@tcurione wrote:

@shoptastic wrote:

So...how do people actually lift a pizza and take a picture of it without the cheese and toppings sliding all to one side/off? And how do you do that discreetly in a restaurant?

Do you need to take a picture of the entire pizza's underside or just a majority of it?

People take pictures of food in restaurants all time now. You only look suspicious if your mannerisms prior to it give you off as about to do something sneaky. Pretend you are about to send a picture to your best friend on instagram and you will look like anyone else. There is nothing unusual about it. If you do this shop, take the picture and eat.

What about taking a pic of the underside? Seems hard to do and weird.

It's not just pizza shop they're doing this tactic with. It's the "fitness " and the one that requires you to have someone who needs to be carded - And a certain yuk restaurant that is literally on every corner -The ones that they beg for each month that most of us did a long time ago to build a rapport with them. And once we achieved a certain level of success with them we no longer chose to do them because there was little or no benefit. Here is what I got from my scheduler – this is how I make my money I need to get as many shops done as possible therefore I'll only give you one good shop but you must be willing to take a bad shop with it. Reminded me of used car salesman tactics.
I have methodically and painstakingly provided to this company reliability and experience. I appreciate the fact that I am independent and not an employee. We all have a choice. I feel that the way that I was personally spoken to by the scheduler it seems as though they thought I was an employee and had zero choice but to agree. I think they will lose great people. A lot of it was in the delivery. If I were the client of a good shop I would not be pleased to know my business is the springboard for any shopper to do my higher end shop.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2017 01:50PM by Getes.

very long post from someone other than shoptastic. new forum trend?

@shoptastic wrote:

@tcurione wrote:

@shoptastic wrote:

So...how do people actually lift a pizza and take a picture of it without the cheese and toppings sliding all to one side/off? And how do you do that discreetly in a restaurant?

Do you need to take a picture of the entire pizza's underside or just a majority of it?

People take pictures of food in restaurants all time now. You only look suspicious if your mannerisms prior to it give you off as about to do something sneaky. Pretend you are about to send a picture to your best friend on instagram and you will look like anyone else. There is nothing unusual about it. If you do this shop, take the picture and eat.

What about taking a pic of the underside? Seems hard to do and weird.

i guess u didn't take advice of just do it.

how many shops did u perform last week?

@Opanel wrote:

7star makes a very good point. The MSCs hold nearly all of the aces and the trump cards, and when shoppers complain, they are very likely to be "put on the list," if not indeed completely blackballed. The same holds true with the "Make An Offer" than is so enticing to so many shoppers. You can bet your last dollar that the MSC documents each and every offer that is presented, and they keep track of which shoppers conduct only heavily-bonused assignments. When it comes time to cull shoppers from the ranks, you can rest assured that those shoppers who conduct only such heavily-bonused shops are scrutinized very closely, as opposed to others who may take some of the lesser-paid shops.

I have not taken a Market Force shop in over 2 years that was not bonused. I have put in tons of requests during that time that were not accepted. I am srill in good standing with them.

There are at least 150 companies out there. My focus has been on finding 10 or so companies with a lot of work I like, that treat their contractors well, and develop a relationship with them. Any company that would blackball me because I get paid too much or don't succumb to tactics like these would not be on my list of the companies i focus on anyway, so losing them would be of no importance.

I don't have these shops in my area but have taken them while traveling. Just sit with your back to the kitchen, lift the pizza, and snap. It literally takes seconds if that. Gravity moves slower than you think, you're pizza will be fine. I was reading about the half baked pizza... can't recall if this is the company that did them. That would make me turn my nose at them, but otherwise, if I were in the area, I'd grab one of these. The pizza is great!

@ShopSouthTexas wrote:

I don't have these shops in my area but have taken them while traveling. Just sit with your back to the kitchen, lift the pizza, and snap. It literally takes seconds if that. Gravity moves slower than you think, you're pizza will be fine. I was reading about the half baked pizza... can't recall if this is the company that did them. That would make me turn my nose at them, but otherwise, if I were in the area, I'd grab one of these. The pizza is great!

