MYSTERY SHOPPING THREAD XII - ** New people please read posts 1 & 2 **

look_after_the_pennies

nearlyheadlessian wrote: »

Nope, not mad. Just frustrated that the same select group of shoppers get to do all the good assignments and that they're never offered to me. I don't lose out if the jobs move to RE because I never got to do them in the first place. *Perhaps* that's why the supermarket is looking for a new ms company - apart from obvious aspects like cost, they might actually be interested in a larger pool of shoppers with more rotation.

GR actually rotate their shops too. I have never done the same supermarket every month for them. There is normally a gap before I am offered them again.

GR work on the same principle as RE. Fastest finger first to get the assignments. It's not about being a "select" shopper for GR. If you have never been offered the supermarket with GR, check your postcodes!

look_after_the_pennies

brryssn wrote: »

Is this the GR one?

I couldn't complete my questionnaire last night as it wouldn't show up the correct options when I got to Question 5. :mad:

I gave up in the end and sent a query, but haven't heard back as yet.

I think she means the blue supermarkets.

Tarasam

look_after_the_pennies wrote: »

GR actually rotate their shops too. I have never done the same supermarket every month for them. There is normally a gap before I am offered them again.

GR work on the same principle as RE. Fastest finger first to get the assignments. It's not about being a "select" shopper for GR. If you have never been offered the supermarket with GR, check your postcodes!

I recently updated my postcodes with them, having not even seen any jobs for months, now i'm seeing jobs. Try it. x

nehpets81

look_after_the_pennies wrote: »

GR actually rotate their shops too. I have never done the same supermarket every month for them. There is normally a gap before I am offered them again.

GR work on the same principle as RE. Fastest finger first to get the assignments. It's not about being a "select" shopper for GR. If you have never been offered the supermarket with GR, check your postcodes!

Yes but you can view RE jobs within a 50 miles radius of a postcode. I don't know what the GR radius is but it seems to be about 500m! As a company I defintely prefer GR and find the fees much fairer and the questionnaires much easier to fill out but on a strictly selfish level I would like to see RE get the supermarkets just so I can apply for more of the jobs.... I have just added a few more postcodes to GR and am getting more work but still can't seem to get a supermarket job.

nearlyheadlessian

look_after_the_pennies wrote: »

GR work on the same principle as RE. Fastest finger first to get the assignments. It's not about being a "select" shopper for GR. If you have never been offered the supermarket with GR, check your postcodes!

It's very easy to say that when you're on the inside, but I assure you that my post codes are set up to try and take advantage of the way GR offer work but to no avail. The same with several other clients that they supposedly have - I've given postcodes which should more or less guarantee me work with no results. I've done a handful of jobs for them in 18 months and seem to have done them well enough, but it hasn't generated extra jobs. I too like GR, but I'd far rather be doing assignments and being paid fees than like an agency but get no work with them.

borders

I suspect GR set a different radius for different postcodes of for your alternative postcodes. I have seen jobs 30 miles from my home postcode. Rural area, needs a big radius. I have other postcodes set up for towns and cities about 50 miles away plus one for my football team even further away. I don't think these have as big a radius. Although I see jobs at the extra postcodes, they're all quite tight to the postcode.

Rosy_Violet

nearlyheadlessian wrote: »

It's very easy to say that when you're on the inside, but I assure you that my post codes are set up to try and take advantage of the way GR offer work but to no avail. The same with several other clients that they supposedly have - I've given postcodes which should more or less guarantee me work with no results. I've done a handful of jobs for them in 18 months and seem to have done them well enough, but it hasn't generated extra jobs. I too like GR, but I'd far rather be doing assignments and being paid fees than like an agency but get no work with them.

Changing post codes to your local town centres/supermarket addresses does help with being able to view Grass Roots jobs. I have 5 major town centres posted as my home address is in the sticks and no shops here!

Alternatively telephone them and ask why you don't see their assignments. I have always found them very obliging.

They do rotate their jobs so it is not a handful of shoppers. They have some good clients and their pay is fair. Maybe you just don't fit their criteria.

proshopper wrote: »

Even though I've been mystery shopping for donkeys' years, I can still remember what it was like in my early days. If there had been any sort of forum around when I started out (or, indeed, if I'd had internet access), I would have asked soooo many questions of my peers. As it was, I badgered some allocators endlessly with my (pointless?) queries.

As we all know, every sub contracting company is different and every client is different. I feel it's always better to ask someone than to guess what is meant. Even now, I have no qualms about querying a job brief - no way will I do a job if I don't know exactly what is expected of me. Training questions are clearly another matter as far as this forum goes - but in my experience, some of the questions in training materials leave a lot to be desired!

Queries are never pointless. Agencies would much rather you get the facts straight. Personally, like you I have always got the info from the horses mouth!

funny-bunny wrote: »

Ooops didn't mean to do that I do apologise.... but as far as being a daft question i'm sorry, i wasn't sure if i was reading it right and thought a bit of information from someone who had done similar would have been helpful to me... isn't that what people do on here..ask for advice..??

I love this forum and wish it had been around in my eary days too. The help so many unselfish people give is brilliant.
Ignore those that don't! Not worth responding to.

Miss_Qwerty

borders wrote: »

I suspect GR set a different radius for different postcodes of for your alternative postcodes. I have seen jobs 30 miles from my home postcode. Rural area, needs a big radius. I have other postcodes set up for towns and cities about 50 miles away plus one for my football team even further away. I don't think these have as big a radius. Although I see jobs at the extra postcodes, they're all quite tight to the postcode.

My local supermarket is 1.6 miles away from my home address and I dont see it.

I know I can see the supermarket jobs tho, because another one opened up less than a mile from my mums postcode and I can see that (with my mums postcode added to my list).

They must just have really really small radius' in my area - Maybe you're the same Ian?

owlet

mysterious_girl wrote: »

They are a complete pain in the neck but beats doing the housework!

LOL you are right there

borders

Miss_Qwerty wrote: »

My local supermarket is 1.6 miles away from my home address and I dont see it.

I know I can see the supermarket jobs tho, because another one opened up less than a mile from my mums postcode and I can see that (with my mums postcode added to my list).

They must just have really really small radius' in my area - Maybe you're the same Ian?

Thought I had it worked out but maybe not. Does the local supermarket have the same postcode number? You're not both just EH but both EH11?

It would be good to work it out. Took me a wee while to realise that ESA didn't show me any jobs in England first go, even though they were within my radius. Has given me more potential work since I realised that.