Just to get this up front, I will NOT mention the MSC, but the two stations I’ve had this issue — a Citgo Debrand and a Mobil station. The Citgo Debrand was last month. I completed the shop, and then the attendant said that the owner wanted to speak to me. He’s across the street (at another station he owns), small town, whatever, I went over. As soon as I entered, he began screaming at me about Citgo sending people to take pictures, he didn’t want it, he was debranded (not), etc, etc. I listened for about a minute, and then told him I did NOT get paid to be yelled at, and he should take that concern up with Citgo. Immediately put that shop (just that location) on my 10-foot-pole list. Same store is on their list this month.
Today, I was doing a Mobil station. Got gas, did the inside purchase, reveal, took a photo of the clerk, and turned to get the restroom photo. Before I could get across the store, the owner came out of a back room, yelling and waving his arms at me - “You will NOT take pictures here, I don’t need inspection, I don’t need Mobil, I will yank the sign out of the ground!” On and on, for a couple of minutes while I tried to explain that I don’t work for Mobil, and finally I just said - I don’t get paid for you to yell at me! He crumpled up the LOA and threw it at me. (I couldn’t get a photo of the refusal letter…hoping I still get paid for this one, cause, dang.)
My question for the group - are any of you noticing increased hostility or anger out there? I’ve been shopping for 7 years, and these are the only two refusals I’ve ever had, and definitely the only times I’ve been yelled at!

No, my guys are all very nice and eager to please. But, I did yell at one myself one time when my car (rear wheel drive) could not easily navigate through their snow and ice covered lot. Same guy, years later, miles away at different station remembered me as the girl who yapped about the ice..we laughed about and all was good.

I would definitely not tolerate being yelled at doing a crappy gas station audit. Not worth the time, money,, stress or potential danger. Just leave. If I ever get attitude from one, I don't go back. It's been years since I've come across a nasty gas guy/gal/it??

You might want to look at this thread that was started just a few weeks ago. It is on a topic close to your heart. [www.mysteryshopforum.com]

I have done hundreds of gas station audits, and I would say that my gas station picture audit refusal rate has been less than 1/2 of 1 per cent. However, one owner, Mr. M, never had more than one or two infractions but always complained that I always gave him bad reports. Mr. M 86'd me a couple times because I refused to give a false report so he would get a 100% score.

The last time Mr. M told me to leave and not return was in the summer of 2016. He said he was going to have my job, and he called his DM to complain. He banned me from ever coming on the property again. So, to complete my report, I went across the street and called the MSC and explained what happened. I included everything in the comments box at the bottom of my report, as instructed by the MSC during my phone call.

The result was that I got paid for the shop, which was on an out-of-town route, and the MSC banned me from all their gas station audits. I guess keeping that contract was more important to that MSC than having a mystery shopper who insisted on submitting honest audits and refused to be bribed with Mr. M's threats. So, that MSC banned me from doing all their gas station audits; not just that particular brand.

Karma finally caught up with me when another company absorbed that MSC about the time the pandemic began, and I also got a new scheduler. The ban apparently disappeared at that time. I began doing their gas station audits again after the pandemic was under some control, but I would still refuse to ever return to Mr. M's gas station if ever asked. BTW, I normally got $95 plus job fee to travel to Mr. M's remote gas station, except a couple times when it was $300 and urgent. Mystery shopping was my sole source of income, but I have never regretted my decision to refuse the bribes, ignore the threats, and give an honest report.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2023 10:23PM by AZwolfman.

Dear heavens! I would be devastated to be banned from all of the audits for those two MSCs…mystery shopping is currently my only supplement to my retirement, and is absolutely crucial. (I am not suggesting that anyone take a bribe or buckle to threats…I have not had that experience yet)

@Mousegal wrote:

Dear heavens! I would be devastated to be banned from all of the audits for those two MSCs…mystery shopping is currently my only supplement to my retirement, and is absolutely crucial. (I am not suggesting that anyone take a bribe or buckle to threats…I have not had that experience yet)

I will not name the client or brand of gas station, but if you PM me, I will give you a clue that will allow you to avoid Mr. M's place.

