I completed a shop for Ipsos & the guidelines say: "you can visit the store anytime but it must be one hour before closing". I did a shop where store closed at 6. I arrived at 5 & it ended at 5:30. The Summit Scheduling Editor is rejecting saying I didn't complete the shop bedore 1 hour of closing. This make no sense to me bc there is no way of knowing how long a visit will last, so how can the Editor say it should not be completed if it's after one hour of closing? In the hundreds of shops I've done I've always interpreted "visit" to mean "arrive" & I've NEVER had any rejected for showing up at the deadline time? Do you interpret "visit" to mean "arrive"? I've gone back & forth with the editor & she says "I didn't conduct the visit within 1 hour of closing" her exact wording. Just not making sense to me? That's a pretty vague statement if you ask me...



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2018 12:35AM by Snoqueen1.

To me “visit” and “complete” are not the same. I would definitely escalate this to someone higher than the editor. They need to clarify this in their instructions. I also agree that we can never predict how long a shop will last so completing it one hour before closing can be difficult to schedule.

@Snoqueen1 wrote:

I completed a shop for Ipsos & the guidelines say: "you can visit the store anytime but it must be one hour before closing". I did a shop where store closed at 6. I arrived at 5 & it ended at 5:30. The Summit Scheduling Editor is rejecting saying I didn't complete the shop within 1 hour of closing. This make no sense to me bc there is no way of knowing how long a visit will last, so how can they say it should be completed within one hour of closing? .

The wording on this "visit the store anytime but it must be one hour before closing". is odd. Usually guidelines for store shops say something like "you may not shop within the last hour,": which definitely to me means finish your shop before one hour before closing.

I'm guessing if you had arrived at 4:45 and completed the shop at 5:15, it might have been accepted because you are correct that it's difficult to accurately predict when a shop will end, so if you arrived at 4:45, hoping to complete the shop by 5, an hour before closing, that might be an argument. But If you arrive at 5:00, which is the deadline,one hour before closing, it's a pretty sure bet that you will not complete the shop by 5PM, an hour before closing. Unless your shop only lasted one minute, you'd be into the last hour before closing. Just saying. I'm all for escalating it like kenasch suggests. See what they say.


sorry, I keep editing because I can't spell and spell checker is not helping me.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2018 11:00PM by roflwofl.

Thanks for the input! I've always interpreted "visit" means "arrive" so I'll definitely be escalating...

I think if the wording is "visit the store anytime but it must be one hour before closing" it is not clear. The usual wording "you may not shop within the last hour" is very clear. I think they mean not to conduct any portion of the shop within the last hour but according to your quote that is not what they said.

I would have interpreted it to mean I needed to start the shop by 5 p.m. This sounds like a novice editor, or at least an editor who is new to these particular guidelines. I would escalate it.

There's a huge difference between "shop must be completed before 5 PM" and the wording they used.

Sorry, but I would have asked for clarification before I left to do the shop.

I do shops for MF where they state "you must arrive at least one hour before closing". I've been caught a couple times; once I actually arrived at 4:58, and the store closes at 6 PM.

I've always assumed it's because employees have lots of "closing duties" the last hour, and that may interfere with timings, etc.

I just hate imprecise guidelines. I'm sure lots of schedulers just HATE seeing my name on an e-mail, LOL!!!

UPDATE: I'm GLAD to say I heard back from the Editor who said Ipsos ACCEPTED my report!! Yay! I DID interpret the guidelines CORRECTLY...The shop can be started no later than one hour before closing!

Yay! And thanks for the update.

This annoys me no end. What they really mean is that you must arrive at least one hour prior to closing, not that you must perform the shop one hour prior to closing. Two different meanings. So, to be safe, you should always plan to arrive before one hour prior to closing. Arriving exactly AT one hour before closing could present a problem if there's, for example, a photo required before you enter the location, and your watch and cellphone are behind the location's. You were correct, of course, and I don't know why the editor was giving you such a hard time!

I do some bank shops that used to use the same wording, but it's now been changed (maybe because I, and probably other shoppers, e-mailed the owner of the MSC or kept asking for clarification, and explained that the wording was not really accurate?).

I got the same email and they are rejecting the shop. I did everything that was asked and completed the report.

Niner, What time did u start the shop & what time did the location close? I would stay persistent w/ the editor & stand your ground. Also reach out to the scheduler to let them know what's up.. If it's the EXACT same situation as mine you should NOT get rejected!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2018 10:47PM by Snoqueen1.

