That would throw them off. It would also mean wasting more money than you are making on a really, really bad pizza, LOL.

I don't think it's odd to order from the same location several times a month. My family orders pizza nearly every Friday, with three of them being a shop from the PJ down the road. Sometimes the kids will want that pizza so it'll become four times in a month. It's not my favorite pizza by far, but it gives the kids a chance to order what they really want rather than the allowed topping combos.

This particular thread is interesting to me because all those who do these often seem to be coming out of the closet. In the past all the pizza threads seemed to say that every one hated their pizza and the job as well.
I think for most shops the rules are not that particular that would actually out the shopper based on what they bought, or even what they asked unless it was some question that someone might ask just once and not every time they came in such as the restaurant shop I had where every time I had to ask at the front about light beers (not lite, but light..there were only one or two on the huge menu so I would think after the 10th time I did not remember which of the beers was light they might get the picture). But in these pizza shops where you need to order a full priced pizza and not take advantage of any coupons unless it fit the job, esp when they tell you about them right upfront on the phone call, it is just asking to out people. Throwing in a few different orders might throw them off and if you are getting large bonuses it might be helpful but as Lisa said, how can you afford to spend that money on more pizza when you did not get paid in the first place?
I usually check the website to see if there are coupons that fit the ordering requirements before i accept the job. I do not get much bonus money so it is imperative for me. But if you find you can use coupons often enough like getting the three topping pizza that is on sale and just asking for 2 toppings I doubt that would alert them to anything..those might be the only toppings your entire family can agree on. When there are no coupons that work for me to get something under their reimbursement I just turn down the job..You could certainly check that way to vary your order and once in a while if you have to order the expensive without a coupon pizza it would not show a pattern. I find many people fall into always ordering the same item they like when they go to a restaurant so that in and of itself is not so obvious.

I always use a coupon and for example Two 2 topping pizzas for $7.77 each (but you have to order 2) Then I figure out the cost if I had only ordered 1 with no discounts and put that down as my reimbursement that way you almost get 2 free pizzas instead of just 1.

I love their online shops as you can earn rewards too! I can shop 2 locations as I live in 1 delivery zone and work in another. I have also done this shop while out of town as they have so many locations to cut down on vacation expenses.

I was outed several years ago when a different company was handling the shops. I was told it was because I always ordered the same pizza. I was allowed to continue mystery shopping as long as I used a different phone number and address, I used my next door neighbors until the shop company changed.

I also always take the photos in the exact same location, using natural light but not direct sunlight so no shadows (by my front door) with the pizza box on the floor standing directly over the box.

I have never had a shop rejected but I do take LOTs of pictures just in case!

Waste of time and money I did four of these shop one month and everyone was rejected. They are very fussy about the pictures. By the time you get done with the pizza it is not worth eating. I will never do them again.

@Brownsfamily6 wrote:

Waste of time and money I did four of these shop one month and everyone was rejected. They are very fussy about the pictures. By the time you get done with the pizza it is not worth eating. I will never do them again.

Did you mean that the time it took to take the pictures makes the pizza cold?

If so, I haven't found that myself. The pizza does cool down naturally a bit, but not enough that it ruins it for me (I also realize I can always heat it back up too if need be). The first time I took pictures, I took a long time, because I'd also do the non-pizza pictures too. And I also didn't have all the stuff ready to do the pictures.

Nowadays, I prepare what I need to do the pictures beforehand and I only do the pictures of the pizza before eating it. After I finish eating it, I'll do the non-pizza pictures.

It takes me maybe three or four minutes total to do the pizza pictures. I'm fussy about making sure the angle is correct, the lighting is good enough, and that they came out right (I'll check them on my phone after I take them). I've gotten decently fast at it, so it's no big deal. I actually think the requirements for this shop aren't tough at all.

Never had any rejections. Are you following all their guidelines and recommendations for the pictures, Brownsfamily6? Why did they reject your pics?

My concern is mostly with the pizza orders that are easy to spot as illogical (unless you were a mystery shopper). It seems the shop guidelines I have for the MSC I do them for are very specific and make for a lot of illogical/unrealistic order experiences.

@sandyf wrote:

Throwing in a few different orders might throw them off and if you are getting large bonuses it might be helpful but as Lisa said, how can you afford to spend that money on more pizza when you did not get paid in the first place?

I won't do the PJ shops personally unless I can make $9-10 at least after reimbursement and tips. I'll pick them up when the bonuses get to $10+ dollars, which is pretty regularly here. I've seen them for $25 and $20 before too and I'll grab those up.

No one here will tell you, but be creative with google and you will find it. But honestly if you are intelligent you wont shop for that company.

Watch their training video.

I keep seeing comments that the pizza order should be varied frequently to throw them off the trail that you are their shopper. Can someone please explain this? I almost always get the same thing, and I would think most customers do too. Why would ordering your preferred pizza each time be a red flag? (I am excluding the company that dictates which toppings you may order. That, I could understand as a tipoff.)

This happened to me the last time I did this shop. The e-mail I received listed everything they could think of to reject the shop. When I called and left a message for the scheduler I was not given the courtesy of a phone call back to discuss exactly what was wrong. No more of these for me. I gave it to a street person.

