I'm about to do my first Papa John's. I'm supposed to order a large 2 topping pizza. Any helpful tips for a first time shopper?

Make sure you take several photos. I put my box on the floor and stand directly above it to get a good photo. I use my iphone. Make sure the entire pizza and box are in the photos.

Don't resize the photos you take. Don't throw away the box without keeping the label. Don't take the peperincini out of the box before snapping the photo. Be sure to have the id number and site number in the photo. And yes, the top view needs to be a perfect 90degree centered over the whole pizza. Fun times!

Standing over the box is genius! Thank you.

@ShopSouthTexas wrote:

Don't resize the photos you take. Don't throw away the box without keeping the label. Don't take the peperincini out of the box before snapping the photo. Be sure to have the id number and site number in the photo. And yes, the top view needs to be a perfect 90degree centered over the whole pizza. Fun times!

OY! So, do I take the pizza home? Or, do I take the pictures in my car? It is a carry out & home is 23 miles. Also, thanks for all the tips.

I'd take pictures in your car -- because they claim they can tell if the pizza has been sitting out -- and then some more shots at home. You submit three photos that they can choose from. I did something similar last night when I had a bus ride home. They told me they used an alternate, so I'm not sure if it's one I took on the bus or at home.

Oh, and make sure you print out the receipt form, although you could print it out after you've gotten the pizza but before filing the report.

Take multiple pictures of everything. When you get home, fill out the form (with the labels) and scan it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2017 11:37PM by HonnyBrown.

@janalou wrote:

OY! So, do I take the pizza home? Or, do I take the pictures in my car? It is a carry out & home is 23 miles. Also, thanks for all the tips.

Ideally they want you to take the photos right away. They did tell me that if it takes the delivery driver a certain amount of time to get to you, its acceptable to take your photos at home within that same timeframe. I rushed it once on a bonused shop I didn't need on the other side of town. It was dark, and I was in a hurry to get home, so I took the photos on my driver's seat (my passenger seat was occupied, and I didn't want to do it on my hood!). Well, I was off by a hair and my report got denied. This was my fault and it sucked, but the company is really nice about it and will do all they can not to lose you due to discouragement!

After completing a carry out today I drove about a mile away, placed the pizza on the ground to get the pictures. In my opinion this is the best way to get a perfect picture, if there is a shadow showing simply take the pic from the opposite side. It was a little windy so I tucked the receipt form under the pizza to hold it in place.

I prepare my receipt form up to the point where I need the label and timing to complete it. I pick up my pizza's and then take the pics at home. Remember to take the pics in an area with dim lighting and without any sunlight. I do put the pizza on the floor and then sit in a chair and take the pics with the flash as I believe they state in the instructions. Be sure to put your site/assignment id beside the pizza. I usually put the site/assign id on one side, take 2 shots, then move the site/assign id to the other side of the box and take two more pics. I also do the receipt forms turned one way (two shots) and then turned the opposite way for 2 shots. That helps me to make sure I don't upload the same shot twice. I also do my cropping, set the resize to the 1200 x 1600 that they request (although I don't think they are that size when I'm done) and then save the pic marking them TopView1, TopView2, ReceiptForm1, ReceiptForm2, etc. I have not used the flash on the receipt form as it seems to wash them out. Those I try to take where there is good lighting. I don't think I'd even want to attempt doing them outside or even in the car but that's just me. Where I live we do get some high winds and sometimes dirt/debris blowing. Personally I think the pizza shops are the easiest, better paying jobs. I have been outed on a couple stores and cannot shop them anymore. I was told that after 18 mos. I could be given those shops again.

I've been doing these shops for several years and have literally done hundreds of them. I always take my photos at home in my kitchen in the exact same spot where the lighting is perfect, with my flash on. I use my digital camera set to 1200x1600. I have done carryout shops where it was 45 minutes before I got home to take my photos. I have never had a report rejected in all these years.

Edited to add that I use my scanner for the receipt and receipt form because it always comes out perfectly clear that way.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2017 06:38AM by JASFLALMT.

