i-SPY Hospitality Audit Services is My Company ... This is What I Look For in our Mystery Shoppers

May 04, 2018 10:57PM

"Do new shoppers really understand this is a job, or do they think they are doing it for fun and it's optional?"

Here is where a lot of MSCs are at fault. They like to promote mystery shopping as fun and a way to get free stuff to lure in potential shoppers. Many then continue to use that propaganda when promoting assignments.

IMHO, you can't have it both ways. If the MSCs want to recruit someone looking for fun and free stuff, they shouldn't really complain if the new shopper isn't a pro because they will get what they pay for. OTOH, the MSC(s) could recognize the value of the service we provide, recruit professionals and develop relationships based on respect.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

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May 04, 2018 11:04PM

The reason you need to explain all your no answers is so the editor can verify you didn't hit no by accident. It's a double verify so the business getting shopped doesn't get dinged in error.

I used the Ridgeway one as an example because I was floored at the disrespect this shopper spoke about the company on this forum. That is one shopper who if I was still scheduling I would never use on any of my assignments, ever.

I am in no way saying the MSC is never at fault, believe me. I am just stating how over the top some of the posts regarding some MSCs are. It seems almost like a personal vendetta. If you have an issue of non-payment and you are owed the money and the MSC still is not paying then a post here to warn others is warranted. If you don't like a company than don't shop for them and move on. If your shop got rejected then go to the MSC and speak to them directly.

I read one post how shoppers on the forum wanted to call out schedulers by name for sending to many emails. How about just unsubscribing, or emailing the scheduler directly. To some shoppers, public shaming schedulers seemed like a good idea. Most of these schedulers are new due to the really high turnover by some companies due to how they treat their schedulers. They are under enough stress so how will public shaming help?

There is no doubt there are terrible shoppers, schedulers, and MSPs out there. We can discuss, debate and disagree.

Just because we can remain anonymous does that give us the right to bash other shoppers, schedulers, and MSCs? I still say it sours the industry and makes us look petty.

May 04, 2018 11:18PM

I think that this forum mirrors exactly how this industry is. Most people who work in this industry are under a great deal of stress; the pay does not equate the work. The norms and feelings also mirror retail. Most assignments are set to be fun and casual: buy a trinket for someone else's baby, have a Panda meal, find out about a cell service provider all for a couple of bucks reimbursement and a couple of bucks cash. None of the shops pay enough for the output. I have companies asking me to verify that federal guidelines for banks, wire transfers, real estate contracts, and more for $20 and a truly sizable report. I don't know about anyone else, but when I take a $20 shop I do a $20 report.

May 05, 2018 12:20AM

@spicy1 wrote:

I think that this forum mirrors exactly how this industry is. Most people who work in this industry are under a great deal of stress; the pay does not equate the work. The norms and feelings also mirror retail. Most assignments are set to be fun and casual: buy a trinket for someone else's baby, have a Panda meal, find out about a cell service provider all for a couple of bucks reimbursement and a couple of bucks cash. None of the shops pay enough for the output. I have companies asking me to verify that federal guidelines for banks, wire transfers, real estate contracts, and more for $20 and a truly sizable report. I don't know about anyone else, but when I take a $20 shop I do a $20 report.

All valid points!

May 05, 2018 03:31AM

@samshopper wrote:

@spicy1 wrote:

I think that this forum mirrors exactly how this industry is. Most people who work in this industry are under a great deal of stress; the pay does not equate the work. The norms and feelings also mirror retail. Most assignments are set to be fun and casual: buy a trinket for someone else's baby, have a Panda meal, find out about a cell service provider all for a couple of bucks reimbursement and a couple of bucks cash. None of the shops pay enough for the output. I have companies asking me to verify that federal guidelines for banks, wire transfers, real estate contracts, and more for $20 and a truly sizable report. I don't know about anyone else, but when I take a $20 shop I do a $20 report.

All valid points!

No, they are not at all valid. If a shopper thinks the pay is too low for the requirements, they should not accept the shop. Taking a shop but only putting out the effort you think the fee’s worth instead of meeting the requirements you agreed to is not only unethical, it’s childish. That behavior and attitude is what makes shops harder for everyone else.

May 05, 2018 03:54AM

There is a difference between providing a "$20 report" or a $5 report and not fulfilling requirements. I agree if a company only wants to pay a nominal amount they can expect the shop to be performed to standard, but they cannot expect a perfect little novella of a report. Actually I find it odd when a shopper says they spend an hour writing narrative and another proofreading when the MSC is only paying them $5.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2018 03:56AM by LisaSTL.

