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Please don't PM me asking which MSC shops a particular client

October 29, 2018 01:03AM
More than once over the past few years there has been an *over 2-years* forum member who has asked me several times to violate my ICA and forum rules by disclosing which MSC shops certain clients. I have been ignoring these requests and have not bothered responding to this person. It's not someone I chat with or who I have any sort of regular dialog with on the forum.

Over 2-years forum member, you know you are, and I suspect you have PMed other forum members with these questions. You know the rules. It's against forum rules and against your ICA. You also know that the best way to find out is to do the hard work that the rest of us have done, and just sign up with all of the companies on the list at the bottom of the page!!!

Thank you.

Edited to change my post to reflect that the person is not a long-standing forum member really, but in actuality has been a forum member for about 2 years (though in comparison to some of our cherished newbies that seems like a long time).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2018 02:57AM by JASFLALMT.
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October 29, 2018 01:25AM
@JASFLALMT, got the same pm..I imagine they are just trying to stumble upon someone who doesn't know better or who doesn't care. I've only been here for a few months and know the basic rules you stated.. I'm just more surprised it's from someone who has been here for two years trying this nonsense. I could understand from someone who is new and doesn't really know the rules..The bad part is this method must work for them, why else would they keep doing it???

Shopping Idaho and Oregon/Idaho border region.
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October 29, 2018 01:34AM
Yes, I think if this person persists, there might be eventually a public announcement of who they are!

I don't mind if someone asks me which MSCs shop restaurants. I don't mind if someone asks me which MSCs shop hotels. Just don't ask me to violate forum rules and my ICA agreement by being more specific than that.
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October 29, 2018 01:37AM
agreed, I did respond and told them to do the work themselves, they said I could have just said no and save the lecture...oh well Jas, at least they know not to bother me anymore with questions like that:-)

Shopping Idaho and Oregon/Idaho border region.
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October 29, 2018 02:02AM
I just got one today and refused.

Same Indy guy about Olive Garden.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2018 11:27PM by Niner.
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October 29, 2018 02:20AM
@JASFLALMT who shops Five Guys?

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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October 29, 2018 02:20AM
@JASFLALMT who shops Panera?

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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October 29, 2018 02:36AM
PM me, you asshat, hahahahahahaha!

I am still peeved at you for not letting me know when you were in NE Ohio the last time. I would have taken you to lunch.
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October 29, 2018 02:37AM
BTW, I think you know that the longstanding member was not asshat.
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October 29, 2018 04:12AM
"I am still peeved at you for not letting me know when you were in NE Ohio the last time. I would have taken you to lunch."

But would you have gone to either Five Guys or Panera?
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October 29, 2018 04:20AM
No, probably not, LOL. And I don't think griffy would want to either, though neither are that bad...but he doesn't have time, sniff sniff.

There are some great little restaurants on the lakes around here that have good food. I am not a big fan of chains, though I don't mind Carrabba's or Fleming's too much.
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October 29, 2018 04:38AM
I hope nobody asks me that; and I hope I don't offend most of you forum members with my long winded posts smiling smiley (I should be an author...I have the next best seller in my brain....lol)

Anyway, along the same lines, one time when I was shopping more often a few years ago, there was one client who was shopped by two MSC's. I made the mistake once of offhandedly mentioning it to a scheduler in a sense of..."Can I sign up for this shop with BOTH of the MSCs who are shopping it?"

She asked me who the other MSC was. I was really nervous because I know of the ICA, but at the same time, I didn't want to risk offending this scheduler who was offering me a job....

I ended up saying something like...." I'm not sure that I can really tell you that; isn't it against the rules?"

BTW, that scheduler never answered my question. Is it okay to do one shop and fill in the report for two MSCs?
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October 29, 2018 04:40AM
DIdn't mean to derail the post. Carry on with the rogue *Over 2 years* forum member.....
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October 29, 2018 04:45AM
I wouldn't. That being said, I have done a Field Agent assignment in Menard's at the exact same time I was completing a shop for a MSC. I walked in, completed the FA gig in just a few minutes, then completed the long, complicated (purchase and return, plus 3 departments, interactions, etc., etc., etc.) shop for the MSC. I didn't see a conflict.

But that's different, I think. The Field Agent required 2 photos, and wasn't looking for any interaction with employees. It also was NOT in a department required for my shop. It was merely verifying the presence of a particular product, with photos of that product, on the shelf.

If I did something unethical, please tell me!
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October 29, 2018 05:02AM
Anyone can go off topic at any time for any reason in any thread that I have created without me getting offended, I am not the forum police and I think it makes a thread more interesting. I mean you can really go crazy off the rails if you want (lord knows I have done it).

Jill, your posts are not that lengthy and I don't get bored while reading them smiling smiley

There are a lot of people who have differing opines about the double dipping thing. I think it just depends on the situation. If you are shopping two different MSCs for the same client for the same reason, it's a bad idea, especially if the client looks at two reports and sees the same date, sames times, and same information. However, if you are perhaps shopping a large retailer for two different MSCs shopping different departments, that's another story.

