I'm not asking for specific shops here - I am wondering more what kinds of shops you won't go near? I don't have all the experience some of you have but here's one of my ten foot pole shops - one that I discovered just today. Any shop where it seems like I might have to fight to get a refund - maybe the lesson here is to just do shops that don't involve any money leaving my pocket - one example would be a cabinet store shop I did late last year that paid well and didn't involve any money leaving my pocket.

But enough about me. What types of shops do you tend to avoid - or just flat out won't do?

The shops I absolutely won't do are the ones where they want us to try to trick a cashier or a clerk into doing something illegal. And the bank complaint shops, they ask you to lie and take the risk of having your accounts frozen or closed.

I agree with the bank complaint shops, I won't touch them.

The shops that state I must order a specific food item but will not list the item until I apply for the job.

For the bank complaint shops, I never had any accounts with that bank to start with. I opened a $300 savings account just so I could do the complaint. Therefore, I don't have to worry about it affecting my everyday financial transactions. However, it's been a mess with it, so I'm glad that it's not an account that I use. I did one of those where they ended up putting a fraud and identity theft flag on the account, and I think it's still there. When you go in to a bank and tell them that the account was opened without your authorization, and it clearly showed that somebody went into a bank in California and opened an account and used the mobile app to fund it, they are obviously very confused and have no idea what to do. The only explanation is that somebody stole my identity and went into a bank in california, opened an account under my name, created an account on the app in my name, stole one of my checks, wrote it out for $300, took a picture of it, and used that to fund the account. That person in never did anything else with it for a few months. That is what they see whenever I go in and claim that it was opened without my authorization. No wonder my account is all flagged up.

@pegleg2000 wrote:

I agree with the bank complaint shops, I won't touch them.

Any shop where I have to write any more than a few sentences for the entire report in narrative. I'd rather just take my pictures, write my cryptic notes, and check boxes.

Any shop for an MSC that won't pay or that I have to chase down IE Red Quanta.

@Morledzep wrote:

The shops I absolutely won't do are the ones where they want us to try to trick a cashier or a clerk into doing something illegal. And the bank complaint shops, they ask you to lie and take the risk of having your accounts frozen or closed.

Agree with this.

Also gas station "mystery shop followed by a revealed audit." Pick one, MSCs. I don't like playing "gotcha."

@KokoBWare wrote:

@Morledzep wrote:

The shops I absolutely won't do are the ones where they want us to try to trick a cashier or a clerk into doing something illegal. And the bank complaint shops, they ask you to lie and take the risk of having your accounts frozen or closed.

Agree with this.

Also gas station "mystery shop followed by a revealed audit." Pick one, MSCs. I don't like playing "gotcha."

These 3 are my no-nos. My job boards are full of them and bonuses keep getting higher and higher and all I can do is fold my arms and shake my head while I wait for then to go away.

@KokoBWare wrote:

Also gas station "mystery shop followed by a revealed audit." Pick one, MSCs. I don't like playing "gotcha."

The gas station mystery/reveal shops aren't "gotcha" shops. You're not trying to get anyone in trouble. It's only for marketing materials and a couple simple customer service questions. They are just marketing audits for the parent company. No one is getting in trouble (unless a station owner taking something he did out on his employees), and some of the companies give incentives to the employees who are doing it right. And in rural areas the employees learn who their shoppers are anyway.. most of the stations I go to recognize both me and my son when we go inside to do our inside purchase (most are discrete, and just smile bigger until the reveal).

There is a station a couple towns over that thinks there is something he can do while I'm on premises to change the outcome of the shop. He sees me drive up and starts cleaning the restrooms, mopping, and emptying trash cans, I keep telling him that there isn't anything he can change while I'm onsite to get a better rating. But he does it EVERY time, and then he goes down the street to the other station he owns and makes them start cleaning before I get there. The last time he did that I just drove away, didn't do the shop, he still couldn't have made a difference unless he is going to change the advertising and signage on the property, and he NEVER does that, even when he has the previous quarter's advertising still on the pumps.

The same can't be said for the fast food mystery/reveal audits. Those are "gotcha" shops designed to penalize employees. Some also offer incentives to the employees who get it right, but they still give me the willies.

Well, enjoy then. I'm still not comfortable flying under the radar and then outing myself. I'd rather do one or the other. Sounds like your guy knows what you're up to. I'm not in a rural area so they wouldn't know me.

@Morledzep wrote:

@KokoBWare wrote:

Also gas station "mystery shop followed by a revealed audit." Pick one, MSCs. I don't like playing "gotcha."

The gas station mystery/reveal shops aren't "gotcha" shops. You're not trying to get anyone in trouble. It's only for marketing materials and a couple simple customer service questions. They are just marketing audits for the parent company. No one is getting in trouble (unless a station owner taking something he did out on his employees), and some of the companies give incentives to the employees who are doing it right. And in rural areas the employees learn who their shoppers are anyway.. most of the stations I go to recognize both me and my son when we go inside to do our inside purchase (most are discrete, and just smile bigger until the reveal).

There is a station a couple towns over that thinks there is something he can do while I'm on premises to change the outcome of the shop. He sees me drive up and starts cleaning the restrooms, mopping, and emptying trash cans, I keep telling him that there isn't anything he can change while I'm onsite to get a better rating. But he does it EVERY time, and then he goes down the street to the other station he owns and makes them start cleaning before I get there. The last time he did that I just drove away, didn't do the shop, he still couldn't have made a difference unless he is going to change the advertising and signage on the property, and he NEVER does that, even when he has the previous quarter's advertising still on the pumps.

The same can't be said for the fast food mystery/reveal audits. Those are "gotcha" shops designed to penalize employees. Some also offer incentives to the employees who get it right, but they still give me the willies.

Morle - you must be referring to a different shop or audit. The one Koko's talking about asks no questions about marketing materials at all anymore.

Correct Sestrahelena. Oh by the way another10-foot-poler for me: Ipsos purchase and return on the Shopmetrics side. The ones on Sassie side are great, I love them, but my first experience with one on Shopmetrics side was harrowing. A questionnaire as long as Moby Dick, a zillion photos required that you need to doctor up to specifications. NEVER again.

All "reimbursement only" shops.
Purchase/return shops with a fee that does not consider that I need to make two visits to the location.

I am repetitively posting the below:

In 2006, I completed my first shop mentioning a picture. I state mentioning due to that being optional, for an extra $5. Today's shopper, though, is often required to snap considerably more, but being paid little if anything. The problem, at least for me, is that if a single pic is unacceptable, you might lose the shop. As long as shoppers continue to accept more work for less money, MSCs will be only more than willing to accommodate that situation. I am NOT criticizing companies, as it is the responsibility of shoppers to monitor their work:pay ratio.

The above excludes all who are desperate for money I was there once in my life and well understand that something beats nothing when you have needs.

my 10 foot pole list: new car negotiation shops gas stations fast food restaurants

Purchase and return; most fast food shops; hotel shops where I cannot get rewards points, unless it is a SUPER-DUPER hotel with great food and relatively simple report.

@KA047 wrote:

All "reimbursement only" shops.
Purchase/return shops with a fee that does not consider that I need to make two visits to the location.

Those are probably the top 2 on my 10' pole list.

I do not do phone shops, new car dealerships (except luxury cars minimum $100 fee), shops with impossible scenarios, shops that use the Shared Insights submission forms, most fine dining shops (low pay), and I have accumulated a list of 22 specific businesses that I will not shop for various reasons.

I've had and closed three accounts at the bank where the complaint shops are, and I won't do them. I don't see how I could do them and sound convincing. I did teller shops and the lost or damaged debit cards, but not the complaint shops!

I won't do $7 retail shops, recorded phone shops unless they pay $10 or more, or anything requiring me to apply for or open a credit card account (too many recent past credit pulls due to my car dealer shopping my loan around after I specifically said not to....).

IKEA and K-12

@AZwolfman wrote:

I do not do phone shops, new car dealerships (except luxury cars minimum $100 fee), shops with impossible scenarios, shops that use the Shared Insights submission forms, most fine dining shops (low pay), and I have accumulated a list of 22 specific businesses that I will not shop for various reasons.

my curiosity about this list is writhing

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2021 02:07PM by jamgablee.

Most phone shops as they don't pay enough for time involved. Gas station audits until they pay $50 or more. The Car Negotiation shops. Mattress shops under $40 pay. Shops with reimbursement that take over 30 days to pay unless that reimbursement is $25 or less. My newest one a account opening bank shop that I have to hound the msc to get the fees refunded required to open the account.

Those revealed gas station shops are all over the place in my area and it doesn't seem like many shoppers are quick to take them. I don't do them either.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2021 05:04PM by tarameshale89.

@BirdyC wrote:

I won't do $7 retail shops, ..., or anything requiring me to apply for or open a credit card account.

me either

@jamgablee wrote:

@AZwolfman wrote:

I do not do phone shops, new car dealerships (except luxury cars minimum $100 fee), shops with impossible scenarios, shops that use the Shared Insights submission forms, most fine dining shops (low pay), and I have accumulated a list of 22 specific businesses that I will not shop for various reasons.

my curiosity about this list is writhing

PM me for my list and reasons.

@tarameshale89 wrote:

Those revealed gas station shops are all over the place in my area and it doesn't seem like many shoppers are quick to take them. I don't do them either.

I like most of them, but there are two gas station brands that have made it to my 10' pole list recently.

Please share??

Revealed gas stations
Retail shops where I have to tie-up a commission-based employee's valuable time
The wire money and then cancel the wire jobs

@callinectes wrote:

The wire money and then cancel the wire jobs

Yes second that. I tried the wire money transfer job. I did not get my refund and was given the same mtcn number I received when sending money not a new one as promised. Wasted 2 plus hours trying to get my $25 back. $20 send and transfer fee of $5. I mean shop paid $30 so I made $5 after all said and done. My $25 lost in space.