Help me interpret this Ipsos Email

December 29, 2022 07:15PM

Ipsos Shopmetrics runs shops for a certain foreign grocery chain that has expanded along the East Coast. Among the requirements are purchasing some cans to see if they are counted properly and putting a 12-pack of soda under the cart to see if it's noticed. The requirements were just updated for 2023 shops. (Paying less, reimbursing more, and without requiring a return anymore.) They also say not to buy the soda, to say "I changed my mind" whether it's spotted or not.

Here was the email I sent to Karen:

@ wrote:

Hi Karen, I hope you're enjoying your holidays.

Interesting new requirements. Two things:

1) Can't I just buy the soda if they see it? Putting something in an easily-missed spot and then not buying it when spotted seems so shady I'd rather hope they DO think I'm a shopper.

2) As I sometimes added to reports in the past, the cans in Scenario 4 are completely different sizes and would never be mistaken for each other. They don't even fit in the same box as a 12-of. It's no hardship for me to do that shop, but it isn't testing much. With the new year a different combination might be more beneficial. I could even recommend something if you like.

Cheers,

Alex

And here's what I received back:

@ wrote:

Hello,

You will follow the new guidelines starting in January

Karen
Independent Scheduler for Ipsos Mystery Shopping

So either she didn't read my question, or she did and basically told me "@#$%& off and do what you're told."

Any thoughts which it is?

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December 29, 2022 07:40PM

What role does Karen have in the organization? She may have zero input into what the client wants tested.
I see my role as following the guidelines. I see the e-mail as a reminder of that.

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2022 07:40PM by prince.

December 29, 2022 08:03PM

Schedulers have little to no input for the guidelines from my experience.

It would be the account team that interacts with the client that puts the guidelines together not the scheduler.

December 29, 2022 08:05PM

Just imagine how many emails she gets form shoppers with questions. She's probably thinking "I don't have time to respond to all this nonsense."

She needs to fill shops and change dates if someone needs a simple date change/extension.

Commenting on guidelines that she did not write is only taking time away from her true role as a scheduler. Now if there were contradictory guidelines, then she would need to address that, but this is a shopper giving their opinion on how they think the shop could be handled better.

I agree with Amarsir that the requirements might be lame. That's not my problem. I either take the shop as it is or refuse to do the shop because I don't want to bother.

December 29, 2022 08:08PM

@prince wrote:

What role does Karen have in the organization? She may have zero input into what the client wants tested.
I see my role as following the guidelines. I see the e-mail as a reminder of that.

Good point, but this was in response to an email saying "The<client> shops are changing in January" and "Please let me know if you have any questions." As such I felt the question was reasonable.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2022 11:09PM by Amarsir.

December 29, 2022 09:24PM

You have to do what the client asks for, they must be having problems with employees not noticing the things you are asked to do!

Ohio

December 30, 2022 12:40AM

I’d think it meant if I have any questions about how to follow the guideline.

Making suggestions is a different process. Not sure who I would send suggestions to

@Amarsir wrote:

@prince wrote:

What role does Karen have in the organization? She may have zero input into what the client wants tested.
I see my role as following the guidelines. I see the e-mail as a reminder of that.

Good point, but this was in response to an email saying "The<client> shops are changing in January" and "Please let me know if you have any questions." As such I felt the question was reasonable.

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2022 04:08AM by prince.

December 30, 2022 01:21AM

Her response seemed a little snarky in my opinion especially after she told you to contact her with any questions about the new guidelines. A simple "I understand your concerns but this is what the client is asking us to do so we must follow their stated guidelines."

I've done quite a few of these recently but I completely agree with you about scenario 4. The one and only scenario 4 shop I did for them was rejected because I couldn't get 12 cans to fit in one flat and purchase it that way. All three of the required canned purchases vary greatly in size. At that point I decided I would not do a scenario 4 going forward and I have backed off the number of other scenarios as well.

I haven't read the guidelines yet for 2023. I guess that will determine if I'm going to do any more of these at all.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2022 01:23AM by andreame70.

December 30, 2022 02:10AM

I have a question that maybe one of you can answer. With the scenario of pastries or with the scenario of produce, do you just buy ONE of each on the list?? Or can you buy more than one? There's nothing in the guidelines that even mentions that. Thanks in advance.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2022 02:11AM by guysmom.

December 30, 2022 02:51AM

I believe Karen's welcome to ask questions meant questions about the shop/guidelines you did not understand, not about what you would like to change or suggest. That was why you got the short and to the point reply. She is not rude, but like others stated, she receives tons of emails and really does not have time to discuss changes any of us would like, even if they are good and make sense. I do not think Jennifer has time, either, but will say she knows this shop inside out and would probably be able to point you in the right direction. Also, I know others have said they never get a response from the general email they use for providing help, but, actually, I always get a reply and a full explanation or solution when I have emailed the help desk at IPSOS.

