If I pick up a shop with no pay but $20 reimburse or $5 and $10 reimburse, am I allowed to return that item? Does it depend upon the company? I live close to multiple malls.
Thanks

Depends on your project. Some projects explicitly state whether or not you can return your purchases.

TY

Is it frowned upon to ask schedulers if it is not written in? Or, if it is not written is it safe to assume it is ok?

It is generally frowned upon to return an item for which you have been reimbursed. Are you also going to return the reimbursement? There are MSC’s that will deactivate you for it.

However, you can sell the item.

If it's not written in the guidelines, you should ask because most of the time you can return the item.

When in doubt, ask.... You really can't go wrong doing that!

When in doubt I do ask, but this has got me thinking. If it is not written in the guidelines, why do we bother?

@LisaSTL wrote:

When in doubt I do ask, but this has got me thinking. If it is not written in the guidelines, why do we bother?

On my end, if it's a receipt, which is traceable, the last thing I want is an email afterwards asking about it from the MSC. It's an unwritten rule in many situations, but that's my reason for verifying with the MSC.

There is no such thing as an unwritten rule. It may be customary which doesn't make it a rule. If we want to look at the assignments as contracts, it needs to be covered in the contract.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2018 02:26PM by LisaSTL.

@LisaSTL wrote:

There is no such thing as an unwritten rule.

Of there are... Like how many companies think using a single interaction for 2 different shops for 2 different companies as unethical?

I usually give it as a gift with a gift receipt and then the "giftee" (my mom, or neighbor, or another relative) can return it with impunity. And if they happen to return it back to the card where I paid for it... or give me back the cash that I paid for it.... well, that's just coincidence, right?

Unless the guidelines say you have to keep the item, it's yours to do as you please.

I will do a Big Box paint associate interaction shop, while looking around for credit card signs for my credit card shop and ask an associate if there is any Fkex tape or glue for my merchandising shop, all in the same 30 minutes or I would not do any of those cheap shops. It turns a $10 30 minute shop into a $36.50 30 minute shop. No playing the ethics card or pay me what it's worth. Oprah, and other rich people say never pay retail. I'm not rich but I never pay retail because the MSC are not!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2018 04:31PM by spicy1.

i agree that it *should* be spelled out in the contract, and I've recently seen shops where it is. Although I don't do many purchase & reimbursement shops, I usually check out the guidelines for any I might be interested in.

In the absence of that, though, it may be that there is that pesky "what is customary within the industry" thing, which might be different than what the shopper's assumption is. That's why I think it's a good thing to ask first. In a case like this, it may not be better to ask forgiveness than permission.

"Reimbursement" and "Contracts": I would suggest that the guidelines do not have to specifically state that an item cannot be returned if reimbursement was given. The reason is simple: The word "reimbursement" specifically means money given back to the shopper to cover expenses incurred as a a result of doing the shop. If the purchased item is returned for a refund, no expenses are incurred and there should not be a reimbursement. As the word, "reimbursement" is used in the guidelines, there does not need to be further clarification contractually. Perhaps some MSC's see this differently? However, *I* would not return a reimbursed item unless specifically given the "okay" to do so.

Using one interaction/visit as two shops: I look at this as being a bit murkier. After all, if you are already in a store to make a purchase or have an interaction, does it affect the shop if you are also counting signage? If the shops were to interfere with one-another, or if you were using the same conversation as a requirement of both shops, it would be different. (The client is almost certainly not wanting to pay twice for reports on the same interaction.) *I* would tread carefully here. It's one of those for which it would make a lot of sense to get it cleared with both MSC's before doing it.

Both of these questions come up from time-to-time as we often feel like the payment offered for such shops does not come close to being adequate compensation for the required work. This is why I do very few retail shops. The solution for me is to simply not take the shops until they are bonused to a level at which I find the compensation reasonable. As long as we take shops at insanely low pay rates, the MSC's have no reason to offer better payment or negotiation better contracts with the clients.

