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Safety Checks at Competitor Grocery Stores

March 21, 2020 01:59AM
Has anyone else had a Safety Check rejected? I followed the guidelines, which stated the shop could be completed at any time the stores were open, and $2 would be reimbursed for a purchase. After my report was rejected, I followed up with the MSC, who stated the guidelines were updated after I completed the shop. But so far, the guidelines on their website have not been revised.
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More About Grocery Store Mystery Shopping
March 21, 2020 02:01AM
It didn't populate for me. I searched when the email was sent.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
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March 21, 2020 02:11AM
I applied for many, many locations, none of which were assigned to me. I have probably 15 grocery stores within 10 miles so could have done that many easily.
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March 21, 2020 03:45AM
$12 health & safety inspections. That's a joke.
Trendsource is crappy.
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March 21, 2020 04:12AM
I applied and couldn’t get assigned for some reason although there seems to be plenty left on the job board.
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March 21, 2020 05:13AM
I completed one and it came back asking why I had not spent at least $12, so I responded that I had spent $24.69 and now I wait. The guidelines did not specify a minimum purchase, just a $2 reimbursement. The OP said that the guidelines had changed, so I will look before doing my second one. It is IMHO easy and the fee is fair. I am unclear how JASFLALMT applied for many locations since all the ones I saw used the same "fake" zip code, but you could do them in any zipcode (some chains were excluded, but none of the excluded chains are in my area).

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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March 21, 2020 05:30AM
The email that was sent out and the assignment guidelines state a $2 purchase. I don't know where the $12 came from. Maybe it's a typo. If so, they need to change the guidelines and send out a corrected email. Since you spent $24.69, then I am even more confused about what their problem is.
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March 21, 2020 05:49AM
@HonnyBrown wrote:

It didn't populate for me. I searched when the email was sent.

So did I, and it did not populate. The system was apparently down around the time the email was sent. It worked a little while later. I sent them a message and they responded about 4 hours later saying, "It should be working now." I had already circled back before their late response and found it working.
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March 21, 2020 10:31AM
Because when I entered the fake zipcode, a very long list populated. I have 7 grocery stores within 5 miles of home, so I applied for 7 opportunities. I went back into the website about an hour later and they were assigned to soneone else, so I applied for another batch. None were assigned to me.

@myst4au wrote:

I am unclear how JASFLALMT applied for many locations since all the ones I saw used the same "fake" zip code, but you could do them in any zipcode (some chains were excluded, but none of the excluded chains are in my area).
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March 21, 2020 12:42PM
Hmmm...thanks for the shares. I applied for one. First, I kept putting in my zip code and none of these shops came up. Then i figured out I had to use the zip code in the email. Then i was not sure if they were for my zip codes, but figured from the email that I could use it. My email said nothing about competitor but the main client is in the exclusion list.

I'll check the questionaire and project description for changes. Thanks again.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
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March 21, 2020 01:39PM
Can you complete them at a local health food store?
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March 23, 2020 08:47PM
It needs to be a grocery store with departments.
@Tova wrote:

Can you complete them at a local health food store?

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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March 24, 2020 12:42AM
I woke up this morning and had an email that one was available for me to accept. I accepted it. An hour later I got an email stating the shop was overdue, since today was 3/23 and the due date was 3/22 (didn't notice the due date since I had only been awake for 5 minutes and was checking email on my phone). I emailed them to please extend, but no response. I went ahead and did it this afternoon. Hopefully it gets accepted.
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March 24, 2020 12:47PM
I did 2 of these shops, and they were quickly approved, but I'm not able to get any more shops of this kind. Anyone know if 2 is the limit? They want lots of pictures, but it's still worthwhile.
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March 25, 2020 02:06AM
They only want up to 5 photos.
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March 25, 2020 03:23AM
I got my 2nd one I am doing tomorrow. If all goes well as it should I will try to take a 3rd and the 4th as there are 4 local grocery stores I go to and can do. It is some much needed money and I go out each day as I need the fresh air and socializing albeit it minimal for my sanity. I sanitizing my cart and hands beforehand and keep as much space as possible from others. This is easy and worth the $10. While $8 plus $2 in groceries. When there is minimal shops to do it helps. I wonder when the civil unrest and disobedience will start.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.
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March 25, 2020 03:27AM
:I wonder when............disobedience will start."

It already has with horders and those who refuse to social distance
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March 25, 2020 07:12AM
I did one of these shops. Just a heads up, they ask if there's plexiglass at the cash register to protect the worker and you from droplets. They also ask for a picture (which is super awkward to do).
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March 25, 2020 03:42PM
I have a question about these. The MSC says put in a certain zip code just to see if any are in my area. So I put in that particular zip code.....all that shows up say, "None, CA" xxxxx (zip). Does this mean that the ONLY available shops for now are in CA??? The zip they provide certainly isn't CA...it's Mid-West. There are 9 pages of this and they all just say "None, CA". Thanks in advance for anyone who can help me figure this out!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2020 03:42PM by guysmom.
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March 25, 2020 03:48PM
No, those are the shops. The zip code is a place holder. The shops that I did last week were for any grocery store in your area excluding the ones on the list. You have to enter the address on the form after you complete the shop. There was a large list still available yesterday when I looked, but I'm not comfortable going to a grocery store again. It stressed me out. The virus is spreading like crazy here. Two staff in my local school district have just been confirmed positive and NY is the current hot spot. We are close to NY with plenty of local commuters. I just want to hibernate for a year until they come up with a vaccine. I'll prolly take another when I need to go the store anyway..maybe I'll try the senior hours and see if it's any less stressful.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain
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March 25, 2020 11:59PM
Well I have self assign ability with the MSC doing these. I did my second today and when I tried to assign a 3rd for tomorrow it went to a request so 2 may be the limit. Sucks as if I wanted I could do about 20 of these in my area. I have Tops, Aldi, Wegmans, Price Rite, Trader Joes, Whole Foods all within 2 miles of each other. I also could do Save a lot. Then there are multiple locations of each except for Trader Joes and Whole foods. I am not trying to be greedy but any money helps right now.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.
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March 26, 2020 02:31PM
Got paid today for the ones I completed.
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March 26, 2020 03:36PM
Well, I signed up for two for tomorrow, and applied for a third, as tomorrow is my regular grocery day. We'll see what happens.
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March 26, 2020 08:54PM
I have applied several times within several days to do a third one. Each time, it goes from pending to backup.
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March 26, 2020 09:24PM
Yeah I did 2, applied for more, every day since, nope.
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March 26, 2020 10:06PM
Same here.
@JASFLALMT wrote:

Yeah I did 2, applied for more, every day since, nope.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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March 27, 2020 12:39AM
Well, if I don't get that third one, I'll try applying for 2 more next week and see what happens with that.
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March 28, 2020 03:09PM
Well, I got the third one, and so did 3 checks this week. If they're still out next week, when I go grocery shopping again, I'll apply for some more.
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March 30, 2020 04:40AM
The new guidelines does not have a list of stores that cannot be shopped, so we can go to any grocery store now? Am I missing something?
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March 30, 2020 07:38PM
@Gabydiaz wrote:

The new guidelines does not have a list of stores that cannot be shopped, so we can go to any grocery store now? Am I missing something?
Yes, if you are approved, you will see a bunch of grocery stores that can be shopped once you pass the quiz and can open up the paperwork. There **IS** one chain that they do not want shopped, and it is in the instructions. So far, the consensus seems to be that you can self-assign two, and that's it as far as self-assign. I did two and then called them and got a third one assigned.
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