December 30, 2022 03:38AM

FWIW I read her response hearing Sargent Schultz' accent
Bless your heart for trying to send constructive criticism.
There used to be a restaurant shop requiring complaining about something, anything, to the manager. My husband/guest was so uncomfortable with that requirement I never applied for that shop again. It is what it is.

December 30, 2022 06:43AM

@guysmom wrote:

I have a question that maybe one of you can answer. With the scenario of pastries or with the scenario of produce, do you just buy ONE of each on the list?? Or can you buy more than one? There's nothing in the guidelines that even mentions that. Thanks in advance.

I just buy one of each, but you can definitely buy more. Especially now with no expectation of a return.

Back when the $4 reimbursement was new I sent a question to Jennifer, who had sent the email about the new guidelines. I asked if we could buy other things on the same receipt and if the reimbursement could count toward them. I was given a friendly "Sure you could" and always did the shops that way since then. The new guidelines don't seem too different in that regard, but I won't know until I see the text on the question or try it and see what happens.

(Which is why I think it's perfectly reasonable to buy the soda instead of putting it back. It seemed like a softball question to me that I was asking for politeness' sake. Similarly I already know Susan is the project manager for this client. But when someone sends me an email soliciting questions my instinct is to reply back, not immediately go over their head.)

December 30, 2022 06:55AM

I have often made suggestions about a shop scenario and do think the answer from the scheduler could have been gentler. On the other hand I feel your "suggestions" seem to be a bit condescending working at the level of our jobs and trying to make/suggest changes without knowing the whys or wherefores of the reasoning for the rules we are asked to follow.
Personally I do not see anything shady about changing my mind on a purchase. Just tonight I was at the grocery store and had picked up some tortillas to buy and a few aisles down I found the type they sell "raw" in the cold case. I like those much better but forgot to take the others out of my cart. I actually had two items I decided against buying at the cashier and I was not on a shop. I only felt guilty that I did not return them to the shelf I took them off of myself. I would guess they often get people deciding not to buy a few things once at the register.

December 30, 2022 07:57AM

It appears you've been brushed off. But, in Karen's defence, she is one of the few schedulers that puts any real effort into helping shoppers. She is probably overwhelmed, especially with stuff like that with contradictory and badly written guidelines.

December 30, 2022 02:42PM

Amarsir states--....... They also say not to buy the soda, to say "I changed my mind" whether it's spotted or not.

Amarsir inquires of Karen--Can't I just buy the soda if they see it?

Bob comments--Folks, that is as "cut & dry" as possible.

Karen's response was not, to my ears, snarky, BUT, I understand it could have been to another person.As for me, I do NOT desire a warm, fuzzy, kind, sweet and/or gentle manner of dealing with me in business. I am an appreciator of the "baseball bat" approach; it is completely devoid of ambiguity.

December 30, 2022 03:33PM

She told you what to do and was incredibly disrespectful about it. A simple “It’s out of my hands” or even directing you to someone who can address your concerns would have been more tactful. This isn’t the military!!!

December 30, 2022 05:30PM

The light blue upon white the forum employs and my merely glancing at the screen name combined for me to be surprised that Wolfie would submit the above post. I then, upon closer reading, realized my error and that it was AWhitman.

Karen, if you read my post AND are an independent scheduler, please keep me in mind, as, for my tastes, your replies to all have been both concise and candid; my kind of woman.

December 31, 2022 06:42AM

"@#$%& off and do what you're told."

LOL is what I interpreted.
Easily understandable.

I think no other interpretation needed, if you want to be paid for completing those shops.

@Amarsir wrote:

Ipsos Shopmetrics runs shops for a certain foreign grocery chain that has expanded along the East Coast. Among the requirements are purchasing some cans to see if they are counted properly and putting a 12-pack of soda under the cart to see if it's noticed. The requirements were just updated for 2023 shops. (Paying less, reimbursing more, and without requiring a return anymore.) They also say not to buy the soda, to say "I changed my mind" whether it's spotted or not.

Here was the email I sent to Karen:

@ wrote:

Hi Karen, I hope you're enjoying your holidays.

Interesting new requirements. Two things:

1) Can't I just buy the soda if they see it? Putting something in an easily-missed spot and then not buying it when spotted seems so shady I'd rather hope they DO think I'm a shopper.

2) As I sometimes added to reports in the past, the cans in Scenario 4 are completely different sizes and would never be mistaken for each other. They don't even fit in the same box as a 12-of. It's no hardship for me to do that shop, but it isn't testing much. With the new year a different combination might be more beneficial. I could even recommend something if you like.

Cheers,

Alex

And here's what I received back:

@ wrote:

Hello,

You will follow the new guidelines starting in January

Karen
Independent Scheduler for Ipsos Mystery Shopping

So either she didn't read my question, or she did and basically told me "@#$%& off and do what you're told."

Any thoughts which it is?

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2022 06:47AM by ShoppingDad.

December 31, 2022 09:07AM

I heard on the grapevine that IPSOS are rebranding as simply POS to reflect their core values.

December 31, 2022 10:34AM

@Amarsir wrote:

...
So either she didn't read my question, or she did and basically told me "@#$%& off and do what you're told."

Any thoughts which it is?

Both, I would imagine.

She probably started to read it and then realized it was less a question and more a suggestion on something out of her control and realized following up would cost more than the $2 or whatever she stood to gain scheduling the shop and then said something boilerplate without thinking just to get to the next email for one of the tons of shops she has taken on just to make ends meet because.we have allowed monopolies to flourish and limit the ability of employees/contractors to compete in the marketplace.

I would have been stung too, but just for a minute, and then forgotten about it.

December 31, 2022 12:53PM

She could have been nicer in her response. I would not want to do work for someone who resonded to me like this.

December 31, 2022 02:29PM

As a former cashier a long long time ago, I will tell you that we dealt with so many customers changing their minds about things that it never crossed our mind that they may be a shopper.

Half the time we were zoned out, talking to someone else and just collecting that check. Today? They are on their phone, listening to music in their AirPod and not paying you any mind.

December 31, 2022 02:32PM

My New Year's resolution is to try to avoid IPSOS at all costs!

December 31, 2022 03:02PM

@Niner wrote:

She could have been nicer in her response. I would not want to do work for someone who resonded to me like this.

Everyone has bad days. With how responsive Karen is to people on this board, I would personally give her the benefit of a doubt.

There are other schedulers for other companies that seem to have bad days everyday.

December 31, 2022 03:51PM

Seems to be pretty straightforward. I see absolutely zero issue with the response.
It's actually quite annoying how so many believe anything but sugar coated, hand holding, fluff is considered 'rude/condescending/disrespectful/etc'

Come on, grow up. This is business, not pre-k.

December 31, 2022 10:32PM

Sorry, but I have to be honest, the only question I read there was asking the scheduler if you could just do something the guidelines told you not to do. Perhaps Karen's tone could have been a wee bit better, but she did answer your question. As someone else said, I don't see how that's a "shopper" cue. All that needs to be said is "Crap, I forget that I put that there, I was going to put it back but got sidetracked." (or something to that effect). I don't know enough about this shop to understand "point #2", but it doesn't ask a question that I can see.

January 01, 2023 10:23PM

@Capurato wrote:

As a former cashier a long long time ago, I will tell you that we dealt with so many customers changing their minds about things that it never crossed our mind that they may be a shopper.

I don't want to belabor this since I've already gotten plenty of answers. But to clarify, it's not "changed my mind" in-and-of itself that's I'm calling suspicious. It's putting the item someplace a potential shoplifter might and then not paying when I'm caught.

The previous guidelines had similar instructions with soda under the cart. The rule then was if they don't spot it, hand it to them and say you changed your mind. Otherwise pay, then keep or return at my discretion. Fine system. I was happy to do it. The implication here is that <client> is adamant I don't buy their soda under any circumstances. And I'm just saying I doubt that's what the client really wants. But apparently Ipsos has built up enough bureaucracy that I can't suggest guidelines be rephrased without invoking the Constutional Amendment process.

January 01, 2023 10:26PM

I also do not know this shop but putting this suggestion #2 together with this post made by Cuperato, a former cashier: "Half the time we were zoned out, talking to someone else and just collecting that check. Today? They are on their phone, listening to music in their AirPod and not paying you any mind" I can understand them having this as a mystery shop question.
Yes I have often gone thru the line with two distinctly different tomatoes, smaller tapered ones at 99c a pound and the larger round ones at $2.49 a pound, watching my receipt like a hawk to make sure I was not charged $2.49 for all of them. Or in this case perhaps the cashier picks up one can and distractedly just scans it x12 while just wanting to make it to the break. Or the person coming thru could be a friend...I have certainly seen "friends" getting "discounts" paid for by the owner in many establishments.

@KA047 wrote:

I don't know enough about this shop to understand "point #2", but it doesn't ask a question that I can see.

January 02, 2023 03:55AM

There have been lots of times when I have forgotten something in my cart, that I didn't see when I unloaded my stuff or it didn't notice. When the bagger or the cashier notices it they ask if I still want it, and they seem to expect me to say that I don't want it. The only time I really refuse is if my purchase is completely over before they notice it, and then it's usually only because I don't want to go through all the nonsense involved to checkout again.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2023 04:05AM by Morledzep.

January 02, 2023 09:44PM

That is correct, Karen has zero input on the guidelines, etc.

Karen Holland
Independent Scheduler for Ipsos
[www.ishopforipsos.com]

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