I did a mystery a shop a couple of months ago( like Feb) and I made a couple of suggestions to them. The report when through with no problems. I did the same shop a few days ago (Apr) and they still have not made the change.

Am I wasting my time making the suggestion to the company? I know the MSC looks over the report before they send it to the client? But does the MSC make any changes to the report before sending it off. I know they may change the word usage a little or they may want a little more detail and they send it back to us.

And if the company makes changes when does it take effect?

Thanks

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2018 09:16PM by Isaiah4031a.

That varies. I do a convenience store chain that has gas pumps. At the beginning of last year, if the pumps were in bad condition, I reported it. For several months nothing changed. Then, one by one, these locations got new pumps. You just never know.

I guess I will keep making theses suggestions and hopefully one day they will listen.

Thanks

Yup, Isaiah, that's part of our job. Now if they would just put a coat hook on the back of the restroom doors...been asking but I think that's less of a priority.

May be if enough people (mystery shops and non mystery shops) say something about it they may do something.

I don't think that we, as shoppers, have the clout to expect immediate change. An example is a gas station I did every two months for over a year. After each visit I dutifully reported the dirty canopy, grungy restroom, lights not working, cracked window and rusty grate. The attendant/manager said he repeatedly complained to management to no avail. The rusty grate over in ground plumbing pipes finally rusted through and my comment was that this was a lawsuit waiting to happen and sent a picture. Apparently this caught their attention as it was replaced by my next visit although nothing else was repaired, painted or replaced. I continued to report infractions and guess what? On one visit The canopy had been power washed and painted The lights replaced and new fixtures were in the restroom. Only the front window was not replaced, everything else was repaired or replaced. The manager was delighted and proudly pointed out all the improvements. It only took two years. Did I have some influence? I guess but it might just have been this station's turn to get upgraded. I did feel good because of the manager's joy and exuberance over his new and improved station. My sense of pride was not in thinking that I was the reason for the improvements but that I continually inspected and reported according to the guidelines of the MSC.

While I agree with you to an extent, I do have some pride in suspecting that I helped change an entire menu at a local restaurant over the course of a year while my husband and I visited it each month. The service was fabulous, the location was clean and had great ambiance, but the food was mediocre. The end result was a spectacular menu and after a few more visits with excellent reports, they discontinued the shopping program.

They discontinued the shopping program because the food went from mediocre to excellent?

Hum I wonder why they did that

So you influenced a great menu and basically enjoyed free meals with your husband. Then they slammed the door in your face not knowing who you were. Oh, the ironies of life. Do you still go there?

I wasn't complaining, Jake, I was pointing out that it isn't always about just doing a great job that you should take pride in. I was proud that I helped formulate some success. Unfortunately, I don't go up that way too often because it's a 45 mile one way trip.

Any particular reason you are irritated with me?

I didn't think you were complaining. Just my warped NY sense of humor coming through.

I guess personally, I don’t give a hoot if an establishment makes changes based on my report. My goal with shopping is to make money, and earn some reimbursements/experiences while I’m at it.

Shoppers shop for various reasons, and companies hire shoppers for various reasons. The shopper’s idea of a “problem” may not be the business owners idea of a problem.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Yup, Isaiah, that's part of our job. Now if they would just put a coat hook on the back of the restroom doors...been asking but I think that's less of a priority.

That is my number one pet peeve...but if managers who do not carry purses are reading the report it may not be a priority for them. I would not expect all of the suggestions of mystery shoppers to be followed. After all we are not experts in the field and as much as we might think things are wrong it may not be that the company agrees with us. As for the gas pumps and other costly changes capital budgets are usually prepared once per year so big expensive changes like that may take almost a year to put it in the budget and then more time to roll out.
I was happy to report a long time ago that the veggies were all wilted on my favorite salad bar and the plates were so cold I got freezer burn on my hand trying to serve myself. (not the words i used). The next time I went to that restaurant things had changed.

Yes, Sandy, but you live in Cali...I wish ALL restrooms had a purse hook, but in NE OH we are ALL wearing jackets or coats, too!!!!

Sure is a lot cheaper to put a hook on a bathroom door than it is to put in new pumps (grumble grumble, LOL).

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Yes, Sandy, but you live in Cali...I wish ALL restrooms had a purse hook, but in NE OH we are ALL wearing jackets or coats, too!!!!

Sure is a lot cheaper to put a hook on a bathroom door than it is to put in new pumps (grumble grumble, LOL).

Ah but we have tens of thousands of homeless people living here for the good weather. I cannot put anything down on the floor in many places. Not quite as bad as those highway restrooms have been described though. Yes we do not have coats but even some men here carry purses lol...and what about my leftovers boxes...which I carry in my mandatory recycled bags which I then have to put on the floor or on the wet sinktop. How can we shoppers go into the restroom to make notes when our hands are full with coats and purses and bags. It is a job hazard for us when trying to record timings and quotes in the restroom and indirectly we are their employees so they should take heed.

And that's flipping funny.

And I ABSOLUTELY HATE putting my purse on the floor ANYWHERE. It's awkward at best trying to manage both a coat and a purse in a restroom (much less all the baggage you mentioned). But I was hoping with my observation that management might get it (the unspoken that a coat hook also meant purse hook, or a whatever hook). And also since I was trying to remain somewhat anonymous and discreet, not disclosing my gender..in my area of the Midwest not too many men are wearing bags these days yet unless they are college students.

A few months ago I did a different MS and everything was good but one little detail. I made a note in the report. A few months after that I went back and that was corrected. So not sure if it was the report or other people had mentioned it.