May 05, 2018 04:03AM

There is definitely a big range of writing that can be within guidelines; I agree that it seems odd when shoppers go WAY above and beyond for a lower price. When I first started, I often wrote very long comments and narratives until I started running into character limits and realized that my length was probably not typical. I do have a less concise style of writing than some so I worked on tightening it up and not adding things that weren't asked or required.

Aside- this has been such an enlightening thread to read. I have taken 'fine-ish' dining shops for $15 and $75 reimbursement, but the meal was within an hour and the report was fairly straightforward. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable shelling out $200 for a meal if the MSC was rumored to be less-than-reputable. And I think most shoppers who are past the newbie phase can make a sound judgement on whether negative comments are BS or not in a lot of cases.. no one is crossing a MSC off their list because some newbie got 'fired' for not answering 3 days of emails and whined about it online because they don't know the industry yet. Or at least I hope not!

May 05, 2018 04:18AM

If your $20 report meets the requirements of the shop you agreed to do for $20, fine. Really no need to overdo it. But when your idea of a $20 report is less than what you agreed to because you don’t think you’re getting paid enough, that’s a problem.

May 05, 2018 04:30AM

There was a question, on this forum, of how to answer the grocery shop's question when the op did not have an interaction with a Grocery Department Associate because there were no Associates working in the Grocery Department at the time. One forum member's response was that they wrote about a paragraph and a half. Mine was that I wrote, I was unable to locate an Associate working in the Grocery Department during my visit, I checked back at least two times. That report, besides reimbursement, pays $5. I wrote a $5 response. The reimbursement is for doing the shop, the pay is for the report, imho.

If that report paid $20, I would have written a paragraph and a half. The requirements were met. That someone would jump to the conclusion that, because I wrote a $5 response for $5 pay and not a $20 response, somehow I did not meet the report's requirements maybe will consider evaluating their own reporting style and the lack of respect they have for other shoppers, who happen to have a grasp on shopping, before calling them childish names and saying their points are not valid.

May 05, 2018 04:36AM

Also, the reverse is true. When you agree to do a $20 report and it turns out that the msc is actually asking you to do a $50 report, but calling it a $20 report, that is a problem. So, TroyHawkins' advise is to not do the work. I say, if I turned down the work of every company that did not pay according to the work involved, I wouldn't be doing much mystery shopping.

May 05, 2018 05:33AM

@spicy1 Reading your posts, no shops are worth your time.
“the pay does not equate the work”
“None of the shops pay enough for the output.”

Those are just from one post, but reflect your general input throughout the forum. And yes, if you accept a $20 job that requires $50 effort, you should cancel it. The other point you keep bringing up is that MSC’s can pay low fees because shoppers accept them. Which is exactly what you do.

How about instead of being negative all the time, you share some of your hard-earned wisdom? Obviously, you’ve figured out how to make shopping worthwhile, regardless of your complaints.

May 05, 2018 02:53PM

Sometimes the MSCs only expect a $5 or $20 report for the fees. Many shoppers overthink their reports and end up spending way more time than necessary. A friend and I were working on the same project. We each had multiple locations. We each provided a couple of heavily detailed reports then tried an experiment. For our next reports we basically regurgitated the questions. In the end it took us a quarter of the time and they received the same score.

May 05, 2018 03:15PM

@TroyHawkins @Catnap
Gosh, you're both such industry experts, I see from my research. I can learn so much from you. I don't mind at all that you trample on my posts to make yourselves look good so long as you continue to help me on my journey to become the best mystery shopper that I can be.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2018 03:40PM by spicy1.

May 05, 2018 03:29PM

I just did a high paying bank job (100.00), I expected a complicated report, but the pay was good, and 2 miles from my home. The narrative at the end to explain the entire visit start to finish had me writing 1800 words.
Finishing I get a notice report wasn't being submitted, as it must be 1600 words or less. I then go back and cut out sentences, why couldn't they tell you that up front. The report took an hour, many heavy duty uploads, that wouldn't take as they had to be done in PDF, but they pay was worth it. 5 to 15$ reports are not complicated, and if your not required to drive, I'm not complaining. I don't take anything under 17.00 to leave the house...even an easy report is my time, if I'm going to be in that mall, o.k., but it is up to the shopper to decide what works for you. Business wise, if the company has new shoppers that do these reports, it's not brain surgery where they need a college degree, that's the point, and why they keep fee's down, because they can....

