Sounds fun. I will doff my spy hat forthwith and follow you around.

@Hoju wrote:

@CoffeeQueen I'm happy to teach you my ways. You can start by obnoxiously calling out the trolls on here. It's good practice.

I reported it to the MSC and I didn't do the shop. It's one of the downfalls of living in this area, everyone knows everyone and it's hard to find places where you don't know someone that works there.

@7star wrote:

So what did you do ? Did you report that to the MSC ?

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

I walked in to ShopRite to do a shop for the first time in forever, because the pay is awful, but it was a high bonus. I went to the customer service desk and I see my friend's mom who I haven't seen in forever and she immediately laughs and belts out "Oh, are you mystery shopping us again"? Ugh

I worked at a place that used mystery shoppers (that's how I got started and learned there was even such a thing). We never knew who the mystery shopper was, and that was the point. We treated everyone like they were the mystery shopper, and if they came in multiple times they were actually the last person we'd suspect because we'd developed a relationship with them! It was the new faces we looked out for most actually. However, at the end of the day, we never even knew what most of the questions being asked were. We were told to follow this 5-step practice with every customer for good reviews - which is what we did. Although we had cameras, we never posted faces of the shopper because the bottom line was to have better customer service from our employees. Doing that, undermines the entire practice!

The only time we ever knew who the shopper was when shoppers would come in with the report IN HAND and ask questions from the paper! Honestly, unless you're doing this - I wouldn't worry so much about being outed. LOL!!!

I did a no reveal mystery shop at a Phillips 66 Friday. I get to the register and I buy a 99 cent pack of Bubble Yum bubble gum. The clerk does not give me a receipt and when I ask her for one the owner who is from a land far away jumps in my face and says in broken English "Do you need anything else? Possibly is something out of place!" I just acted like I did not know what he was talking about. I think I shall leave that gas station for someone else in the future. Let someone else deal with that guy he is looking to make trouble.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

If they know I am the shopper, why are they still not upselling me or asking me for my rewards card? If they know I am the shopper, why are they on their phones texting or using profane language and having inappropriate conversations with their coworkers right in front of me? Seems like they should be scurrying around cleaning up the food debris on tables in that empty dining room instead of slouching and leaning against the counter when there only a few other customers besides me in the place.

Working retail sucks. Customers can be rude and unappreciative; managers can be authoritarians and heartless. And most often, the pay is squat. The employees aren't paid enough to care. They know, as do their managers, that the store cannot fill its current staffing needs and thus cannot take any action against an employee who does not ask for a rewards card.

It wasn't all about the rewards card, most of it was about not cleaning up the place. I get that they are unmotivated, but my point was that they likely don't know I am the shopper.

Right, JASFLAMT. I suspect that many, even if you knew you were the shopper, are neither paid enough nor respected enough by their employers to care. While part of the problem, no doubt, is in hiring, apathy flows from the top. If management does not care about employees, employees don't care about either the workplace or customers.

If he's like some of the owners I shop it's not that he's looking for trouble, it's that he's too cheap to print you a receipt. Some of the corners they find to cut are absolutely unbelievable and sometimes laughable. One guy has rigged some kind of contraption that enables him to padlock a water spigot which is supposed to be publicly available.

@Sobrokeigot2dothis wrote:

Let someone else deal with that guy he is looking to make trouble.

Dealing with gas stations is dealing with those not understanding proper English, having good manners towards the American or others, and basically not a connection will be made...reason for not doing them . I don't and do want to deal with a higher level. I've been caught once in 13 years, and having been a customer (not shopper) over and over in places I like, going to the same place often means nothing and good customers do this with regularity. My sister worked at Saks for forty years and had the same customers for years...next question.
They give rewards so you will come back.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2019 08:39PM by Irene_L.A..

That makes it easier for the shoppers! The employees will do a better job. Win Win!

Honestly, if you work the same shops regularly and have to ask stupid questions...they will know who you are.

I had a sweet deal a year ago. Did the employees and management know who I was at the end of the contract, you bet your sweet bippie!

I managed to ride that contract until the contract died.

Do I recommend what I pulled? Not ever.

Why did I do it? Because, I was paid big money to get it done. I, only had 2 locations that ratted me out. Tell the truth, the people in charge of my locations would do their best to find a way to direct me to the employee they needed shopped.

There were days when the people in charge sat right beside the person I shopped. They were making sure me and the employee were doing our jobs, the right way.

edited because there are days I don't have a clue



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2019 06:49AM by MA Smith.

Agreed. I usually do the same route due to not having many shoppers in my state. Most (if not all) pretty much know me by now. Actually makes the experience more fun, building rapport with site employees. Besides, as I always tell them: "You should know how you would do on your surveys even before I arrive" since the majority of negative hits I find are building/lighting issues.

Couldn't care less.

They bring out the broom when I show up. The frowns becomes smiles. They make small chat with you. And there is always that imaginary wink. Wink right at y'all.

In the spirit of keeping the “mystery” in mystery shopping, I went to a gas station I frequently shop, bought a pack of gum, asked for a receipt, and left. The cashier, who’s been getting just a little too chummy and in-the-know about the audits, seemed very confused as he told me they had already been shopped.

I just wanted to point out that if you are really bothered by the small purchases/receipts, you don't HAVE to buy only $5.00 worth of gas or a $1.00 pack of gum. You can buy whatever you want, you just won't get reimbursed for the extra. If I need more gas, I'm gonna have to buy it somewhere, I'll get $20.00, I just put $5.00 for the reimbursement. If I'm hungry and want a hot dog and drink, I'll get it. Gotta eat somewhere, might as well have at least a dollar reimbursed.

When I do only purchase a $1.00 pack of gum, I'll admit I do feel kinda stupid asking for a receipt, which begs the question - WHY don't the companies, and further WHY don't the MSCs insist upon, just training the cashiers to AUTOMATICALLY give every customer a receipt? The chances of having our cover blown if they did that would be NIL!

As for the phone call, that's never going to be an issue unless you arrive and find a location closed. And even then, there is no real way to prove when or if you even called. I can't count the number of times I've called stations and have no one answer. Does that mean I'm not supposed to go do the shop? If the station is closed, I'm not going t o get an answer then either. I'm referring to out of business locations, but either way some stations simply don't answer the phone. And if its a station I'm familiar with and I'm planning a noon shop on a Tuesday, well...I'm just going.

That's not feasible when you do 20 gas stations.

@shawnthewoman wrote:

I just wanted to point out that if you are really bothered by the small purchases/receipts, you don't HAVE to buy only $5.00 worth of gas or a $1.00 pack of gum. You can buy whatever you want, you just won't get reimbursed for the extra. If I need more gas, I'm gonna have to buy it somewhere, I'll get $20.00, I just put $5.00 for the reimbursement. If I'm hungry and want a hot dog and drink, I'll get it. Gotta eat somewhere, might as well have at least a dollar reimbursed.

@shawnthewoman wrote:

As for the phone call, that's never going to be an issue unless you arrive and find a location closed. And even then, there is no real way to prove when or if you even called.

Regarding the above, as long as you use a cell phone (& even some landlines have this, too), you have an automatic call log of all calls you both make and receive. So you COULD PROVE when/if you called by taking a screen shot of your call log. That can't be disputed!

I've been shopping several months now and I think I'm finally out of the newbie mindset where Im so panicked if the location figures out or is aware that Im the mystery shopper. Im not doing anything as far as I know to give away Im the shopper but if the employee figures it out based on the stupid questions we have to ask..so be it. Im getting paid either way.