So are you saying the future looks bright for those who are looking forward to a more androgynous culture. College students leading the charge! It's about time. I have been wearing nothing but pants for a long time. Now the young men are figuring out some of the things we women do are practical and convenient.

Well, yeah, basically. And your point? LOL!

@Megs7521 wrote:

I guess personally, I don’t give a hoot if an establishment makes changes based on my report. My goal with shopping is to make money, and earn some reimbursements/experiences while I’m at it.

Shoppers shop for various reasons, and companies hire shoppers for various reasons. The shopper’s idea of a “problem” may not be the business owners idea of a problem.

ding ding ding
We have a winner!

I couldn't possibly care less what is done with my report after I turn it in, and honestly I can't understand why anyone would.

Companies have shops for different reasons. Some of them are not the reasons you think they have them. I do a lot of shops for one client that is simply done to show their parent company how good they are. They're a leader in their industry so yeah, they are pretty good, but they're not trying to fix problems. For things like gas stations, those are VERY RARELY company owned. So the person you are reporting to are not the people that can do anything about the problem you're reporting.

To expand on the gas station thing. Let's say I own a Griffin Gas gas station. I pay a fee to Griffin Gas Company for the auditing program. If I fail the audit then I have an additional fee. Let's say they are required to get a score of 80 out of 100. I have no idea what it is, but let's say that's it. And let's say I can have dirty pumps and a bad bathroom and if everything else is still perfect get an 85. So you report over and over and over again that my bathroom is dirty and my pumps are dirty. I pass the audit over and over and over again. Griffin Gas can't complain, hey, they're passing their audit. And I obviously don't care about my dirty pumps or bathroom because if I did they wouldn't be dirty to begin with. So why expect anything to change?

I have seen several things changed as a result of my shopping....
* A host station was moved to make an entryway wider at a restaurant after I reported two near collisions between guests and waitstaff.
* Several casino bathroom "issues" were resolved.

I suspect that my reports simply drew attention to obvious problems and that they just needed to be pointed out to upper-management to get them resolved. These were changes that posed liability to the company and did not take major policy changes or debates.

However, if I point out an "issue" that is not a clear liability issue or something for which one person might think less important than what I think, the suggestion might get discussed internally and eventually enacted, or simply rejected. It's not like I have the clout to change policy.

The thing with the convenience store/gas station shops is that there was a question directly asking if the pumps and islands were clean and in good condition. No. I had to leave a comment explaining that they were worn looking and in poor condition, with peeling paint and rusted areas. The thing with the restroom is the question asked if the restroom was clean, properly supplied, and in good working order. Yes. I put a note in about the coat hook. They probably never even read that comment since it was answered yes.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2018 03:59PM by JASFLALMT.

Some issues at a thrift store went on the report. The next time I shopped there, the issues were fixed. I appreciated that. Our favorite Mexican QSR that is no longer shopped, the locations I visited had the same issues.

Put a large "S" hook (with a hook big enough to fit behind a standard doorknob) in your purse. If you're in a restroom stall, it can hang over the door or the side wall and you can hang your purse on it. If you're in an all-in-one restroom, you can fit it over the doorknob. They cost a couple of dollars at Home Depot or a hardware store. Just remember to take it with you when you leave!

Good idea Susan...just that last sentence about remembering to take it with me when I leave (my house, not the store).

That wouldn't work at the convenience stores I do shops at...they are one room unisex restrooms that don't have a doorknob--it's a handle that when you hang anything on it, it unlocks and opens the door, LOL. At any rate, I have gotten into the habit of leaving my purse locked in my car and just taking my credit card inside with me. Still the problem of my heavy coat in NE Ohio winter weather...

I think our comments matter. I have seen stores that I shop make changes because of my comments, particularly if I point out that I'm afraid I'm going to break a wheel on that pothole in the exit lane. I have seen changes in what they ask employees to do, too. I shop an electronics company which has an employee stationed to check your receipt at the door. The employees were looking at it, marking it and letting me go, without ever looking in the shopping bag to see whether I had only the items on the receipt in there. After mentioning it for four months straight, suddenly employees were asking to look in the bag! One hopes that she may have stopped some petty pilfering that way. On the other hand, a restroom at a fast food place had dust bunnies hanging from the fan vent cover - same ones, month after month. There was a hole in the wall the size of someone's fist. Hot water didn't work at all and the door wouldn't lock shut - I took a door stop with me every time I shopped that place to keep the door closed. Eventually - two years later - they fixed the wall and the lock and put in new flooring. It's five years later and the dust bunnies have multiplied, but they're still there.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

And that's flipping funny.

And I ABSOLUTELY HATE putting my purse on the floor ANYWHERE. It's awkward at best trying to manage both a coat and a purse in a restroom (much less all the baggage you mentioned). But I was hoping with my observation that management might get it (the unspoken that a coat hook also meant purse hook, or a whatever hook). And also since I was trying to remain somewhat anonymous and discreet, not disclosing my gender..in my area of the Midwest not too many men are wearing bags these days yet unless they are college students

I got an over the door hook at the dollar store. I keep it in my trunk. When I go to the restroom at a convenience store I just slip it in my tote just in case I need it.

Does it always fit over the door and the door is still able to close? I will have to scope that out to make sure that there is enough space at the top of the door for one to fit. And then there is the fact that I am 5'1" tall, so getting it up there might be a challenge too!

I used to work at the front door and when some bought a Big item I would make sure the cashier rang it up on the ticket. They would not let us go through thei customer bags.

Now I am a cashier and when some buys a big ticket item and it is at the front I try to market it to make it easier on the front door people

Now if a employee goes out with a sack or a purse they would require to stop at the front and we will peak inside.