It looks to me like the $40 lunch shops can be done within budget. For those, the ordering requirement is quite modest.

I do not find their lunch narratives at all burdensome.

Boy I would do it in a hot minute for a $50 reimbursement but even though I'm registered with 150 companies, apparently I am not registered with the company that does there! No idea who they are. Oh I know... who shops Olive Garden (just kidding!)

Up until a couple of weeks ago, everytime a scheduler assigned me a mystery shop on the sassie platform, I got an email confirmation. Now I don't receive any confirmations from any of the schedulers. This is bad! I work for so many companies that I forget what shops I request, and I depended on the email confirmations!

Anyone else having this problem?

This is good information to have... by reading the OP's first post which didn't mention the MSC, and reading the post that said "I haven't shopped for Coyle" I was able to identify this MSCs client. Much appreciated.

missterryus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is good information to have... by reading the
> OP's first post which didn't mention the MSC, and
> reading the post that said "I haven't shopped for
> Coyle" I was able to identify this MSCs client.
> Much appreciated.


It is absolutely not Coyle

I shop one of Jimmy Buffet's restaurants every three months or so. The $40 reimbursement covers my meal and tip, and the $15 fee is adequate compensation [when including the free meal] for the report.

missterryus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is good information to have... by reading the
> OP's first post which didn't mention the MSC, and
> reading the post that said "I haven't shopped for
> Coyle" I was able to identify this MSCs client.
> Much appreciated.

If, by reading the post that said "I haven't shopped for Coyle," you identified Coyle as the company shopping this client, you are in for a surprise. Not sure you will still appreciate it.

The MSCs will be the first to tell ICs who there clients are: <check their facebook pages.>



Mod note: Missterryus, if the MSC wants to publicly state who their clients are, that's their business. Even if you don't have an ICA with them to breach, the forum still asks that MSCs and their clients not be directly linked. Thanks!

Fascinating, but they are no longer the MSC unless the client is being shopped by multiple MSCs.


(Edited to add that I have been registered with the company you pointed to for many years and never saw them shopping them in my area. Perhaps they had a 'one off' where a particular location individually contracted for shops?)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2014 04:58PM by Flash.

Flash you have helped me a great deal getting started, thanks.

Missterryus, your post with the Facebook link violates the rules of this forum. MSC's and clients cannot be mentioned in the same thread.

James Bond 007.5 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Missterryus, your post with the Facebook link
> violates the rules of this forum. MSC's and
> clients cannot be mentioned in the same thread.

Is this an accurate interpretation of the forum rules? If so, wouldn't the forum be breaking its own rules by having links, down at the bottom of the page, to the MSC home pages? The last two that I signed up with had their home page plastered with their clients' logos.

Or, is the difference one of intent?

I think you understand the rule since you state, "Or, is the difference one of intent?" Of course it is the difference of intent. The links to many companies are in the list referenced at the bottom of the page and would 'narrow down' the number of companies to what, 100? 200? The intent of posting a facebook link within the conversation is an intent to disclose who is shopping whom while attempting to get around the rules.

Ishmael, additionally our ICA's generally prohibit disclosing the clients of the MSC's we shop for. A MSC can list their clients if they so desire, but we can't.

minuet00 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A center cut filet at Olive Garden? I have never
> ordered fish there.
> I'm rather curious about this shop, would love to
> stumble on the company who does these!

[oops! self-delete]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2014 10:16PM by missterryus.

James Bond 007.5 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ishmael, additionally our ICA's generally prohibit
> disclosing the clients of the MSC's we shop for. A
> MSC can list their clients if they so desire, but
> we can't.

I understood this only applied to those who were ICs for the company. If it is a rule that any forum member no matter their IC status or lack thereof is required to abide by then I misunderstood the rules and will self-delete.



Mod note: Thanks, Missterryus! Yes, one of the few forum rules is that we ask posters to not directly link MSC's with their clients.

Here is a copy of the posting guidelines which are underneath each window where you type a reply [emphasis added]

Posting Guidelines: Be honest. Add a positive contribution to the community. You are responsible for all the content of your post. Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies. We're in this together. And most importantly: Have fun!

As lightly moderated as this forum is, it should be easy to follow that one rule.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2014 10:20PM by James Bond 007.5.

James Bond 007.5 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ishmael, additionally our ICA's generally prohibit
> disclosing the clients of the MSC's we shop for. A
> MSC can list their clients if they so desire, but
> we can't.

I self-deleted those other posts. A forum owner sets their own rules. My understanding was that only ICs with agreements with the MSC could not disclose clients. I understood the rule to mean that if you were not an IC with the MSC then there was no restriction on posting the name of the client.

More shoppers would be helped if they knew what companies to join that had the shops they preferred, rather than joining 100+ companies and disclosing SS# and personal data which becomes the property of the MSC and is sold by some of them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2014 10:28PM by missterryus.

We all had to learn it the hard way, Missterryus....

Heck, you could help me more if you would schedule my shops for me, perform them, report them and just have them send me the checks!

You know, back when I was new, I made a post where I casually mentioned a client on an MSC thread. I even had read the 'Posting Guidelines' and all. It just didn't register with me, I guess, because it was an MSC almost everyone shops for, or is at least signed up with, or has at some point; and I just figured everyone here already *knew* that so-and-so MSC shopped so-and-so client. Ha!

And just a while ago, with the new (although not *that* new anymore) forum format being that the thread subject title doesn't show up anymore, except at the top of the first page of the thread; I accidentally named a client again... because I forgot the MSC was in the thread title! Damn new forum format... I liked having the thread subject line/title with every post. You can't even see the thread subject when you're posting to the thread, like *right now*! Sometimes with the way we all go on, I forget which thread I'm in. Hah!

Anyway, yes, it *would* be easier if we could find out which MSCs have our favorite shops. But that's just not the way it works... except for some MSCs who advertise on their websites or social media pages who their clients are, so you can see before you sign up. But they're the only ones who can do that. Although possibly other forums have different rules.

OK, I really enjoy eating out, so I do all the restaurant ones I can. Now I would really like to try Olive Garden but... I have an friend who works there. She's not really a close friend, more of an acquaintance, but if I went into the restaurant she know me well enough to say Hi and perhaps chit-chat a little bit. Would this be a disqualifier?

I love Olive Garden. But they must have changed something in their salad because whenever I eat it I get a massive headache.

I wonder sometimes too ~ how close does one have to be with someone to disqualify from a shop? Does it vary by shop/MSC?

One place I shop, my cousin works there. However, I usually only see him once a year at the big family picnic/reunion. And he's never actually on shift when I do my shops there ~ he works mornings, I shop afternoons. I think I did mention it to the scheduler a long time ago... but can't remember for sure. I still shop there, though!

Oh ~ clarification ~ I shop there for personal *and* MS.

I have a terrible tendency to sign up for companies without even reading their website, just based on information here. As part of my continuing education, I should go back and read the websites, Facebook pages, etc. of the companies.

kamarkim Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
... I have an friend who works
> there. She's not really a close friend, more of an
> acquaintance, but if I went into the restaurant
> she know me well enough to say Hi and perhaps
> chit-chat a little bit. Would this be a
> disqualifier?

Here is my own personal 'degrees of separation'. If I know the person's name and see them from time to time in the grocery store where we may acknowledge each other with a head nod or 'hi' and go on our ways, I am probably okay. If it is someone where we stop to chat in the grocery store I am probably not okay. The first is an acquaintance and the second could be deemed a friend because the second might share with me in their job setting things they would not share with total strangers and I could also consciously or sub-consciously 'cut them a break' in evaluating their performance. I also figure if I know the name of their spouse, kids, where they live, what their pets are, I am probably not okay even if we haven't spoken in a few years.

So when I take a job I tend to not take one where I know I have even an acquaintance who works there because probably I am already too involved with that person (unless I am reasonably certain I will not be interacting with that person). This is probably stricter than the MSC requires, but I don't want to be put in the position of having to ditch a visit because in their occupational position my acquaintance is treating me like an old friend.

I have had to ditch jobs in the past where the acquaintance treated me like an old friend and I didn't think that they were providing their normal customer service.

I'm running Internet Explorer and, in the tab for this window, it says "Olive Garden". When I go to other threads, the name changes.

StormCloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You know, back when I was new, I made a post where
> I casually mentioned a client on an MSC thread. I
> even had read the 'Posting Guidelines' and all.
> It just didn't register with me, I guess, because
> it was an MSC almost everyone shops for, or is at
> least signed up with, or has at some point; and I
> just figured everyone here already *knew* that
> so-and-so MSC shopped so-and-so client. Ha!
>
> And just a while ago, with the new (although not
> *that* new anymore) forum format being that the
> thread subject title doesn't show up anymore,
> except at the top of the first page of the thread;
> I accidentally named a client again... because I
> forgot the MSC was in the thread title! Damn new
> forum format... I liked having the thread
> subject line/title with every post. You can't
> even see the thread subject when you're posting to
> the thread, like *right now*! Sometimes with the
> way we all go on, I forget which thread I'm in.
> Hah!
>
> Anyway, yes, it *would* be easier if we could find
> out which MSCs have our favorite shops. But
> that's just not the way it works... except for
> some MSCs who advertise on their websites or
> social media pages who their clients are, so you
> can see before you sign up. But they're the only
> ones who can do that. Although possibly other
> forums have different rules.

I'm running Firefox, and the title of the thread shows up in the top of the window. I wouldn't notice it unless I was looking for it, though. It's above the different tabs.

James Bond 007.5 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm running Internet Explorer and, in the tab for
> this window, it says "Olive Garden". When I go to
> other threads, the name changes.



Well, *there* lies my problem. I have so many damned tabs open in Chrome, there isn't enough space for the thread title to show. If I hover my mouse there, though, it does! So now I know that if I forget which thread I'm in, I can just hover the mouse!

Flash, thanks for your advice. I appreciate it. I probably won't attempt this one, because I can see I would know this person too well.