Thanks JB!

The FBI is indeed sticklers for rules based on its founder, J. Edgar Hoover when it was known as the Bureau of Investigation. In order to become legit for federal funding, he imposed strict guidelines for their recruits as well as investigative methods as an agent. The CIA is definitely mysterious, yet effective both on domestic and abroad disputes. NCIS bridges the gap between both, yet does primarily military cases. Depends on the jurisdiction.

Then, there is the Illuminati, but let's not get started on them just yet. I'm kinda scared to touch that one.


And then, there is CSI. Not sure where to say where they are. And @risinghorizon, ketchup does indeed squirt further than mustard based on its many ionic compounds found within its elements in the preservation process. However, wouldn't you say that mayonaisse does something similar? It just sits there once its been discharged like its cousin, mustard.

Every cloud has a funny lining.

Amen and pass the cheesecake!

MDavisnowell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Every cloud has a funny lining.

Mmmmmmmm. Cheesecake.
::doing a Homer Simpson impression::

May I have the tofu cheesecake, please? (Does that make you happy, JB?)

Eric in Tampa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The FBI is indeed sticklers for rules based on its
> founder, J. Edgar Hoover when it was known as the
> Bureau of Investigation. In order to become legit
> for federal funding, he imposed strict guidelines
> for their recruits as well as investigative
> methods as an agent. The CIA is definitely
> mysterious, yet effective both on domestic and
> abroad disputes. NCIS bridges the gap between
> both, yet does primarily military cases. Depends
> on the jurisdiction.
>
> Then, there is the Illuminati, but let's not get
> started on them just yet. I'm kinda scared to
> touch that one.
>
>
> And then, there is CSI. Not sure where to say
> where they are. And @risinghorizon, ketchup does
> indeed squirt further than mustard based on its
> many ionic compounds found within its elements in
> the preservation process. However, wouldn't you
> say that mayonaisse does something similar? It
> just sits there once its been discharged like its
> cousin, mustard.

Wouldn't touch mayonnaise, it's fattening. Mustard is definitely
more caring. I read somewhere that to make fast food healthy, add
ketchup. Do CIA agents eat ketchup? Wouldn't that give too much evidence?
Pray tell, what is the official condiment of the @#$%& Club? Or is it against
IC to tell?

Ok, who has done chocolate mystery shopping? Roger and out!

I have done Godiva and other chocolate mystery shops. Didn't like them and don't do them anymore.

Not big on chocolate in general and really dislike overly sweet treats.

Garlic and jalapeno peppers are the official condiments of the @#$%& Club. You didn't hear it here. Or from me.

To be truly bitchy or bastardly, the JBC offers a fine assortment of beans.

Mayo isn't as bad as ketchup with high fructose corn syrup, so there, lol! BTW, my stepfather was a doctor and always said the only thing that wasn't fattening was water. I guess that's a vote for moderation

Busy - I'm sure you know that to get the bitchiest beans, fail to pre-soak and then fail to pour off the first cooking water. Toot Toot. You didn't hear it here. Or from me.

Beans, beans, the magical fruit...

@risinghorizon But you know what? If put together, ketchup and mayo makes a delicious McD's thousand island dressing, or even that "fancy sauce" from the StepBrothers movie. A little less mess than mustard, I think.

Why would anyone give you the names of companies they are shopping? Do your own leg work.

Ooooh! I just googled Snarky... and guess what? I'm SNARKY!!!! yeah!
Regards to cina's posts, Dude... maam. whatever....
Get a life.
Yes, I ask for assistance in getting shops from time to time. One thing sometimes works(and seeing as you have such a good track record with your shpopping companies it should work awesomely for you too) is to ask my current schedulers if they know who is shopping a specific that I want to shop. Doesn't always work, but it does work sometimes, or to ask who else is shopping my area.

cinemaphile Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> But it's becoming apparent to me now that people
> here are not in this to help each other out, so
> nevermind.