They don't pay enough and are too far away from me, so I would probably never do one unless it was a route.

Do you need to snap the entire pizza's underside cleanly? Or, would a section of it do? A section sounds much easier!

@shoptastic wrote:

...
Do you need to snap the entire pizza's underside cleanly? Or, would a section of it do? A section sounds much easier!

Just a section. They just want to see how the bottom of the crust is cooked.

I suppose I can understand why ACL does it, but I think it's crap. If they would actually pay a shop fee as opposed to reimbursement-only, they would not have as much trouble filling the assignments. I've been an excellent shopper with them for 7 years. Just two weeks ago an ACL scheduler begged me to do a restaurant shop that I had done days before. She removed the rotation requirement. I went ahead and did the shop, no bonus, I just enjoyed the food and wanted to help out. Yet now when I apply for a toy store, I'm being told I would also need to do a grocery store that is 30 minutes from the toy store. The grocery store requires a phone call, approximately 10+ photos and several interactions. I'm ticked that this is how they treat us. (Yes, yes, yes, I know that we are IC and free to choose which jobs we take).

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

@shoptastic wrote:

...
Do you need to snap the entire pizza's underside cleanly? Or, would a section of it do? A section sounds much easier!

Just a section. They just want to see how the bottom of the crust is cooked.

That's not too bad.

I still don't like a non-fee shop, though. I rarely every do reimbursement only.

I know of a different mystery shopping company that has a pizza shop requiring the dreaded underside photo and their shop is a flat fee, so what you don't spend you can keep. I wonder if people can use a "price matching" request.

Maybe show ACL schedulers competing mystery shopping company offers for similar shops (obv. you have to remove the client names)? Or, if that is a violation of ICA, you can maybe say something like:

"I am a mystery shopper with other companies and there are similar shops with similar requirements that pay x/y/z and I'm wondering if you would match that pay rate, as I have other options that would be more worthwhile for me. I do enjoy working for ACL, but with more lucrative shops of similar type elsewhere, I would have to go with other options if ACL is unable to match."

(I just made that up on the fly above, so feel free to polish/tweak it.)

Has something like that ever worked? I think it's totally reasonable, because I've seen/heard people do similar things in everyday life business (e.g., negotiating your auto insurance or negotiating your cell phone plan, etc.). The only tricky part would be that you might not be able to prove your price quote, because of ICA violations (you'd have to double-check the terms). But I think speaking in general terms with no mention of specifics may avoid a violation. And that could still work to bargain with ACL. I'm sure they're not ignorant of competitors and realize we probably do have better options oftentimes.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2017 04:52PM by shoptastic.

@shoptastic wrote:

Maybe show ACL schedulers competing mystery shopping company offers for similar shops (obv. you have to remove the client names)? Or, if that is a violation of ICA, you can maybe say something like:

"I am a mystery shopper with other companies and there are similar shops with similar requirements that pay x/y/z and I'm wondering if you would match that pay rate, as I have other options that would be more worthwhile for me. I do enjoy working for ACL, but with more lucrative shops of similar type elsewhere, I would have to go with other options if ACL is unable to match."

i don't think schedulers respond well to threats. some would be more than happy to let u go on your way.

@MSNinja wrote:

@shoptastic wrote:

Maybe show ACL schedulers competing mystery shopping company offers for similar shops (obv. you have to remove the client names)? Or, if that is a violation of ICA, you can maybe say something like:

"I am a mystery shopper with other companies and there are similar shops with similar requirements that pay x/y/z and I'm wondering if you would match that pay rate, as I have other options that would be more worthwhile for me. I do enjoy working for ACL, but with more lucrative shops of similar type elsewhere, I would have to go with other options if ACL is unable to match."

i don't think schedulers respond well to threats. some would be more than happy to let u go on your way.

You don't think that would be negotiation, MSNinja? Also, if it's an honest statement, then I don't think it's a "threat" at all.

My aunt negotiated her car insurance that way. She was a long-time customer and said that they were looking to save money for the family and found a competitor with lower rates and similar plan details. She asked politely if her company would be willing to match, but made it clear that she had to go with the cheaper company to save money. In an effort to not lose her business, the company matched!

It could save you hundred, thousands, etc. to negotiate.

Although, that's arguably a different dynamic or relationship. I'm open to hearing counter-arguments.

For mystery shopping, you don't have to say you're "leaving" the company or anything. You can just ask for x/y/z rate and if it's not given then not accept any assignments.

That's not negotiation. Why apologize and ask if they can pay based on what another company is paying? Do you know what I say if a company tells me other shoppers do it for less? I tell them to call the other shoppers.

i dont think shoptastic knows what negotiation is. or a threat.

I think the problem is compounded by all the apples to oranges comparisons along with her lack of understanding regarding the dynamics of a relationship where she is the vendor versus customer or employee. Many of us have tried to explain to no avail.

The only location near me requires paid parking. That's a double whammy--no fee + out of pocket expenses. I'll pass.

@shoptastic wrote:

So...how do people actually lift a pizza and take a picture of it without the cheese and toppings sliding all to one side/off? And how do you do that discreetly in a restaurant?

Do you need to take a picture of the entire pizza's underside or just a majority of it?

One piece. It doesn't slide off. Takes about 1-2 seconds max to shoot the photo.

@ChrisCooper wrote:

The only location near me requires paid parking. That's a double whammy--no fee + out of pocket expenses. I'll pass.

Yep, there is a shop that always languishes on the board because it does require parking in a garage for $5. A scheduler tried to bribe me with a good shop to do this particular pizza shop. I told her about the parking and of course she did not offer to reimburse parking. Even ordering a small pizza plus the required salad puts me at $10 over the reimbursement amount. I don't understand why ACL is so cheap about things. I understand that they need to make money too, but other companies pay a shop fee as well as reimbursement.

Why not ask for a bonus? I do their reimbursement gas station shops all the time, and have always gotten a bonus.

@DareWright wrote:

I suppose I can understand why ACL does it, but I think it's crap. If they would actually pay a shop fee as opposed to reimbursement-only, they would not have as much trouble filling the assignments. I've been an excellent shopper with them for 7 years.

Honny, I did ask for $5 for parking, and was told no.

Hi, I am new. If you do not mind me asking, what company is ACL?

A Closer Look

Thank you!

For me, personally. the pizza shops (well, most shops with ACL at the moment) are not good for me because I am looking for more than just a free meal. If they are having such a hard time getting those shops booked it would make sense to offer the shoppers more than just the cost of the meal. Now, if I weren't working to generate extra cash at the moment (we're moving soon and I need the bank..LOL) I'd be all over them for a good meal. Just two bits from a Noob

Oops wrong thread.. sorry.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2017 10:58PM by Joscelin.

In my state we don't have those pizza shops (we have a better pizza shop that I take a lot b/c I enjoy it). but since I will be traveling I now see the shops that you guys are talking about. They look awful!! I did take another pizza shop that doesn't look as awful as those said ones.. with hopes that it would get me another "fun" shop in a nearby city (within 30 minutes, but different state), now looking like that isn't going to happen. A bit frustrating nonetheless!!! Lets just see how this force us to take the lower end shops ends up for them..

I do Mod pizza and need to take one picture standing up, the crust is in there...why anyone takes above jobs is beyond me. Why take them for no $$ and who can take a pic of the bottom of the pizza? Bewildered in L.A.

They may want to see if the bottom of the pizza is burnt.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2017 06:22PM by 7star.

Bottom of the pizza...I live in a great weather area. These pizza shops allow you to sit outdoors. I always do so and do not have any issues as the staff cannot even see me taking pics. Spring is here so sit outside if you can where you live. You will find it takes just a moment to snap. You only need to lift a small section. I have given them pics with my thumb in them and they have been accepted. Try it outdoors and you will be ready for indoors when you see how easy it is.

Irene, the Mod shops I've done are flat rate. There's a little $ left, but no $$.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I do Mod pizza and need to take one picture standing up, the crust is in there...why anyone takes above jobs is beyond me. Why take them for no $$ and who can take a pic of the bottom of the pizza? Bewildered in L.A.