My First McDonald's Shop For [MSC deleted]--Hints, Suggestions, Shortcuts For Success?
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This is really not a hard shop. The biggest thing is to be absolutely sure your timings are correct and DO NOT ask for ANYTHING special, unless you have a special order, in which case you will ask for an item to be removed. This means do not ask for lemon for your tea. Do not ask for sweetener for your tea. Order sweet tea or unsweet tea and take it as it comes. Take all menu items as served and do not ask to make any changes.
In my location, these fast foods are VERY busy during the lunch period and not as busy during breakfast and dinner. If I am doing a lunch, I try to do the drive thru right at 11:45 + 2 minutes just to be safe - time differences, I don't want the receipt to say too early a time. Earlier is best for me, because if I beat the rush, I do not sit in a long line. It's also good because it makes my timings shorter, and that appears to be the most important thing to the client. Be sure you wait 5 minutes between getting your drive thru food and entering the location. When I go in, I usually do the bathroom visit before I get in line. Be sure you stay in the dining area for at least 15 minutes AFTER you get your food.
Do not correct your order. If they give you the wrong size, do not tell them. Note it in your report. If they give you a wrong item, do not correct them. Be sure you get 3 items, entree, potato, drink. That's what they want. If the entree, potato or drink is wrong, that goes in the report. You do not correct and ask for the right thing. Evaluate the 3 items you got. If you did not get one of the 3 items, ask for the one you did not get but do not say "my order is wrong" only say "I did not get my fries (or whatever)." You want them to hand you the item you did not get. You do not want them to take the bag back, look in it, and completely correct an order. That messes up their times. If you do this, it makes their times longer and they will not accept your report.
Look at your receipt. If ANYthing is wrong, be sure to say so in the report. This includes wrong date, wrong time, if it says "Take Out" instead of "Eat In," wrong entree, wrong cost, wrong amount paid (say you gave them a $10 bill and the receipt says $20 and shows $10 more change than you got - yes, this has happened to me), or if they gave you the wrong receipt. If you didn't get a receipt after you asked once, put that in the report.
Be sure you go to the right location at the right time. Be sure you remember whether the order is special order or not. Be sure you go during the right time frame. I know these sound like no-brainers, but you would be surprised how easy it is to flub one of them.
These are the major things I can think of.
In my location, these fast foods are VERY busy during the lunch period and not as busy during breakfast and dinner. If I am doing a lunch, I try to do the drive thru right at 11:45 + 2 minutes just to be safe - time differences, I don't want the receipt to say too early a time. Earlier is best for me, because if I beat the rush, I do not sit in a long line. It's also good because it makes my timings shorter, and that appears to be the most important thing to the client. Be sure you wait 5 minutes between getting your drive thru food and entering the location. When I go in, I usually do the bathroom visit before I get in line. Be sure you stay in the dining area for at least 15 minutes AFTER you get your food.
Do not correct your order. If they give you the wrong size, do not tell them. Note it in your report. If they give you a wrong item, do not correct them. Be sure you get 3 items, entree, potato, drink. That's what they want. If the entree, potato or drink is wrong, that goes in the report. You do not correct and ask for the right thing. Evaluate the 3 items you got. If you did not get one of the 3 items, ask for the one you did not get but do not say "my order is wrong" only say "I did not get my fries (or whatever)." You want them to hand you the item you did not get. You do not want them to take the bag back, look in it, and completely correct an order. That messes up their times. If you do this, it makes their times longer and they will not accept your report.
Look at your receipt. If ANYthing is wrong, be sure to say so in the report. This includes wrong date, wrong time, if it says "Take Out" instead of "Eat In," wrong entree, wrong cost, wrong amount paid (say you gave them a $10 bill and the receipt says $20 and shows $10 more change than you got - yes, this has happened to me), or if they gave you the wrong receipt. If you didn't get a receipt after you asked once, put that in the report.
