what is expected. In several months when the rotation comes around I often find current credit card applications at pay points and atop pumps, name tags, and often logo shirts.

Namaste Wrote:
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> Often after discerning the situation I will share
> with gas stations folks the things that could
> improve their audit. I do a lot of country
> stations and often they are totally in the dark as
> to what is expected.

I know you have well-meaning intentions, Namaste, but on every audit of this type that I have completed, discussing the results of the audit is a huge no-no.

Besides, they are not in the dark concerning what is expected of them, whether the station is in a rural or city location. The company provides them with clear guidelines regarding their standards. The company also shares the results of audits that have been conducted so the location knows in which areas they have been deficient and require improvement. If they didn't, there would be no purpose in us auditing the business.

I have lost count of the number of stations that have demonstrated they they are very aware of the results of their last audit by telling me all about their ratings and feedback and extenuating circumstances. I do everything possible to extricate myself from such discussions as rapidly as possible.

Be careful of assumptions. Just because you haven't done something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

I do audits for a major gas chain where it is required to go over the results with the manager before leaving.

Going with the audits that don't want disclosure, not only is it in violation, it makes no sense to take the extra time. Time is money and that ten minutes spent going over a report could be better spent getting on down the road to the next location. What you deem as a nice thing to do will also put the next auditor in a bad situation as they will be following guidelines and will have to refuse to share the results.

The audited locations know, or are supposed to know, the standards. Ignorance is not an excuse, especially if a location has been audited repeatedly and the auditing standards have not changed recently.

I used to be the regular auditor for a group of gas stations. I was required to go through all the results with the person in charge at each location before obtaining their signature. Many employees/franchisees made excuses. Some tried to intimidate me physically. Some tried to bribe me.

I don't do those audits anymore. =D

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2013 05:19PM by BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz.

Yeah, those sob stories are all well and good, but why should we jeopardize our livelihood for theirs?

LisaSTL Wrote:

> What you deem as a nice thing to do will
> also put the next auditor in a bad situation as
> they will be following guidelines and will have to
> refuse to share the results.

YES! Whenever an auditor does things wrong, it creates problems for the next auditor.

So many times I have gone to do an audit and heard that the previous auditors didn't mark off for something. (on the audits where we do have to discuss the results) It seems I have been following someone locally who does the audits in about 15 minutes which are supposed to take between 45 and 60 minutes. I get a lot of flak from the managers for marking down on things. But these are absolutes. The sign is there or it's not. It sucks to have the expectation set by a previous auditor that we will overlook things.

BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz Wrote:
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> The audited locations know, or are supposed to
> know, the standards. Ignorance is not an excuse,
> especially if a location has been audited
> repeatedly and the auditing standards have not
> changed recently.

I audit three brands. Two seem to know what's going on, although the non-management employees don't always. At the third, a lower end chain, they rarely know what I am talking about. They read the letter and then, reluctantly, let me do the audit. My guess is that the communication isn't as good within this company.


> I used to be the regular auditor for a group of
> gas stations. I was required to go through all
> the results with the person in charge at each
> location before obtaining their signature. Many
> employees/franchisees made excuses. Some tried to
> intimidate me physically. Some tried to bribe
> me.

I haven't gotten the physical intimidation. That is horrible. But the pressure is big to give a better score. In one day, I was offered a car wash, many coffees and a bottle of wine. Wouldn't it be easier to just clean the station and put up the correct signage?

Edited for typos----

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2013 05:46PM by Bay.

Speaking from my own experiences conducting the type of audits originally discussed in this thread that aren't supposed to be discussed on-site, I have found the overwhelming majority of the associates at these locations to be quite savvy about what standards are supposed to be in place. Many times after the reveal portion of the audit commences, they themselves will take it upon themselves to tell me what isn't up to snuff. There are those that act coy or play stupid or try gaming it, though, even though they know and I know and they know I know that they know that there are issues that should have been corrected. It's ridiculous. Very few that I have encountered are completely clueless, even new hires.