I call that "double dipping." I frequently do that with bank shops.

@spicy1 wrote:

I will do a Big Box paint associate interaction shop, while looking around for credit card signs for my credit card shop and ask an associate if there is any Fkex tape or glue for my merchandising shop, all in the same 30 minutes or I would not do any of those cheap shops. It turns a $10 30 minute shop into a $36.50 30 minute shop. No playing the ethics card or pay me what it's worth. Oprah, and other rich people say never pay retail. I'm not rich but I never pay retail because the MSC are not!

@MFJohnston wrote:

"Reimbursement" and "Contracts": I would suggest that the guidelines do not have to specifically state that an item cannot be returned if reimbursement was given. The reason is simple: The word "reimbursement" specifically means money given back to the shopper to cover expenses incurred as a a result of doing the shop. If the purchased item is returned for a refund, no expenses are incurred and there should not be a reimbursement. As the word, "reimbursement" is used in the guidelines, there does not need to be further clarification contractually. Perhaps some MSC's see this differently?

@MFJohnston, personally, I'm in total agreement with you. But because some shoppers believe that "reimbursement" in mystery shopping doesn't carry the same meaning as it does in all other contexts, it's probably a good idea for MSCs to specify in the contract. Then there's absolutely no ambiguity at all.

From a scheduler's point of view, and I really have no opinion one way or the other whether you do return the item, but since contracts are being brought up... There are two separate things you can agree to when you pick up a shop, shopper pay, and reimbursements. If you are reimbursed for an item, then return that item, you have now taken what was agreed to be a reimbursement when you confirmed your shop ("signed your contract" ) and turned it into shopper pay. I would say that if a MSC actually wanted to fight you on it, they would be legally in the right. But then again, I'm no lawyer lol. Probably best to ask first.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2018 06:31PM by KSSPete.

"(The client is almost certainly not wanting to pay twice for reports on the same interaction.) *I* would tread carefully here. It's one of those for which it would make a lot of sense to get it cleared with both MSC's before doing it."

Of course one client does not want to pay twice for the exact same information. If the end clients are different entities, that is no longer an issue so it does not require permission or clearance from anyone. I've performed two shops in the same location for the same MSC with two different clients and no overlap with requirements or reporting.

I don't disagree with you here - only that caution be exercised. You would have to be certain that the end clients are different. Questions might be raised if both shops are for the same MSC. You would have to also be certain that the guidelines for one shop do not interfere with the other. (For instance, if one of the shops requires timings, doing the other shop could easily interfere with them.) As somebody who has been doing this for a long time, I am certain that you (@LisaSTL) could navigate this. However, somebody new to shopping would want to tread very carefully and clear it with the MSC's in question.....

@LisaSTL wrote:

"(The client is almost certainly not wanting to pay twice for reports on the same interaction.) *I* would tread carefully here. It's one of those for which it would make a lot of sense to get it cleared with both MSC's before doing it."

Of course one client does not want to pay twice for the exact same information. If the end clients are different entities, that is no longer an issue so it does not require permission or clearance from anyone. I've performed two shops in the same location for the same MSC with two different clients and no overlap with requirements or reporting.

When I did two shops for the same MSC at the same place, who do you think asked me to do so? LOL

Well, I have always tried to be an honest person and now, you have me wondering: I once did a shop for a "home goods" type of store where I was supposed to purchase something and also ask about a particular bride's register.
It so happened that I did have a wedding to attend. I purchased the gift while performing the shop. Part of the money for the gift was reimbursed as part of my mystery shop.
Well, as it turned out, the wedding was first delayed and then called off (groom supposedly was having an affair or something like that). I was sad for the bride, but sure glad she didn't marry the scoundrel.
I returned the gift and got my money back.

So, I guess I "double dipped".