Jill, you were wise not to disclose any details about any other MSCs when speaking with that scheduler.

Ceasesmith I don't think you did anything unethical in your circumstance.
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October 29, 2018 05:04AM
I did not get a PM today. So sad.
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October 29, 2018 05:20AM
LOL. I can PM you and ask which MSC does the fabulous 7-day resorts, and you can steadfastly ignore me smiling smiley
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October 29, 2018 06:01AM
speaking of fabulous resorts and MSing, does anyone know if places like Disney World/Land do mystery shops?

Personally, I kind of doubt that they do. I'm pretty sure a place like that would hire actual employees vs ICs to check things out for them, but thought I would ask to see if anyone has insight.
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October 29, 2018 06:01AM
You don't have to tell me the MS company if you know it winking smiley
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October 29, 2018 07:04AM
@Jill_L wrote:

speaking of fabulous resorts and MSing, does anyone know if places like Disney World/Land do mystery shops?

Personally, I kind of doubt that they do. I'm pretty sure a place like that would hire actual employees vs ICs to check things out for them, but thought I would ask to see if anyone has insight.
I was part of the Disneyland mystery shopping program from 2001-2013. I went at least once every two weeks for 12 years. That program has ended. Once I got two park hopper tickets and free parking plus my fee to buy a milkshake (another shopper had flaked). I got a really nice note from Disney corporate saying that they looked forward to my reports because they had so much detail.

I shopped the WDW ticket booths in 2003. Between my husband and myself, we got 12 free tickets and two days of parking. We were not required to use the tickets that day, so we used them later in the week. I believe that program ended in the mid 2000’s.
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October 29, 2018 07:09AM
@SoCalMama

I'm so jealous!
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October 29, 2018 11:55AM
@JASFLALMT If I still worked in north-central Ohio, I'd invite you to a road trip to Worthington to go to Just Pies. OMG, just THINKING about that place makes me hungry! On topic, I agree with you 100% about the folks who persist in asking the "who shops whom?" question; there is no need for that nonsense.
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October 29, 2018 03:13PM
I had someone get nasty with me in a PM after I was asked for the MSC for a certain place and I said I couldn't give that information out. I was told yes I could and I know it, if I didn't want to give it just delete the message - so I deleted the message.
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October 29, 2018 03:15PM
Your fatal flaw was replying in the first place. I don't get many of those PMs but I just ignore the ones I do get.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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October 29, 2018 03:43PM
New forum members sometimes ask in open forum who shops a client because they don't know any better and more experienced shoppers sometimes slip up and ask because they forget. Anyone who asks who shops who through PMs, especially someone who PMs multiple forum members, is using the PM feature because he KNOWS what the answer will be. He makes a personal appeal through a PM hoping to gain sympathy or intimidate the receiver into giving a response.

Those who abuse the PM system to annoy other forum members by constantly asking these questions should be recognized and answered in open forum. No more PMs for me. If I get another PM asking me who shops a particular client, I will post the PM in open forum and answer the question here. Don't bother to PM me again. AND - if you send me another ugly response, I'll notify the administrator and the moderators. I think you should be banned.
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October 29, 2018 04:01PM
@roflwofl

If this was like fb and had a "love" emoji versus a "like," I'd choose that! Great response!
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October 29, 2018 05:40PM
@bgriffin wrote:

@JASFLALMT who shops Five Guys?

I think I know the answer to that one...almost everyone shops Five Guys...probably including bgriffin. lol

Edited to say My bad. After reading more of the posts I discovered that bgriffin probably doesn't shop them. But I still maintain that almost everyone else seems to. The almost everyone evidently does not include Irene...oh but now it does!
My point was, for those who did not catch it, that a great answer to the question you might get of who shops xyz might be that you do.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2018 06:03PM by sandyf.
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October 29, 2018 05:57PM
@Sandy,,,have to disagree, I never shopped Five Guys, however the 1st. will be my 1st., hoping it's easy and I enjoy it. They de-activated me for inactivity, and I recently wrote them...they were mucho nice and reinstated me.
My 10th burger place up here, I now compare and have a 1st best, 2nd, 3rd...it's a game I'm playing. How does everybody rate Five Guys?
Staying on subject, I received a nasty PM months ago, got pissed off and told them, no asking, they got pissed off and I wrote it on the forum...haven't gotten another since....sometimes you have to rat on them, don't tell me they don't know better if they read the forum, and they do.

Live consciously....


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2018 05:59PM by Irene_L.A..
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October 29, 2018 06:39PM
It's pretty good burger, Irene. I'd give it an 8 out of 10. The fries, not so much, but I don't really eat a lot of fried stuff. Get the little fry because even it is too much to eat. And I like crispy fries, theirs are not, but we aren't allowed to ask them to cook them a little longer unfortunately. You just have to take them the way that you get them.

And yes, you are right, anyone who is PMing asking for info about who shops who knows it's against the rules and definitely knows they shouldn't be doing it.
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October 29, 2018 06:39PM
Fatal? Ack! Gasp...taking my last breath, LOL.

@bgriffin wrote:

Your fatal flaw was replying in the first place.
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