This is my intention for today. How weird do we look doing this? Oh, well.

Nobody but my family has ever seen me taking photos of the pizza in my kitchen...I personally would never take them in my car or outside somewhere. Overshadowing, bad angles, odd lighting, etc. Too many risks of rejection with bad pics. Plenty of people have posted in here slamming the MSC for rejected shops because of bad photos. Like I said before, it's been 45 minutes or so at times before the photos were taken. I did a rough estimate--I've done over 600 of these pizza shops with no rejections.

If you have a scanner it is easier to just scan your receipt. Then crop the larger picture down to make your smaller close up receipt.

@catlassy wrote:

If you have a scanner it is easier to just scan your receipt. Then crop the larger picture down to make your smaller close up receipt.

I tried that, but it rejected the size or quality or ? So, now I just photograph it.

Sorry to repeat the question but I still can't figure out how shoppers are being "outed" on this job. I'm sure I"m missing something but I'd be eager to hear what happened.

@NinS wrote:

Sorry to repeat the question but I still can't figure out how shoppers are being "outed" on this job. I'm sure I"m missing something but I'd be eager to hear what happened.

I will share my thoughts. I have done many of these for two MSC's <not at the same time). I figured out that I was outed once I reported an employee was not wearing a PJ hat but rather an ethnic headdress. I did the same location over and over again. I am sure they caught on before due to the ridiculously expensive delivery of one pizza when they always have specials going on, but it was too coincidental when I reported that and then was outed. Happened with both companies. My kids miss the pizza perk . I now order Domino's for them and they like it better, lol. $6 pizza and sometimes 2 for $8. Can't beat that.

I was outed after receiving a pepper that was stained red (appeared to be soaked in sauce.)
I only did the location 3 times at my sons house. We ordered his usual pizza too.

Try using different phone numbers because they can pull up your account by phone number. Use a friend's cell phone number when making carryouts but make sure it is a good number if you are getting delivery because they may call you. I was outted a couple of years ago for stupidly having it delivered to a business. The delivery location has to "make sense". My belief is they only out the shoppers that are making negative comments- why out a shopper that only says good things about your service? PJ is inadvertently grooming shoppers to only say good things because shoppers become fearful to be identified by negative comments...........Just my opinion.

I was outed at my local delivery place. I gave them a perfect score every time. Driver was early, exceedingly polite, pizza was perfect. I have no idea why they would let anybody know that they knew it was me.

I do two carryouts. I use my Vegas-name and my real cell phone number. Never had an issue with those two stores.

Is Pj pulling up your file a problem? They always know who i am when I call because of the phone number, but I haven't been outed yet.

I have ordered pizzas at a business before, why would this be an odd occurrence? Also, in my college days I was a pizza delivery driver and people ordered pizzas at businesses all the time. Have times changed? Am I missing something?

If you don't mind me asking, what Mystery shop company have the pizza shops?

@catlassy wrote:

Try using different phone numbers because they can pull up your account by phone number. Use a friend's cell phone number when making carryouts but make sure it is a good number if you are getting delivery because they may call you. I was outted a couple of years ago for stupidly having it delivered to a business. The delivery location has to "make sense". My belief is they only out the shoppers that are making negative comments- why out a shopper that only says good things about your service? PJ is inadvertently grooming shoppers to only say good things because shoppers become fearful to be identified by negative comments...........Just my opinion.

I don't have a problem with being outed. PJ's or any other business that employs mystery shoppers needs to be able to effectively use them. If workers already know you're a mystery shopper, then they could act abnormally nice to you and be super efficient in ways they don't treat other customers. The client wants a genuine reaction from their workers. If we're doing our jobs right, then clients should benefit, stay in business longer, grow their business, keep customers happy, etc.

When those clients are doing well, mystery shoppers will have jobs. If they go out of business, then that's one less client. In order for the client to benefit, they need those genuine reactions. I think if workers really knew who you were, it'd be the right thing to do to out the shopper probably (I'm open to arguments against that), since it would help their own boss/company/client.