Be sure you go to the right location at the right time. Be sure you remember whether the order is special order or not. Be sure you go during the right time frame. I know these sound like no-brainers, but you would be surprised how easy it is to flub one of them.
These are the major things I can think of.
Another thing to add is to pay CASH for all of your items!
Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.
And you need to change the title of your post as it violates both the forum rules and your ICA by naming both the MSC and the client.
"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Edward R. Murrow
Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey
Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey
I use Shopwatch for my timings. I turn my phone on when I arrive, and start Shopwatch. Don't guess the number of cars ahead of you -- count the ones you can see. I always use a statement like "I could see 4 cars ahead of me in line, but there were more that I could not see". Remember, some days you cannot start lunch
at 11:45 -- it's 12:15. So check the time frame BEFORE you start your shop! If you start right on time, and
screw up bad (for instance, accidentally ordering something not allowed!), you have time to re-do that part
of the shop You may stay later than 1:15 in order to get your "remain inside at least 15 minutes after getting your food". Your 15 minutes does not have to be completed by 1:15. I time anything I see out of the ordinary. I don't know how many of my reports have been saved by my notes, like "at 12:19:46, I notice a gray Honda,
tag # XXXXXX, had been at the speaker for a long time. That car remained at the speaker until 12:22:14."
Reread your paperwork again. Come back with SPECIFIC questions, and I'm sure the helpful folks here will pitch in.
at 11:45 -- it's 12:15. So check the time frame BEFORE you start your shop! If you start right on time, and
screw up bad (for instance, accidentally ordering something not allowed!), you have time to re-do that part
of the shop You may stay later than 1:15 in order to get your "remain inside at least 15 minutes after getting your food". Your 15 minutes does not have to be completed by 1:15. I time anything I see out of the ordinary. I don't know how many of my reports have been saved by my notes, like "at 12:19:46, I notice a gray Honda,
tag # XXXXXX, had been at the speaker for a long time. That car remained at the speaker until 12:22:14."
Reread your paperwork again. Come back with SPECIFIC questions, and I'm sure the helpful folks here will pitch in.
Don't forget the condiments. You want salt or pepper in the morning and Ketchup at lunch/dinner.
Ask inside and outside. If they don't give it to you inside and it's not at the condiment bar you mark it as unavailable. If they normally have it at the condiment bar (pump or tray for packets) and they restock it within the 15 minutes your dining, they don't get marked down.
If they don't ask you and give you a to go bag on the inside shop, you stop your timing as soon as you get all three items. You can then tell them you want a tray and they will move the food to a tray for you.
If they don't give you your receipt on the inside and ask your first name, don't panic and blurt out you need your receipt at the register. They are going to use the receipt to make your order and will give you the receipt when the food is on the tray and call your name instead of the number. (This is a big tell for a shopper.) You can then ask once for the receipt if they toss it instead of placing it on the tray.
At the drive thru, if you see the order is incorrect on the COD, you can repeat your order and give them a chance to correct it. If they repeat it back to you at the register (inside or outside) incorrectly, you can tell them the correct order again. Past this point, you just take what is given and don't say anything.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2015 03:59PM by scanman1.
Ask inside and outside. If they don't give it to you inside and it's not at the condiment bar you mark it as unavailable. If they normally have it at the condiment bar (pump or tray for packets) and they restock it within the 15 minutes your dining, they don't get marked down.
If they don't ask you and give you a to go bag on the inside shop, you stop your timing as soon as you get all three items. You can then tell them you want a tray and they will move the food to a tray for you.
If they don't give you your receipt on the inside and ask your first name, don't panic and blurt out you need your receipt at the register. They are going to use the receipt to make your order and will give you the receipt when the food is on the tray and call your name instead of the number. (This is a big tell for a shopper.) You can then ask once for the receipt if they toss it instead of placing it on the tray.
