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Acronyms and Abbreviations

February 10, 2026 10:36PM
I'm having a hard time following the discussions here because of the many mystery acronyms used in mystery shopping. Is there a key here? A list? A link to a list?
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February 11, 2026 12:08AM
We keep the mystery in mystery shopping! Most riddles can be solved after a bit of pondering the various threads and posts.
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February 11, 2026 12:14AM
We keep the mystery in mystery shopping! Most riddles can be solved by pondering the various posts.
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February 11, 2026 01:11AM
That's cool. Thing is, I've got several heavy duty things going on with my family, I don't have the time or energy to decipher posts on a message board, a forum that's supposed make this profession easier to understand, not harder.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2026 01:13AM by Peace Cricket.
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February 11, 2026 01:50AM
MSC - Mystery Shopping Company
MF - Market Force
BM - Best Mark
CVS- an American Pharmacy ? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I can't think of many. You might have to ask as you come across them. Some are likely the actual names of MSCs.

We are not to reveal the clients of MSCs. But people do give hints. Maybe that's what you're seeing?

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer
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February 11, 2026 02:49AM
@Peace Cricket wrote:

That's cool. Thing is, I've got several heavy duty things going on with my family, I don't have the time or energy to decipher posts on a message board, a forum that's supposed make this profession easier to understand, not harder.
We abbreviate and use roundabout ways to communicate without naming things directly because we all signed contracts to not discuss the jobs. If you are doing this work, so did you. I'm sorry you are having a difficult time right now but we can't all violate our contracts to make it incrementally easier for one forum member. You will find this pattern repeats elsewhere for the same reasons.
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February 11, 2026 04:08AM
May I add that mystery shopping is WORK. We all need to keep digging to find opportunities. It takes consistent time and energy, which you say you don't have. With all due respect, maybe you should seriously reconsider this "profession." There are no shortcuts.
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February 11, 2026 05:07AM
.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2026 05:12AM by purpleicee.
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February 11, 2026 05:10AM
TBH (to be honest), and not meant to be insensitive, with a little time, you will learn that many of us have several heavy duty things going on in our family/lives.
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February 11, 2026 08:50AM
My observation is that sometimes people here seem to enjoy the obscurity or riddles - probably for various reasons.
I might be different. As long as I don't break the naming rules, I will come out and answer
your question. Again, as directly as I can. I've been there, I know the frustration.
If you ask a simple question, you should get an answer.
If you ask for heavy lifing, people will direct you to the great resources found in the subforums.
Check them out - someone(s) have done the work there for you...

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on


Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2026 08:51AM by BarefootBliss.
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February 11, 2026 09:13AM
My post up thread was a reaction to just that because honestly, I don't have the time or the patience for it. I had read the pinned posts and resources, used the search feature, didn't see anything about acronyms, but I get the reasoning now. Thank you for your helpful response.
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February 11, 2026 09:15AM
Of course, that's life. Ups and downs, peaks and valleys.
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February 11, 2026 09:18AM
With all due respect, I did not say that.
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February 11, 2026 09:25AM
Could be. Lots of helpful information, thanks!
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February 11, 2026 12:40PM
@Deedeezthoughts wrote:

@Peace Cricket wrote:

That's cool. Thing is, I've got several heavy duty things going on with my family, I don't have the time or energy to decipher posts on a message board, a forum that's supposed make this profession easier to understand, not harder.
We abbreviate and use roundabout ways to communicate without naming things directly because we all signed contracts to not discuss the jobs. If you are doing this work, so did you. I'm sorry you are having a difficult time right now but we can't all violate our contracts to make it incrementally easier for one forum member. You will find this pattern repeats elsewhere for the same reasons.

^^^ This.

I've been on this board for many years and am signed up with many MSCs, and many acronyms used here are still unknown to me. If you need help deciphering stuff, just ask.

I don't think there are any Russians / And there ain't no Yanks
Just corporate criminals\ / Playin' with tanks
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February 11, 2026 02:24PM
The flexibility that mystery shopping allows is a big drawing card for those of us with life challenges.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2026 03:52PM by Nikki21.
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February 11, 2026 02:25PM
@purpleicee wrote:

TBH (to be honest), and not meant to be insensitive, with a little time, you will learn that many of us have several heavy duty things going on in our family/lives.
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February 11, 2026 03:12PM
I also was faced with your situation. A few yrs. back, I thought, due to my post, that YMMV was you make me vomit. Somehow I figured out I could type such mysteries into the address bar and Google would educate me. Since then, it has always worked.
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February 12, 2026 02:49AM
QSR - Quick Serve Restaurant
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February 14, 2026 08:48PM
I googled The Blob and came up with this:

“The Blob is a 1958 American science fiction horror film […]The film concerns a carnivorous amoeboidal alien that crashes to Earth from outer space inside a meteorite, landing near the small communities of Phoenixville and Downingtown, Pennsylvania. It envelops living beings, growing larger, becoming redder in color and more aggressive, eventually becoming larger than a building.”

Surely no one would work for an MSC like that! ;-P
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February 14, 2026 09:21PM
My best advice is just to ask. Some of the acronyms used are regional , some are generational, some are based on the people each of us spend time with. I would suggest if you have a younger or older person around you ask them if you cannot find it. Unless the acronym is hiding the real name of a msc or a client of one generally when someone asks what it means they get an answer...But sometimes google is your best bet.
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February 14, 2026 11:04PM
I'm sorry you have a lot going on outside of the mystery shopping world. However, we are bound by our Independent Contractor Agreements. There has to be some deciphering going on. We can not list both the mystery shopping company name and the project in the same sentence. If that bothers you, this forum may not be the place to be.




@Peace Cricket wrote:

That's cool. Thing is, I've got several heavy duty things going on with my family, I don't have the time or energy to decipher posts on a message board, a forum that's supposed make this profession easier to understand, not harder.
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February 15, 2026 01:16AM
@Maria72 wrote:

I googled The Blob and came up with this:

“The Blob is a 1958 American science fiction horror film […]The film concerns a carnivorous amoeboidal alien that crashes to Earth from outer space inside a meteorite, landing near the small communities of Phoenixville and Downingtown, Pennsylvania. It envelops living beings, growing larger, becoming redder in color and more aggressive, eventually becoming larger than a building.”

Surely no one would work for an MSC like that! ;-P

Ah, but we do! The Blob devours and absorbs everything in its path and just keeps getting bigger and more powerful (it was my fave movie as a kid but it's been a while). Think now, which MSC does that sound like? Yep.
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