Then you are allowed to e-mail the MSC and state that after seeing the requirements, you are unable to complete the assignment.

Although a record of doing this too often may affect your ability to self assign and/or be assigned shops.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Then you are allowed to e-mail the MSC and state that after seeing the requirements, you are unable to complete the assignment.

Although a record of doing this too often may affect your ability to self assign and/or be assigned shops.

How does not accepting a shop reflect on the shopper, when they don't know the details.

Good grief. You said you already accepted the shop before you could see the details. Not accepting and cancelling are two distinctly different actions. No company keeps a record of shoppers who don't accept shops; every one keeps a record of shoppers who accept, then cancel, shops.

Too many cancellations may result in the shopper not being offered future shops.

That is a different situation. This discussion began with requirements that were known when the shop was accepted, but which you found to be non-value-adding. Now you are changing the situation to one where full details were not known. The reality is that full shop details are often not known until you accept a shop and can access the Guidelines. That is why people on this Forum have been advocating for years that people accept just one shop of a new type rather than signing up for a dozen. Personally, unless the details make the shop really onerous, I do the single "trial" shop no matter what, but I don't apply for more.

@johnb974 wrote:

@shopperbob wrote:

myst4au posts-- If you do accept the shop, you need to do what they require regardless of whether you think it is value-adding.

Bob comments--I completely agree and compliment myst for "hitting the nail on the head."

I have found shops where you don't see the details until AFTER you accept the shop.

You can always email the scheduler first to ask how long the report is. How many questions, how much narrative, etc. You don't have to accept and then tell them after you won't do it. I like to ask UPfront. Most of the time, the schedulers will let you know.

myst4au also states--I do the single "trial" shop no matter what, but I don't apply for more.

Bob comments--Me too. I have never experienced a situation where one shop was unbearable to the extent it was abandoned. In addition, that single assignment that is dreaded produces an excellent exercise in self discipline and can bolster one's reputation.

This is why I say for Chick Fil A, I'm one and done. I finished the shop but won't do another one. People should also know the lines at the drive thru are long. This isn't a quick shop. I still don't understand why they ask you which sodas are on the menu board, when they already ask you to take t picture of the menu board, with the sodas. They have the picture.

I would happily shop here for the cost of food and no payment. Unfortunately I didn’t see them posted on any of my regular MSCs. I’m definitely checking daily.

They do pay an $8 fee and $12 toward your meal.

You ask why they want this info. The way I understand this project is that it is NOT for CFA or any of other fast food places. This is a project of the industry and the company is compiling all the data to be able to show who offers what and how fast they serve you. They probably want to keep their data entry to a minimum and not review pictures and type things themselves.

@johnb974 wrote:

This is why I say for Chick Fil A, I'm one and done. I finished the shop but won't do another one. People should also know the lines at the drive thru are long. This isn't a quick shop. I still don't understand why they ask you which sodas are on the menu board, when they already ask you to take t picture of the menu board, with the sodas. They have the picture.

From a slightly different direction: Someone is happy to eat at Chik-fil-A and has not mystery shopped there. Would such a person find it a gas, intriguing, a bit like a coupon or other discount, or otherwise not so bad to complete at least one mystery shop at a place where they pay out of pocket anyway?

In all honesty (and, of course, this is just my opinion) I believe I would never see a thread such as this if shoppers held out until the pay hit $50 (or whatever amount made a shopper feel like they had been fairly compensated for their time). I do some ridiculous shops, but I don't complain about them because I feel pretty excited when I hit the "Submit" button. Yes - some fast food MSC's will pay $50 (or more) if you figure out which MSC to shop with, if you learn how to negotiate, and if you learn where to look (patience plays a role). Fast food shops can be quite lucrative at times. I'm not planning to find a route of single digit payers to come home and punch in all night long, but if that's what floats your boat... Ask for a bonus if you're not happy - you might be surprised.

I am hoping the MSCs will see the thread and what shoppers think of the reports. Maybe they can get the client to change. Sadly for the shop that wanted reports handwritten, I was told the client was told that 99% of the companies file online. The client didn't care and refused to budge, so the shops just sit there.

