So today I got a real burn from the company on whose behalf I've shopped for more than a year. I won't name client or company, but the shop is basically a food shop with a take-out or delivery option and a semi-large reimbursement, usually with no additional funds given outside of the reimbursement. The (on-site) client is a fast food, casual environment, with only a few (less than 10) local locations, all in New York City.

The citation today was about required photographs. The requirement for shop included photographs, and the guidelines said of one of those required photos was an overall photograph of all items received with all packaging[] on.

Me being perhaps too much a literalist, I did not open the delivered food for this photograph; rather, I took off the outer plastic bag (that the delivery person held while handing it to me) and nothing else, and photographed all of the items. Some items were packaged in paper bags, including my beverage, and were not visible in the overall photo, and some items (like the napkins) were loose or in their takeout containers, which made them somewhat visible.

I don't think I was in violation of the words in the guidelines. The terms of the guidelines say to leave the items in their packaging, and the packaging included paper bags around some items. Why the editor thought there would be photos where I removed some of the layers of packaging but not others before I took the overall photograph when the guidelines say to take the photograph with the packaging on is BEYOND me. I'm also entirely disappointed and angry that the editor would scold me for not following her photographing expectations even knowing the guidelines, copying them into an e-mail which scolded, and then burning me about it.

Can someone resolve the problem of being right but being unhappy?

I get why you are upset. It doesn't sound very clear. I always take extra photographs just in case I don't understand something correctly. I have done some shops for an MSC who requires photographs with nearly all of their shops, and there are a few shops where they require an overall with the items still in packaging...I always understood that to mean that all of the packages should be organized on my counter out of the bags, but that's just me. I can see how that might be a gray area, though. So are you going to be paid? You said you were scolded, but was your shop rejected?

I understand your frustration. I have read instructions and wondered just how literally I should take them. I must admit when I was uncertain I took a picture of the bag. Then I took a picture of everything I took out of the bag. Then I opened the layers, leaving the item atop the layer it came out of. If necessary I then took still another picture of items that had still more layers to unwrap. I've never gotten feedback whether it was too much or too little but as long as there was one more item that needed one more unwrap the photos continued.

Oh, I would have done the same thing that you did. It makes sense that the client would want to see if the paper bags were wet or oil stained due to leaks. The shops I've done for delivery make it very clear whether the packaging or the food should be displayed in the photos. There are 4 layers involved: the outer bag for carrying, the bags containing food items; the containers holding the food, and then the food itself. Sounds like the guidelines omitted a layer or two.

Talk to the scheduler. You followed the guidelines, but they were not thorough.

I always take lots of pictures in different ways of the items so that if my original picture is not what they want I have other pictures.

Agreed. More pictures are better than fewer pictures, but that's water under the bridge right now. The food's gone

OP is still in the right. He did exactly as instructed. This is a good opportunity for the MSC to improve their guidelines.

OP, hope you get reimbursed.

Yeah, that's the part I am curious about. The OP stated he "got a real burn" but I am not sure if the shop was rejected. Getting burned kinda sounds like the shop was rejected. If it's the MSC I am thinking of, they also wanted photos of the food, so hopefully they got as much as they needed for the client to be happy. OP, tell us how that turns out--are you going to get paid?

Just a general question. If you do not understand all of the guidelines for a shop, why not ask the scheduler or project manager for clarification BEFORE performing the shop? I have done that on occasion and it is usually much appreciated by the scheduler.

When read pre-shop, guidelines may sound clear. When confronting what hand you have been dealt at 9PM on a Friday night when you know nobody will be available until 9AM Monday morning, instructions may well appear to have no relationship to what you are stuck with.

The OP did not say he did not understand the guidelines.

I take so many redundant photos. Several times they have come in handy.

@eodermatt wrote:

I'm also entirely disappointed and angry that the editor would scold me for not following her photographing expectations even knowing the guidelines, copying them into an e-mail which scolded, and then burning me about it.

Can someone resolve the problem of being right but being unhappy?

