Your most humorous assignment experience?

Please do share, being sure to change the names to protect the…innocent?

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 just got a note today wanting me to drive about 96 minutes each way to complete a merchandising assignment for $10. Hilarious, right?

I plan my assignments meticulously and write out detailed notes to follow along, especially for call shops. A recorded call I was assigned required a local address, and as always I had my fake address in my notes ready to go. It was nearby, and I knew where it was in relation to local landmarks and major roads just in case it came up. When the associate asked for my address, I read it carefully from my notes. Except that I read the wrong line. I gave the associate his own business address instead of mine. He didn't say a thing and neither did I. This happened in the last 30 seconds of a twenty minute call, so it didn't affect most of the call. I still can't believe I did that.

The one that made me laugh FR was when a vendor's sales rep tried to sell me on a water purifier system while I was stickering disposals for RQA. I had to tell her that I was actually working and not just lining up disposals on the floor for fun.
She was apologetic and we laughed about her questioning my behavior but not wanting to ask. And then she saw me later in the garden center with flowers in a cart and she gave me the funniest one eyebrow up look so I spoke first saying I'm off the clock now but still don't want a water purifier system. And we both laughed again. Fun for all.

I get these every day DD'S, along with the ones that want us to be unaware enough to ding our credit reports with bank, credit card, and loan shops I also refuse to do.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2025 02:20AM by SBP.

Sounds like a good save no one reading the report needs to know about Sass!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2025 02:20AM by SBP.

Which is more hilarious?. The bi weekly text I get for a no pay, no bonus sandwich location at the airport. They did not take me up on my offer to do it if they purchase a plane tic for me. This has been going on for over 6 months already. Or is it the offers I get to do a group of shops each 30 or more miles up a mtn road that does not connect to the other shops in other directions off other main roads. All of them are 400-500 miles from me and the pay is a whopping $12 per shop.

The mouse in the sandwich shop that had all the workers chasing it was funny as was the waiter who dumped a salad into my purse on a chair. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when those reports were ready by mgmt.

The Postal Shops where I bite my tongue because I know the HAZMAT question and also procedures better than the Clerk.

Just this week as I was exiting WaWa, a guy who had held the door open for me when I entered, pulled up next to me at the stop light and told me, "I don't mean to sound weird, but you have beautiful feet." I don't know if I should be creeped out or flattered...probably creeped out.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

I can't recall anything humourous occurring during my mystery shopping / auditing experiences.

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

@retrodaddy wrote:

I can't recall anything humourous occurring during my mystery shopping / auditing experiences.

Other than being offered low or no shop fees for way too much of your time?

At a seafood restaurant, the server made a disgusted face and said she didn't care for seafood when asked for a recommendation.

Shops where it appears they seem to suspect or know I'm shopping them. Then i get excellent service, have an easy report and nobody actually said i was shopping them. Higher end casino restaurants. It's amazing what they can track from your players card and last visits.

We all play the game . I get a great meal and they get a good report.

Years back I had someone lean out the window of an Italian Ice place I was shopping and ask "Are you mystery shopping us?" because it was obvious I was. There was no way for me to hide what I was doing give the shop requirements. I played extremely dumb and they went back inside and I am sure laughed about it.

It's probably the one where I shopped a hotel about 10 minutes from home.
Immediately after check in and getting to my room, I overheard a drug deal going down in the next room, so I quickly left and went back home for the night.
The next morning, on the way to work, I was able to go back and finish the observations and take photos.
I had some quibbles about the room that went into the report.
The editor said "wow, I am surprised...the room doesn't even look like it was stayed in"

Bingo, lol.

@jp43209 wrote:

@retrodaddy wrote:

I can't recall anything humourous occurring during my mystery shopping / auditing experiences.
Other than being offered low or no shop fees for way too much of your time?

i'd use other words to describe that practice, such as ridiculous, absurd, asinine, etc.

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

Did a movie theater evaluation. Irate woman had a valid issue as was her displeasure with a dumb response from a stupid manager. Took her aside and wispered in her ear that I am mystery shopping.

Did a corporate headquarters cafeteria shop. Presented the letter of authorization to the female front desk guard who then revealed me to the food server who then gave me an extra portion resulting in his stellar commendation in my report.

Received an offer for a local Catholic Mass to place a particular bill in the offering. Just a bit too sacrilegious for me.

A couple come to mind...