It doesn't matter what shoppers think of the reports in the eyes of the MSC, @johnb974. I am not trying to be sarcastic, rude, funny, or any of the like - I am only stating what I know as the truth. The sole duty of the MSC is to satisfy their client. Our sole duty, as shoppers, is to satisfy the MSC with the reports we provide (ultimately satisfying the client) so that the MSC can stay in business and continue to offer contract work to shoppers. The only way I have learned to be happy satisfying the MSC is to obtain a rate that makes my bank account happy.

I would like to challenge you regarding the shops that you mentioned on the job board (especially if they have been there for quite a while and are not being filled). Try sending the scheduler an email - make an offer that would thrill you to pull out an ink pen and write for an hour. I have no idea what kind of shop you are referring to, but you might be surprised at how negotiating an excellent pay rate on a job can make you grateful to do something that seems ridiculous - especially when the pay hits the bank! If it doesn't work the first time, keep trying. Persistence pays off - I get told "No" frequently. I then choose to get stubborn and search harder until I get a "Yes".

@johnb974 wrote:

I am hoping the MSCs will see the thread and what shoppers think of the reports. Maybe they can get the client to change. Sadly for the shop that wanted reports handwritten, I was told the client was told that 99% of the companies file online. The client didn't care and refused to budge, so the shops just sit there.

One of our jobs as a mystery shopper is to let the MSC when a report does not work and why it's not getting picked up. I've noticed lately some shops have stopped asking certain questions, making it much easier for the shoppers. The reports are much shorter but pay the same.

I do that myself but have had it backfire once. I did one job for a client that I wasn't familiar with. I did the job, and it was approved. I did another with a slightly different scenario, it was denied. When I questioned the second one, the MSC went back and denied the first one. The wording and the directions were not clear so that the proofer didn't even know it wasn't what the MSC was expecting.

@myst4au wrote:

...That is why people on this Forum have been advocating for years that people accept just one shop of a new type rather than signing up for a dozen. Personally, unless the details make the shop really onerous, I do the single "trial" shop no matter what, but I don't apply for more.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2022 01:57PM by JasperJohnson.

@johnb974 wrote:

This is why I say for Chick Fil A, I'm one and done. I finished the shop but won't do another one. People should also know the lines at the drive thru are long. This isn't a quick shop. I still don't understand why they ask you which sodas are on the menu board, when they already ask you to take t picture of the menu board, with the sodas. They have the picture.

After doing a few of these jobs, I looked at my times and the CFA with 15 cars before the speaker was faster overall than another place with 4.

I knew the lines would be long, so I try to go at the beginning of the time window rather than noon - 1:00. I believe the window started at 10:31 AM.

The simple answer of why they ask what sodas on the board is that it takes time for someone to open the photo and answer the question. That is what they are paying us for. Also, they would also be picky about the quality of your photos if they have to read it.

Bob, I have to admit I found one.

It was a revealed audit of a Verizon store. The guidelines were pretty straightforward and, I thought, quite clear. Take a photo of every item in the store that was NOT stocked according to the planogram.

At the store, I found many many items not on the planogram at all, and the items on the planogram were not where they were supposed to be. After taking 150 photos in an hour and a half, the manager finally deigned to speak to me, and I asked him about the disparities. He said it was "his store", and "his girls" were really really great at making displays "appealing to the customers", so they just threw away the planograms and ignored them totally. As for the extra items, he bought them himself to resell, not authorized by Verizon at all, and he was not concerned about it. After all, it's "his store". (I'm talking electric trains and accessories for same in a cell phone store. )

I realized I would have to take literally another 150 photos, and probably even then would miss many items that weren't displayed properly or didn't belong in the store at all. I sent the scheduler a long e-mail and asked for the shop to be cancelled.

I have never accepted another revealed audit of a cell phone provider.



Since I left the store actually crying, I guess I lack the requisite self-discipline!

@shopperbob wrote:

myst4au also states--I do the single "trial" shop no matter what, but I don't apply for more.

Bob comments--Me too. I have never experienced a situation where one shop was unbearable to the extent it was abandoned. In addition, that single assignment that is dreaded produces an excellent exercise in self discipline and can bolster one's reputation.