Ah the light of reality dawns. People here are running businesses - micro businesses to be sure but businesses nonetheless. We are smart, work hard, and contrary to what the idiot in the White House thinks we DID build it on our own.

What you are asking is for someone to skirt the intent of the confidentiality clause in their ICAs, perhaps risking their own relationships with their customers, the MSCs. You are asking someone to do your work for you, hand you a list of contacts that have been developed with the investment of THEIR time effort and research skills, and basically give you a handout with no payback for them.

In addition the person referring you to a MSC has no assurance that the referral will not blow up in their faces. A Silver certification (and yes, I have one too, obtained when I was a newbie and didn't realize that performance is what get one the good shops) means nothing except that you had $15 and can read and understand relatively simple material. A 100% IC Pro rating simply means that you exist and have a verifiable SSN and address and are willing to let a 3rd party into your billing and receivables loop. Nothing in either of those speaks to reliability, integrity, literacy or competence.

The last major issue here is that if you are referred to a MSC there is the possibility that you will be cutting in on the referring party's shop volume. If you happen to be in the same area as the person referring you, or you and that person both like to do phone shops (though I have NEVER understood why $5 or so is a motivation to do a report and make a call) the person referring you may be looking at a reduced income as a result.

Summing up, learn to take some pride in doing your own work, research, and making your own contacts. I have found in life that things that are handed me become meaningless quickly; things that I have worked or paid for hold their value and give pride in earned ownership.

Having re-read this before posting, I am SO delighted to be of an age where it simply does not matter if I speak my mind exactly as I wish to

Nothing personal, but it does get old after a while seeing the entitlement and handout mentality that is being spawned in what has been and can be again a proud self-sustaining country.

SteveSoCal Wrote:


> I've been hoping to get in the CIA for years!
> Does anyone know who shops it?

The CIA is regularly shopped by Mossad.

MDavisnowell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cinemaphile - Regarding the Judgmental @#$%& Club.
>
>
> Thank you for your congratulations but they are
> premature. There are many here who are fully
> qualified and my chances may be slim, but I plan
> to campaign hard and cut no slack.

You have my vote



>
> SAMMYSLY - Regarding the CIA.
>
> This is the first mention I have noted that some
> of us think we are in the CIA. Do you think so?
> Or did you read that someone else thinks so? This
> is intriguing. Do you think our undercover work
> as mystery shoppers qualifies us for membership?
> I was not aware this might be possible. I thought
> we had to be hired and go through rigorous
> training, as per Jody whatshername's experience in
> The Silence of the Lambs.

Jodi Foster was FBI

Just saw this thread and want to congratulate the shoppers who strongly maintain their ethics. Without that, where would we be? Thecontract we sign is binding. Which leads me to ask one question.

When signing a new contract sometimes the company asks "What other shopping companies have you worked for??" I always answer "Confidential information."
Are THEY being ethical to ask that question?

Happy weekend all. Here's to getting some bucks this weekend!

Art, thank you for your vote. I am appreciative, and I am writing your name down on my list of known supporters.

Thank you also for the information that Jodi Foster was in the FBI. Wales also posted trying to help me out on this, and I think others have commented or perhaps I am confused again about content of all the various posts on this hot subject. I can see I need to rent the movie, investigate (there's an FBI word for you) more closely, and take copious notes. I apologize for my failure of understanding or memory or whatever else is askew here. I plan to jump on my Netflix queue (qeueu? no that's wrong) immediately and order this movie. Never let it be said that I would stay ignorant on purpose. I feel as a candidate for office in the @#$%& Club that it is my responsibility to stay abreast of all issues.

Again, thank you for your support. There is a meeting of the @#$%& Club Tuesday July 16 at an unknown location. Hope you can make it.