Live consciously....

May 05, 2018 04:25PM

@spicy1 wrote:

There was a question, on this forum, of how to answer the grocery shop's question when the op did not have an interaction with a Grocery Department Associate because there were no Associates working in the Grocery Department at the time. One forum member's response was that they wrote about a paragraph and a half. Mine was that I wrote, I was unable to locate an Associate working in the Grocery Department during my visit, I checked back at least two times. That report, besides reimbursement, pays $5. I wrote a $5 response. The reimbursement is for doing the shop, the pay is for the report, imho.

The very EXACT same thing has happened to me numerous times on these grocery shops. I do as you do, Spicy. Just a sentence or two on how I walked through the particular department twice, even giving the times, and that's it......always accepted. I'm not writing a novella for grocery shops. Report takes 10 min tops, and for the fee, that's as deep a report as they're going to get from me! And I agree, the report does NOT include extra time because of the reimbursement.

May 05, 2018 08:09PM

MSC, not worth my time.

Live consciously....

June 09, 2018 04:02PM

Has anyone signed up and done a shop with this MSC since the thread was started? Please share your experience.

June 10, 2018 01:50PM

@ispyhospitality, I am coming late to this thread and haven't read all of the responses. I appreciate your desire for shoppers with outstanding skills and high ethics. Ordinarily, I would consider applying to your firm.

However, I agree with the shoppers here who are not interested in these shops. You are asking for a skill set and for a commitment of time not commensurate with your fee structure. I do dining reimbursement-plus-fee shops; those fees range from $10 to $15 (higher with bonuses). I do just one reimbursement-only shop, because I love the restaurant's food. However.... These shops are no longer than one-half to one hour in the establishment, and the reports are generally no more than a half-hour in length. They require detailed observations, yes, but little to moderate narrative. To me, the total compensation is fair enough, since I shop only restaurants that I enjoy and for which the time commitment is not burdensome.

I, along with many shoppers on this forum, am capable of performing the type of dining shop you describe. But there is no way on earth I'm doing a 90-minute in-restaurant shop, plus a report that will take at least an hour or more, for reimbursement plus a $15 fee. I'm guessing the total time required, including travel to and from the destination, is no fewer than three hours. I don't care how high the reimbursement is. You could reimburse me $250 for a meal for two, but I'm not working for a $15 fee for that amount of time. The $75 fee that some shoppers have mentioned is in line with what you're asking for.

As a professional copywriter, I can fulfill your high standards for writing. But, in turn, I need to be paid for that skill. I charge $55/hour for copywriting (which is below industry standard, but I work at home and have little overhead). I don't expect to be paid that much for shopping, but I expect fair compensation for your need for that level of competence. Other shoppers bring outstanding skills to the table (pun intended). None of us have the same set of skills, but many of us present a "total shopper package" and would be assets to your company. My opinion is that you will rarely get that total package in return for what you are offering. The shoppers you have now must either undervalue their time, have enough money that they don't care if they make any on your shops, or are not as skilled as you believe them to be.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/2018 02:03PM by BirdyC.

June 10, 2018 03:16PM

P.S. On the other hand, if you want to send me to an upscale resort for a two-day stay, and pay my airfare and all expenses, I'll be happy to do a labor-intensive report for a reasonable fee.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

June 22, 2018 05:41PM

@ispyhospitality wrote:

I am the owner of i-SPY Hospitality Audit Services. We are based in Philadelphia and offer our quality assurance mystery shopper service in major cities, including Philly, NYC, DC and Miami. (NOTE: there used to be another ispy, but their company name has changed.)

Most of what I read in online forums, written by anonymous posters, about my company and other mystery shopper companies tends to be negative. I get it ... people do not want to be told they did something incorrectly or did not do a "good" job. They feel "wronged". They feel justified writing about [XXX company] for others to "stay away from" or "avoid".

For potential mystery shoppers, the first thing we do is clearly communicate expectations to meet our high standards. We offer a tryout assignment (and sometimes multiple ones) in which potential shoppers are reimbursed for a completed report.

The following are what we look for in our mystery shoppers:
1. Superior retention and writing skills.
2. Ability to pay strict attention to detail.
3. Follows instructions.
4. Reliable to follow through on committed assignments within 24 hours.
5. NO diet restrictions (food or alcohol).
6. Commit to at least ONE meal per month.
7. Constructive Feedback (does not take it personally). If you do, this will not work out, and please do not apply.

