In about three hundred mystery shops there is only one that I have not been paid for. It involved Walmart. I was supposed to go to their CD department and check to see if they had in stock each one of 50 titles. I was given one hour to do this. I spent two hours, trying to give it my best try. I found the CDs in such total disorder and disarray, with R&B titles among classical music, etc. that it was simply not possible for me to find more than about 20 titles. I did my work, submitted my report, and Walmart notified the company they would not pay for my report.

At a different Walmart I also merchandised certain products for about five months during the summer cosmetics season. My job was to go to Walmart's stockroom out back, get the box or boxes of product from a certain Company, put these products on the proper shelves, and also to straighten out the products that were already on the shelves so that the merchandise looked orderly and in its proper place, with price tags. Out of about a dozen times, I was able to get to the products I was supposed to place on the shelves only about three times. The other times, the aisles to the place where these products were supposed to be were blocked with a pile of boxes and containers about 12 feet high and I would have had to spend an hour or two of heavy labor moving things, which I was not about to do. All I could do then was straighten product on the store shelves and try to make it look good.

Because of these two series of experiences, I will never again mystery shop or merchandise Walmart. Maybe you have a more organized Walmart in your area. Good luck to you. Go for it.

How many times are you going to type, "Walmart"? LOL
Sorry it's late...and I plead witching hour.

Richard94611 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In about three hundred mystery shops there is only
> one that I have not been paid for. It involved
> Walmart. I was supposed to go to their CD
> department and check to see if they had in stock
> each one of 50 titles. I was given one hour to do
> this. I spent two hours, trying to give it my
> best try. I found the CDs in such total disorder
> and disarray, with R&B titles among classical
> music, etc. that it was simply not possible for me
> to find more than about 20 titles. I did my work,
> submitted my report, and Walmart notified the
> company they would not pay for my report.
>
> At a different Walmart I also merchandised certain
> products for about five months during the summer
> cosmetics season. My job was to go to Walmart's
> stockroom out back, get the box or boxes of
> product from a certain Company, put these products
> on the proper shelves, and also to straighten out
> the products that were already on the shelves so
> that the merchandise looked orderly and in its
> proper place, with price tags. Out of about a
> dozen times, I was able to get to the products I
> was supposed to place on the shelves only about
> three times. The other times, the aisles to the
> place where these products were supposed to be
> were blocked with a pile of boxes and containers
> about 12 feet high and I would have had to spend
> an hour or two of heavy labor moving things, which
> I was not about to do. All I could do then was
> straighten product on the store shelves and try to
> make it look good.
>
> Because of these two series of experiences, I will
> never again mystery shop or merchandise Walmart.
> Maybe you have a more organized Walmart in your
> area. Good luck to you. Go for it.

are you board

Am I board ? Or am I bored ? I am neither. I had a very interesting mystery shop this afternoon, discussing both refrigerators and TV sets at a large chain store. I learned a lot about them, especially the capabilities of new TV sets.

I don't get it. Five or six times mentioning Walmart in a lengthy post doesn't seem to me to be excessive, especially when I am a professional writer and am trying to communicate, and when I aLso type very rapidly.





pippama77 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How many times are you going to type, "Walmart"?
> LOL
> Sorry it's late...and I plead witching hour.
>
> Richard94611 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > In about three hundred mystery shops there is
> only
> > one that I have not been paid for. It involved
> > Walmart. I was supposed to go to their CD
> > department and check to see if they had in
> stock
> > each one of 50 titles. I was given one hour to
> do
> > this. I spent two hours, trying to give it my
> > best try. I found the CDs in such total
> disorder
> > and disarray, with R&B titles among classical
> > music, etc. that it was simply not possible for
> me
> > to find more than about 20 titles. I did my
> work,
> > submitted my report, and Walmart notified the
> > company they would not pay for my report.
> >
> > At a different Walmart I also merchandised
> certain
> > products for about five months during the
> summer
> > cosmetics season. My job was to go to
> Walmart's
> > stockroom out back, get the box or boxes of
> > product from a certain Company, put these
> products
> > on the proper shelves, and also to straighten
> out
> > the products that were already on the shelves
> so
> > that the merchandise looked orderly and in its
> > proper place, with price tags. Out of about a
> > dozen times, I was able to get to the products
> I
> > was supposed to place on the shelves only about
> > three times. The other times, the aisles to
> the
> > place where these products were supposed to be
> > were blocked with a pile of boxes and
> containers
> > about 12 feet high and I would have had to
> spend
> > an hour or two of heavy labor moving things,
> which
> > I was not about to do. All I could do then was
> > straighten product on the store shelves and try
> to
> > make it look good.
> >
> > Because of these two series of experiences, I
> will
> > never again mystery shop or merchandise Walmart.
>
> > Maybe you have a more organized Walmart in your
> > area. Good luck to you. Go for it.

I get it and that is why I do not do them. Live and learn, but they should pay you. And I think we all know what MSC we are referencing. I do not think that they are shopper friendly.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2013 02:37AM by CAscotch.

You know, if you really examine the field of mystery shopping, very few companies and projects even pay a minimum wage when you consider the expenses one goes through to do the shops (gas, other car costs), the actual time involved in doing the shop, and the time doing the reporting online. I took the jobs knowing what I was going to be paid. And on the CD job I willingly put in twice as much time as the company said the job would take because I wanted to do a conscientious job. I don't blame the MS company, I blame Walmart. And I blame myself for having accepted the Walmart jobs. As they say, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I don't know what they say if you're fooled three times. I do know, though, that I am never going to give circumstances the chance to let me find out.

Richard, if you look at projects individually the pay is usually not acceptable. If you create combinations of jobs that are done together on the same run, the pay can be good enough. Not spectacular, but good enough.

We've all had your experience of taking jobs that didn't work out for us. That's part of the learning curve. You're right to move on and not take those jobs again.

I definitely create "loops" in which I go out and do three and four or more shops on the same drive. It is financially the only feasible way to work.


MDavisnowell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Richard, if you look at projects individually the
> pay is usually not acceptable. If you create
> combinations of jobs that are done together on the
> same run, the pay can be good enough. Not
> spectacular, but good enough.
>
> We've all had your experience of taking jobs that
> didn't work out for us. That's part of the
> learning curve. You're right to move on and not
> take those jobs again.

It wasn't really excessive...I was just j/k. Happy Labor Day!

This is the reason why I stay with mystery shopping instead of merchandising.