AZwolfman - pretty sure NOBODY's going to get $300 to go to Mr. M's station these days! Glad your ban was lifted, though. Odd that the previous MSC took away all brands from you. I had been grounded from only one brand they had for a while but eventually got reinstated.

It was a remote location. Actually, I normally got $95 plus job fee, but the fee went up to $300 a couple times when they were desperate and urgent. I better edit my post.

@Mousegal wrote:

Just to get this up front, I will NOT mention the MSC, but the two stations I’ve had this issue — a Citgo Debrand and a Mobil station. The Citgo Debrand was last month. I completed the shop, and then the attendant said that the owner wanted to speak to me. He’s across the street (at another station he owns), small town, whatever, I went over. As soon as I entered, he began screaming at me about Citgo sending people to take pictures, he didn’t want it, he was debranded (not), etc, etc. I listened for about a minute, and then told him I did NOT get paid to be yelled at, and he should take that concern up with Citgo. Immediately put that shop (just that location) on my 10-foot-pole list. Same store is on their list this month.

Since this was a de-branded location shop, I would not have gone over to speak to the owner, especially if I had already completed the shop.

Locations get de-branded because they've failed too many mystery shops. They didn't meet cleanliness or upkeep requirements.

Citgo just wanted to make sure there was no indication the station was still associated with their brand. I'm guessing that's what the shop is for, I've never done one. No Citgo name or logo anywhere.

I have actually done this shop multiple times over the last year. It is no longer operating as a Citgo, it is just an inspection station now, but all of the Citgo branding is still there.
I do feel for the next person who completes this shop, but unless there is a healthy bonus, it won't be me! (And if it is, all photos will be taken from the street!)

Which is probably why Citgo no longer wants their branding on the location. It is no longer a Citgo gas station.

@Mousegal - What you described about these irate individuals, this is the way a lot of people are behaving for any reason and at any place. It really has nothing to do with this industry. People are just angry and acting out. You see how people drive like they want to die and others flipping out if you almost bump into them turning the corner on a grocery aisle. They are looking for a confrontation. You have to stay as calm as possible or just leave.

I have had Citgo debrand go very badly previously. And I was reminded by the scheduler maybe it was the editors that I could have done it differently, except that I did it according to their instructions.

And not very long after I had a Texaco station person, I say that because he claimed that he was not an employee and he was not an owner, but he was behind the counter and taking money from customers and he took the LOA from me. I did as I normally do, I handed him the LOA and the leave behind forms, and explain that I needed to take a few pictures, and then I would be out of his hair in no time. I took the pictures inside the shop. And then I started outside. As I was walking outside he started yelling at me and telling me that he was not an employee and that I had no right to give him those papers. He chased me out of the store and I thought he was going to chase me outside too but he didn't. I took the pictures that I needed to outside. But instead of sticking around and doing the input there on the property I left and did the input into the computer someplace else. For my own safety.

Those are the only I guess "serious" encounters I've had, other than customers being suspicious and threatening to call the police because I was taking pictures. As if it's any of their business to begin with. I don't show any of the mystery shopping company paperwork to customers when they threaten me. But I do tell them to go inside and talk to the people in the store. Because they know that I am there, and they know what I am doing.

I have a funny story. Because of some of the threats and because of some of my physical limitations, my son has been coming with me, not to do my shops but to make sure that I can do my shops. And my son is a local guide for Google Maps he makes a project of going and taking pictures of places and posting them on Google Maps for people to see while he's out doing other things like doordashing and mystery shopping. And most of the stations and restaurants and places he takes pictures invite him to do so and offer him things like drinks or meals or whatever for the free advertising. But one time he was taking pictures something at a restaurant, and a girl came up to him, she said I'm a minor you can't take pictures of me. Both my son and I said very clearly that he was not taking pictures of her he was taking pictures of the establishment for Google Maps. But she insisted and she kept saying and over and over again, I'm only 14 I'm a minor and you can't take pictures of me. Like she really wanted my son to take pictures of her.