At the drive thru, if you see the order is incorrect on the COD, you can repeat your order and give them a chance to correct it. If they repeat it back to you at the register (inside or outside) incorrectly, you can tell them the correct order again. Past this point, you just take what is given and don't say anything.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2015 03:59PM by scanman1.
When doing a shop like this where timing to the second is imperative, I don't bother with trying to time while I am doing the shop--I audio record the whole thing (this is allowed in my state) and calculate the timings later. This way I can focus on doing my portion of the shop correctly, and worry about timings, whether they said Thank You at the end, etc. once I am home.
We are all here on earth to help others....What on earth the others are here for I don't know.
--W. H. Auden
--W. H. Auden
Also, I have usually done the drive-thru first and then the walk-in, because I figured that I would be more memorable after sitting in the restaurant for 15 minutes. Yesterday I did the walk-in first (I was hungry, and I don't eat the drive-thru food) and I realized that I've been thinking of it backwards. If you do the walk-in first, when you're in the drive-thru they actually have no way of knowing that you're the shopper until you get to the window, at which point it's too late for it to affect most of the shop.
We are all here on earth to help others....What on earth the others are here for I don't know.
--W. H. Auden
--W. H. Auden
I always do the walk in first. So when I'm done, I wait the 5 minutes, do the drive thru and I can leave.
There are no shortcuts. Search this forum, there are many good discussions here about this client.
My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.
When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson
When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson
one of the MSC requires that you order ketchup WHEN YOU ORDER instead of asking for it when you get the food (or salt for breakfast) like normal customers don't do---you might as well wear a hat that says mystery shopper on it...to be fair..i did see one location that had a sign telling people to ask for it when ordering...but that just doesn't work...
another company that had you order 2 SPECIFIC full meals for the DT and 2 specific entrees and a drink for the WI..might not require you to ask for ketchup......i didn't bother reading it as i was not about to put out money for a large big mac meal and the other expensive items i would not eat.
another company that had you order 2 SPECIFIC full meals for the DT and 2 specific entrees and a drink for the WI..might not require you to ask for ketchup......i didn't bother reading it as i was not about to put out money for a large big mac meal and the other expensive items i would not eat.
Check the CPI in advance to see whether or not it is a special order shop. Don't rely on a scheduler to tell you. Install and practice with a timing app.
Do the walk-in first. Mark your shop begin time when you leave your car. Carry a $10 or $20 bill in your hand when you enter the line. (It is better to use a large bill that requires them to give you change, as this also will make it more likely they hand you a receipt.) Know what you are going to order in advance. If an employee asks you to enter a different line or approach a different register, start your entering line time over. When you order, specify a medium drink by flavor and a medium fries. Make sure to remember if they repeated your order correctly. Correct them if wrong. Hang out close to the pickup counter and try to notice the reason for any delays. When your order is ready, be sure to be right there so they can thank you etc. Make sure you have a receipt or asked for one. Start your 15 minutes in the dining room when you sit down. Check your food for temperature before you go get your condiments and drink etc. Look for a comments telephone number
Have your cash ready before you enter the drive-through line. Again, make it so they will have to give you change. Count the cars you can see when you enter the drive-through line. Add an extra timing point if it takes them a long time to greet you. Make sure to remember if your order was on the COD screen, and if they repeated your order correctly. Correct them if wrong. Watch the cars ahead of you to see if they pay with a credit card, make a large order, or cause a delay for another reason. Ask for a receipt at the payment window unless you know receipts are normally given at the pickup window. Check the windows for comment phone numbers if you didn't see any inside. When you reach the pickup window, make a note of whether your order was ready right away, or you had to wait at the window. After you check the food for quality and temperature, close the bag tight and put it out of reach in the backseat so you are not tempted to eat more fries.
