Mystery Shopping Thread 22 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES*

Boredupnorth

misssarahleigh wrote: »

I find this quite funny. I could describe a staff member as: Male, 6ft tall, shirt black hair around 30 years of age.

There may be two staff members which fit this description, the fact that one happens to be a black man isn't allowed which I find rather funny

(hold on wait, can I say black man? because I'm not allowed to sing ba ba black sheep! but then again I cannot say coloured, because the comentator got into trouble last week for that as it doesn't differentiate enough between race, but then if I say african, he's prob spent all his life in England and talks broader Yorkshire than me)
I think this is just another effect of the PC brigade in my opinion.

I did a slapper supermarket last week and 5 of the descriptions were exactly the same. GR are so restrictive on what you can use.

borders

Boredupnorth wrote: »

I did a slapper supermarket last week and 5 of the descriptions were exactly the same. GR are so restrictive on what you can use.

Yeah, I've had that as well. My favourite was doing the egg shops last year. Three shops in a row, in three different towns the assistants I spoke to all had the same descriptions and the same name.

misssarahleigh

jmds wrote: »

I'm not sure it is a 'PC gone mad' thing. There are certain words and phrases that people from minority ethnic groups find offensive, coloured being one. We're all nice people and we don't want to set out to offend deliberately. However, it's difficult to know what those words and phrases are that should and should not be used. Use of them isn't in and of itself racist in any way. Maybe clumsy and almost certainly driven by imperfect knowledge (and who's never guilty of that?!). It's easy for me - I grew up in a massively diverse part of London so you quickly get to know what is and is not thought acceptable. It's much more difficult for those that aren't exposed to that, especially as there is more definition now over what is and is not acceptable - certain words that would have been a few years ago aren't now.

Back to the MSing - what I find much more offensive than the accidental misuse of words is that race should somehow be hidden, as if it's something a member of staff should be embarrassed by or would find offensive if described. I think that's a terrible attitude.

I have a friend who comes from Jamaica. He's a man.

We've had chats and i did once upon a time ask "do you mind being called a black man". No, was the reply, because I am a black man.

The issue with the word 'coloured' was that it was too 'general', but in all fairness, there are hundred of differnet ethnic origins and I don't think anyone has the ability to judge that based on looks, but as we are, by default a nation of white people, the expression was derived to describe somebody not of english decent.

Obviously in todays society that is no longer true and the word 'coloured' is somewhat outdated, BUT, I fail to see why it's offensive (maybe thats because i'm white).

I think that not being able to say (or better a drop down box, which I have seen on some reports) that a member of staff was Black/Asian/Oriental/White etc is silly.

TractorGirl327

jmds wrote: »

Since I started mystery shopping one of the things I find interesting is the various MS companies' attitudes to race. RE seem to shy away from having shoppers refer to anything in a staff member's description that they might find offensive and include skin colour in that. I find that attitude more offensive!

In a recent briefing document GfK stated that one should refer to the member of staff's ethnicity, for example Irish, Welsh, white, black. Clearly this wasn't offensive but it was a bit clumsy to conflate ethnicity and race in this way.

As a result of the RE approach I've found myself playing 'safe' and not mentioning racial origin as a factor in descriptions for other MS companies, unless specifically requested to. I'd be interested to hear all your opinions on the approaches of the various companies. Does anyone else think the RE approach to tiptoe around race is ludicrous?

Sorry if this is a bit of a heavy one for 9 in the morning!!

misssarahleigh wrote: »

I find this quite funny. I could describe a staff member as: Male, 6ft tall, shirt black hair around 30 years of age.

There may be two staff members which fit this description, the fact that one happens to be a black man isn't allowed which I find rather funny

(hold on wait, can I say black man? because I'm not allowed to sing ba ba black sheep! but then again I cannot say coloured, because the comentator got into trouble last week for that as it doesn't differentiate enough between race, but then if I say african, he's prob spent all his life in England and talks broader Yorkshire than me)

I think this is just another effect of the PC brigade in my opinion.

misssarahleigh wrote: »

I have a friend who comes from Jamaica. He's a man.

We've had chats and i did once upon a time ask "do you mind being called a black man". No, was the reply, because I am a black man.

The issue with the word 'coloured' was that it was too 'general', but in all fairness, there are hundred of differnet ethnic origins and I don't think anyone has the ability to judge that based on looks, but as we are, by default a nation of white people, the expression was derived to describe somebody not of english decent.

Obviously in todays society that is no longer true and the word 'coloured' is somewhat outdated, BUT, I fail to see why it's offensive (maybe thats because i'm white).

I think that not being able to say (or better a drop down box, which I have seen on some reports) that a member of staff was Black/Asian/Oriental/White etc is silly.

I always use the IC codes as used by the police:
IC1 – White person, northern European type
IC2 – White person, Mediterranean/Hispanic type
IC3 – African/Afro-Caribbean person
IC4 – Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Maldivian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, or any other (South) Asian person
IC5 – Chinese, Japanese, or South-East Asian person
IC6 – Arab person
IC0 – Origin unknown

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_codes

I think it makes my descriptions clearer and it's only 3 letters for them to take out if they don't want it in the report.

ms_night_ryder

Can someone co.firm how many fleece jobs we did in Jan? I have it as 3 including.g the ones that were specific stores only

Monkeynut

I've used those before TG, as they are familiar terms as I usually had the security radio at work.
But I doubt the proof reading chimps at RE would have a clue what they mean!!

Drea

Ohh I have my first one to do, but it's from Amber Arch and after reading that they reject reports easily I'm a bit worried!

HeavensDevil

It does amuse me doing those reports where we have to tiptoe around race, but the MOS has a blatantly ethnic name.

N.I.M

Drea wrote: »

Ohh I have my first one to do, but it's from Amber Arch and after reading that they reject reports easily I'm a bit worried!

Your on for a hiding for nothing there mate if I'm honest. They will probably drop the fee they will pay you if they pay you at all and you'll absorb the fees from paypal too. But good luck, personally I'd tell them to stuff the assignment.

Drea

N.I.M wrote: »

Your on for a hiding for nothing there mate if I'm honest. They will probably drop the fee they will pay you if they pay you at all and you'll absorb the fees from paypal too. But good luck, personally I'd tell them to stuff the assignment.

I've got to do 8 different departments too, maybe I shouldn't bother... thanks