@Tanischri87 wrote:

I would happily shop here for the cost of food and no payment. Unfortunately I didn’t see them posted on any of my regular MSCs. I’m definitely checking daily.

At the bottom of each page here on the Forum is a link to MSCs that you can sign up with. If you are signed up with the MSCs in the "Top 15" section, you should be signed up with the MSC that does these.

There were very few in my area and they were only in large cities from what I saw.

@Tanischri87 wrote:

I would happily shop here for the cost of food and no payment. Unfortunately I didn’t see them posted on any of my regular MSCs. I’m definitely checking daily.

No, you don't - you tried. I've seen too many posts that attest to your dedication once you accept a shop. It sounds like you encountered a manager that should have been removed from his position for blatant and admitted failure to comply with company policy. If I had been placed in a situation similar to yours, I believe my patience would have expired long before 1.5 hours. I probably would have taken overall photos of the displays instead of each individual item (after finding out that every single item was incorrect) and filled out the report stating that I spoke with the manager, and he did not intend to remedy his method. The MSC probably would not have accepted my submittal, but they would have known that the manager did not intend to abide by the rules from my narrative.

You did the best you could - don't ever let them make you cry. There's no crying in baseball!!

@ceasesmith wrote:

Since I left the store actually crying, I guess I lack the requisite self-discipline!

@shopperbob wrote:

myst4au also states--I do the single "trial" shop no matter what, but I don't apply for more.

Bob comments--Me too. I have never experienced a situation where one shop was unbearable to the extent it was abandoned. In addition, that single assignment that is dreaded produces an excellent exercise in self discipline and can bolster one's reputation.

I never know if I'm supposed to write on the top or the bottom...

It may be that I'm a prisoner of what I'm accustomed to. Way back when I first started, I guess all of the companies I used had that "old school" SASSIE interface. So I guess I just got used to it. It was also back when I was on my Dell. Now that I have a MAC, the blanks on the other systems don't seem to show up as well (maybe its my eyes) and I often end up having to go back through and find what I missed and fill it in.

@patman9760 wrote:

That is actually surprising to me! We all have different preferences, but the Sonic/5G reporting platform is so simple to use in my opinion. Do you use the app or the website for reporting? I strictly use the website (if you are referring to the app, I completely understand where you are coming from). It seems like I can fly through the input for these even though I don't do them all that often. Bonuses can be excellent on them at times, too (maybe that's the reason...)

Just be cool folks.

@condorchristi wrote:

I never know if I'm supposed to write on the top or the bottom...

If you type outside the brackets that have the word 'quote' in them, you're good on the top or bottom. If you type between those brackets, it will look like what you typed was part of the original post (light grey instead of black font). I'm answering this based on eliminating confusion with the font color - I don't think it matters in terms of etiquette but am always open to correction

I'm hesitant to take Jack in the Box shops because they require 8-12 photos! What are the photos requested other than receipt and food?

They’re my bread and butter. Really easy once you get a few under your belt. Wait for at least $20 because it’s a rip off at $12 or $15.

Pictures:

Dumpsters
Outside building
Parking lot
Menu board 1
Order menu board
Drive Thru lane
Food
Receipt
Any problems

@rmkeith wrote:

I'm hesitant to take Jack in the Box shops because they require 8-12 photos! What are the photos requested other than receipt and food?

Thanks, I’m with over 100 companies and search maybe 20 a day. So it’s my area, right?

@guysmom wrote:

@Tanischri87 wrote:

I would happily shop here for the cost of food and no payment. Unfortunately I didn’t see them posted on any of my regular MSCs. I’m definitely checking daily.

At the bottom of each page here on the Forum is a link to MSCs that you can sign up with. If you are signed up with the MSCs in the "Top 15" section, you should be signed up with the MSC that does these.

That's what it sounds like - there are none where I live either.

@Tanischri87 wrote:

Thanks, I’m with over 100 companies and search maybe 20 a day. So it’s my area, right?

Just did one. Wasn't too bad. And the Grilled Chicken Club was so much better than the junk we have to get at Sonic or JITB.

I probably did my last Chick fil A. I expected the long wait in line. I lost track counting after about 20 cars because the line spills into the street. But finding out weeks later that it was rejected isn't for me.

What was the reject reason?