I've finally taken and passed the test, but have been hesitating about actually doing the shop because my doctor doesn't want me eating the terrible food and I've heard horrific stories about how difficult it is to perform the shops, that you spend more than you get paid, etc. So I haven't scheduled one of these for myself. I know lots of you shoppers have done them, and some of you have performed hundreds. How hard are they? Do you lay out more money than you make? The MSC has gotten to the point where they are offering me ONLY the Four Arches shops, to my horror. Advice and help desperately needed!

Floundering shopper. . .

I do not do these... Yet... I do everything this client requires in other shops that do not have the freaky test..

However, I know that you can sample small bites and sips of the food & beverage. No one will see you much with your drive-thru meal. Inside, do this slowly while counting fries, or making little pics with your fries, or something else that makes you appear to be busy with your meal while you are observing the site...

You only need enough for an evaluation of the designated qualities.

Others will have hints & tips for you.

I am watching what I eat, so I only allow myself to eat a bite or two and then throw the rest out (no homeless people in my area to donate it). The shops aren't bad when they're bonused. I wouldn't do them for the $7.50. Remember to always pay in cash, and never bring anyone with you. I've done probably 100 of these, and have never had a rejected report.

If they accept your report, then they reimburse you the full amount (if it's the big MSC.) You can give the drive-thru portion away after you taste the sandwich & a french fry. They are not hard once you get the timing issue down. Expect to be at the location for 30- 45 min. (allowing for both parts.)

I passed the test but have yet to do one. The ones offered to me are not bonused usually and when they are, it's only $2 more. I can't see myself ordering inside and taking the timings myself and then going through the drive through, LOL. Scary and not worth it to me.

This is the shop that someone famously said all you have to do is be breathing. Do a search for "arches" as people have discussed every possible tip from a voice recorder and couphing when you reach the back of line on the inside portion to using a website time calculator to make getting the seconds exact like this one:

[www.easysurf.cc]

Once you do 2-3 of them, you will know to look for the two outside garbage cans and have your order memorized.

It's all the crazy ways the customers and crew can slow down the shop past the required 2:00 minute delivery time that brings on the extra questions. Just observe what the hold up is:

Stoners in line ahead of you?
Homeless digging and counting change, then panhandling for a nickel from the line?
Burglary in progress?
Gang fight in dining room?

These are the easiest of easy. No names or descriptions. Just 3 simple timings. I start the recorder on my cell phone, cough when I get in line. I listen to the call when I get home and hear the exact time my order is totaled and the exact time I get my food. (I say thank you as soon as it's put on the tray. The food is reimbursed, so that price is not an issue, just have to decide how much to let the fee go up before taking it.

The Arches is quite easy. See if they will bonus. Just follow instructions. I have been doing them for 8 years, some good bonus for remote locations.

I would try at least two or three of them. When I was new and did my first one, I swore I would not do another because there was too much to remember and I thought the timings were difficult. However, once I did the second one, it got MUCH easier. I like doing these whenever there is a reasonable bonus. I could do them in my sleep now. I find that I love repeating shops, because they get so much easier with each one you do.

As far as the food, as long as you are not eating it everyday, day in and day out, I would not worry about it. Plus, I always end up with extra fries and my little dog absolutely loves them. I have no idea why, leftover cold fries, but she starts jumping up and down if she sees me come in with a fast food bag. That is an added bonus for me.

I do them plenty, but with bonuses because I live in a rural area and drive a ways. Breakfast is the hardest one for me because I am not good at eating just one bite of a muffin, or one bite of a griddle. Coming away with a pair of coffees is a perk. For lunch and supper I have to toss the fries out after the drive thru so I won't pick at them. Unsweetened iced tea is an option so I will choose that to avoid all the corn syrup in pop.

Everyone's given their advice, but I'll add on to this as well.

I'd say this shop should give you an idea on what things to look for in a typical fast food shop. Consider how close the MSC / client analyzes the data, a good word of advice is to go through the report slowly and make sure your inputs absolutely match what you experienced. From personal experience, the MSC has told me to include additional information I'd think would be helpful for the client, if the questions don't cover it. For example, my last experience had great customer service where a crew member made table visits with customers in the dining room and offered samples of cinnamon rolls. I included this information in the 'Additional Comments' section of the report.

