That is interesting. In that case, I am not mystery shopping until July at the earliest.

Perhaps you would be kind enough to start a similar thread on the merch board.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

That is interesting. In that case, I am not mystery shopping until July at the earliest.

Perhaps you would be kind enough to start a similar thread on the merch board.

And who are you talking too?

I did 2 phone shops for Intelli this month.

@JAS. The one who shouts their name pointed out that merch was not a mystery shop.

@2stepps wrote:

@Shop-et-al wrote:

That is interesting. In that case, I am not mystery shopping until July at the earliest.

Perhaps you would be kind enough to start a similar thread on the merch board.

And who are you talking too?

For someone who claims to be so well-read, SEA, you don't know that acronyms are supposed to be capitalized? SMH. Again.

Few posters announce themselves so stridently. Many posters spell their handles with lower case or a combination of upper and lower case letters.

Thank you.

Well, I am not many posters, and most forum members do not use acronyms for their screen names. And I would never NOT capitalize an acronym, SEA. That would be poor form. And since you don't really shop and are more of a merchandiser, your handle makes no sense. Et al.

Warning: The tone of this thread is deteriorating. Should the lack of positive contribution and/or personal insults continue, posts will be removed and/or the thread will be closed.

I wish you would close it, then SEA can't troll me or anyone else in this thread. She will have to follow us to a different thread to try and instigate an argument and be disruptive. Please close it.

@Forum Moderator wrote:

Warning: The tone of this thread is deteriorating. Should the lack of positive contribution and/or personal insults continue, posts will be removed and/or the thread will be closed.

You should simply start quarantining the members who are clearly instigating.....Rather than re-writing history, put them all in a private chat room together and let them bicker with each other.

For the record, Steve wasn't referring to me, pegc, or Dandydew as belonging in that room. Wish he would have clarified that in his post.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

For the record, Steve wasn't referring to me, pegc, or Dandydew as belonging in that room. Wish he would have clarified that in his post.

I liked his post assuming we were talking about ALL of the people bickering. There are instigators on both sides. I'm tired of reading it and tired of hearing it here.

I saw that you liked that. However, when I PMed with Steve, he told me that I was not the instigator and he was not referring to me.

Mickey if you get a stalker who starts following you around the forum and making snide remarks at nearly everything you post, you too will feel rather irritated.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I saw that you liked that. However, when I PMed with Steve, he told me that I was not the instigator and he was not referring to me.

Mickey if you get a stalker who starts following you around the forum and making snide remarks at nearly everything you post, you too will feel rather irritated.

First - I have to apologize for even posting the message that I did, for it came out of sadness. Sadness that manifested as irritation and frustration that I cannot even come here and go into a topic about MSing and not see pain and fear.

I totally understand that you are irritated and frustrated. So am I, and so are a lot of people - not with the bickering but with this entire situation. I think many of us are hitting a wall. And so a small thing, that we have to close a thread that was only an innocent question of "is anyone still mystery shopping" seems so much larger and painful than of course it is.

It's a stressful time for everyone and many of us are really frightened. The source of our fear may be different from person to person, but it is still fear. Maybe we can remember that we are all human, all scared, and that we are all in this together?

Tentatively, I have mystery shopping in July. That will happen or not depending upon businesses being open or closed then. But thanks for sharing from your always interesting perspective.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Well, I am not many posters, and most forum members do not use acronyms for their screen names. And I would never NOT capitalize an acronym, SEA. That would be poor form. And since you don't really shop and are more of a merchandiser, your handle makes no sense. Et al.

@JASFLALMT; sorry that it took me a moment to respond, but I m also working a FT job with tight turnaround times, and wanted time to offer an appropriate response.

Normally, I don't mind the bickering so much. It's entertaining at times. I like how a thread starts with one subject and often veers off to another, because I don't really come here to learn about MSing. I come for camaraderie, and enjoy helping others out. After all, how much can really be written about MSing that hasn't been covered?

I've also joked many times that everyone needs to relax, and that this is not brain surgery...but there's a difference here. Lives actually are at stake, and bad information can potentially cost a life. Silence in the face of misinformation being posted can also potentially save a life.

I am also on edge. I grow tired of sitting at my desk and working when my outlet for decompression is fading away. I should be at a cafe in Rome with @MickeyB next month, but alas, I will be sitting at the same desk, doing the same thing...possibly for the rest of the year. And yet I am one of the lucky ones! I don't have to rely MSing for income.

The instigation that I refer to is posting misinformation. It's the sarcastic responses that while in the surface may appear to be on topic, or really just taking a jab at another. It's throwing up BS arguments against every good piece of information offered in the name of civil liberties, or capitalism, or whatever the catch-word of the day is. It's hard to explain without making this a political post because the whole world has become politicized. We used to be able to wave off politics in the name of all having MSing in common, but now we have local and federal governments controlling our ability to stay safe, or to continue working. How can that not be political when then #1 thread is about shoppers receiving government funds to stay alive?