Gathering information over the course of a 90-minute dinner assignment is no doubt challenging. Typing the info out onto a computer is time consuming. This is not simple stuff!

Our clients have high expectations of our mystery shopper reports. Thus, as the owner, I have high expectations of our shoppers -- and communicate this from day one. As the owner of a company, it is incumbent upon me to have clear rules and expectations, and to enforce those rules and expectations to be successful.

I have had wonderful, amazing mystery shoppers work with us for many, many years. They have enjoyed countless dining experiences, and my company has benefitted by their diligent reports that our clients have come to expect. We have had more than a handful of mystery shoppers which we have given many opportunities to that continually did not meet expectations, begged for subsequent chances, and then took to the anonymous online posting route. That's the norm in 2018.

I write this post to open dialogue -- and hopefully not a can of worms! -- between mystery shoppers and the mystery shopper companies they have positive intentions of working with.

I guarantee that for any mystery shopper that adheres to the above list, we will have a mutually beneficial relationship. And unfortunately, to those that do not, our relationship will not last very long.

Sincerely, Marc Kravitz
i-SPY hospitality

I would not be anonymous, except I am a mystery shopper...so, I have to keep that anonymity. I am in the Chicago area, and there are not very many evaluations that are worth doing due to the work involved. For example, when the fee is $15.00 for several hours of work including traveling, the time spent at the site, sometimes taking photographs, and then finally doing the report, I wonder who thinks that is just compensation. I wonder how much the MSCs are getting paid. Do the companies paying them know how little the shoppers are often paid? I was shopped out once about thirty years ago, and I was able to determine who the shopper was. It was a young woman who was so nervous I had a hard time getting her to answer questions. She complained in the report that the words I had used were too big. Seriously. (She was looking for a "stereo".) If I had known how much they were paid I would have complained to the company I worked for about their validity.

After decades of doing work that entailed compliance and customer service, as well as a lot of sales, I think that my skill as a shopper is pretty darn good. I would like to be compensated for that.

I choose not to do fine dining shops because they are so complex that I could not enjoy myself. The same with hotel stays. That is my choice, not a complaint.

I have proofread this, and I hope I did not miss any mistakes.

June 22, 2018 06:14PM

@Rousseau wrote:

@ispyhospitality wrote:

I guarantee that for any mystery shopper that adheres to the above list, we will have a mutually beneficial relationship. And unfortunately, to those that do not, our relationship will not last very long.

Sincerely, Marc Kravitz
i-SPY hospitality

A mutually beneficial relationship requires that the shopper receive a benefit to justify the work you want. Two to three hours of work for $15.00? That's a relationship of exploitation not mutual benefit.

The actual benefit is the cost of the meal + the pay. If you dont want the meal then youre not the demographic that they are looking for. Many of these clients want people who are wanting to go to their particular restaurant, not some random person who's just doing it for a buck. This allows them to get people who are genuinely interested in that particular meal and it's not all about the money. This is going to give them much more useful information. it does mean though that those of us who are in money mode or do not like the food are probably never going to consider that job, and that's totally okay. The best part of mystery shopping is that there is a shop for everyone. If the company were having trouble filling the shop, they would be forced to increase the pay. Since this is not the case, it sounds like the system in place is working overall.

I do Coyle shops for low pay all the time because I want that particular shop. Do I care that I only get paid 75 bucks for a 3 day job? Hell no. I get all my food covered, my lodging, get to go to a unique space. I do the jobs downtown Chicago for 10 or 15 buck pay but get 70 to 200 bucks to spend on a meal. We do them as date nights because we want that restaurant so for us that's 200 bucks for a 2 hour meal + 2 hour report. That could be 50 bucks an hour in value in our case because we want to go there.

I make a full time living doing mystery shops and have no trouble pulling 4 or 5K + per month and I would still make room for some of these low pay dining shops because I'm a huge foodie. I'm one of those "experienced shoppers" that someone else said would never do these jobs for so little.

I dont understand the negativity being shown towards this company owner, and im even more astounded that any one member here thinks they can speak on behalf of shoppers everywhere. Statements that say no expert shopper would ever do this is dishonest. We can only really speak for ourselves. There are tens of thousands of shoppers so to make any claim when we're all different is not useful. Each of us has different needs and goals, and those things are what determine what shops each of us will take.

