I think you over reacted big time. First off, you were not able to complete the shop for whatever reason so it was not KSS's fault. They gave you the opportunity to re-shop so they did not cancel it on you. You offered to redo the bakery portion, however, there might be reasons that the client or the MSC do not want it done piecemeal. If I was you I either would have re-shopped the store or suggested that they schedule someone else for it and told them that you will complete the remaining shops. KSS schedules for many MSC's and by fighting with the scheduler you might have burned more bridges than you would like. My .02.

Were you given guidelines on what times you had to be at the grocery store? Were you told you cannot be begin the shop at a certain time (like 30 minutes before closing?)? If so AND you followed those guidelines I would have reported the shop exactly how you found it. IF you where there on-time and the bakery was closed up, wouldn't the client want to know the bakery staff do what they want and close up? I wouldn't have even contacted the scheduler..UNLESS I was there after the hours I was told that were okay in the guidelines.

I say this because I went to the grocery store last night, 6:30 PM and the deli was closed up. I was mad because their hours say 8 PM. When I asked, I was told it was slow so they went home. It was a major chain, not a mom and pop store. So as a customer, I would want corporate to know they are closing up early because they can. I wasn't the only customer at the deli wanting lunch meat for the week. Grrr. Lol.

Did you overreact? YES.

Good point.

SecretAgentMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Were you given guidelines on what times you had to
> be at the grocery store? Were you told you cannot
> be begin the shop at a certain time (like 30
> minutes before closing?)? If so AND you followed
> those guidelines I would have reported the shop
> exactly how you found it. IF you where there
> on-time and the bakery was closed up, wouldn't the
> client want to know the bakery staff do what they
> want and close up? I wouldn't have even contacted
> the scheduler..UNLESS I was there after the hours
> I was told that were okay in the guidelines.
>
> I say this because I went to the grocery store
> last night, 6:30 PM and the deli was closed up. I
> was mad because their hours say 8 PM. When I
> asked, I was told it was slow so they went home.
> It was a major chain, not a mom and pop store. So
> as a customer, I would want corporate to know they
> are closing up early because they can. I wasn't
> the only customer at the deli wanting lunch meat
> for the week. Grrr. Lol.
>
> Did you overreact? YES.

As a shopper I would not have even contacted the scheduler about this. I would have reported it as is and dealt with editor questions if they even came along.

Liz

Some grocery store clients want us the Shopper to take a picture of the store hour sign if the department is "closed" when we get there. The client may want to know why the bakery is closed in your report. The possibility that "bakery" hours may have been written in the guidelines. Were there anything to look out for?

I do grocery shops, unless there is a bakery disclaimer in the guidelines I usually go there first. Sometime about bakeries not want to be open 24-7.

Unless you did not want the groceries, just re-do the shop would of made you less stressed.

Move on and learn for the tomorrow.

Kern really doesn't help shopper fees anyway... I usually work directly with their respective MSC clients My beef with them is that they don't keep track of rotations.

In the second part of this thread there is a poster that had difficulties. I gave advice, but truthfully, I think there is more to the story than what is told. The scheduler would have wanted the job done (that's how they get paid), so if the bakery was closed at an inappropriate time, don't you think she would have advised for the report to be done accordingly? Something just doesn't seem right at the explosive nature of the scheduler and the poster. I can see that it escalated with demands, but what happened in the middle of it all?

Yes, I would have just done the report if I knew I did everything right. Yes, I think there were several over reactions here. But with all stories, there are 3 parts and this is a small piece of 1.

(sorry slept on it and had to add 2 more cents)

Liz states:

As a shopper I would not have even contacted the scheduler about this. I would have reported it as is and dealt with editor questions if they even came along.

BOB'S opinion:

Great response Liz; it's both concise and logical.

This thread contains several posts of sound and business oriented advice; this is a classic example of the reason for the existence of this forum.

A second hats off to SA Mom. She chose to preface her reply to Meow's query with not only a detailed opinion, but also a real life example.

Now, my opinion as to the overreaction question is------yes, but not for fear of burning bridges or losing relationships. For me, it's all about business and whether or not I handle a matter utilizing the correct procedure. Meow, read, and if necessary re-read, Lizzy's succinct response to the problem. Then ask yourself the following, "Did I create a mountain out of a mole hill?" That, and that alone, will be the determining factor as to IF you overreacted.

