The Mystery Shopping thread - part 6

Becles

Chris357 wrote: »

Yes, RE are really taking the michael now. The only people interested in such jobs would be illegal immigrants and under aged children. These companies are happy to break the law in all sorts of ways including the minimum wage, sex discrimination and age discrimination. It's about time the authorities cracked down on them with some hefty fines. And it's not only RE. TNS are heavily in to sex and age discrimination.

The minimum wage doesn't apply to self employed jobs, as you personally decide if you wish to do the job or not. I'm not sure how it works with PAYE companies, but the principle is the same in you personally decide if you want to do the work or not. If you are working for less than minimum wage, then you are doing something wrong!

There isn't any discrimination. The client wants a person similar to what they perceive to be their average shopper, so the shopper blends in. I've been asked personal questions on my clothing and bra size, due to the sizes of the clothing the store sells. Likewise, you wouldn't send a mature lady to shop a young fashion chain, or someone without glasses to try on frames in an opticians or send a man to get measured for a bra, or send a woman to a pub frequented by men and so on, as the shopper would obviously stand out.

ThinkingOfLinking

As for discrimination; Gap is worse; I as a female was never allowed to do bookies jobs.

Certain clients on RE, it SAYS suits male shopper aged 25-55 but I'm female and 23 and I love those sort of establishments but have never not been allowed to do them. RE are ok. They only discriminate in terms of their internal scoring system.

Karmacat

Just an update on my problem with RE on Thursday, a shop that was cancelled late and meant I was wandering up and down a railway platform taking pix to prove I was there. I sent the pix in with a reply to the email saying I'd appreciate some money, pleasethankyouverymuch (etc, etc!) and got a very nice email back to say they're raising a manual payment for me! So *sometimes* common sense roolz.

josie

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

As for discrimination; Gap is worse; I as a female was never allowed to do bookies jobs.

Certain clients on RE, it SAYS suits male shopper aged 25-55 but I'm female and 23 and I love those sort of establishments but have never not been allowed to do them. RE are ok. They only discriminate in terms of their internal scoring system.

This is where I beg to disagree - some of my favourite jobs on Gap are the bookies - so they're not available just to men. I think you've got it the wrong way around it's the bookies jobs on RE that don't allow women, but as Mike & Becles said, it's not the MS company that stipulates that - it's the client - so one of the blue bookies (on RE) doesn't want women to do their jobs, but one of the red ones (on Gap) don't mind.

Maybe you got the qualifying question wrong on Gap?

Hope you got your defined areas sorted out on RE.

I always had 3 areas anyway on my defined areas and before it used to say 10 miles from X, now it just says 10 miles - so takes a lot more sorting through, as I know when I'm going to X but have to sift those at the same time as my local ones - so I preferred the old layout, personally.

sophisticated.

I have my first pub job for RE later today...quite nervous about doing the questionnaire etc after what I've read on here!

josie

sophisticated. wrote: »

I have my first pub job for RE later today...quite nervous about doing the questionnaire etc after what I've read on here!

I did one of these last week 103 :eek: questions - but you don't have to put comments on most of them, so it didn't take too long.

The box turns red if you need to put a comment in, so it's easy to tell. Usually you have to put one if there's been something negative.

ThinkingOfLinking

josie wrote: »

This is where I beg to disagree - some of my favourite jobs on Gap are the bookies - so they're not available just to men. I think you've got it the wrong way around it's the bookies jobs on RE that don't allow women, but as Mike & Becles said, it's not the MS company that stipulates that - it's the client - so one of the blue bookies (on RE) doesn't want women to do their jobs, but one of the red ones (on Gap) don't mind.

When I accepted the red ones on Gap before, they deallocated them and when I asked why I was told it was for a male shopper and it had shown up as an error.

josie

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

When I accepted the red ones on Gap before, they deallocated them and when I asked why I was told it was for a male shopper and it had shown up as an error.

Very strange - I know there's a few women on here that did them as I've advised before when people have been nervous of what to do. Having said that, there haven't been any show up for me at all this month and that particular shop isn't currently showing.... Was this recently - hope they haven't taken them off us!

josie

Interesting...


easyHotel appoints Retail Eyes

easyHotel appoints Retail Eyes for 'Quality Assurance' programme.

Retail Eyes has been appointed to operate a 'mystery guest' customer service evaluation programme for the easyHotel chain of budget hotels.

Established by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 2004, easyHotel currently has 5 hotels in the UK and 3 in mainland Europe. The chain is undergoing a rapid expansion, with plans to open a further 15 hotels in the next 12 months.

tigergold

Yes I saw that to,Josie, should be interesting.
Also wanted to say I hope those awful pub jobs aren't taken by anyone, although its only 4 questions, walking in somewhere and walking straight back out is not my idea of fun - they could of at least given something to buy a drink. The pay on those really is a joke.