It gets even more ridiculous when someone whom you have audited repeatedly, using the same standards, and is the franchisee/owner of a location, plays dumb.

BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz Wrote:
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> It gets even more ridiculous when someone whom you
> have audited repeatedly, using the same standards,
> and is the franchisee/owner of a location, plays
> dumb.


LOL. Yes that is ridiculous.

As far as I'm concerned, they can know or not about the audit. I answer the questions asked the same, regardless. Maybe they should ask a question about the attendant/manager/owner's demeanor during the audit.

How did the manager respond to you upon reveal? (Check all that apply)
ignored auditor
feigned ignorance
followed auditor
attempted to manipulate auditor
intimidated auditor
attempted to bribe auditor
yelled at auditor
made excuses to auditor
began cleaning restroom

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2013 06:11PM by Bay.

BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz Wrote:
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> It gets even more ridiculous when someone whom you
> have audited repeatedly, using the same standards,
> and is the franchisee/owner of a location, plays
> dumb.

Absolutely! Those are the locations at which you get to hear the really good stories about why something isn't the way it should be.

Thinking back over the most recent visits, I have been told that things aren't quite right because:
-the employee was leaving to get a haircut.
-a windstorm occurred.
-the employee was going through a divorce.
-the employee was ill.
-the computer wasn't working correctly.
-the employee's health insurance was denied.
-the employee's cat ran away.
-a gang of vandals stopped by.
-the employee got a new shirt for their birthday.
-the employee had gained weight.
-the cold weather affected their ability to do their jobs.
-they have special permission to not do/have something.
-customers are stupid.
-customers are mean.
-customers make messes.
-they just had an audit.

LMAO! All true.

Wow, shopgal, you get some good stories. I've done a lot of audits and haven't heard nearly so many excuses. I just get the boring ones like
- I'm here alone
- It's been busy
- The weather has been bad

Nearly every month for the past year I have done an audit at a station that required a signature at the end. When it didn't appear on my list of selections last month, I was surprised to find out that the MSC was putting rotation on the shops to get a fresh view. Well, lo and behold, when I did it this month, the fellow, who knows me by sight now was happy to inform me that last month he received a $25 Gift Card for passing everything and that he never got one from me. He was pleasant and so proud of his card that he even showed it to me. Well, expecting things to be ever so much better because, after all, the guy had his card, I still found that the store did not have the required displays that they never had when I did them before and the cashier did not offer an upsell as usual. So, the MSC got a new perspective from a shopper who most likely lied about the whole thing. If they compare the reports, I suspect they may ban the shopper for future assisgnments, but who knows. The cashier has to sign the report that says they don't have the stuff on display that they are supposed to have and most of the time there is no upsell either. I thought of writing to the scheduler about it, but decided against it...that would feel like tattling to me and you never know, maybe they DID have the required stuff last month...but I doubt it.

It would be nice if shoppers like that were banned. It doesn't seem like it happens much, though.

Bay Wrote:
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> Wow, shopgal, you get some good stories. I've done
> a lot of audits and haven't heard nearly so many
> excuses. I just get the boring ones like
> - I'm here alone
> - It's been busy
> - The weather has been bad

LOL, Bay! How I wish for the more boring explanations at times. Trust me, I have even more stories. The ones I shared were just from the last half dozen routes. Sometimes it's all I can do to not roll my eyes so far back in my head that they stay stuck that way forever more.

Personally, I would not report another shopper. Ever. If I wasn't there to see or hear what happened myself, then it is hearsay and I would never risk my credibility by trying to report on something about which I don't have first-hand knowledge.

My favorite MSC has a lot of audits in my area, and I used to have one major competitor for them. I got many complaints about him in the field, and eventually one of the schedulers even made a derogatory comment about him to me. Ultimately, he was deactivated. Great for me, of course, but the nice part about it was that the situation took care of itself. My advice: if it ain't your bed, it ain't your business. Let the employees and management of those audited stations fend for themselves, and keep out of it.