I recently did an arches shop.

I entered the establishment and there were two registers open and both had one customer at each register, both taking orders when I arrived.

The shop instructions state to enter the shortest line and start timing point #1.

As both registers were assisting a customer, I had no idea what line would be the first one to finish with the current customer. I randomly entered one of the two lines and started timing point #1 when I entered the line exactly as the shop instructions stated to do.

The MSC does not claim that my timing point #1 of entering the back of the shortest line was wrong.

No other customers entered the location during my shop.

There were only the two single customers at each register standing in front of me.

The line I chose to stand in took longer to complete the ordering process as the cashier was also acting as the expediter and placing the food on the tray for the customer ahead of me.

The second cashier finished taking the order of the customer that was being helped and was not expediting food and was now simply standing at an empty register with no customers and I was still standing behind the customer in the line I chose to stand in when I entered and both registers were serving one customer.

Knowing that timing is the most critical of importance to this client, I moved forward to the now empty register as soon as it was available and placed my order. Mind you, "Starting Point #1: When you arrive in the shortest line" was accurate when I entered the restaurant.

I moved from the line that was still assisting a customer to the line where the cashier was standing there now doing nothing and ordered my food as any other normal customer would do.

I was doing exactly what a normal customer would do, and I'm sure that if I didn't move over that the cashier would have waved me over. I was actually trying to make the "customer experience" as timing accurate as possible and as always had my cash in hand to hand to the cashier. I would never do anything to slow down a shop and even move my vehicle quickly in the drive-thru to give the restaurant the best possible score they are entitled to.


I'm sure that if I waited another 5 seconds, I would have been waved over to the now vacant register.

It's possible that another register could also be opened in a busier shop situation.

If I used timing point #1 according to the shop instructions, the timing would have been *LONGER* if I ignored the now open cashier. I could have ignored the now open cashier and my shop would be valid.

The shop was rejected for: "Caused a delay: Changed lines"

If you are forced to change lines for ANY reason, you *MUST* restart your timing point #1.

It don't matter of you stood in line for 3 minutes and a new register opened up and they waved you over to it.

Do not use timing point #1 from the line you started in. You *MUST* now restart timing point #1 when you enter the new line.

This is not spelled out in the shop instructions and is "implied". I received the following instructions from the top co-auditors at the MSC for this client. I will quote exactly the reasoning they gave me:

@ wrote:

An argument could be made that what you did actually shortened the time, but the Client needs to compare apples with apples when studying the metrics and analytics of all its locations. Changing lines is not allowed so the Client cannot have reports where the Shopper stayed in the same line and then some reports where the Shopper did not.

There is nothing specific in the paperwork that says, Thou shalt not change lines; however, it is implied.

Yes, I know that I have most certainly outed myself here to the top co-auditors of this MSC's largest client that drafted the final reply to me, and I respect their decision. I will without a doubt follow this unwritten guideline going forward if they decide to forgive me for not reading between the lines.

Now, everyone else that reads this will know that there is a "gotcha" possibly that is not spelled out in the shop instructions.

I am not in the least bit upset and look forward to continuing working for this MSC and this client without any further issues. My timing points are accurate to the second and this was never in dispute. Just not timed according to the unwritten shop instructions about a new line opening up.

I understand that writing this into the shop instructions could actually make it more confusing.

Don't change lines unless you are *FORCED* to.

If you are called to another register, you damed well better have a way to restart your timing point #1 without beating on your phone or watch as it happens. You are now set up to out yourself as the mystery shopper.

I posted this at a possible determent to my shopping ability with this MSC, as I was not deactivated.

I feel that it was critical information for the thousands of shops that this exact scenario *WILL happen and then be disputed for other shoppers.

I am only posting this so as to not have another shopper have the same rejection.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2015 08:46AM by scanman1.

I'd be upset since that not only takes money out of my pocket it also counts as a demerit against me, and we all know what the MSC does to folks who get demerits, no matter the reason.

I would be upset, too. Your way is a more accurate way of timing how long from when you got in line until you received your food. You could have been waiting for five minutes before that other register opened up, and their way, it shaves five minutes off the total time. Talk about following rules for the sake of the rules. It doesn't yield the desired outcome!

You are a very good sport! And thanks for the heads up.

How did they know you changed lines? Did they view the video or did you volunteer the information?

What about places that have one line that feeds all the registers as they become available? SMH. Glad I don't shop that client.

Furthering what dspeakes said, I will create that feeder line whenever there is an equal number of customers at all open registers, starting my timing when I take my place in the "feeder line." The first register to advance is where I take my place. I simply report the number of customers ahead of me as the number that were at the register when I arrived, and mark my times in the standard manner.
In the OP's case, the only thing that I would have done differently would have been to wait until they called me over to the other register. I definitely would not have restarted my timing, though.

thank you for posting this

Wow, this is interesting information.

Oh crap. I have moved lines when the cashier called me to the new line and I did not start my new timing. I am done with these golden arches shops. I have gained too much weight and i am sick of the obnoxious schedulers requesting i do them. I have decided to take a break from this MSC.

Sounds like you are saying the reviewed the video and determined you changed lines. What is not 100% clear, to me, is if they would have been able to challenge your timing if in fact the other cashier had invited you over. I am pretty sure I have been on one of these shops where they opened another register and invited me over to place my order.

Since I can not go back and review the qualification materials, I can not confirm if there was something there that said you can not change lines.

I do agree that it makes no sense to stand in line, if you do not have to. If the transaction ahead of you appears to be almost completed, you can of course just indicate you are not sure what you want to order yet. Otherwise, they should expect you to change lines to not look suspicious if anything else.

I did not volunteer the fact that I changed lines. This was a non event in my opinion, until I was challenged on this fact.

This was a bonused shop and outside my regular stomping grounds. I think I know why this location was not being shopped by someone closer. It is a high population area. I know I will never go to that arches again, ever.

Thanks for posting this. I would have (and probably have) done it the same way that you did. I'm going to have to think this over and get that timing straight before I do another one of these.

BTW in 15 years, I have only come across the "If there is a bus" scenario once. A whole busload of high school baseball players showed up once (in suburbia if you can imagine). I was thinking, "What are the odds of this?!" It's not like I was off an interstate or anything...

ETA: got challenged once too at another surburban location. My friends constantly tell me how slow this one place is (as though I can change it?). The 70 year old cashier hit on me, the food took about 8 minutes and the drive-thru was equally slow. Somebody else apparently took one bite of their meal and asked for a to-go bag. Not me. LOL. Thanks random, quirky person for putting them off my trail. Feel free to look through your tapes for a gray BMW 5 series. They are a dime a dozen here. I'll bet that 50 of the same car model went through the drive thru that day. (Best thing about that car was the stop watch feature on the control panel on the iDrive. Well that and driving at high speeds. )

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2015 06:06PM by SoCalMama.

That's ridiculous. Isn't the point of the first timing to find out how long you actually waited for service? Resetting the timing device after moving lines changes the amount of time waited.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Awesome. This totally happened to me today and I submitted via my tablet in a parking lot this afternoon. I was called over by the cashier, and considered it a non issue and didn't restart my timing as I had been in a line, and the other line had had people in it too. I'd think restarting the time would be gving them a false metric as you had already been waiting in a line.

I had a bus pull in infront of me once. Had to lose the shop as it was the last day I could do it. There's also a couple of Arches at the museums around here, so I basically ignore the bus question fot those. There's always a bus. It's a museum.

Thats really ridiculous. I'm really glad I don't eat McDonalds.. These shops sound like they are not worth it as they seem to get rejected often

This is the reason I won't shop them for less than $28. Need to make up for the hassle that comes along with the job.

Did the store manager look at the video, due to long timings? If they did, of course, they are going to challenge the report, to get the report thrown out.

I have always stayed in the same line. There is something very strict and regimented about this shop. I would be afraid to go to the other line. If I were called over (never have been yet) I would wave the offer and stay in my line. I did not know you have to start the timings over, if you get in another line (which at this point I would not). I have not seen that addressed in the guidelines and since I never had to do it, I remain clueless

@dixiewhiskey wrote:

Thats really ridiculous. I'm really glad I don't eat McDonalds.. These shops sound like they are not worth it as they seem to get rejected often

I realize how you feel. They are HUGE on timings. That's why you have to pay in cash. That's why: No children, boyfriends, cousins, turtles, camels or dogs are allowed on the shop, to distract you from your coveted timings.

That's also why they want to know how many staffed registers there were, how many cashiers, and what, if any delays did you encounter while standing there at the registers..

I know they are strict. Many won't bother with them. But I do like their Qtr. Pounder with Cheese.

After reading this I would:

Only move if the cashier motioned for me to..after all they could just be ending their shift/swiitching to another duty.
Time from when I entered the first line to the time I was called over to the time I was given my total....and contact the scheduler and explain what happened and ask what they wanted.

I thought I did remember something in the guidelines about not moving..but its been a while since I've done this and wasn't sure about that...I know some shops do say that.....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2015 08:31PM by jmitw.

It seems like they have a free out on this one, since they can reject your shop for changing lines to an open register, which would definitely shorten your wait. Why wouldn't they challenge and reject a shop where you DIDN'T move to an open register, since by not doing so you are making the timings longer? It's a Catch 22.

And I know what you mean about those "high poulation areas. They typically are the worst.

Sunny, when did they start prohibiting bringing Camels on these shops? Marlboros are still okay?

Wow this is insane. I would have done exactly what you did. Did they actually look at the video?

@jpgilham wrote:

Wow this is insane. I would have done exactly what you did. Did they actually look at the video?

I provided them with photographic evidence that proved that switching lines did shorten the overall wait time. They do not want to see it, and advise that it is never used on a shop. They only explained this "implied rule" after I provided them with several key video frame grab ".jpg's" that were time and date stamped in the video showing that the first line was still busy as I moved over to the line that became free.

@DRJ wrote:

It seems like they have a free out on this one, since they can reject your shop for changing lines to an open register, which would definitely shorten your wait. Why wouldn't they challenge and reject a shop where you DIDN'T move to an open register, since by not doing so you are making the timings longer? It's a Catch 22.

And I know what you mean about those "high poulation areas. They typically are the worst.

Sunny, when did they start prohibiting bringing Camels on these shops? Marlboros are still okay?

No kangaroos!

Appreciate the heads up. I will err on the side of joining a shortest line and starting the timing when one line is shorter than the others. I'll just stand back away from the lines and blankly look at the menu boards and "type" on my phone - until it is time to start timing.

I can't get how starting the timing over if you change lines because one empties first makes the data any more valuable or accurate. It almost makes me think that McDonald's is doing mystery shops for the sake of mystery shops or to keep the MSC happy because of other projects they do for them. It's outrageous enough that the shops pay as low as they do, and then they want to use any old excuse to deny you your money.

Unfortunately, this MSC has a few shops I actually like. Otherwise I'd have dropped them like a hot potato long ago.

How about twenty bucks as an implied bonus?

Scanman, it looks to me like the co-auditor (who I assume to be an employee at the MSC) is saying that the shopper should not change lines at all, period, but I don't see anything from that response about restarting times. Did the MSC say that you should restart your timing in that event? The shopper manual (page 7) says, "Do not change lines unless you are asked to move by a crew person," but I don't see anything in the guidelines about restarting timing in that case, either. Can you please shed some light on how you arrived at the conclusion that that would be the expectation?

I'm not trying to start conflict or anything; I'm genuinely curious to know where that part came from, as this is a situation that I may well encounter in the future. If I missed something in your post that answers my question, I apologize.

I posted the exact quote from the MSC. This is the official response.

Never mind.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2015 07:23AM by mystery2me.