The CIA is technically forbidden by charter to operate on US soil

Eric in Tampa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The FBI is indeed sticklers for rules based on its
> founder, J. Edgar Hoover when it was known as the
> Bureau of Investigation. In order to become legit
> for federal funding, he imposed strict guidelines
> for their recruits as well as investigative
> methods as an agent. The CIA is definitely
> mysterious, yet effective both on domestic and
> abroad disputes. NCIS bridges the gap between
> both, yet does primarily military cases. Depends
> on the jurisdiction.
>
> Then, there is the Illuminati, but let's not get
> started on them just yet. I'm kinda scared to
> touch that one.
>
>
> And then, there is CSI. Not sure where to say
> where they are. And @risinghorizon, ketchup does
> indeed squirt further than mustard based on its
> many ionic compounds found within its elements in
> the preservation process. However, wouldn't you
> say that mayonaisse does something similar? It
> just sits there once its been discharged like its
> cousin, mustard.

@Art Tell that to General Petraeus and the Congressional Oversight committee.

Wow. I'm new here and I will do a lot of reading before I ask a question.

J&CAssociates I think I have. that name right? And try BestMark.

Hey Choc,

Can I just say this-- -making a face after reading the tail end of this thread-...

Things don't always, and IMHO _shouldn't_, deteriorate like this. If someone asks a question that might be out of bounds (just because of the contracts we sign), it should be sufficient for one, maybe two people to bring that to the person's attention.

Again, IMHO, by page three, there's really no need to drill that crap in, anymore. The original poster gets it, in really, the people who do it just end up looking like tools. YMMV.

I lurked for about a year before I actually piped up. I thanked someone I had watched on the board and learned pretty much everything I "know" now and was able to build a platform off of. She was really amazing with people, from what I saw. She told it straight, don't get me wrong. She didn't really "hand-hold", but she taught and educated and did so without making a person feel small.

I think that's how this thread started. By the end of it it just seemed to become a thing where people wanted to add their two cents and ... so.

Don't fear asking a question. You should ask. We encourage you do research first, of course. This board is a _wealth_ of information. But typically, good people with good insight will see you through.

Really, I think that should be the goal.

cinemaphile Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> Rather than improperly ask anyone to tell me who
> shops these clients, I instead want to list places
> I hope to shop, and if you know who does any of
> them, I ask you to just refer me to these
> companies (whether it's one where you give them my
> info, or one where you send me to their site and I
> just say who referred me). No one has revealed
> clients, you're just making a referral.
> Hopefully some of these places have referral
> bonuses that you can cash in on from me!
>
> Cinemaphile, inside of listing the names of the clients, why don't you just tell us what states and cities you want to shop in? Then we can refer you if we know an MSC has shops in that geographical area without every mentioning the names of the clients.

Eric in Tampa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @Art Tell that to General Petraeus and the
> Congressional Oversight committee.

I have no problem with them operating anywhere in the world to fight terrorists, people supporting terrorists, people who look like people who are terrorists, people who live near people who might look like terrorists, people who post on mystery shopping forums using the word terrorist . . . OOPS

First of all, hello to all my MS'ing friends. I know I haven't been around lately. I have been too busy performing shops with all the MSC's that I worked hard to find, research, and sign up for. Now that IS snarky! ;-)

Second, I agree with LisaSTL. I am a Google Chrome girl myself and the auto-fill feature can be a time-saver.


> It is why the best advice is to keep signing up
> with companies. You should never think of the
> minute or so it takes to register as a waste of
> time. I cannot tell you how many companies have
> sat on my idle list for years and all of a sudden
> start sending fantastic job offers. Your best bet
> is to come up with a way to speed up registration.
> Google Chrome saves a big chunk of my information
> and I keep copies of several different types of
> narratives so it is just a copy and paste and
> done.


Third, if the OP is getting this hostile with some of the forum members, what is his/her communication like with schedulers and editors.

Well, back to writing reports on a stormy Friday night in SoFlo. Later all!

Looking shopper in Austin and surrounding area..please contact me. I am available!!!

jen, for the most part I agree with what you said. In this case the responses were standard and nothing nasty until the OP copped an attitude.