The Mystery Shopping Thread - X

Popular misconceptions about Mystery Shopping companies

• The scenarios are clear and accurate

NO: At times they are confusing and vague
What to DO:
Read the brief carefully and if it's unclear either ask the company or ask the forum for advice.

• The shop location will fit the scenario

Not always: The scenarios are written in a generic style that will suit most of the locations but some will be unrealistic.
What to DO
Adopt the scenario (within limits) or your manner to fit the location.
Report back to the MS company that the location doesn't fit the scenario.

• The scenarios are infallible;

NO A good MS company will write a scenario to the clients wishes and then send out it's own members to do a trial run to test any problems.
Once finalized the scenario is sent out but is still open to tweaks in the early period of it use.Cheap companies do not do this (saves money) so quite often have unrealistic flawed scenarios.
What to DO:
Stick to the scenario but report back any "problems" or issues and suggest alternatives. If nothing changes then either go with it or do not do that type of job again

• Regardless of age and sex you can qualify for all assignments

NO; Obvious female assignments are Bra fittings and obvious Men assignments are Tailor fittings.
The client dictates what the target demographic is so they may not want a 45 year old Female to buy a mobile phone as this type of customer is not the biggest group that visit the store.
What to DO
Don't moan that you're the wrong age\sex-it's not personal.
If you desperately want the job then contact the MS company and ask, they may bend the rules.

• The location you are visiting will be safe\suitable for your age\gender.

NO: Pubs, bookies, off licences spring to mind as places where in the wrong location can be very dodgy
What to DO
Be aware of this problem and either only do areas you know or if it's an unfamiliar city (which has bad press in some areas), try to check out the location (ask the forum?) before visiting.

• There are "plum" jobs that only the best assessor see\get first pick

Possibly: It all depends on the company
What to DO:
Show yourself to be reliable, flexible, prompt and accurate in reporting. It may not get you any favours but it can't hinder.If you can't see a job that others can then contact the MS company to find out why!


Lastly
The MS companies web-site is easy to use, never crashes or loses your report

NO: :eek:

What to DO
If you have a long report to input then write it in Word or notepad and then cut and paste into the web-site when complete.

Hollypear wrote: »

I am going into town next week so thought I would give Gyp a chance again as I do like fast chicken ( the deep fried southern one) There is one and I selected from the drop down date box a date and clicked add to basket. Up came a red message saying please select a date. This happened over and over. Is it just me...I found myself swearing at the pc saying ( well shoutiing) I have accepted a chosen date you !!!!!!).

What am I missing. Is it me being stupid and missing something obvious.

This happened to me yesterday and its very annoying. When I looked in my basket it was in there!

Thanks TG I managed to grab one from GR

I have just joined ESA and applied for a pharmacy visit, as it coincides with my day off work. Quick question - do the email me if successful? Or how do I know?

Nup Andy it won't let me tick the box and I thought RE's software was crap. So that is me had it with Gyp.Maybe I could phone them and get sacked save me the bother of unsubscribing. They are a PITA.

Does anyone do much work for edigital? I applied a while ago and sent off the form they asked me to sign and I haven't heard anything since. I've e-mailed them twice to ask the status of my application but get no replies. Just wondering if they are worth bothering with?