@roflwofl wrote:

I'm guessing if you had arrived at 4:45 and completed the shop at 5:15, it might have been accepted because you are correct that it's difficult to accurately predict when a shop will end, so if you arrived at 4:45, hoping to complete the shop by 5, an hour before closing, that might be an argument. But If you arrive at 5:00, which is the deadline,one hour before closing, it's a pretty sure bet that you will not complete the shop by 5PM, an hour before closing. Unless your shop only lasted one minute, you'd be into the last hour before closing. Just saying. I'm all for escalating it like kenasch suggests. See what they say..

^^THIS

Yeah it's annoying...the wording was you can "visit" the location anytime but it must be at least one hour before closing to allow the associate to have enough time to assist you. "Visit" means as long as U "arrive" at least one hour before closing then that is fine & thats what they meant & how I interpreted it. I don't know why the editor thought the shop needed to be "finished" at least one hour before closing bc your right....there's no way to know how long a shop will last? I think she must have been new? however, she did tell me she's rejected other shops for this reason...so I hope those shoppers spoke up too! They did end up accepting mine but I had to escalate it to get that result!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2018 08:24PM by Snoqueen1.

If they want the shop completed by one hour prior to closing, which is not at all what I think they mean, then the instructions should say: "You must complete the shop and exit the location by one hour prior to closing. Plan to arrive 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours (or whatever) before the location closes."

"Visiting" the location means arriving, not completing. Either this editor cannot comprehend language, or the shop guidelines need to be re-written.

@Snoqueen1 wrote:

Niner, What time did u start the shop & what time did the location close? I would stay persistent w/ the editor & stand your ground. Also reach out to the scheduler to let them know what's up.. If it's the EXACT same situation as mine you should NOT get rejected!!!

I completed it during the last hour. I did not start before 7 pm, and they closed at 8 pm. They actually offered a huge bonus after they didn't accept my shop. I drove an hour there, spent 35 minutes at the shop, drove an hour home, took the test and read the instructions, and wrote up the report. I wasted a good four hours of my life for nothing. This was my first shop for them. I offered to go back when I saw it advertised again, to have my spouse do it if I couldn't, and they never responded. I don't want to waste my time like this.

I'm happy it worked out for you though.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2018 04:52AM by Niner.

Ah, man, that's awful. I am so sorry that happened to you!

I would reach out to the scheduler and state your case. Most times the scheduler would go to bat for you. I did a phone shop a couple years back. It was for Whole Foods regarding the holiday meals. Guidelines said not to call after 6 PM or similar. Guess what. The editor rejected my shop because I performed the shop after 9 PM in their time zone (back East) I am in Pacific time zone and so was the shop. The editor refused to accept the shop since I stated my case. I emailed the scheduler who went to bat for me. The editor still stood her ground but had reluctantly accepted my shop.

@Niner wrote:

I completed it during the last hour. I did not start before 7 pm, and they closed at 8 pm. They actually offered a huge bonus after they didn't accept my shop. I drove an hour there, spent 35 minutes at the shop, drove an hour home, took the test and read the instructions, and wrote up the report. I wasted a good four hours of my life for nothing. This was my first shop for them. I offered to go back when I saw it advertised again, to have my spouse do it if I couldn't, and they never responded. I don't want to waste my time like this.

I'm sorry, but I'm really confused by your post. Maybe you can clarify? It sounds like you didn't follow the instructions. (Did you really take the test and read the instructions after you did the shop, or are your steps just not in order?)

If the location closed at 8 p.m. and the instructions state to visit the store one hour before closing, and you didn't start BY 7 p.m., then it sounds like you didn't get there in time. Even if you started the shop at exactly 7 p.m., that sounds compliant. But 7:01, and it's not.

Bottom line is, what time did you start the shop? Without knowing that, nobody can know whether you performed the shop correctly or not. Or did your shop state the visit-time requirement differently? I've never seen a shop that instructs you to visit DURING the last hour, other than a burger shop where they want to know if staff is starting to close early.

@Niner wrote:

@Snoqueen1 wrote:

Niner, What time did u start the shop & what time did the location close? I would stay persistent w/ the editor & stand your ground. Also reach out to the scheduler to let them know what's up.. If it's the EXACT same situation as mine you should NOT get rejected!!!

I completed it during the last hour. I did not start before 7 pm, and they closed at 8 pm.

Your response didn't answer the direct questions asked: Exactly what time did you enter the store? Exactly what time did you complete the shop?

If you did not start before 7PM and it took 35 minutes, it sounds as if you may have finished very close to closing time, which is really not fair to the employee. Most employees are not at their best when quitting time is approaching. And at retail stores, many employees have closing duties in addition to serving customers during the final hour of work. That's why the guidelines for most retail store shops say "you may not shop within the last hour of operation." These guidelines appear to be written poorly.

Without knowing the specific times of your shop, it's not possible to say whether your issue is exactly like Snoqueen's. A shopper who entered at 7PM and completed the shop with time to spare before the store closing, as Snoqueen did, is one thing. A shopper who completed the shop within the last 15 or 20 minutes of the store's operation is another.

@roflwofl, ha; great minds think alike! I just asked the same question. LOL. Yep; not really enough information to know whether the shop was conducted at the proper time or not.

Haha, I see, we are on the same page. I started my post, went to fix a bagel, and came back to finish ...... and somehow you had read my mind and posted while I was bagel-ing.......

@roflwofl wrote:

I started my post, went to fix a bagel, and came back to finish ...... and somehow you had read my mind and posted while I was bagel-ing.......

Well, you know, we mystery shoppers are often required to be mind readers (especially when trying to make sense of some guidelines), so.... It's a handy skill!

Now I'm craving a bagel.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2018 02:53PM by BirdyC.

One hour before closing would be before 5 not at 5.

@Itsybitsy1 wrote:

One hour before closing would be before 5 not at 5.

???? If a store closes at 6 p.m., then one hour before closing is 5 p.m. "At least one hour prior to closing" is, technically, 5 p.m., too, at the latest, but infers that "before 5 p.m." is what they want.

With cream cheese?

@roflwofl wrote:

Haha, I see, we are on the same page. I started my post, went to fix a bagel, and came back to finish ...... and somehow you had read my mind and posted while I was bagel-ing.......

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

With cream cheese?

@roflwofl wrote:

Haha, I see, we are on the same page. I started my post, went to fix a bagel, and came back to finish ...... and somehow you had read my mind and posted while I was bagel-ing.......

Absolutely with cream cheese - a Trader Joe's "Everything" Bagel, lightly toasted, spread with soft cream cheese on both top and bottom.

@BirdyC wrote:

@Niner wrote:

I completed it during the last hour. I did not start before 7 pm, and they closed at 8 pm. They actually offered a huge bonus after they didn't accept my shop. I drove an hour there, spent 35 minutes at the shop, drove an hour home, took the test and read the instructions, and wrote up the report. I wasted a good four hours of my life for nothing. This was my first shop for them. I offered to go back when I saw it advertised again, to have my spouse do it if I couldn't, and they never responded. I don't want to waste my time like this.

I'm sorry, but I'm really confused by your post. Maybe you can clarify? It sounds like you didn't follow the instructions. (Did you really take the test and read the instructions after you did the shop, or are your steps just not in order?)

If the location closed at 8 p.m. and the instructions state to visit the store one hour before closing, and you didn't start BY 7 p.m., then it sounds like you didn't get there in time. Even if you started the shop at exactly 7 p.m., that sounds compliant. But 7:01, and it's not.

Bottom line is, what time did you start the shop? Without knowing that, nobody can know whether you performed the shop correctly or not. Or did your shop state the visit-time requirement differently? I've never seen a shop that instructs you to visit DURING the last hour, other than a burger shop where they want to know if staff is starting to close early.

I took the test before going to the shop. I arrived at 7:20 and was there for around a half an hour (35 minutes). Everything was completed, included a price quote for five items given to me as an invoice.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2018 04:35AM by Niner.

@Niner wrote:

I took the test before going to the shop. I arrived at 7:20 and was there for around a half an hour (35 minutes). Everything was completed, included a price quote for five items given to me as an invoice.

Thanks for clearing up that first point; the order in which you wrote your steps made it sound like you took the test after the shop!

I'm not 100% sure which shop this was; what exactly did the instructions say about arrival time? I think you just got there too late, and that's why your shop was rejected. IF the instructions were to arrive or visit "at least one hour before closing" or "one hour before closing," you didn't do that, so your shop can't be accepted. If, otoh, the guidelines say "shop during the last hour," you did that but maybe there's another issue.

I agree. I'm sorry your shop was denied, and it sounds as though the guidelines are poorly written. I hope the MSC re-thinks them and says very clearly, as most MSC retail shop guidelines say, "your shop cannot be performed within the last hour of operation. You must complete your shop and exit the store at least one hour before closing time." You entered the store 40 minutes before closing time, and your shop was completed at 7:55, 5 minutes before the store closed. That's cutting it too close. I don't think it's fair to the employee or the store, and if I were the store manager or the client administration, I would probably probably protest and/or decline to accept the report from the MSC.

If the guidelines for your shop say, as the OP quoted, "you can visit the store anytime but it must be one hour before closing" then this is not the same issue as the OP. The OP did actually arrive one hour before closing so she met the stated deadline. By arriving at 7:20, no part of your visit was one hour before closing. Although the guidelines are poorly written, you clearly did not meet the requirement. The OP's issue was that she did visit one hour before closing although her shop was not finished one hour before closing; your issue is totally different - you did not arrive one hour before closing so you completely missed the deadline.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2018 02:49PM by roflwofl.