If you don't care for the shop requirements, why did you sign up for it? I'm not sure how they are "mistreating" you. No one forced you to accept the shop. Honestly, it doesn't sound like GFK's fault. My advice would be to not flake on this. GFK is a decent company, IMO.

On the shop log for your assignment there should be a "Help/Comment" button. Have you tried that? Does the assignment give a name or email of the scheduler?

I think if you do the shop, you will find it is not as difficult as you think it is. Most cell phone shops are not hard. The tricky thing with GfK is they have an unusual way of presenting the report. You have to click on the instructions. there you will find PART of the report following the link to the instructions. Ignore that report. That's only the first few questions. You have to click where it says something like "click here for the printable instructions." There you will see the whole report. You probably found that, if you found 107 questions. But the report "opens up" as you answer questions when you go to input it. While the "whole report" shows a lot of stuff, when you do the report, only some of it will actually be answered.

If they ask the question, for example, did the agent mention Ipads, and you say "no" because they never mentioned Ipads, then the questions about Ipads can be ignored. The full report covers every contingency so after you do the shop you have a place to mark everything, but when you fill out the report, not all of it will actually be presented to you.

Please, don't flake, just do the shop. It's easier than you think. I hope you're carrying a recorder (if legal in your state) because it makes it easier.

Pay attention to the instructions that say things like, If they only talk about one brand, you must ask, "What brand would you recommend second?" So be sure you prompt them for anything where you are required to ask a question. Be sure to get a business card.

Cell phone shops can be a little intimidating the first time or two because there are always a couple things you need to be sure to mention.

Remember not to bring your own cell phone into the store with you, unless for some reason you're required to.

Have a back story for why you're in the market for a new phone. I say I've been on Straight Talk and the coverage isn't very good and the phones they let me use don't have very good features. Usually they give you some scenarios to choose from. Don't say you're with a provider you know nothing about though. Go look up a plan on the internet so you can answer, "Unlimited talk and text and 1 gig of data" when they ask what your plan is now -- but pick an actual plan for the company you are saying you use now. Or plan to act vague and say something like "my wife/girlfriend/son set it up two years ago and I'm not sure what I have."

But know how you will answer questions of "who are you with now" and "what plan are you on" and "what do you do with a phone" (talk, text, facebook, check email, take pictures) because they WILL ask those questions, and you'll need to report what questions they asked.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2014 03:38PM by Agent 99.

Is this a MYSTERY SHOP or an AUDIT? Are you taking covert pictures or are you working with the manager to get pictures of the displays? Because if it's an audit, those are dead easy! Most of the narratives are not necessary, and when they are, they are a few words, not a paragraph.

I wish I knew for sure which shop you're doing. I've done both audits and mystery shops for GfK. My advice above was geared toward the mystery shop, where you are pretending to be buying a phone. If you're doing a merchandising audit, relax. The hardest thing about those is remembering to bring fresh batteries for your camera.

I've only done the GFK cell audits and they really are easy. I'm in the store for 15 minutes and then it takes maybe 30 minutes for the report.

BillBryaninCarthage, I hope my original response didn't sound snarky. I'm sorry if it did. What I meant to say, in a nicer tone, was that GFK is a good company and I wouldn't recommend burning bridges. That does stink that they never responded. FWIW, they have a wings shop that is pretty easy and is sometimes bonused.

Good luck!

Bill, if you have sent emails asking to cancel, I'd suggest you send another email before you go saying that you were reassured by the people on the forum and you are going to do the shops. Otherwise you may find they canceled them after you left.

There are several variants on the smart phone shop. Some are a little annoying because they require us to do and say things no normal person would do or say.

The worst one I did was at a WalMart where I was shopping a WalMart employee who clearly couldn't care less if I bought a phone that day. It was like pulling teeth to get any information out of him.

BillBryan... most of the narratives for this one just call for you to type out your "No answers" or give a short blow-by-blow of your Yes answers. Don't waste your time and sit there for ages trying to come up with creative wording to avoid being redundant, they LOVE redundancy.

Oh, and, a tip... If you feel the pay is too low, ask for more, especially for a targeted shop. They are more work, because as you said, you have to wait for that specific employee to finish with other customers and become available. Time = money.

Hi Bill,

I feel your pain. I have done the shop you are struggling with and refuse to do another, even for a decent bonus. (I actually was recently enticed by a decent bonus, then when it was time to complete the report, I remembered why I didn't do these shops anymore.)
Every time you answer a question, another series of drop downs open up. Redundant, time confusing, not a no-brainer report.
You said you are not a flake. Let that be your guide. Do the shop, get the report done, and remember your pain when you are looking at these smartphone shops next time.

GFK cell phone shops are the only cell phone shops I will not do anymore. The length and repetition is ridiculous. But, with regard to the OP, if you took the shop, you should complete it.

GFK is infamous for misleading reports
You can NOT see the real report until you start submitting the answers. MOST questions are hidden and do not appear till you start answering the question just above.

That's not true. You can see the full report by clicking on the link at the top of the instructions where it says something like "click here for printable questionnaire.'