If a shop has a higher reimbursement in relation to the fee, it has to be something I want anyway. For instance, a couple of children's store shops pay $4 and reimburse $10. To me they are worthless. I am not going to take them then make a trip back to return the merchandise.

OTOH, if a purchase is required, reimburses a whopping $3 in a store where the cheapest item is $5, I am going to be more inclined to return it if it is convenient. It's certainly not worth a special trip to the mall for a couple of bucks. Those type of shops do royally piss me off. Somebody knows the reimbursement is not enough so they should be up front. Once I have been fooled, it doesn't happen a second time.

IMO, exchanging items is not a big deal either. I once saved the small reimbursed items from a month's worth of hardware store shops then exchanged them for a higher priced item. In the end the store still made more money.

When I say "double dip," I mean doing multiple shops for multiple MSCs for the same client. For instance, I had a literature audit, an account opening, and a meeting with an investment banker all under the roof of the same financial institution.

@LisaSTL wrote:

OTOH, if a purchase is required, reimburses a whopping $3 in a store where the cheapest item is $5, I am going to be more inclined to return it if it is convenient. It's certainly not worth a special trip to the mall for a couple of bucks. Those type of shops do royally piss me off. Somebody knows the reimbursement is not enough so they should be up front. Once I have been fooled, it doesn't happen a second time.

And that's why I rarely do a purchase with reimbursement. Unless, as you note, the fee part is high enough to warrant it, and then only on something I can use or can give as a gift to somebody. I'm not going to do the $120 hair-product reimbursement shop with a fee of $10 or whatever it is, because I don't need the stuff. Too bad they won't let you buy the men's line. My DH can use that....

I'm no lawyer either, Pete. IMO, MSCs do not decide whether a returned item is income or reimbursement. That decision is made when the IC/taxpayer files their tax return.

If it is not spelled out in the guidelines, it is my decision whether to keep or return. I almost never seek permission.

@KSSPete wrote:

From a scheduler's point of view, and I really have no opinion one way or the other whether you do return the item, but since contracts are being brought up... There are two separate things you can agree to when you pick up a shop, shopper pay, and reimbursements. If you are reimbursed for an item, then return that item, you have now taken what was agreed to be a reimbursement when you confirmed your shop ("signed your contract" ) and turned it into shopper pay. I would say that if a MSC actually wanted to fight you on it, they would be legally in the right. But then again, I'm no lawyer lol. Probably best to ask first.

Of course, then the non-taxable product becomes taxable income.

If I return the useless item, it is done right after the shop. I discretely take a pic of the receipt (outside of the store) and make the return.

@LisaSTL wrote:

If a shop has a higher reimbursement in relation to the fee, it has to be something I want anyway. For instance, a couple of children's store shops pay $4 and reimburse $10. To me they are worthless. I am not going to take them then make a trip back to return the merchandise.

OTOH, if a purchase is required, reimburses a whopping $3 in a store where the cheapest item is $5, I am going to be more inclined to return it if it is convenient. It's certainly not worth a special trip to the mall for a couple of bucks. Those type of shops do royally piss me off. Somebody knows the reimbursement is not enough so they should be up front. Once I have been fooled, it doesn't happen a second time.

IMO, exchanging items is not a big deal either. I once saved the small reimbursed items from a month's worth of hardware store shops then exchanged them for a higher priced item. In the end the store still made more money.

@spicy1 wrote:

Of course, then the non-taxable product becomes taxable income.

Yes; this. Obviously, if you don't return the item, the monies received as reimbursement aren't taxable. But if you return the item, the refund is. Because then you don't have an offsetting expense, so it's income and not reimbursement.

That makes sense as well. I worked for a company in the past that would not allow it whenever a shopper called to ask. Their reasoning was that it turned the reimbursement into pay that was not offered. Basically, they were saying that if they reimburse for the item, then give you money back for the item when you return it, that it doesn't even out (client loses money). All the math on that is well above my head. I don't believe they ever proactively checked, nor am I sure they really could.