With Citgo debrands, I find it difficult to do them covertly or from across the street. They require a lot of pictures, including all four sides of the canopy, which can be difficult. I try to avoid them all together.

In my 7 years of mystery shopping, thankfully I have had less than a handful of irrate station owners. In all cases, they were stations that had long outstanding issues and/or subpar reports.

One time I reported a store at a station that was marking up chips (and other items) over the printed price on the bag. The station placed neon orange price stickers next to the printed price, so it was obvious. Not very smart (at least cover up the printed price if you are going to do this).

The next time I went there the owner blasted me for being truthful in my report! It was one where you had to give some commentary on the customer experience and likelihood of returning. The added mark up was enough to discourage me from going to the station on a regular basis. Guess with the timing of my previos visit and report he figured out who I was. I never went back to that station until after it was sold.

I have been doing this (Mystery Shopping) for quite a few years now, and have had some irate business owners during that time. I've always remained calm and let them vent. Then, I endeavor to explain in the sincerest way that every shop and its photos that I do are sent to the company where at least one set or more of eyes look at the photos and my answers.
But, OTOH, at one particular Exxon shop, the same employee each time would scream at me, "no photos, no photos!!!" when I would give him the LOA explaining as part of the site inspection, the company would like a photo of either the employee (not the face I would assure him) or a photo of the counter if he did not want his photo taken. I could tell his attitude disturbed the other employees as well as other customer. One man, a customer, even walked outside to ask if I was okay.
I would shrug and just leave the site, go across the street, take the required photos of a shop refusal and report it to the MSC. After a few times of his nonsense, I stopped asking for that station.
Fast forward months later, I decided to do the shop. I walked in and saw that same man. When it was time to do the reveal and present the LOA, he began shouting again. But this time, a person who I assumed was another employee just happened to be the site's owner. He gave the employee a dressing down in front of the customer and me. I assume it was a dressing down - it was in a language I was not familiar. The employee smiled at me and nodded. The owner apologized for the behavior. I took the photos.
The next rotation, I did the shop again - same guy, same obnoxious tirade. I reported the behavior and decided not to do the shop. Many months went by. On a whim, I decided to do that location again - it was bonused nicely. I noticed it would always sit there on the board - apparently no other shopper wanted to do it for the same reasons as I had.
The guy was gone! I've done that shop many times now. The miserable fellow has not been there. Maybe he was let go.

@French Farmer - I think I would have told that site owner that his employee had done that to you each time, in the past. And a side note, you could of spoke French to him when he was yelling at you. Lol.

What say we make FrenchFarmer's story into a TV miniseries? The suspense!

Zek - I always deduct satisfaction points for undue markups, shelf tags inconsistent with final cost, extra sales tax being charged and expired food.

@Sestrahelena

Yes, absolutely to both your question and comment !

I'm not sure if this is true in every state, but in mine there is no tax on food unless it is warm/heated (go to Togo's get hot pastrami pay tax, order cold pastrami sandwich, no tax), yet so many stations attempt to charge sales tax on cold food items where I live.

@sestrahelena wrote:

What say we make FrenchFarmer's story into a TV miniseries? The suspense!

Zek - I always deduct satisfaction points for undue markups, shelf tags inconsistent with final cost, extra sales tax being charged and expired food.

My state, too, has no state sales tax on packaged food, only prepared food. Chevron's big on charging both. Others seem to depend on who's running the c-store. Circle K is good at keeping the tax accurate but not product rotation. Lots of expired stuff. Privately owned stores are the worst with all those things.

I'm surprised that so many of you do these revealed gas station shops - they do not interest me in the least!

@Zek wrote:

@Sestrahelena
I'm not sure if this is true in every state, but in mine there is no tax on food unless it is warm/heated (go to Togo's get hot pastrami pay tax, order cold pastrami sandwich, no tax), yet so many stations attempt to charge sales tax on cold food items where I live.