So KERN you post , re post, post again and let a job sit way past the due date with zero answer to an email about it.
Manners? No! And you want us to do more shops?
Did you reply email button get lost?

Some schedulers have already scheduled the shops but keep advertising them so they would have more available shoppers in case the shop is not done due to snow, flakes, etc. Beyond hello does that with one of their clients.

KateH I am sure that is what they do but I am just saying it is plain rude.
They are the same ones begging and begging for hard to fill.......

I agree it is rude Canadamommy. the schedulers make it look like there is an actual job available, when it is not. In the beginning I also was frustrated with these jobs that appeared to be lingering and nobody was being assigned. Pretty soon I realized that schedulers wait a couple of days for one of their preferred shoppers to apply, and in the old ages, when some of the "beautiful people" were trying to make certification and a big deal and particular Kern would try not to assign jobs to non-certified shoppers, unless they had to, eventually economics won. If you see a job posting for many, many days and it is not being assigned to you, do not even bother waiting. It has already been assigned but the scheduler wants to make sure that it will be done-and two different schedulers have confirmed that to me.

You'd think, wouldn't you. I would want to know if my employees where leaving early. They may have had a good reason but who knows. I was at the bakery at 6:30 so to answer your question, yes I had to be there 30 minutes before the store closed. Which I was. I was done with the shop a good 40 minutes BEFORE the store closed for the day at 7:30 p.m.

SecretAgentMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Were you given guidelines on what times you had to
> be at the grocery store? Were you told you cannot
> be begin the shop at a certain time (like 30
> minutes before closing?)? If so AND you followed
> those guidelines I would have reported the shop
> exactly how you found it. IF you where there
> on-time and the bakery was closed up, wouldn't the
> client want to know the bakery staff do what they
> want and close up? I wouldn't have even contacted
> the scheduler..UNLESS I was there after the hours
> I was told that were okay in the guidelines.
>
> I say this because I went to the grocery store
> last night, 6:30 PM and the deli was closed up. I
> was mad because their hours say 8 PM. When I
> asked, I was told it was slow so they went home.
> It was a major chain, not a mom and pop store. So
> as a customer, I would want corporate to know they
> are closing up early because they can. I wasn't
> the only customer at the deli wanting lunch meat
> for the week. Grrr. Lol.
>
> Did you overreact? YES.

How would you have filled out the report then? They asked for names and descriptions of employees and so forth and I couldn't get the report to submit without these identifiers and other information. Would you just put in a fake name or say "none" or something like that? It may be an option to remember if a nightmare like this ever happens again. If I ever get anymore work again. Haven't been able to land a job except here and there since this happened and I'm registered with over 20 companies!


Traveliz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As a shopper I would not have even contacted the
> scheduler about this. I would have reported it as
> is and dealt with editor questions if they even
> came along.
>
> Liz

Twenty companies is not enough to have any consistent opportunities. During your down time start registering with more. Think anywhere from 50 to 150 or more.

That is exactly what I would've done.

Traveliz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As a shopper I would not have even contacted the
> scheduler about this. I would have reported it as
> is and dealt with editor questions if they even
> came along.
>
> Liz

If I had to answer th questions for the form to submit the name would be dept closed or similar and the descriptors would be the fist choice in eac drop down box if na wasn't a choice. In the narrative I would mention no employees in department and filled out that section just to push the form through.

Liz


DWMeowMix Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How would you have filled out the report then?
> They asked for names and descriptions of employees
> and so forth and I couldn't get the report to
> submit without these identifiers and other
> information. Would you just put in a fake name or
> say "none" or something like that? It may be an
> option to remember if a nightmare like this ever
> happens again. If I ever get anymore work again.
> Haven't been able to land a job except here and
> there since this happened and I'm registered with
> over 20 companies!
>
>
> Traveliz Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > As a shopper I would not have even contacted
> the
> > scheduler about this. I would have reported it
> as
> > is and dealt with editor questions if they even
> > came along.
> >
> > Liz

I gave up on Kerns years ago.

Them: We have several gas stations in your area that need mystery shopping
Me: Good I need gas (who doesn't in this line of work)
Them: Pass this exam
Me: Done!
Them: We are paying for $10 of gas, and $2 per assignment.
Me: Fought them on off for several months and gave up. Who seriously is going to mystery shop for $2?!