Check the exterior trash cans. Go back inside because you forgot to check for the comments phone number,
Do the walk-in first. Mark your shop begin time when you leave your car. Carry a $10 or $20 bill in your hand when you enter the line. (It is better to use a large bill that requires them to give you change, as this also will make it more likely they hand you a receipt.) Know what you are going to order in advance. If an employee asks you to enter a different line or approach a different register, start your entering line time over. When you order, specify a medium drink by flavor and a medium fries. Make sure to remember if they repeated your order correctly. Correct them if wrong. Hang out close to the pickup counter and try to notice the reason for any delays. When your order is ready, be sure to be right there so they can thank you etc. Make sure you have a receipt or asked for one. Start your 15 minutes in the dining room when you sit down. Check your food for temperature before you go get your condiments and drink etc. Look for a comments telephone number
Have your cash ready before you enter the drive-through line. Again, make it so they will have to give you change. Count the cars you can see when you enter the drive-through line. Add an extra timing point if it takes them a long time to greet you. Make sure to remember if your order was on the COD screen, and if they repeated your order correctly. Correct them if wrong. Watch the cars ahead of you to see if they pay with a credit card, make a large order, or cause a delay for another reason. Ask for a receipt at the payment window unless you know receipts are normally given at the pickup window. Check the windows for comment phone numbers if you didn't see any inside. When you reach the pickup window, make a note of whether your order was ready right away, or you had to wait at the window. After you check the food for quality and temperature, close the bag tight and put it out of reach in the backseat so you are not tempted to eat more fries.
Check the exterior trash cans. Go back inside because you forgot to check for the comments phone number,
Read the guidelines and everything here. Go do a couple of these shops and it will become your easiest shop of all. No remembering names, descriptions, greetings or parting comments. Record the shop as someone above said and your timings are there for you. I like to say thankyou as they say the total and as they set my food on the tray. My phone picks up my voice better than who is talking to me.
You can also do a Walmart location as your first attempt, where you only have to do the walk-in portion. Same pay for half the work.....and half the fries.
The timings, cash only, bus in parking lot?, ketchup, pepper packets, comment number, must be mediums!!!!!!........it's daunting the first time. But, once you've done it a couple of times, it's really easy. The report takes longer than the actual shop. The report isn't difficult, just super slow page loading. Wouldn't it be great if they used the MobiAudit app for these shops, like the shipping company does????
The timings, cash only, bus in parking lot?, ketchup, pepper packets, comment number, must be mediums!!!!!!........it's daunting the first time. But, once you've done it a couple of times, it's really easy. The report takes longer than the actual shop. The report isn't difficult, just super slow page loading. Wouldn't it be great if they used the MobiAudit app for these shops, like the shipping company does????
Thank you so much, everyone, for your sage advice. I'm going to do the walk-in first, use a recording advice and hope I do everything right. I sounds very scary, but I'm a fairly intelligent woman and think I should be able to do this thing right. And if I don't? Well, the world will continue to turn on it's axis and I will live to shop another day.
Update, please, Proudly! How did your first shop go?
@proudlyshopping wrote:
Thank you so much, everyone, for your sage advice. I'm going to do the walk-in first, use a recording advice and hope I do everything right. I sounds very scary, but I'm a fairly intelligent woman and think I should be able to do this thing right. And if I don't? Well, the world will continue to turn on it's axis and I will live to shop another day.
Yes, let us know how you made out! Hope it went well. I haven't tackled one of these, and don't think I want to. Not as brave as many of you.
And, you did mean recording device, didn't you? And its instead of it's.
Bet you let your phone spell for you....I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2015 09:07PM by BirdyC.
Sure wish Proudly would pop in and let us know how this first shop went!
It had to go better than my last shop. I stood in line inside for over 2 minutes and then they opened a new cashier and I was waved over and had to restart my timing. Then they put me down on the receipt for a small coffee instead of a medium. There were other things wrong, but this is the type of shop that would have made a first time shopper invalidate. This is also a location that the manager has challenged the timings before. I'm glad he was not out front as he must know what I look like from the prior challenge.
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