Printing out awards for employees.

On one gas station audit, they want you to print out a "Thank You Award" if the employees ask you about their card. It's just s piece of paper, saying "Thank You"....no gift or prize for the employee. I was thinking, printing out this award takes up your paper and ink. It's a cost to you and the award means nothing. I stopped printing them out.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2022 02:40AM by johnb974.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

I don't even start with that task. I have had a long streak of bad luck with printers at home and must use a public printer, at my own expense, for every printed page. However, if I accepted an assignment that stated that requirement, I would print the form and be prepared to use it. They would have to pay me a lot of money to make up for the printing costs.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

I remember doing that for a Joe’s Crab Shack. Manager and employee insisted they take a
I picture of me presenting the award certificate. Definitely couldn’t ever do that shop location again.

@johnb974 wrote:

On one gas station audit, they want you to print out a "Thank You Award" if the employees ask you about their card. It's just s piece of paper, saying "Thank You"....no gift or prize for the employee. I was thinking, printing out this award takes up your paper and ink. It's a cost to you and the award means nothing. I stopped printing them out.

Are you talking about golden tickets? They get a discount on gas. I print one for each shop, minus the code they have to use for the reward. And I fill in the code on site if they say the magic words. No wasted paper, I always carry enough for to cover the route I'm doing. But I rarely use more than 1. The thank you sheet is just that, it's 5 "thank you" sheets on one page, and EVERY store gets one sheet. I hand it to the CSR when I give them the LOA.

This is just a paper telling the employee thank you for your loyalty. No prize, no code, no phone number...nothing

The cost of printing is an ordinary cost of business. If one is taking shops that won't justify ordinary overhead, then one is taking shops not worth taking. I print out the rewards, because it is directed. However, never once - for any company - has there been occasion to give one out. Even if the prize had value - say a $50.00 note - it would cost nothing as absolutely on one I have ever encountered has done what is required to get the reward.

There is no reward for this paper. It's just a piece of paper to tell the employee "Thank You" When I started working after high school, my father told me...."If the company wants to thank you, tell them to put it in the paycheck"

I do mileage only, not all expenses. For whatever reason, I cannot deduct all business-related expenses. ceasesmith (I think) posted an explanation of when the IRS will permit a change from mileage only to all deductions.

@Rousseau wrote:

The cost of printing is an ordinary cost of business. If one is taking shops that won't justify ordinary overhead, then one is taking shops not worth taking. I print out the rewards, because it is directed. However, never once - for any company - has there been occasion to give one out. Even if the prize had value - say a $50.00 note - it would cost nothing as absolutely on one I have ever encountered has done what is required to get the reward.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

I can’t find the post you mention saying that you can’t deduct printing, only mileage, but I can’t believe that it’s true. But anyway, whether it’s for the IRS or your own budget, printing is a cost to you. There is a gas station shop that requires a printed certificate with no value to the employee. But there’s a question on the form about whether you handed the employee the certificate. And they are checking the answers with video I believe, at least the question about whether the employee mentioned the card if there’s a discrepancy. I thought the employees would also think it was meaningless without a monetary reward, but most are really happy about receiving it, so now I even print it out in color when possible. I print them at a shop so they’re expensive, but maybe 1/10 locations need one on average, so it’s 5 cents a shop. Or 1-1/2 cents in black and white.
Of course the MSC never offered more money when they added on an extra expense, but that’s not the cashier’s fault.
The one that offers a discount on gas I’ve never needed to hand out, but I keep a few of those on hand with the code blanked out just in case.

I know the one you are talking about. Things like this go on the wall in the back room to motivate the employees. It's a tool for the manager. Though I wonder if there is a "behind the scenes" reward going on here because some managers seem to want it. This could be the reason for adding your contractor ID# to the form. I had one politely question me as to why I didn't give it to their cashier when they heard them ask me for the card. (they didn't have a name tag on).

As for the printing expense, it's annoying but like Rousseau said, a cost of business that should be considered when taking the shop. Especially in my market because based on what I hear on this board, I think in my neck in the woods there is an above average success rate on the question.