CEO The Mystery Shoppers Depot
US Wide route shopper with 12k+ shops completed over 48 states and 6 countries.
Airbnb host based in Chicago and 10% discount if you mention this forum

June 22, 2018 07:02PM

@jrossetti wrote:

The actual benefit is the cost of the meal + the pay.
Each of us has different needs and goals, and those things are what determine what shops each of us will take.

Bolderdash...er, balderdash! A meal at which I'm not able to devote full attention to my companion is not part of the equation. It's a required element to the WORK.

If you're still scheduling, it's customary to note that in your signature.

"Let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you - and why?” ~Walter Williams

June 22, 2018 08:26PM

There will forever be two schools of thought on this subject. Some can consider it part of their pay, others not.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

June 22, 2018 08:45PM

And neither school of thought has a moral advantage. That is not the point, folks. No one has to take any particular job in this business and we really do not need to be judgmental about which jobs are "right". And, if I was asked to shop a baseball game itself, for quality (not the concessions), I would decline because it is difficult for me to be a fair judge of the quality of a game that bores me to death, even though I was schooled in the finer points of the game. However, I am able to enjoy the companionship of a dinner partner on even an intense dinner shop when we both also enjoy the meal AND enjoy doing the shop together. Again, if that's not you and your dinner companion, don't assume that there are no shopper couples who actually do this. That's the great thing; different strokes for different folks.

This is entirely separate, IMHO, from the issue of how a shopper/shoppers is/are treated by the MSC and its scheduler and editors. In that realm, no one should have to put up with ill treatment, regardless of the level or type of compensation or the pleasantness of the assignment. .

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

June 22, 2018 09:59PM

I think that is the thing I disliked the most. As independent contractors, no MSC should expect us to commit to at least one meal a month. Especially where I live, where it generally requires me to travel 80 miles round trip to do a fine dining shop. That should be completely at my discretion as to when I have time to do a shop. Even the company that employs me as a merchandiser lets me make my schedule and if I want to take off two months, I can. How can a company that is NOT my employer demand that I commit to at least one dining shop per month?

@ispyhospitality wrote:

6. Commit to at least ONE meal per month.
i-SPY hospitality

June 23, 2018 07:16PM

That's the same point I got stuck on too, JAS. What if they don't have a lot in my area and I have to commit to one per month? Then you throw in rotation and I would be stuck travelling somewhere just for a meal that wouldn't pay enough for travel expenses and my time and such.

Kim

June 23, 2018 09:12PM

@iShop123 wrote:

@jrossetti wrote:

The actual benefit is the cost of the meal + the pay.
Each of us has different needs and goals, and those things are what determine what shops each of us will take.
Bolderdash...er, balderdash! A meal at which I'm not able to devote full attention to my companion is not part of the equation. It's a required element to the WORK.

If you're still scheduling, it's customary to note that in your signature.

Exactly, and that speaks for you and not necessarily everybody else. That was the whole point of my post.

Ultimately the market decides. There is almost always going to be somebody who's like I want to do that restaurant and I don't mind only getting paid $15 plus my reimbursement.

I do reimbursement only jobs for one company to the tune of about 8 to 12 per month because I like going to lettuce bars.

I guarantee you though before that deadline hits if that job is not scheduled that company will be offering a lot more than no pay or $15. Those same jobs I do for no payment at all end up getting $20 a pop on the last day or 2 of the month.

My signature looks pretty good though thanks for your concern.

CEO The Mystery Shoppers Depot
US Wide route shopper with 12k+ shops completed over 48 states and 6 countries.
Airbnb host based in Chicago and 10% discount if you mention this forum

June 24, 2018 01:28AM

Well Mr Rossetti you must be the only shopper that really loves him because nobody else posted.

I’m on a job right now where the reimbursement will be over $3000. Every meal that I’m doing has absolutely no reimbursement limit. I can order pretty much anything that’s reasonable. $200 dinners are no big deal. I’d rather eat a box of Kraft mac & cheese than spend two hours writing up a job for 15 bucks.

I’m still getting $500 to write it up.

So, you do you. I’m getting paid what I’m worth.

June 25, 2018 02:49PM

In life, I ask that an individual be concise, candid and considerate; in my opinion Marc's post covered those areas. As I am not a fine dining person, he and I will not be involved in business, but, were I to change my mind I would not hesitate to explore a relationship.

July 01, 2018 11:00PM

Thus guy sounds like the guy who owns Nsite...another piece of work.

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