I guess I just need to vent for a moment. During slow times of the month I find myself taking jobs I really dont care for because of the length and detail required for the report. I think that is about to change. Maybe it's just me but it seams as though some of the restaurant and cell phone reports are asking for more and more details of interactions with sales associates. It used to be I could tell it like it happened and editors were happy. Now the instructions for the narrative areas are longer than the narrative. How many times did the associate blink? Did he touch his nose? Was he right or left handed? And my favorite "Give EXACT quotes of responses for all 127 questions you asked.". Of course I am being sarcastic but the pay is dropping and the reports getting longer. I find myself being very particular about the shops I take. Its getting to the point it takes me 3 times longer to write the report than it did to interact with the sales person. And some of these I still get back asking for more detail. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I just gave you the persons entire life history!!!

OK I feel better now. (climbing down off my soap box.)

Please indicate in the box below why you feel Some reports are too long (Did it take longer to write the report than it did to grow the food they served you?)

Without mentioning any details that might identify you, the mystery shopping company, the client, the type or nature of the shop, your locale, or the associate who helped you, please describe in detail exactly what it was about the report than made it seem too long: (100 word minimum).

Please list the top three reasons, in ascending order of relevance, to explain why writing long reports for little pay seems unsatisfactory to you. (Note: If you list four or more reasons, or two or less reasons, your report may be disqualified and you will not be paid.)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2009 05:22PM by JayTee.

Jaytee and Iowashopper - you are too funny! I agree with your sentiments. I also dislike the reports where you have to answer basic and simple questions using a minimum of 364 words. How many words do you need to say the associate was dismissive, rude, pleasant or enthusiastic???!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS SHOP HAS BEEN BONUSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Attention shoppers I have a fun easy shop!!! It only requires that you ask 102 specific questions, memorize 64 product names and fill out a dozen 4000 word narratives.

Shop fee $6
reimbursement up to $0.25
BONUS!!! $1

Cracking me up. This is all so true!

"Visit 7 departments in one store, meet with 7 different clerks, ask 7 different questions, and then try to remember times you met with them and their names and descriptions, and all the questions you asked and who was in what department. Oh, and thanks for doing this for $8.00."

Yes, I have discovered some shops are not worth my time. I usually evaluate the time and money, and if I even like doing it. If it gets to be too much paper work, I stop shopping for that company. I was and still am concerned with Maritz 70 page guide for gas shops. I find it is getting a little easier as I do more of them though. It seems so difficult at first.

Iowashopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS SHOP HAS BEEN
> BONUSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> Attention shoppers I have a fun easy shop!!! It
> only requires that you ask 102 specific questions,
> memorize 64 product names and fill out a dozen
> 4000 word narratives.
>
> Shop fee $6
> reimbursement up to $0.25
> BONUS!!! $1


LOL... I get a shop like this in my inbox almost every day for the same stinking shoe store that NO ONE wants to do. The questionnaire has sooo many pages, and it requires a TON of details. I did this shop once when I had others in the area and had so many issues with that survey form. How many times can I put that I was in the store for 30 minutes while the salespeople chatted with eachother near the front of the store? The store was so gross and WAY overcharged on shoes. Nothing in the store was less than the minimum $5.00 purchase.

I saw this shop come through my inbox again and the scheduler said BONUS!!! 10 HERO CITATIONS!!! Yah.. ok.. whatever. I wrote to the scheduler and told them I would need a $10 bonus to do it, and that was only if I could still find a couple of other shops in the area. I told her if I couldn't find other shops, I'd need $20. She writes back, "How about $5?"

LMAO - yah right.

Now that I have picked myself up off the floor, where I was rolling around laughing...it is so very true about some of the reports. I just had one yesterday that three times in the report said "Comments" with no indication of what they wanted ...so I just divided up into three sections what I would have written at the end. I talked to a scheduler about another issue, and mentioned the comments' she agree. As for the 'Bonused' I guess I'm lucky, because where I am there doesn't seem to be a lot of people shopping, and most of mine come toward the end of the month as the schedulers get desperate. I have one scheduler that calls and we have a good relationship, that she asks which ones can I do, and if it is for the same as last month....needless to say, I don't do them for the 'normal' fee. There are a few others like that, too, that I have been cultivating a good relationship with. It works for me. Oh....bank shops. OMG "It won't take long" Well, except for the "teller" shops....I spend at least a half an hour doing an inquiry about opening an account...because they give such a large amount to deposit, in the scenario, and then the length of the paper work! So the fee gets bumped accordingly. I also have to refuse some because the same person is the rep in more than one branch here. I have been lucky and have had really good schedulers...so I keep my fingers crossed that it keeps going that way. Wow...sorry to run on so long!

How about this one... "We have now REDUCED the number of questions since last year and it's still the same pay!" YAY! So, then you download the form and each "question" has been broken into 25 more detailed questions....

1. How was your food?
a. Was it hot?
b. Was it tasty?
c. Was your order received as ordered?
etc...

To me, that's not one question...

Jaytee, you're a hoot!

It's possible they're combining 2 types of shops into one to save money on fees. ATH did that with a bank client that had 2 shops with Kern last year. Kern had paid $12 for teller and $18 for sales rep. I did many rep shops, then opened an account there to do the tellers. ATH now has both in ONE shop for $17.