Debating Leaving Mystery Shopping.....

squireparty · 2019-01-13T19:09:45+00:00

Or cutting back severely, just taking a shop here and there a few times a year. I will not name the names of the MSC or any individuals/organizations involved - this is not that kind of post. I more want to just post to you'all what you can find yourself facing as a mystery shopper and what I recently faced. Last Wednesday, I arrived on the campus of a local private university to do a mystery shop of a food outlet at the Student Union. Part of this shop is the requirement to check in with Campus Security - which is certainly reasonable given the number of school shootings over the past decade. There is also a requirement that I did not meet - let me admit this here and now - to print out some kind of letter regarding your visit. I did not keep up with this shop change - once again, admitting this here and now - as the last time I did this shop and checked in with security, I was able to show on my smartphone that I had been assigned this shop. At any rate, I did not have the letter. I interacted with the Campus Security Manager, who was very hostile, aggressive, and in my face - completely on an overbearing power trip. It's fine that I was denied entry to campus and am out the $13 and a reimbursed meal - such is not going to end my world. What does matter here is that while I was not in fear of my life - that would be going too far - I was in fear of an unlawful arrest, and/or physical harm for no legal reason. I booked and left campus quickly in a great deal of fear. So, many people would let it go here. I could not, as I understand that the next mystery shopper is vulnerable to unlawful arrest and/or illegal physical harm by this Security Manager if I do nothing and I refuse to be complicit in such evil. So I did something that will alienate many people here and that's your right, I don't hold this against you but I don't agree with you, either. I broke my anonymity as I could not live with myself leaving the next mystery shopper vulnerable to this unstable, loose cannon Security Manager. I could easily see a mystery shopper who did not leave quickly in fear as I did but rather attempted to explain that this was all legit being unlawfully arrested or physically assaulted by the Security Manager. Getting to the point, I spent several hours calling between a Special Events Officer on Campus, The Department of Public Safety on Campus, the owner of the Mystery Shop Company (who I credit with taking this seriously and handling this well, kudos to this one person!), and the University President's Office. I stressed all along the way on recorded lines (and I was recording, too, naturally as I live in a one party state and such is legal here) that I was not after money, that I was only protecting the next innocent mystery shopper, someone I'm likely never to meet or be thanked by, and that were I in Nazi Era Germany I'd be hiding Jews at the risk of my own life (this last stated to give an idea of the type of mentality before them). Long and short of the story is that I did get resolution - though I broke anonymity all over the place (and will pay any consequence therefore to protect the next innocent person from this Security Manager) the shop has been restructured in such a way that no interaction with Campus Security will be necessary going forward. So the issue I encountered has been addressed, and since I'm not seeking any money as I made repeatedly clear numerous times, I'm happy to cease my activism and this here is all I was seeking and is enough. I did call the President's Office, stating the though I'm an outsider, and therefore have no power in HR issues, something needs to be done about the Campus Security Manager as the next person might be money motivated and not willing to be bought off by a policy change alone. I recommended squelching his/her power and monitoring for a period of a couple of years to protect the university from multi million dollar lawsuits. I also stressed that we are in a one party state and that this Security Manager is extremely vulnerable to smartphone video and audio. As I said, I am an outsider and my above recommendation will likely be ignored. I've done what I can and I've managed to get things restructured so this will not happen again - at least mystery shoppers will not have to interact with Campus Security going forward. So now likely there will be fewer shops for me - perhaps I have already been blacklisted. It's worth it to me to protect the next person - had I done nothing and let this sit I'd be just as guilty as the Campus Security Manager is. So I've made my choice and I can live with it. If I'm done mystery shopping, so be it. If anyone is interested I'd be glad to come back in a few months and post if I'm getting shops or not.....let me know in comments and if anyone is interested, I'll be glad to follow through. Lastly, I post this here mostly to let you'all know this is the risk you may be taking when you take a shop - if you have morals and ethics and they are important to you, you could find yourself in a similar situation. I chose moral and ethics for the win.....at least I can live with myself even if this sideline dries up for me now since I have morals and ethics and am not afraid to address situations such as this with them. Anyone read all of this? Thank You for the respect to do so. I have yet to mention MSC or the University and I'd rather not though I do believe the MSC owner deserves some public kudos for being decent about things. The sense I got from him/her (I'd rather not even give out gender) is that they'd rather not have the public kudos so I'm respecting that. And also, I'd like to state that I am very grateful that I did not have to get local media involved, I was going to wait until Monday afternoon to do so as the President's Office of this University did say they'd be back to me by Monday afternoon. So at least I didn't have to amp things up to protect the next innocent person from Campus Security. And should anyone wonder, what's the big deal with protecting yourself from Campus Security - an unlawful arrest on their part will ruin your life in the sense of facing employment and housing discrimination the rest of your life, and you likely will not be able to claim political asylum nor immigrate to one of the better countries to start over somewhere better. IT'S A HUGE DEAL WHAT I ESCAPED - it really is. One bit of advice: I'd avoid any shop going forward with either a University setting or a security component. Too many power trippers out there, too little regard for human rights and the rule of law, too much risk for such little if any real gain. Be safe everyone, and if you don't agree with my actions, that's cool. I hold this against no one - we all have to live with ourselves that way that we see fit as I did here. Safe shopping! Squireparty

Debating Leaving Mystery Shopping.....

January 20, 2019 02:46AM

I think we should create a new subforum and call it "Histrionics." Any thread where the first post is histrionic in nature could be started there and any thread that goes histrionic could be moved there. Instead of banning some users, we could restrict them to only that subforum. The rest of us could venture there when we feel like our lives just plain need more drama.

/sarc

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2019 04:08PM by MFJohnston.

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January 20, 2019 04:24AM

The older I get, the less drama I want in my life....

January 20, 2019 10:15AM

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

My humble opinion is the OP wanted out, but wanted the Moderators to do it as he said over and over. I personally as well as many were kind to him in the beginning, but yet he produced more and more drama bringing in the Holocaust, police and unrelateable subjects going off topic for attention. Being unable to take different opinions when posting shows immaturity. Re-read his posts, totally off the wall, he almost begged to be dismissed and finally after much pleading, he was. You sound like your blaming the forum for his demise.

These additional topics were relatable references-- and some people recognized this. Other people chose not to follow along or to dismiss the ideas outright.

You say histrionics, I say history matters, let's call the whole thing off...

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)

January 20, 2019 04:08PM

over and out....

Live consciously....

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Debating Leaving Mystery Shopping.....

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