In regards to timing and note taking, other have stated to use voice recorders, some actually use timers, but I take screenshots of my phone's clock (which shows an analog clock with a seconds hand). Then I jot down notes on my phone during the visit.

Personally, I prefer the breakfast and would count those shops as my meal as well since I actually like their muffin sandwiches and coffee (yes, they actually have decent black coffee compared to all other burger chains!). But if it's lunch or dinner, I personally don't count it as my meal for that day and treat it as shop as I don't eat the entire meal (but I do load up on their iced tea).

Everyone else has this topic covered, but I just wanted to interject to ask...Four Arches? What are the other 2 arches?

@MPorter3112 wrote:

Everyone else has this topic covered, but I just wanted to interject to ask...Four Arches? What are the other 2 arches?

I figured the op meant two shops, times 2 arches, equals four arches.

?????

I'd get called about these with more than double the shopper pay fairly often. Eventually, it just wasn't worth it in terms of health so I decided to decline doing any more shops at that location for a while. I wish nobody would do them to force them to allow something slightly healthy. Where I live they are still allowed to use trans-fats. I feel lousy about taking a bite or eating a fry and throwing the rest away but we have to taste everything. Otherwise, wouldn't mind going and at least giving it to someone. It is possible to screw up the shop if you don't pay attention if it's a special order or not...otherwise.. I guess if they forget the receipt. Nothing at all wrong with the MSC.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2015 03:09AM by rasky.

@rasky wrote:

Where I live they are still allowed to use trans-fats.

Consistency across the brand in the USA won't allow a store to deviate from the arches provided supplies. I once reported that I saw a non arches branded bulk condiment under the counter and it was never seen again at any of that franchise owners stores again. This is taking money right out of the corporate till if they buy anything that is not ordered from corporate. I'd report anything you ever see that is a consumable that is not branded.

I have one local location next to a trauma 1 hospital that uses the premium arches coffee for all coffee as they live off the hospital staff and the hospital gives away better than the normal coffee. The shops are snatched up at that location almost instantly. I think they have a shopper who works at the hospital.

Only the cheapest canola, corn, soybean and hydrogenated soybean oil is used nationwide.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2015 08:41AM by scanman1.

Well, when I look at nutrition info for my area it lists trans fats on some items to 1.5grams if I recall. There is a ban in NYC and Boston (maybe elsewhere) to .5 unless clearly labeled from artificial process. SO, I'm not sure. At least they'll be banned throughout the entire country June 2018. Until then, I'm not eating anything with them anyhow. If McDonald's wants to stop their negative image from hurling into the sewer they should eliminate them now. That and other issues like "what's in a chicken mcnuget under a microscope" lead me to choose elsewhere.

Maybe that's it!

@Shop-et-al wrote:

@MPorter3112 wrote:

Everyone else has this topic covered, but I just wanted to interject to ask...Four Arches? What are the other 2 arches?

I figured the op meant two shops, times 2 arches, equals four arches.

?????

I'm new at this and just did my first few MickieDs this past week. Timings are done on the cell phone stopwatch feature. I put my hair in a hairband and wear an overshirt, going thru the drive thru. I then drive away, pull into a lot a few stores down and taste the food. Pull off the headband, change glasses, take off the overshirt and drive back for the walk-in portion. All of the MD chain restaurants are owned by the same folks in this area, so there are similar issues (ex. They only give you 1/2 slice of cheese on the sandwiches - no cheese is visible and only tasted cheese halfway thru the sandwich.).

All of my reports were accepted. The first one took a long time for me to do, but the one last night was less than 10 mins to complete. Tomorrow is a bonused one and I'm looking forward to it. As for calories, I do eat about 1/4-1/2 the fries, and take a few bites of the sandwhich before pitching it in the garbage.

BTW you have to order from a specified list of items and cannot change anything. You take it, like they make it! If you are assigned a special order, you can only remove what they tell you to remove.

I don't like onions & MCD onions are too hard to pick off.

I do not like any of the required purchases, except egg mcmuffins, OJ and coffee, but at my house, humans or critters will eat any leftovers that I bring home, minus the bite or two I consume. I would not necessarily describe this assignment as easy. Timings have to be exact, and when necessary, explained. Still, depending on geography, good money can be made. Watch the board to identify hard-to-book locations. Taking one will get you on the TO BE CALLED LIST. Once on that list, negotiations are wide open. The MSC does recall what fee you previously accepted, so be ready to chat.

I don't change anything about my appearance. I have been known to wear neon green or bright orange shirts Colorful scrunchies in my hair and I don't worry about whether they recognize me or not.... The more you worry, the more you try to alter your appearance.

I used to worry when I was a newbie at it, but truth be-known, Drive Thru is so busy, they rarely have time to take your cash and thrust that bag of food at you....let alone, to worry that you just came from inside the walk-in portion. .

Thank you all so much for your excellent replies and suggestions. Guess what happened when I finally attempted to put in for one of the shops? Having just had both eyes operated on for cataracts, and apparently not seeing quite right, when I was answering the questions for the shop, I must have answered something incorrectly--I am now blocked from bidding on and Golden Arches shops for I-don't-know-how-long (anyone know how long they keep you from bidding)? I'm so ANGRY at myself for this gaffe!

Robinv

@robinv wrote:

Thank you all so much for your excellent replies and suggestions. Guess what happened when I finally attempted to put in for one of the shops? Having just had both eyes operated on for cataracts, and apparently not seeing quite right, when I was answering the questions for the shop, I must have answered something incorrectly--I am now blocked from bidding on and Golden Arches shops for I-don't-know-how-long (anyone know how long they keep you from bidding)? I'm so ANGRY at myself for this gaffe!

Robinv

Actually your eyes are fine One of the NEW questions has a twist from the OLD question where we used to answer "YES"-we have no affiliation or relatives..etc etc....but we should answer it "NO" we have no affiliation or relatives, etc. etc. I think that is the one.
You will be barred/banned from the shop of the FF place for 30 days, if you answer the question wrong. Now I could be wrong but I called the MSC and asked and they said 30 days no FF arches shops...But a few weeks ago, I flubbed that same answer and the next day, they were all back! I think they realized something was wrong with the questionnaire as many shoppers here said the exact same thing happened to them!

Sometimes it's not even 30 whole days.... keep checking your job board, it might show up again pretty quickly. I did it once and noticed the jobs back in just a couple of days.

Thanks so much! I feel so stupid! I figured my still-iffy vision made me accidentally check off the wrong circle. I wish they wouldn't mess with us like that. I'm getting old and my brain doesn't work so well anymore. It's one of the reasons I've hesitated to do the Golden Arches shops--the poor food and all those timings. I want to at least give the shop a try, though, at one of my local McD's, see if I can cut the mustard on this shop. Maybe one of their schedulers will spot my response here and I'll get back my opportunity within the next few days. If I have to wait until next month, so be it. I'm one of those people who believes everything happens for a reason.

Robinv

No narrative. Free wifi in the store. Did I mention no narrative?

Just picked up one last minute for $20. it's easier than a lot of other shops at that price.

@robinv wrote:

Thanks so much! I feel so stupid! I figured my still-iffy vision made me accidentally check off the wrong circle. I wish they wouldn't mess with us like that. I'm getting old and my brain doesn't work so well anymore. It's one of the reasons I've hesitated to do the Golden Arches shops--the poor food and all those timings. I want to at least give the shop a try, though, at one of my local McD's, see if I can cut the mustard on this shop. Maybe one of their schedulers will spot my response here and I'll get back my opportunity within the next few days. If I have to wait until next month, so be it. I'm one of those people who believes everything happens for a reason.

Robinv

I've done that before. I notice if the TV is on and a bit loud, it is distracting and that's when I select the wrong answer! So now, when I see a potential shop, I turn the TV way down

I have congestive heart failure, stage four kidney disease and advanced diabetes. I do lots of McDonald's shops. I look at the burgers. I use the paper to lift the bun and eat the pickle without touching the burger. I taste a fry for temperature and salt flavor. I can then say yes to "Did it taste good?" Question. Then I pass the food to the first homeless person I see. I've given away more McDonald's meals than anyone in the world. Lol. I spend the time inside the store using their WiFi to write their report. I do 6-10 a month so it adds $50-$100 a month to my total income and gives me drinks and bathroom breaks when I'm out shopping. You have to be imaginative to see where to gain benefit from some of these shops.

Just remember to specifically order medium drinks and fries and you will be fine.