I was asked to go into a gas station store, check the prices on several items as I gathered them together for purchase, and then go up and buy them. I was supposed to watch what the fellow on duty was doing with the cash. He short-changed me, used change that was sitting on the counter by the register, but did not open or close the register, and was clearly pocketing some of the money. I would bet that my investigation got him fired. I'm glad if it did.

Until today I don't recall thinking I may have had been part of getting anyone fired. However, after my furniture store shop today, it is very likely. I had absolutely horrible service. The first sales associate came up to me after ten minutes. There were six sales associates visible and three customers. Four associates were standing around and two were on cell phones. The first associate said, "All our stuff is in Connecticut, but if you need something let me know" and promptly disappeared. I was dumbfounded and was debating with myself if my shop would be accepted based on this "interaction" and decided to walk around a bit and see if anyone else made an attempt to help. Another associate approached me after a couple of more minutes and I said the other guy walked away. He shrugged (as if he didn't care) and said, "What did you need?". I asked him a couple of questions about the furniture and he said, "Yeah it's available" and made NO attempt to give me delivery or payment options. I said, "I will have to think about it" (my required hesitation). He shrugged (during all of this he kept looking around and not maintaining any kind of eye contact) and started to walk away. I said, "Do you have a business card?". He said yes, but didn't give it to me. I had to say, "Can I have one?".

As much as I love to report positive interactions and give credit where credit is due, I was glad this was a shop and could report such horrible service.

Just had one of these myself. I put plenty of information in the "What else should we know box" about the lack of service from the employee's. Thanks to the other people who provided tips, I was able to go 15 minutes on the shop without any issues.

Otherwise I would have want to call it a day after the first interaction like you did, but we gave them a second chance.

I was once shopping a bank teller. This bank was in a grocery store so it was very opened. The customers in line could hear what was being said by the people behind the teller counter. I was completely floored when I heard a woman who must have been the head teller or a supervisor of some sort chew out one of the tellers within earshot of the customers. This scolding came because apparently the teller's drawer had been twenty five cents short the day before. The teller looked so crestfallen that when my turn at the teller counter came, I asked her if she was OK. She nodded yes sadly.

I felt that this was not something that the customers should have been able to hear. I put it in my report. Next time I shopped that location, I did not see that supervisor again.

Before I started mystery shopping, I had someone fired on the spot (backroom of course) and her friend/co-worker a three day suspension, effective immediately!!! And dinners were NOT on the house!!

I get paid to report the facts. Most location have surveillance camera to back up my report. I also do record many of my shops just in case there are questions. I use my cell phone to record. If someone gets fired for standing around or playing on there cell phone behind the counter instead of helping his co-worker to get the line up down, he deserved to get fired.
I remember about a year ago, I did a dine in at Pizza Hut with my wife and daughter. The waitress had a laptop on one table near the entrance door. She was on it more often than she was checking on her customers.

beadzoo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Before I started mystery shopping, I had someone
> fired on the spot (backroom of course) and her
> friend/co-worker a three day suspension, effective
> immediately!!! And dinners were NOT on the house!!


Beadzoo, why does it sound like you are bragging about that?

FrugalCat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> beadzoo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Before I started mystery shopping, I had
> someone
> > fired on the spot (backroom of course) and her
> > friend/co-worker a three day suspension,
> effective
> > immediately!!! And dinners were NOT on the
> house!!
>
>
> Beadzoo, why does it sound like you are bragging
> about that?

I thought the very same thing when I read it, Frugal Cat!

I agree with SunnyDays2. You're hired as a shopper to report what you see and if you're doing your job properly, the employees won't even know you're a shopper so they'll do what they usually do. If they get fired, that's their own fault. I am sure they are told they're shopped on occasion and when they're on the clock, they should be working, not goofing off.

There have been a couple of times I had wished I were doing a shop because I received such terrible service.

Once, after completing a storage shop, the lady called me and told me she knew I was a shopper and did not want me to go back to her storage store again. How she knew is beyond me because she called me before I even submitted my report and I had never met her in my life. Needless to say, she was rude while I was shopping her and I made her phone call clear on my report. I don't know if she got fired but she sure needed an attitude check.

I know I have.

At all AMC Theaters, I was told by a bartender that they can get fired if they don't ID all alcohol purchasing customers.

One time, I was served alcohol even after I told them I didn't have my ID. The poor guy said he was going to "trust me" and proceeded to serve me anyways. Never seen the guy there again.

@Tarantado wrote:

I know I have.

At all AMC Theaters, I was told by a bartender that they can get fired if they don't ID all alcohol purchasing customers.

One time, I was served alcohol even after I told them I didn't have my ID. The poor guy said he was going to "trust me" and proceeded to serve me anyways. Never seen the guy there again.

OMG they serve alcohol at AMC theaters? I need to check that out. They definitely don't serve at Regal. I think that they serve at cineopolis though.

Today may be that day. Over the past three years, I have been reporting low standard customer service by the same rude candy store manager to no avail. I often visit the store when I am off duty and she is as rude as ever. The fact that she is still there makes me wonder if other shoppers are taking the easy route and not reporting her. She is, afterall, pretty slick about knowing exactly where that line is and re-doing many of the "misses" as you are exiting the store. Today was the day when she so blatently stepped over the line that she could not take several things back. As always, I reported my results.

SoCalMama - Not all AMC Theaters serve alcohol. Some serve dinners and alcohol, some just dinner. Some have not converted to this new concept yet at all.

@SoCalMama wrote:

OMG they serve alcohol at AMC theaters? I need to check that out. They definitely don't serve at Regal. I think that they serve at cineopolis though.

You'll have to check your local AMC theaters. The one in my area is great! It's one that you can dine in and get plastered! Kidding about the plastered, but the alcohol there is unusually expensive compared to your typical bar / restaurant. However, he seats are soft recliners and a movie ticket is about the same price as the next AMC theater down the street, but does not have these amenities.

@Hoju wrote:

SoCalMama Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> At least 3 times that I can think of.
> I had to sign a notarized statement and agree to
> testify in all cases.


Mind explaining this?
At what point were you required to sign something notarized and what was in it for you to agree to testify?
This seems ridiculously extreme for what these jobs pay.

My contract with one company says that I may have to testify in court if an employee gets fired because of one of my audits (not mystery shopping). I know that one employee who I regularly audited did get fired, but my testimony was not needed because she had a history of not reconciling her shipments.

{Now if the mystery shopper said you scratched your butt, then handled their food, and I have you on camera, you're gone."}

I saw a butt-scratching, hidden-video, where the employee scratched his butt and then put food on the plate with his butt-scratching hand...

And the customer said, "Hey why does my sandwich smell like ass?" (okay I added that part for laughs)

I did a bar shop where I ordered a vodka and tonic. The bartender did not try to upsell me. He made the drink with Smirnoff's and charged me for Absolut. Twice! I would not be upset about that one.

I did another one where a very friendly bartender did not print my tab immediately after making my drink. The place was empty, and he washed a couple of glasses first. Generated it about four minutes later. In the report, it is one of the actions (like not carding, giving free drinks) where you have to call the MSC and report it as soon as you leave. I really hope he wasn't fired.

Did a parking shop this week where the attendant overcharged me (for 2 hours instead of 45 minutes), and when I looked at the rate card, he told me the rates had gone up. Then he gave me three dollars in change instead of thirteen. I felt like the MSC got their money's worth on that one.