When the golden tickets, I have one area franchisee with about 5-10 nearby locations I will shop. They are almost always perfect in asking for it. Then, everyone else.... forget about it!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2022 03:14PM by KA047.

I still say, if the company wants to thank you. tell the to put it in the paycheck.

I agree it should come with money. But they’re not thanking us, they’re thanking the employee via the shopper so it’s not our call to leave it out. I have had one manager take it away from the employee to use for motivation of others, so that part is true also. But there are definitely employees who have never heard of the certificate (or even the mystery shop—lots of turnover these days), and have genuine smiles when they receive it.

@johnb974 wrote:

I still say, if the company wants to thank you. tell the to put it in the paycheck.

I think the most annoying thing to print out with a gas station reveal is the "leave behind" document on one of the brands that are on Shopmetrics that had their shopping period begin in May. Two pages... of blank questions that they get every period.

You are combining two totally different things.

If you use the standard mileage deduction (currently $0.585 per mile), you can not claim gas, oil, repairs, depreciation, insurance, etc. It is all rolled into the standard mileage rate. Even when claiming the standard mileage rate, you can still deduct tolls and parking fees. They are not part of the cost of owning the vehicle. BTW, Ceasesmith is correct. Once you begin using one method (standard mileage rate or actual vehicle expenses), you can not switch to the other without the permission of the IRS.

Ordinary business expenses like paper, ink, the cost of the printer itself, a safety vest, safety shoes if required by the MSC, pens, laser range finders, tape measures, etc. have nothing to do with the cost of vehicle ownership. You can always deduct those expenses.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

I do mileage only, not all expenses. For whatever reason, I cannot deduct all business-related expenses. ceasesmith (I think) posted an explanation of when the IRS will permit a change from mileage only to all deductions.

@Rousseau wrote:

The cost of printing is an ordinary cost of business. If one is taking shops that won't justify ordinary overhead, then one is taking shops not worth taking. I print out the rewards, because it is directed. However, never once - for any company - has there been occasion to give one out. Even if the prize had value - say a $50.00 note - it would cost nothing as absolutely on one I have ever encountered has done what is required to get the reward.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

@KA047 wrote:

I think the most annoying thing to print out with a gas station reveal is the "leave behind" document on one of the brands that are on Shopmetrics that had their shopping period begin in May. Two pages... of blank questions that they get every period.

Thanks! Now that I know you've left that document, I can save on printing costs because it's the same document each time and they'll already have one! JK

I agreed to give them out , so I give them out. The employees usually are genuinely happy. If I forget one occasionally, I don't sweat it. I always print in black and white. And like KA047 said, some chains may give behind the scenes rewards to employees. And some chains may write up employees who don't ask the question.

@mystery2me wrote:

I agreed to give them out , so I give them out. The employees usually are genuinely happy. If I forget one occasionally, I don't sweat it. I always print in black and white. And like KA047 said, some chains may give behind the scenes rewards to employees. And some chains may write up employees who don't ask the question.

I agree, I started giving them out again. I just wish the company gave the employees something more. They're making record profits.

So, John, how did you answer the question about giving the paper to the employee?

If you are not willing to follow instructions, this just may not be the right gig for you.

At least you say you've begun giving them out again.

@ceasesmith wrote:

So, John, how did you answer the question about giving the paper to the employee?

If you are not willing to follow instructions, this just may not be the right gig for you.

At least you say you've begun giving them out again.

I don't tell people to find another line of work, if I don't agree with them. We work as Independent Contractors.

There was an update or email recently stating that there have been instances of shoppers marking NO for the reward questions where audio/visual proof revealed the employee clearly complying with criteria for a reward.

They still accept the shop if you say you did not give out the certificate. They just give a stern warning. At least last time I checked.

I didn't "tell" you anything; I made a suggestion.

