Pret A Manger

I went there for the first time on a shop. Why is their coffee so bad? I liked their half sandwiches. I didn't overdo it on the calories and I stayed under reimbursement.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

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My is everything so bad? I don't like places that ASSume I want what they think I want on a sandwich.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
Yeah, bgriff, nothing is made to order. Their latte was beyond awful.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
I get an Americano. Not quite as lousy. But I hate that I can't customize my order.
Jenn, I will have to try that one. That's made by a barista, right?

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Are these shops still live? I had stopped seeing them a few months ago. Are they still with the same MSC that has had them for years, or have they moved recently?
I don't know who the old MSC was, but the shops are definitely live. Check your oil change MSCs.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Mod note: Post removed as it breached the Forum guideline which states, "Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies". Additionally, it is usually an ICA violation to name both the MSC and client.
great, thanks, assigned to the one near my office, appreciate it!
Glad you caught it!

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
@shop-a-holic wrote:

Are these shops still live? I had stopped seeing them a few months ago. Are they still with the same MSC that has had them for years, or have they moved recently?

The Pret shops are now with a different MSC than the one that had them for years, sadly. They’re also only lunch shops M-F now, and they only pay $5 plus a $12 food reimbursement (which you probably have to wait 60 days for). The food is overpriced and their protein portions in sandwiches and salads are very small. I did lots of these shops for the old MSC and they were bonused nicely. The terms under the new MSC are okay if you like the food enough to essentially work for free and have time in the middle of the day. In NYC, your public transportation cost is more than the shop fee. The new MSC has had no trouble filling these shops for the low pay. If the food was great I’d consider applying, but it’s not.

The hot chocolate is good there.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2018 09:18AM by nycrocks.
NY, I'm so sorry you don't like the new guidelines. I was introduced to the cafe and the shop under the new guidelines and MSC, so I have nothing to compare it to. I'm happy my first shop was under the reimbursement and I'm getting a fee. Luckily, the one that I sign up for is walking distance from my job, so it's a perfect place for lunch and a midday coffee.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
It's kind of a no-brainer​ situation to me, since I already buy my food there on the days I go to my office (very close by)...I will be curious to see how the report is. That will make or break my desire to do it a second time.
Barefoot, the report is very simple! It doesn't require pics of your food or hot drink, just the building exterior and your receipt. The narrative is light and there are check boxes.

Which location are you shopping? I go for a walk every day at lunch, so Union Station, Metro Center and Capitol Hill are all doable for me. This last time I did Capitol Hill because I had to go to my bank.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2018 11:18PM by HonnyBrown.
The Americano is made by the barista. (And the Cap Hill one is the one I always shopped for the old company...)
I frequent the one at Farragut West Metro. That is my usual food stop when I am working in the area.
Okay. We aren't competing for the same shops.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
I don't have the time in my schedule to search out any other locations and I wouldn't anyway...since it's just a quick on-the-go grab. I am near a Buffalo Wild Wings in NoVA and hope to figure that one out next...that is the true mystery of mystery shopping lol.
BWW isn't shopped in this area anymore. I did the Navy Yard after work and the two near home on the weekends. Not anymore.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
I do the downtown Pret shops too. Agree on the coffee but I actually like the food. And if I do multiples in a day, I can bring home bakery treats to my hubby. The pay is chump change but there are a few within walking distance from my office so its super easy to do during lunch. I almost never find shops I can squeeze in during my lunch break. Pret and Peet’s are my fav to grab.
My coffee experience with them is so erratic. It totally depends on the barista. On my last shop, my cappuccino was 3/4 foam but I have also had really great lattes there. I do miss the old MSC since I was able to get some great bonuses for these. I really like the food and there are a whole bunch near me so if I am going to be in the area around lunch it beats fast food.
I doubt this area would get bonused. I'm doing one on Monday and I'm getting an Americana.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
HonnyBrown,

The most important differences in the old vs. the new MSC is the old MSC gave you flexibility with time and dates, plus I made $30 per shop plus the $12 reimbursement. Either the client cut back drastically on what they are willing to pay or the new MSC is keeping a lot more of the fee for itself.

Under the new MSC guidelines, you can only shop the same location again in what? 90 days? The old MSC never had those restrictions. If they existed, the scheduler never mentioned them.

Now you have something to compare your experience to! I’m sure you can understand my reluctance to want to work for less than thr cost of the bus or subway fare to get to the restaurant.

I generally don’t work for any MSC that pays less than $20 for a shop fee.

Travel time to and from: 1 hour
Time to be the restaurant: 30-45 minutes
Time to do report: 1 hour
Supper fee plus reimbursement: $17
Minus $5.50 Transportation cost: $11.50
Hourly rate: $4.60
Time to wait for reimbursement: 60 days?

The old MSC also didn’t include the reimbursements as income on a 1099. I’m not sure how the new MSC handles it. Of course you can deduct the reimbursement later but it’s just one more thing that makes the old MSC more attractive for thee shops,

@HonnyBrown wrote:

NY, I'm so sorry you don't like the new guidelines. I was introduced to the cafe and the shop under the new guidelines and MSC, so I have nothing to compare it to. I'm happy my first shop was under the reimbursement and I'm getting a fee. Luckily, the one that I sign up for is walking distance from my job, so it's a perfect place for lunch and a midday coffee.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2018 10:19PM by nycrocks.
The rotation is 30 days and the pay is the following month. The times are restrictive (lunchtime, M-F), but you can order whatever food you want. The fee is $5 and the reimbursement is $10.

That works for me!

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
I'm doing these more often because the old MSC seemed to have at least a two month rotation. (It was an MSC that doesn't publish an official rotation but won't let you see a job until you're up for it again.) It's certainly the healthiest quick lunch shop that is close to me, and the service is almost always excellent. The report is fairly similar but has been tweaked a few times -- at this point I can actually do it in under 10 minutes, including photo uploads. Small bonuses pop up enough that I'm pretty much making what I did with the old MSC (which did not offer bonuses in my area) and getting a lot more free food.
I did the one closest to my work yesterday. The last time I did it was in February. I had the Flat White coffee and it wasn't horrible. The salmon salad was awesome.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
I agree with NY, the new MSC is more reserved with the fees and bonuses. I was able to grab a bonused shop once. I still do these, as I have 3 locations within walking distance from my office, and one of them is literally in the lobby of my building. But definitely not worth traveling for. I also find the reimbursement hardly covers the required purchase. You are limited to just the sandwiches, if you want to get a hot item or a salad bowl, you go over the $12 limit.
First, more often than not, I read your name as NY Crocks, which is my own fault.

Second, I only took PaM shops with the old company because I got crazy great bonuses. The report wasn't terrible, but it was tedious. If the reports are easier with the new MSC, then I can see people taking them for the food. I know my freezer used to be full of their cookies.
I prefer less food to a tedious report. I can do a freezer full of cookies!

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Were Pret shops posted for this week?
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