<<Just needed to clear something up>>

For almost all the gas assignments that were within my province that weren't being done, it would've cost me more in gas total, then I earned. Think of it like this. I leave my home with say 1/2 a tank. I do the assignment, I come back, I have say 3/8ths of a tank. See the problem?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2014 03:48PM by OldDog.

I'd take that shop if I needed gas and didn't have to go out of my way. $12.00 is $12.00.

Gas shops are an entirely different monster. I agree with you on this.

MDavisnowell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd take that shop if I needed gas and didn't have
> to go out of my way. $12.00 is $12.00.

I do both $12 and $12.50 gas shops all the time. I don't go out of my way to do them. They have to be where I'm going to do other things.

Plus, they have super simple reports, and I don't have to buy anything inside.
OldDog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I gave up on Kerns years ago.
>
> Them: We have several gas stations in your area
> that need mystery shopping
> Me: Good I need gas (who doesn't in this line of
> work)
> Them: Pass this exam
> Me: Done!
> Them: We are paying for $10 of gas, and $2 per
> assignment.
> Me: Fought them on off for several months and gave
> up. Who seriously is going to mystery shop for
> $2?!
>
> <>
>
> For almost all the gas assignments that were
> within my province that weren't being done, it
> would've cost me more in gas total, then I earned.
> Think of it like this. I leave my home with say
> 1/2 a tank. I do the assignment, I come back, I
> have say 3/8ths of a tank. See the problem?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2014 12:21AM by prince.

But how many of those shops can you do in a short period of time? How many times in a day can you put $10 in your tank before you can't put any more in?

And yeah, I remember all the discussions about gas cans... but sometimes that's just not all that feasible. Probably just because I'm a weenie about such things, and have been in a horrible accident; but I wouldn't care to drive 100's of miles with a car full of gas cans.

The pay should be the other way around ~ $10 cash and $2 gas. Or better yet, $10 cash and $5 gas, so the gas amount is more realistic.

Or, even better yet from the gas stations I've done in the past, $15 pay and $5 gas. Just as a starting rate.

I don't often do gas shops for that low, but I have before. I can put a LOT of $10 gas in my car with today's prices and my 32 gallon Ram 1500 that gets about 13-14 MPG. Back when I had a Chevy Cobalt and a 12 gallon fuel tank and got 28 - 30 MPG that was a concern. Today - bring 'em on!

I don't try to do too many in a day. And I am NEVER going to buy $2 worth of gas. When I have a shop at a gas station with full service the least I am willing to ask for is $20.
I try to go there when it will only take about 15 or so to fill so I can just say, "Fill it up."

I might fill a gas can for the lawn mower if the MSC allowed because I need to do that anyway.

I've done something like 30 or 32 gas shops in a day as the max. I've put $1 in gas in my car countless times. I've put exactly 1 gallon, or 2 gallons just as many times. No one has ever questioned me, looked at me funny, or anything else. My old roommate who worked at a gas station said people put less than $5 in their tanks many times each and every day.

Now, I would probably feel a bit odd asking a full service guy to put $1 in my car, but absolutely not 1 gallon. If it's not a payday, many people don't have more than a gallon or two's worth of money to put in their car and just need to go get groceries or the like.

I know trey, but I'm not doing it.

Having completed my first shop through Kern approx. 9 yrs. ago, I wondered why I hadn't encountered any of the stated problems; suddenly, it flashed into my mind. Those issues that bothered the posters, are irrelevant to me. That, of course, in no way demeans any shopper finding these issues an irritant, but it revolves back to that old adage*, "What's one shopper's delight, is another's fright." As I'm entering my 12th yr. in the business, I've no recollection of, from a business standpoint, ever being displeased with KSS.

*Shopper Bob's paraphrasing of the original.

Regarding gasoline. If they reimburse you for 10 dollars of gas, and pay you 2 dollars, you pay income tax on 2 dollars. If they reimburse you for 2 dollars of gas, and pay you 10 dollars, you pay income tax on 10 dollars.

And, maybe they do think you'll be less apt to be spotted as a shopper if you put more in.

There are many shops I will not do. Read the Guidelines thoroughly first. I only shop the shops I want. You have a choice!

Some shops, you can't access the guidelines until after you accept the shop, take the test, whatever.

I think I'm learning to ignore those shops that don't give you info until after you accept it!

cease

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2014 12:52AM by ceasesmith.