There was the time when one of the employees at what was once a Shell station shot me with a squirt gun from behind the counter, after already being saucy with me.

Then there was the time I used a fictional wife who was out shopping as the reason for my visit to a T-Mobile, only to ask, "What wife?" when the associate asked if I wanted a second line for her.

Have synthesizers, will travel...

@weatherman2111 wrote:

Years back I had someone lean out the window of an Italian Ice place I was shopping and ask "Are you mystery shopping us?" because it was obvious I was. There was no way for me to hide what I was doing give the shop requirements. I played extremely dumb and they went back inside and I am sure laughed about it.

There was a drive through coffee shop here where you had to take pictures of the advertising at the pickup window (among other things). It made me laugh because I cannot imagine trying to covertly take photos while also picking up an order at a window.

There was the one where I, as a woman in my 50s, mystery shopped a wedding dress company at a bridal expo at a convention center. Every real bride-to-be had bridesmaids and a beaming Mom in tow (many even wearing "bride," "bridesmaid", and "mother of the bride" t-shirts!), and I was there by myself. I actually used it, though, telling the saleswoman I felt so out of place among the youngsters but that my fictional fiance wanted a "real" wedding with all the trimmings because both he and I had eloped for our first marriages.

The funniest experience for me was a hotel bar audit. The bartender(s) had called in, but since it was a big college football game weekend they didn't want to shut down the bar. Believe it or not a front desk clerk, a housekeeper, and the head of housekeeping stepped in.

I could write pages on the experience, but the best moment was when a woman ordered a glass of wine. The housekeeping supervisor struggled to open the bottle, then passed it off to a random guy at the bar and asked for help. In the most tactful way possible he let her know that the top didn't twist off, but that there was a cork that needed to be removed. She had no clue, so then he had to get the cork screw and for remove it for her!!! Once it was open she grabbed the largest goblet there was and filled that big boy to the tippy-top with a generous 10-12 ounce pour.

It was a fun night and a very interesting report.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/2025 11:50PM by bradkcrew.

I remember a grocery store shop I did. While I was at the deli, the associates talked about a past mystery shopper and how they had to prepare and act properly, because they were expecting to be shopped again.

I found some humor in this but I was out doing a gas station assignment for a particular company. The station was no longer the brand I was assigned to do so but it still had the branding of the old station. First he said that the station changed about a week ago and then he said over two months. I noted that in my report and took the required photos before leaving. The cashier came to my car and ask that I not take any photos (after they've been taken already) then made a phone call to someone and left. After I sent the report and was driving off he actually ran after my car demanding my supervisor's name. I can still see him running after my car waving his arms like a madman. I can only guess that they get into trouble for having the old branding of a gas station that they are no longer contracted with.

I have been "trespassed" when doing a debrand, and threatened that the police will be called if I came back. This was after repeated debrand inspections since not every bit of branding had been removed, and the gas brand has someone check monthly or every few months for years until they finally get it all removed correctly. It is probably in their contract that all branding has to be removed upon termination of their affiliation with the gas brand. Something as small as a credit card acceptance decal on the pumps is considered company branding that must be removed.

@nikkinicky wrote:

I found some humor in this but I was out doing a gas station assignment for a particular company. The station was no longer the brand I was assigned to do so but it still had the branding of the old station. First he said that the station changed about a week ago and then he said over two months. I noted that in my report and took the required photos before leaving. The cashier came to my car and ask that I not take any photos (after they've been taken already) then made a phone call to someone and left. After I sent the report and was driving off he actually ran after my car demanding my supervisor's name. I can still see him running after my car waving his arms like a madman. I can only guess that they get into trouble for having the old branding of a gas station that they are no longer contracted with.

Unfortunately those low compensation ratios have become normalized. Sometimes they’ll even bundle them so you can go further out of pocket for gas…

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2025 11:24PM by SBP.

Even imagining that is hilarious Shoppergirl!

We completed a dining shop. The service did not not start out great, but at some point, they figured it out. The manager came over and treated us like we were food critics from the New York Times. He even brought out the chef and the manager of the kitchen. It was hysterical. I felt more important than I really am for a minute or two.

Last year, I did a Sunoco location. As I drove up, I noticed a huge pit in the ground
There was a construction fence around the place and the pumps had been removed.
The store however was open.
I got out of the car to take the photos.
A man came running out of the store "Are you from Sunoco??"

No, I said.
Good, he said.

LOL,

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Your most humorous assignment experience?

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine