Hi all!

Okay, not quitting shopping altogether, I just want to quit this assignment/company.

I joined a couple mystery shopper sites primarily for restaurant/dining and hotel jobs. I love dining out and I'm always paying attention to the service and details, so it seemed like this would be a great fit. I have a nice restaurant shop lined up with site A, and I'm looking forward to it.

Site B just called me with a shop; note, this was before the online portal had been unlocked for me. It's a retail shop to be completed tonight, and it's not even close to something I actually want to do. I don't need $10, and it involves approaching the manager and basically handing out an award (cue fear of public speaking). I accepted the shop only because I wanted to get a good initial rating. Now their assignment portal is open to me and I see that they have ZERO restaurant or hotel shops.

This company seems to do nothing but service and small retail shops, and reimburses only for automotive stuff (don't need). I didn't see a single job of interest to me. Also, I'm not dressed to do tonights shop- the scheduler didn't tell me it requires "business casual at a minimum," which I now see on the instructions- and doing this shop will make me late coming home to my kids.

Do I call and cancel the shop since I won't be working for this company again anyway?
Would the scheduler get docked if I cancel?
Do I go through with it and then exit the company so they don't contact me with more stuff?
Is there a chance that they have higher-end shops and they just haven't opened them up for me to see?
Does anyone have advice for nicer, high-reimbursement shopping companies in the future? I'm so sorry if that sounds snobby! Just trying to be honest about what I'm looking for.

Thanks so much!

What you see on any job boards this late in the month is not at all representative of their most popular assignments! All the really good stuff was snapped up long ago. I would do the shop and look at it as the price of admission to the Job Board so that you can take a look at the early month offerings and also start getting email notices.

Also, many, many MSCs will not let you see their most coveted shops until you have done X number of their lower level shops.

Finally, if you name the MSC (but NOT any of its clients) forum member will be ble to tell you what sorts of shops they see from that MSC.

@palooka wrote:

Is there a chance that they have higher-end shops and they just haven't opened them up for me to see?

This. Yes.

@walesmaven wrote:

What you see on any job boards this late in the month is not at all representative of their most popular assignments! All the really good stuff was snapped up long ago. I would do the shop and look at it as the price of admission to the Job Board so that you can take a look at the early month offerings and also start getting email notices.

Also, many, many MSCs will not let you see their most coveted shops until you have done X number of their lower level shops.

Finally, if you name the MSC (but NOT any of its clients) forum member will be ble to tell you what sorts of shops they see from that MSC.

Thank you, this is very informative.
The company is BestMark, which I had heard about on a couple blogs.

The restaurant shop I'm excited about is through Coyle, which immediately showed lots of nice-looking shops.

@Professional Guest wrote:

@palooka wrote:

Is there a chance that they have higher-end shops and they just haven't opened them up for me to see?

This. Yes.

Ugh. Okay. So... how long does it take to get to the good stuff? Lol.

~~~~~Thanks everyone for the quick feedback!

With Bestmark there isn't a lot of good stuff. At one time they allegedly had some highly coveted shops. Now, not so much. Depending on your needs, staying in their good graces is still a good idea. I have gotten some good bonuses on occasion. If you are shopping more for lifestyle it won't be as important.

Palooka, welcome to the forum, mystery shopping, and its challenges. I would do the shop. Ugh though. I do not like revealed shops. Bestmark is infamous for withholding shop details and the location, sometimes until a week prior to the assignment date. Typically, they pay reimbursement only for dining shops. They pay according to stated terms. Their reports are not onerous.

They have a chain of restaurants that I enjoy shopping. Not long ago, the restaurant client here added photos as a requirement of the shop. Bestmark added a fee for the increased time and effort involved. I appreciated that consideration. While Bestmark may not have anything of interest to you at this time, that can change. MSC gain new clients and lose clients to other MSCs. Consider the assignment as paying your dues, which may pay off in the future.

I will give them credit for a couple of things. They tend to only provide a zip code. Some zip codes near me might only be a 15 minute drive or could be closer to 40 because of traffic. They have been willing to cancel without penalty both when the location ends up being too far and when shop specifics, such as a reveal, were not available prior to self-assigning. The key is to check the location and guidelines immediately and notify them ASAP.

Have you done a lot for Coyle yet? If not, be forewarned, extremely detail laden report writing ahead. I just finished writing a 16 hour report for a 2-night hotel stay. The fine dining shop I did when I started out took me about 6 hours.

This forum's guidelines state "Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies". Additionally, It is probably an ICA violation for you to name both the MSC and client." - Admin

Thanks everyone!

Okay, so I did the shop. It was not fun. When I "revealed" to the clerk that I was from X client, she immediately jumped on me saying I "didn't let [her] finish." I hadn't even said that she failed to do X (though she did), I had just smiled and introduced myself. Then when I approached the manager (per my instructions) he got super suspicious and confused and was like uh, no, please go away.

^^ I'm new to all this. Is anything I said above a problem to post? ^^

I'm just glad this wasn't a store I frequent because I could seriously never comfortably go there again.

Regarding BestMark, if they habitually leave you in the dark about specifics then I'm already done. Mystery shopping is definitely a lifestyle thing for me, or at least that's the goal. The spouse and I are professionals making a good living, we're just trying to keep to a budget. I happen to like food and I enjoy writing reviews.

@JASFLALMT My first shop for Coyle, is couple weeks off, but OMG. 6 hours for a meal!? How?? I looked at some of their sample reports and they were long (75-150 questions), but obviously I don't know how that translates in terms of time. I also saw the hotel stays had multiple long surveys, but still, 16 hours!?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2017 03:58AM by palooka.

It's the narratives. They want more info than what is asked in the questions and things have to be written in a specific way, such as date and time, phone numbers, etc. have to follow a certain format. Go to their resource center on the website and look at the sample reports. Oh, and they almost always come back with questions so be available for a few days. You have to enter 3-5 words in the comment boxes for no and NA questions, no more, no less. And they require descriptive detail in the lengthy narratives. Oh, and with this hotel there were 65 photos I had to upload into the report that all had to be named in a specific format and resized, plus placed in a specific order. There were 4 reports for one shop. I like them and will keep doing them, hoping eventually I can whittle it down to 12 hours for a hotel. I'm sure my fine dining shop took me so long because it was the first I had done for them. I was glad they gave me 100% on it. I haven't done another because my goal was hotels all along and you have to prove yourself with other shops first before they will give you hotels. Didn't mean to scare you, but be prepared.

Edited for posting using my phone...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2017 06:49AM by JASFLALMT.

Hi. I don't mean to offend but as a rule as a newbie, never accept any last minute shops over the phone. Just inform the scheduler that you would like to look over the details about the shop before committing to it. There are alot of details that you need to get yourself familiarized with and it might be overwhelming to some.

@palooka wrote:

My first shop for Coyle, is couple weeks off, but OMG. 6 hours for a meal!? How?? I looked at some of their sample reports and they were long (75-150 questions), but obviously I don't know how that translates in terms of time. I also saw the hotel stays had multiple long surveys, but still, 16 hours!?

Here's SOME of what you should expect for a Coyle hotel survey "package":

Reservations Call - Time and Date of call, formatted to their specifications. How many rings? Correct scripted greeting? Type of rooms available and their features? Did they ask for the sale? Closing quote? Narrative. (This alone took 10 paragraphs.)

Bell Arrival/Acclimation/Departure - Time and Date? Greeting? Assistance with car/luggage? Opening quote? Closing quote? 3 separate narratives.

Front Desk - Time and Date? Greeting? Opening quote? Room and rate? Closing quote? Narrative.

Housekeeping - Initial Impression/Stay Over/Turn down/Request - Capture images of where luggage placed. Images of room from different angles. Images of defects. 4 separate narratives. Numerous images - initial/before/after.

Service Recovery - Time and Date? Greeting? Opening quote? Sense of urgency? Issue resolved? Closing quote? Narrative.

Room Service - Time and Date of call, formatted to their specifications. How many rings? Correct scripted greeting? Knowledge of menu? Upsell? Did they ask for the sale? Expected delivery time? Closing quote? Arrival time? Temperature of food? Expectations met? Table set up correctly? Order correct and complete? Opening quote? Closing quote? Tray pick up time. Images of covered plates. Images of uncovered plates. Narrative.

Facility - Similar to room, but instead for the property.

Maintenance - Similar to Service Recovery.

Pool - Specific to the pool.

Gym - Specific to the gym.

Bar - Well if you're up to a hotel shop, then you know what to expect.

Lounge - See above.

Dinner - See above, in addition to separate narratives for reservations process/call, management, food/facility.

Breakfast - See above.

Engineering - Unscrew a lightbulb/remove batteries from the television remote/etc.,. Call engineering. Write about call experience. Write about engieneering service experience. Time of arrival. Time elapsed after telephone request. Remember to capture the opening and closing quotes. Sense of urgency? Was issue resolved?

Spa - reservations, facility, treatment, service recovery, cashier - times required.

Wake up call - Time and Date? How many rings? Greeting? Opening quote? Closing quote? Time of wake up call. Narrative.

PBX - Time and Date? How many rings? Greeting? Opening quote? Closing quote? Narrative.

Front Desk Interaction - Yep, by now you know what they're looking for. Narrative.

Concierge - See above.

Bell Interaction - See above.

Front Desk Observation - Observe for 30 minutes. You know the drill.

Bell Observation - See above.

Check Out - We think you know what they're looking for.

Subjective/Overall Impression - Let loose with your subjective opinions. "Tell the client what they might not know."

One of my recent hotel evaluations had 37 pages of single spaced, 10 pt. font text - just for the narratives. Expect to capture approximately 30-40 images that need to be uploaded, and formatted and labeled to their specifications.

You may also find this thread helpful: www.mysteryshopforum.com/read/6/447295/447633#msg-447633

Good luck with your dining shop.

I haven't heard back on the BestMark review, but all of a sudden there are dinner shops on my list! Unfortunately they all max at $50 for 2 people, and no reimbursement... that seems pretty cheap to me. Should I do a couple and hope nicer ones get unlocked?

Also, I don't want to be blindsided by them again. I will do as @catgrannyof5 says and not accept a phone schedule without reviewing everything in writing.

Should I just send an inquiry for the dinner shops?

@Professional Guest wrote:

@palooka wrote:

My first shop for Coyle, is couple weeks off, but OMG. 6 hours for a meal!? How?? I looked at some of their sample reports and they were long (75-150 questions), but obviously I don't know how that translates in terms of time. I also saw the hotel stays had multiple long surveys, but still, 16 hours!?

Here's SOME of what you should expect for a Coyle hotel survey "package":
...
One of my recent hotel evaluations had 37 pages of single spaced, 10 pt. font text - just for the narratives. Expect to capture approximately 30-40 images that need to be uploaded, and formatted and labeled to their specifications.

You may also find this thread helpful: www.mysteryshopforum.com/read/6/447295/447633#msg-447633

Good luck with your dining shop.

Thank you for all this information! We have 2 young kids, so hotel shops are probably not in our future anyway unless they require bringing the children.

I read through the other thread, but don't see any recommendations for MSCs that might be easier than Coyle but still have high-end shops. I'd really like to enjoy a fine meal and do an appropriate (i.e., not exorbitant) amount of reviewing after. Any suggestions?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2017 07:00PM by palooka.

I've done some Bestmark dining shops in my area and they are $50 with no fee, which covers the costs of an entree each with appetizer and one drink. I haven't seen any dining fee shops yet but the restaurant ones have been well known establishments. Their dining reports are not as onerous as the example given above. You still have to do some timing but not to the detail.

Bestmark is one of the larger well known companies and it makes sense to stay in their good graces. You never know what clients they will get.

Even though the $50 just barely covers the cost of meal/tip, I look at it as a night out with minimal expenses out of pocket. A date night.

I remember doing some Bestmark casual dining shops that only reimbursed $25-$40 for two people. Getting $50 seems okay to me. Reality Based Group has a casual dining shop that is also reimbursement only and I think it is $35 for two people. The best way to look at those types of shops is as a discounted meal, since you can't get anything more than menu items that are on the lower end of the price spectrum to come in under the reimbursement.

You would not be able to concentrate on all of the many details you need to pay attention to on a hotel shop with Coyle if you brought your kids. There are too many opportunities for them to screw it up for you and then you will be out your hotel reimbursement (think $500 or more for a 2-night stay) plus your pay. Even the most well-behaved children can be distracting and demanding. Regal also has some pretty nice hotel shops and not quite as many details, but still would be hard with kids present. Your best bet would be A-Closer-Look, but those are generally reimbursement only and don't pay any sort of fee.

@palooka wrote:

Thanks everyone!

Okay, so I did the shop. It was not fun. When I "revealed" to the clerk that I was from X client, she immediately jumped on me saying I "didn't let [her] finish." I hadn't even said that she failed to do X (though she did), I had just smiled and introduced myself. Then when I approached the manager (per my instructions) he got super suspicious and confused and was like uh, no, please go away.

Regarding BestMark, if they habitually leave you in the dark about specifics then I'm already done. Mystery shopping is definitely a lifestyle thing for me, or at least that's the goal. The spouse and I are professionals making a good living, we're just trying to keep to a budget. I happen to like food and I enjoy writing reviews.

one thing I like about them is that they will give you a zip code and the type of establishment. For example one of their clients is a burger place. The description will tell you what level of burger place this is, along with the zip code. It's very easy to google and find out the name of the establishment.

also, I've done that shop you are referring you and based on what you've written, you did not follow shop instructions. The instructions said to ask for a manager then either present the "award" or ask them a specific question. You did not have to interact with the cashier.

Their reimbursements are typically 50, 60 or 100 for restaurants. I've done several restaurants shops for them and typically go over no more than $10-$15 and that's only if I'm having an alcoholic beverage. The nights we choose not to drink, i've always remained in budget.

They are one of my fav msc because they PAY ON TIME, PAY WEEKLY and your reports are due the next morning. Not some ridiculous 8 or 12 hour time cap.

This is a perfect example of why mystery shopping companies are not one size fits all. The zip code and type of business rarely works for me unless it is something unique like a car dealer. A burger restaurant along with zip code would narrow it down to about 150 possibilities, LOL!

@eyelove2shop wrote:

one thing I like about them is that they will give you a zip code and the type of establishment. For example one of their clients is a burger place. The description will tell you what level of burger place this is, along with the zip code. It's very easy to google and find out the name of the establishment.

@eyelove2shop wrote:

also, I've done that shop you are referring you and based on what you've written, you did not follow shop instructions. The instructions said to ask for a manager then either present the "award" or ask them a specific question. You did not have to interact with cashier.

My instructions said to observe if a question was asked of other customers and whether you were asked the question. Although a purchase was not required, you were supposed to begin the purchase to allow a chance to be asked the question. A cashier interaction was a requirement, I believe.

@Threemom wrote:

@eyelove2shop wrote:

also, I've done that shop you are referring you and based on what you've written, you did not follow shop instructions. The instructions said to ask for a manager then either present the "award" or ask them a specific question. You did not have to interact with cashier.

My instructions said to observe if a question was asked of other customers and whether you were asked the question. Although a purchase was not required, you were supposed to begin the purchase to allow a chance to be asked the question. A cashier interaction was a requirement, I believe.

It said a purchase (un-reimbursed) was okay so I could interact with the cashier (question part). I was also supposed to take a photo of any signage, and the only signage was on the counter and on the CC pin-pad. Although I had heard the cashier fail to ask for a donation, there was no way for me to take a photo without going up to the register.
Not being snarky, I'm serious: how should I have handled that differently? The directions emphasized that I should have fun, and the triggers for presenting the award weren't very clear: what should I do if there was some signage, but no donation request? It seemed like I was supposed to present the award for any level of participation. Right?

I felt like my options were:
A) Make a small purchase, take the photo, and then when the cashier was weirded out by me taking a photo smile and say "actually I'm with X, and I'd love to thank your manager for promoting this program." <-- What I did because I was trying to keep things positive.
B ) Make a small purchase, take the photo, and then ignore the cashier being weirded out. Ask for a manager, which I worried would make her defensive and think she was in trouble. Again, the instructions were focused on having fun, so I didn't want to worry her.
C) Leave without any clear photo of the signs, and without trying to present the award.

I guess I could have tried for a more discreet photo, but because it was a counter-cling and pin-pad I had to be right in front of the cashier.

What would the pros (you) have done differently?


Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2017 04:26AM by palooka.

The guidelines were clear about what triggered giving the award and what the photo should be. I don't know if there are different versions of this shop...mine did not ask for a photo of the signage, I just completed a checklist for different types. The cashier interaction checked to see if they mentioned the promo (you could abandon the purchase at that point if desired). If there were signs OR the cashier mentioned the question, you present the award to the cashier and ask to speak to the manager to thank them for participating. My photo was of the employee with the award. In your case, the signs were enough to give the award, plus you would report about whether it was also verbally promoted. Were you making this too hard? I merely said "X sent me in to say thanks and to send them a picture of you with their thank-you note."

"Say cheese", (click), and out the door I went!

@Threemom wrote:

The guidelines were clear about what triggered giving the award and what the photo should be. I don't know if there are different versions of this shop...mine did not ask for a photo of the signage, I just completed a checklist for different types. The cashier interaction checked to see if they mentioned the promo (you could abandon the purchase at that point if desired). If there were signs OR the cashier mentioned the question, you present the award to the cashier and ask to speak to the manager to thank them for participating. My photo was of the employee with the award. In your case, the signs were enough to give the award, plus you would report about whether it was also verbally promoted. Were you making this too hard? I merely said "X sent me in to say thanks and to send them a picture of you with their thank-you note."

"Say cheese", (click), and out the door I went!

Based on the response by @eyelove2shop, it seems that there are multiple versions of the instructions. I'd have to go find the printout of mine (or is there a way to retrieve old job guidelines from the BestMark website?), but I walked in with 3 goals that I felt were pretty salient from my instructions:
1) Get a photo of signage
2) Present the award to a manager
3) Take a photo of the manager with the award

Oh, and have a super fun time!

I promise, I wouldn't have put myself into such an awkward situation just for kicks. It was also the after-work rush at a downtown location, and I was some weirdo wanting to take their photo. Frankly, I don't blame the employees for being annoyed and weirded out. Should I have just declined the shop? I kind of knew it would not go well, lol.

You were supposed to find out if they were participating in the campaign. There were three ways to determine.

1. Look for signage
2. Observe interactions with other customers to see if they were promoting
3. If no customers were present, you could make a purchase to see if you would be asked.

Of course a purchase was not necessary which is why if you did not find any signage or observe any promotion you were to ask for a manager, tell the manager you heard about the campaign and ask if they were participating. Then record the managers response.

I walked up to the register and looked to see if there was signage. After confirmation, I asked for the manager then said i was with blah blah and handed them the award. Once I gave them the reward, I asked if I could take a photo of them with it, when they said no, I just took a photo of the signage on the counter.

@eyelove2shop wrote:

You were supposed to find out if they were participating in the campaign. There were three ways to determine.

1. Look for signage
2. Observe interactions with other customers to see if they were promoting
3. If no customers were present, you could make a purchase to see if you would be asked.

Of course a purchase was not necessary which is why if you did not find any signage or observe any promotion you were to ask for a manager, tell the manager you heard about the campaign and ask if they were participating. Then record the managers response.

I walked up to the register and looked to see if there was signage. After confirmation, I asked for the manager then said i was with blah blah and handed them the award. Once I gave them the reward, I asked if I could take a photo of them with it, when they said no, I just took a photo of the signage on the counter.

Okay, so I should have approached the registers to see if there were signs, then asked for a manager, then tried to present the award, and then taken photos of the counter clings?

Edited to add: If I sound dense on this thread, it's because 1) I'm new to this and am grateful for helpful advice, and 2) I'm trying to assume that the responses are meant to be helpful, as opposed to making me feel even sh**ttier about an embarrassing and pointless experience.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2017 03:27AM by palooka.

No, don't feel bad. I'm a beginner too! We're all here to share information and learn. Just read the shop instructions fully before feeling defeated. The account managers at bestmark are super friendly and helpful. They actually answer phones and questions. They would probably unassigned you with no penalty because it was your first shop. Don't be afraid to reach out to the msc.
.

I've done the shop you talked about. The instructions were fairly clear to me. If there was signage anywhere in the store or on the windows then they are participating, regardless if the cashier asks a customer for a donation. If the store did participate then you ask the cashier to get the manager. You present the award and ask for permission to take a photo for social media purposes for the good cause. I took photos of the signage for proof of participation and of employees. If the store didn't participate then you ask the manager if they are participating and record response.

I've learned from the shops that for me to get paid I need to show proof (via photos, name of employees, etc) that gives me credibility and attention to detail.

@7star wrote:

I've done the shop you talked about. The instructions were fairly clear to me. If there was signage anywhere in the store or on the windows then they are participating, regardless if the cashier asks a customer for a donation. If the store did participate then you ask the cashier to get the manager. You present the award and ask for permission to take a photo for social media purposes for the good cause. I took photos of the signage for proof of participation and of employees. If the store didn't participate then you ask the manager if they are participating and record response.

I've learned from the shops that for me to get paid I need to show proof (via photos, name of employees, etc) that gives me credibility and attention to detail.

That's why I went to the register. I was afraid if I left without any photos of signage and without attempting to present the award that I wouldn't get any credit.

As long as you got photos of signage and you presented award you should be ok. All the employee interactions with you should have happened at the registers. I hung around the registers to see if the cashiers asked about the donations. I didn't wait in line. I just pretended to be browsing.

We're all learning to do these shops !

@7star wrote:

As long as you got photos of signage and you presented award you should be ok. All the employee interactions with you should have happened at the registers. I hung around the registers to see if the cashiers asked about the donations. I didn't wait in line. I just pretended to be browsing.

We're all learning to do these shops !

Thanks. <3

Would you believe I write research stimuli for high-science brands as part of my profession? Lol.

I don't even understand your job.

I go into these shops thinking I have to get all the information I can because we're at the whim of these editors.