It might mean we have to do less shops or vary our orders, etc. for a client in order to remain unnoticed.

I do wish MSCs would more properly warn us about getting outed and give us strategies for avoiding that with certain situations during "shopper training/sign-up."

I was probably naive in thinking that doing a pizza shop every week would be fine until I read people's thoughts here about frequency of shops in regards to getting outed. I did three a month once and then two a month another time for the same location before and never varied my toppings (I always forget to vary my toppings). I haven't been outed yet, but I suspect they know, because of things done during my last shop.

If they do know and out me, I would be fine with that and feel it was for the best of everyone in the long-term.

I'm learning to be more careful and strategic with shops now.

edit to add: I would also continue to be honest in my reports with negative comments even at the risk of being outed. Dishonesty is wrong. Incidentally, I haven't had much reason to give negative comments, so it's been "easy" in that regard. But if I had to, I'd still give a frank, negative assessment.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2017 08:58PM by shoptastic.

First Papa John's down. Imagine my panic when there was no ticket receipt on the box. Drove a mile away & called my scheduler. He didn't know what to do so he transferred me to the account manager. Manager said take a picture of the box showing no receipt. I received an email telling me my shop had been accepted.
Thank you, everyone who piped in with tips and encouragement. I have done over 8,000 shops since I started, but Papa John's shops intimated me, so I stayed away from them. I wouldn't want to do them for just the cost of the pizza. This one had a nice bonus.

As Phoebe70 explained the last time you asked who shops who, we cannot divulge the information. It violates the posting guidelines of this forum and most MSC ICAs.

@blackgold78 wrote:

If you don't mind me asking, what Mystery shop company have the pizza shops?

@Madetoshop wrote:

@NinS wrote:

Sorry to repeat the question but I still can't figure out how shoppers are being "outed" on this job. I'm sure I"m missing something but I'd be eager to hear what happened.

I will share my thoughts. I have done many of these for two MSC's <not at the same time). I figured out that I was outed once I reported an employee was not wearing a PJ hat but rather an ethnic headdress. I did the same location over and over again. I am sure they caught on before due to the ridiculously expensive delivery of one pizza when they always have specials going on, but it was too coincidental when I reported that and then was outed. Happened with both companies. My kids miss the pizza perk . I now order Domino's for them and they like it better, lol. $6 pizza and sometimes 2 for $8. Can't beat that.

I think the expensive pizza problem is a potential easy identifier too. I've done some ridiculous orders like that and suspect they know who I am (for that and a few other reasons). They've never outed me, though.

I don't see coupons that would allow me to order the shop requirements, so I'm stuck for now ordering pizzas that don't make sense. lol

You'd think PJs would realize this and fix the problem. Maybe a lot of shoppers should suggest this to PJs. More than anything, the expensive pizza problem is the one that I think is a super clue to workers.

The best tip I have gotten from this forum is the one above to scan receipts. After having to take and retake photos of receipts that looked wonderful on my tiny camera screen and fuzzy on my computer screen I have loved this shop so much more in the year since I read that tip.
Another tip...if you have a dog anything like mine don't put your pizza on the floor. It will be very expensive doggie dinner.

I was thinking about this the other day and thought I'd throw it out for people's feedback.

What do you guys think about being a normal customer for a mystery shopping client as a way to avoid secret shopper detection?

For example, let's say you had some pizza company and you do one shop a month per location. What if every other month or every three months (or what have you) you ordered regularly from them (not as a shopper) and ordered just like you do for your mystery shop. If they suspected you before and tracked you and knew what you ordered each time, then they would suddenly see an instance of you ordering something for which management didn't inform them there was a mystery shop report for (assuming the workers all get to see the reports in some fashion or another).

So over time, you could have like 1 out of 4 or 1 out 5 (whatever) orders that were real vs. mystery shops. Wouldn't that throw them off? Or, am I just thinking too hard. lol

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2017 09:22PM by shoptastic.