Even ICs have to listen to their clients. You enter into a contract (i.e., I will do this and this and that for stated pay of XXX) and leaving "this" out or "that" out is violating the terms of the contract.

Every one of us has made mistakes, but deliberately choosing to not fulfill one's contractual obligation is beyond a momentary lapse of memory or an oversight.

I recall doing the "leave behind" thing once. Three stations. Over 200 miles from home. When I got home and unloaded my car, there they were, all 3 "leave behind" packets. Oh, dreadful! But I was thrilled when I did the reports because they did not ask "did you leave the leave behind packet?" If the question had been there, I would have answered it honestly.

It's not kind to the employee, either. Many employees can't stand up to their boss and say "But I DID ask him about the rewards card!" when they get a report "dinging" the employee. Many bosses won't take the time to pull the video to verify the employee is telling the truth.

I'm quite sure you didn't intend to cause harm to someone working a thankless, difficult job.

There are other gas station shops that were giving out prizes to employees. The certificate had a code and a number for the employee. In California store cameras do not have audio. By law they cannot record anyone's conversations.

I do absolutely agree with you that a "reward" should actually be something.

If you can’t comply with the requirements, you shouldn’t accept the job. And knowingly ignoring the requirements because you don’t want to waste a few cents on printing…well, you have no business being a mystery shopper. It’s unethical and deceitful.

My bottom line .... no matter what type of award is given to an employee, recognition, prize or monetary, it should be given by the company directly vs. a 2nd or 3rd party. It will be more meaningful to the employee.

@Zek wrote:

My bottom line .... no matter what type of award is given to an employee, recognition, prize or monetary, it should be given by the company directly vs. a 2nd or 3rd party. It will be more meaningful to the employee.

That I agree with. Mystery Shoppers should not be the ones handing out awards. The award should also be in the paycheck.

I’m currently staying in a hotel with a nice business center. Getting a LOT of printing done during my stay, just saying.

If there are clear criteria for the awards, I'm fine with that. However, years ago, there was a gas brand that had us giving out $25 reward certificates that were supposed to be for providing excellent customer service, which is subjective. This was very awkward, since the employees knew about them which makes it uncomfortable if you don't award them. I had a cashier angrily confront me in the parking lot because I had not awarded her the gift card she felt entitled to. I reported it, and soon after they discontinued this program, thankfully.

@johnb974 wrote:

@Zek wrote:

My bottom line .... no matter what type of award is given to an employee, recognition, prize or monetary, it should be given by the company directly vs. a 2nd or 3rd party. It will be more meaningful to the employee.

That I agree with. Mystery Shoppers should not be the ones handing out awards. The award should also be in the paycheck.

Yes, the other part is the process does not work. The MSC offers the incentive to encourage employees to mention the rewards program. In the 7 years I have been mystery shopping/auditing I can count on 1 hand how many I have handed it out (the one where they get the gas discount if rewards program is mentioned). After going to the stations many times, most often the same cashier (who knows who I am as soon as I walk thru the door), its still not mentioned. Can it be the station owners don't say anything to the employees when marked "no" otherwise they would be mentioning it. I could care less if the rewards card it mentioned and I'm not saying the employees who don't mention it should be penalized, but either do what is needed to make it work or YES fix what is broken !

@mjt9598 wrote:

If there are clear criteria for the awards, I'm fine with that. However, years ago, there was a gas brand that had us giving out $25 reward certificates that were supposed to be for providing excellent customer service, which is subjective. This was very awkward, since the employees knew about them which makes it uncomfortable if you don't award them. I had a cashier angrily confront me in the parking lot because I had not awarded her the gift card she felt entitled to. I reported it, and soon after they discontinued this program, thankfully.

@johnb974 wrote:

@Zek wrote:

My bottom line .... no matter what type of award is given to an employee, recognition, prize or monetary, it should be given by the company directly vs. a 2nd or 3rd party. It will be more meaningful to the employee.

That I agree with. Mystery Shoppers should not be the ones handing out awards. The award should also be in the paycheck.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Printing out awards for employees.

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine