Possible MS tip off, a story

I did a gas station yesterday. The only employee there was someone who usually works at another store, and he was wearing the shirt he'd wear at his other store, which is different from shirts worn at his particular store. He asked for me to not take a pic due to that reason, so I took a pic of the counter. I've done about 20 gas stations, and that was my first counter pic.

I don't think there are any Russians / And there ain't no Yanks
Just corporate criminals\ / Playin' with tanks


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2025 11:47AM by retrodaddy.

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My son did one of the concert shops where he went around to every location in the stadium to buy beer. He had a contact in the stadium that he had to message each time there was a violation, and she went out and fired them on the spot!
@nellybean212 wrote:

i always thought we needed permission to get the photo. It says right in the report, did the person allow the photo?

I believe the question is, "Did the employee refuse the photo?" Or something to that effect. If you don’t ask, they can't refuse. I've thought about getting that photo discretely before the reveal but figure the report would probably get rejected if the photo data shows one minute earlier than the store receipt. They're like that, some (or one) MSCs.
I normally have my phone in hand with the camera app open when I ask the question. If they refuse, I usually sneak a quick photo of the counter before before they have a chance to say no photos at all, which they sometimes do, especially in the evening shift. It's not a big deal if they prohibit a counter photo, I just say so in the report, but it saves time.
I loved doing video shops for exactly this reason.

My favorite “gotcha!” was doing a chain of Southwestern fast food evaluations. Walked in during the dead time of 3-4 pm. Absolutely nobody in the restaurant. Nobody appeared as I waited. I finally walked out and checked out back; everyone was smoking weed out by the grease trap. All on video.

(I was actually glad to see everyone there. It was a bad area of Albuquerque and I worried that maybe it was a robbery situation.)
@bradkcrew wrote:

My son did one of the concert shops where he went around to every location in the stadium to buy beer. He had a contact in the stadium that he had to message each time there was a violation, and she went out and fired them on the spot!
I wondered how that worked. I saw one for a local sporting event and thought that would be so bizarre to walk around buying (or attempting to buy) alcohol at all the vendors.
If they haven’t been fired, they should have. The first one was a bartender. My report said some guys were drunk and hitting on a woman who clearly did not want it. She kept serving them. The next time I did a shop, she confronted me, saying I was a mystery shopper. Then one of her coworkers approached me. He said he knew who I was and I had better be nice!!!! I was afraid to eat the food, in case they spat in it. I told the company they did not have to worry about banning me, because I was too afraid to do another job where I consumed anything there.

Another time, I reported an associate for arguing with me and shouting to the store about me!

On a hotel shop, I did my bit and went to the desk to check out. The guy would not give me a refund (or receipt) for only being there an hour. The MSC followed up with me. He had not reported the money. It was pocketed.

At one gas station, I brought discounted candy to the counter. We argued about the sale price. I asked if there would be a 1-800 number on the receipt. The associate just said to take it all. I insisted I would pay, but she just waved me off. For the receipt proof, I provided a huge pile of candy!

I am sure there were others, but those were the ones which stood out.
Part of being a good mystery shopper is keeping your shops free of being memorable. It's on you to remain professional and avoid conflicts. Any conflict makes you memorable. Anything in your submitted shop that would make you memorable to the client is bad play also.
Your anonymity is part of your shopper's resume. It's worth protecting.
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