That depends. If you are unhappy because you are not getting paid, I probably can't resolve the problem. If you are getting paid but you are unhappy because you are disappointed with being scolded, I think the resolution is to keep your eye on the ball. The object of what we are doing is to get paid. So, if you are getting paid, if I were you I would blow off the disappointment at being scolded, learn from it, take the advice above, and not worry about it. Why waste time being unhappy? As long as I get paid, it all falls under the heading of Who Cares.

As we've all probably learned from our mystery shopping service evaluations, the customer is always right even when the customer is wrong. The MSC is the customer. My object is to fulfill the assignment requirements and get paid.

@barbage wrote:

The OP did not say he did not understand the guidelines.

I read it that the OP thought the guidelines were unclear or ambiguous so he/she took the photos the way he/she interpreted the guidelines. Apparently in this case, that interpretation was incorrect. If there is any question in my mind, I get clarification before stepping foot out the door to go perform the shop. But that is just me.

I read guidelines on a shop once that made it sound like I was going to need a lot of photos. It said to capture all of X item in my photo so I went from booth to booth and counter to counter sneaking photos of all these items. I took pictures of all the signs and POP, all these food items, the stands and so forth. Turns out they just let me upload one photo for each section and then I was supposed to email once complete to arrange for a 7-day quick pay on a bonused shop. I emailed... along with the extra 40+ photos. It was accepted but I erred for caution and wanted to make sure those pictures made it to someone! It may have helped too.

@Sybil2 wrote:

@barbage wrote:

The OP did not say he did not understand the guidelines.

I read it that the OP thought the guidelines were unclear or ambiguous so he/she took the photos the way he/she interpreted the guidelines. Apparently in this case, that interpretation was incorrect. If there is any question in my mind, I get clarification before stepping foot out the door to go perform the shop. But that is just me.

The OP didn't have any questions because he understood and followed the guidelines: take an "overall photograph of all items received with all packaging[] on." It was only after he submitted the report and was "burned" that he realized they wanted to see the entree in its original container. The guidelines were quite clear and quite wrong, imo.

I empathize with OP. I know I would have done the same thing.

Edited to copy quote from OP's original post.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2016 12:28PM by ChrisCooper.

I've ben in this situation a few times but thanks to reading so many posts like this one I"m paranoid about not having the right photo so I take multiple at various layers of unpackaging. I submit the one requested in the instructions and keep the rest in case the MSC comes back saying that while we said we wanted x you were supposed to know we really meant Y.

@eodermatt wrote:

So today I got a real burn from the company on whose behalf I've shopped for more than a year.

The citation today was about required photographs. The requirement for shop included photographs, and the guidelines said of one of those required photos was an overall photograph of all items received with all packaging[] on.

I don't think I was in violation of the words in the guidelines. I'm also entirely disappointed and angry that the editor would scold me for not following her photographing expectations even knowing the guidelines, copying them into an e-mail which scolded, and then burning me about it.

Can someone resolve the problem of being right but being unhappy?

I don't understand what you are saying. Was your report denied and you will not get paid? Or was your report accepted and you are unhappy because the editor scolded you for not following her photographing expectations?

For clarification:

The editor said that the client received my shop, and may decide to pay or not to pay me with one reason being the photograph. I have to basically play a waiting game to know if I will get paid.

@eodermatt wrote:

For clarification:

The editor said that the client received my shop, and may decide to pay or not to pay me with one reason being the photograph. I have to basically play a waiting game to know if I will get paid.

So is this the "scolding" that you referred to in your op? If yes, you need to develop a tougher skin.

"I'm also entirely disappointed and angry that the editor would scold me for not following her photographing expectations even knowing the guidelines, copying them into an e-mail which scolded, and then burning me about it."

@Sybil2 wrote:

@eodermatt wrote:

For clarification:

The editor said that the client received my shop, and may decide to pay or not to pay me with one reason being the photograph. I have to basically play a waiting game to know if I will get paid.

So is this the "scolding" that you referred to in your op? If yes, you need to develop a tougher skin.

"I'm also entirely disappointed and angry that the editor would scold me for not following her photographing expectations even knowing the guidelines, copying them into an e-mail which scolded, and then burning me about it."

No; however, the scolding was contained in the same communications.

I think you will probably get paid and I think your editor is a tool.