I vary my order from a one topping and a two topping, mostly meat and rarely just mushroom. If you are ordering three times a month and they know your order as "XX and XX" and see that the shopper always orders that same pizza, it could help them figure out you are their shopper. As for "coming out of the closet" I'm not sure about that for me, but I will say I have a good relationship with one scheduler who gives me all three every month for $10 on top of reimbursements. I know others get more and one day I want to move up, but for now, I'll take it. The report has gotten EXTREMELY whittled down which I appreciate. I remember my first time doing a shop for them, they denied me the bonus offered because I had to prove myself and take it for reimbursement only. Im not even sure my tip was covered. I feel like I've come a long way. I made $500 last year in fees but was doing two to three locations a month and having pizzas delivered to work and my home on top of doing carryouts at $10 a pop, sometimes less that that but it still worked out. That was about one pizza a week. That's a TON of PJ pizza! Somehow my family still enjoys it! Me... well, it beats cooking?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2017 05:48AM by ShopSouthTexas.

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.[/quote]

Also never reheat your pizza without removing the labels. They are heat sensitive and turn black. Not that I would ever do such a silly thing

@photovision2004 wrote:

Also never reheat your pizza without removing the labels. They are heat sensitive and turn black. Not that I would ever do such a silly thing

Do you reheat pizza in the box?

I've asked this before, but since no one answered it in the other thread, I thought I'd ask again here.

Has anyone ever delivered to a non-home or non-work location like the library, a Starbucks, a park, etc.?

I read somewhere in the guidelines, delivery to work or home only, not parking lot or business etc.

@Youllneverknow wrote:

No one here will tell you, but be creative with google and you will find it. But honestly if you are intelligent you wont shop for that company.

Are you saying that those of us who do these shops are unintelligent? I make about $2,000 a year doing these shops, sometimes more I do 3 delivery shops a month for $20 each and carryout shops for $20-$30 each. I can do 3 carryouts in a few hours in a single afternoon and make $60-$90. Anyone else think that sounds like an unintelligent way to make money?

@JASFLALMT, There are multiple MSC's that do Papa Johns. I think Youllneverknow wrote that post for a different reason, and it is not that literal.

Yes, I am aware that this client is shopped by different MSCs . I do these shops for 2 of the MSCs currently and in the past with several others that shopped this client. I don't think that it is unintelligent to shop for any of these MSCs.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Yes, I am aware that this client is shopped by different MSCs . I do these shops for 2 of the MSCs currently and in the past with several others that shopped this client. I don't think that it is unintelligent to shop for any of these MSCs.

Do you do shops at the same location, but for two different MSCs?

If so, is it allowed?

Also, do you ever deliver to places not your home or your work? I still wonder about this, because if you're a mystery shopper, then work can be literally anywhere. lol.

I would suggest you be sure you take lots of pictures,as they turn down an awful lot

I take at least 12 photos for each shop just of the pizza and I always view them on my computer monitor to make sure they are good before allowing anyone to eat the pizza.

I do locations for 2 MSCs for some of the same locations. I always do home delivery or carryout shops. The MSC will change deliveries to carryouts when approaching the deadline.

You all are really overthinking this, IMO. i take the pics in the car, in the kitchen on the floor, sometimes in the dining room on a chair so I can bend over it more easily to take the photo. i use my camera, my phone, whichever is most handy. I always get the order form as completed as I can in advance and then I take a photo of it with my phone and it goes straight to the cloud where I can add it to the form. I make sure I center the pics properly and take both with and without flash. I look at the pics on my computer when doing the report and upload the best ones. The most important thing is to check your settings and make sure the pic is HUGE and that they are centered. I always take them in my car if I"m at least 20 minutes away from home and have never had an issue. I typically give them away as soon as possible as I don't need the calories.

@shoptastic wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Yes, I am aware that this client is shopped by different MSCs . I do these shops for 2 of the MSCs currently and in the past with several others that shopped this client. I don't think that it is unintelligent to shop for any of these MSCs.

Do you do shops at the same location, but for two different MSCs?

If so, is it allowed?

Also, do you ever deliver to places not your home or your work? I still wonder about this, because if you're a mystery shopper, then work can be literally anywhere. lol.

I used to deliver to a library where I would pretend to have a meeting. When they changed the rules I asked about it and they said that I could not do the library.

I'd hate to eat a Pizza 45 minutes old..... they'd have to pay me battle pay, first!

I'd never eat one of those pizzas the way it comes, fresh or 45 minutes old. Most of the time I give it away. But, on the rare occasion I do, some serious renovations have to occur first which involves a reheat to melt the extra cheese, firm up that yukky soggy crust, and warm the addiotional toppings.

These are easy shops and my kids love Papa Johns. I cover several locations near me. One of my favorites.

The shops are indeed easy, but I do it for the money. If it weren't for the bonuses I would not. But, I did plenty of them at base pay years ago when my kids were young. It is wonderful that most kids are not picky about pizza and love PJs! Now the college kids next door are the lucky recipients most of the time.

Which company does papa johns?