Why do drugstores and convenience stores charge sales tax on bottles of soda, but grocery stores don't? If bought with food stamps the sales tax is automatically taken off. This leads me to believe charging tax is incorrect.

Similar tp what you said, you can't buy a hot rotisserie chicken with food stamps, but if they have cold ones you can. Doesn't make sense to me.

Same for me. If it says "reveal" then I am not doing it.

I hate how the convenience stores at the gas stations will be missing all the price tags in order to size you up when you go to pay for something. They charge what they think they can get away with and use the tax rate for non food items on food purchases. Even when buying a .99 cent can of Arizona tea, I have been charged $2.09.

@wrosie Its all a mystery that is for sure.

@wrosie wrote:

@Zek wrote:

@Sestrahelena
I'm not sure if this is true in every state, but in mine there is no tax on food unless it is warm/heated (go to Togo's get hot pastrami pay tax, order cold pastrami sandwich, no tax), yet so many stations attempt to charge sales tax on cold food items where I live.

Why do drugstores and convenience stores charge sales tax on bottles of soda, but grocery stores don't? If bought with food stamps the sales tax is automatically taken off. This leads me to believe charging tax is incorrect.

Similar tp what you said, you can't buy a hot rotisserie chicken with food stamps, but if they have cold ones you can. Doesn't make sense to me.

It is impossible to answer your question without knowing what state you are in. In NJ and PA, soda is taxed regardless of where they are purchased. So is candy, for that matter. Otherwise, sales of food and beverages for preparation and consumption off-premises are exempt from sales tax.

Hot food can not be purchased with EBT cards (which access SNAP benefits since "Food Stamps" per se were renamed in 2008) except for some people in some states (Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Virginia) where the RMP extension to SNAP allows some purchases of hot foods.

It is plausible that states which allow SNAP to be used to purchase soda (not NJ where as far as I know SNAP can only be used to purchase: Fruits and vegetables; Beans, fish, poultry, meat; Rice, bread, tortillas, cereal; Milk and cheese; and Seeds and plants that produce food.), that since the government is paying for the soda, they do not want to pay sales tax on anything. I admit that that is speculation on my part.

@wrosie wrote:

Why do drugstores and convenience stores charge sales tax on bottles of soda, but grocery stores don't? If bought with food stamps the sales tax is automatically taken off. This leads me to believe charging tax is incorrect.

Similar tp what you said, you can't buy a hot rotisserie chicken with food stamps, but if they have cold ones you can. Doesn't make sense to me.

I recently did a truck stop just to check if they had the DEF diesel exhaust fluid on display, and the place looked like a scene from a horror movie. Very run down, weeds in the parking lot growing out of the cracks. It was a place that was practically abandoned up till about a year ago.
I had to go inside and it was not well lit and stunk like rotten eggs. I didn't have to interact with the cashier or owner, luckily. I just pretended to use the washroom to ensure they had the DEF and carried on my way.

@shopnyc @Paula7928
I love doing the convenience store audits. No memory required, lol, report is super simple.

The mystery shop turned reveal is pretty simple too. That's why I like doing them.

Mostly people are friendly. On one audit, I had the owner start a tirade on some criticism they got on a recent mystery shop. I was able to say it had no connection to me and she cooperated with the audit. That's the most negative I've had in 15 years.

@prince wrote:

@shopnyc . . . The mystery shop turned reveal is pretty simple too. That's why I like doing them.

I live in New England where it's snowy in winter. If I did these, I'd have to find a safety vest that can fit over my puffy down coat, and another, smaller one for summer. I just don't want to wear a safety vest to do shops and call attention to myself in front of other customers, people I might know, etc. But mostly I have no interest because I sometimes do shops and product resets at the gas stations with convenience stores in my area for other MSCs - so I def do not want to reveal myself.

Haha, I was just telling off one yesterday for all the snow/ice when most places had already plowed. This was during my purchase. Amazing how fast they started plowing after the reveal