So perhaps the moderators have a decision to make. Does everyone have equal and fair access to post their beliefs in the name of MSing?...even if those beliefs are harmful to others? Or do we want a community of people who care? People who help one another, inspire one another, and support one another. You can read through the forum and know exactly who those people are. I shouldn't have to name names...

I appreciate this well-written post, thank you. I don't see how there can be a substantive discussion of mystery shopping that doesn't at least indirectly touch upon political issues, when (as you say) governmental decisions are not only controlling when we can shop, but the minute aspects of how we shop. There should be room for healthy debate.

IMHO (In My Humble Opinion), healthy debate ends when the ad hominem attacks begin. If you draft a post, re-read it and realize that you have called someone else inane, idiotic, hypocritical, or any of the other choice adjectives I've seen recently in these forums, delete the post and give yourself a mental break before you respond to the person who is pushing your buttons. Or, don't respond. Silence does not imply consent, and it is often the best way to shut down a hostile argument.

My two cents.

I posted a couple days ago about ath Power Consulting's nationwide set of mystery shops where you sign up for a specific retail credit card and report on the experience. You can only do it once, but $60 is a nice sum for just a little work (and, of course, the impact to your credit report, which is subjective). I failed to mention that Pinnacle has a large number of checking account inquiry ($15) and checking account enrollment ($50) shops. I have been working on and off for Pinnacle for 10 years, and they have an all-around great staff, so I recommend setting up your profile even if you don't pick up one of their bank shops.

I did that credit card shop with Ath several years ago when it paid $75. I think before that it paid $100. I never used that card after that, so they closed cc accounts eventually both times, so I could do it again now if I wanted, but it kinda irks me that they keep lowering the fee so I won't.

I have been with Pinnacle for over 10 years as well, but not ready to go back out and do any shops in person. I didn't like that bank I opened up the account with for them much. They don't have a branch very close to me so it wasn't convenient, and they also charged a monthly service fee if you didn't do a certain amount of banking with them each statement period if I recall. I closed that account as soon as I could. I was able to get far more money than that for the other checking accounts I have opened for other MSCs over the years, though I think that the $50 wasn't bad. I received $80 from another MSC and $125 and $200 for the others respectively I actually kept the other bank accounts because I like them. It's weird to have three checking accounts but I make it work.

I don't know why the mods allow trolls to continue to follow some of us around and make snide and snarky comments continuously, and I also don't understand why the trolls' incendiary posts aren't deleted when they are made. To me, that means that the mods don't mind misinformation to be posted and maybe they get a kick out it? The passive aggressive behavior should not be condoned, and hey, the mods not doing anything about it does imply consent.

If you get a stalker and they start following you around and posting inflammatory comments and arguments just to get a rise out of you and other forum members, would you get upset? Believe me, I have tried toggling and ignoring. It's been going on for years now and the person I am talking about is allowed to remain here because they dance on the line without going so far for the mods to do anything about it. Or, maybe the mods think it's amusing.

I promise you that silence does no good, I have been trying for about four years now and she just won't stop.

@BlueDev93 wrote:

Or, don't respond. Silence does not imply consent, and it is often the best way to shut down a hostile argument.

My two cents.

@JASFLALMT: In a lawsuit, it might be discovered that you have been doing that with other people on the forum. But back to the topic.

Recently, I had an opportunity to fill up a day with mystery shops. I did none! I just did not want to do any shops. I think it is because I needed to catch up on my personal stuff and take a nap after, but who knows. Has anyone else had that experience? They needed to catch up on personal things before adding shops back into the mix?

In a lawsuit? Ridiculousness. I have not been following and stalking anyone like you have me and a few other people over the years, that is a load of BS.

If you are talking about the IPSOS safety shops, you are only allowed to do two. Other people in the forum tried to pick up additional locations after doing the first two and were not allowed. You would not have been able to fill up a day with those.

I would just assume not mess with warnings. Typically, those who engage in such behavior know the rules and have been warned before. Just delete the messages/threads and move on.

@Forum Moderator wrote:

Warning: The tone of this thread is deteriorating. Should the lack of positive contribution and/or personal insults continue, posts will be removed and/or the thread will be closed.

Mods told me via PM to report her posts when she tried to instigate trouble. I have done that. They did nothing.

No. Not the Ipsos for which a selfie is required. There were a few others near the city where I recent traveled. I just did not want shops.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

In a lawsuit? Ridiculousness. I have not been following and stalking anyone like you have me and a few other people over the years, that is a load of BS.

If you are talking about the IPSOS safety shops, you are only allowed to do two. Other people in the forum tried to pick up additional locations after doing the first two and were not allowed. You would not have been able to fill up a day with those.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2020 11:13PM by Shop-et-al.

This thread is being closed down due to the many unnecessary posts by several posters that have gone on and on and have caused the thread to devolve. If anyone wishes to start a similar thread, feel free to do so, but without the many testy posts such as have been in this thread. It is not just one person, it has been several. Thank you.