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Ugh! Will my shop get rejected if..

May 10, 2023 11:54PM
..we started eating our food before I remembered to take pictures! Do I even bother filling out the report or is that an automatic rejection. The company is Reality Based Groups
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May 11, 2023 02:40AM
Send in the photos you took and hope for the best. You will for sure not be paid if you don't submit a report.
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May 11, 2023 04:15AM
Well, if this shop required you to take pictures of the food before changing its appearance in any way, then you did not do the shop correctly and you should not use those pictures in a report. If I were you, I would not fill out the report. Instead, I would reach out to the scheduler and offer to reshop. I hope the food was at least good.
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May 11, 2023 04:15AM
In the past I have turned the plate around the other way so that you could not see the bites I took out of my plate, and take the pictures. I don't remember having to take pictures of my food at the restaurant that I used to do shops at for RBG.
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May 11, 2023 01:51PM
I've had shops accepted in that situation. I took the best picture I could, explained, apologized and offered to reshop.
They accepted what I had

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer
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May 11, 2023 02:23PM
I have only completed a single dining assignment that required pics; as such, I was not programmed to take pics of food. Sure enough, after a few bites, I realized my error. As has been mentioned, I adjusted the plate and self cropped the pic; all was well.
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May 11, 2023 02:56PM
@prince wrote:

I've had shops accepted in that situation. I took the best picture I could, explained, apologized and offered to reshop.
They accepted what I had

I've done that on a couple of occasions, too. Emailed the scheduler to alert her, did and submitted the report, and got paid.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
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May 11, 2023 04:24PM
I, too, am guilty. Twice I slightly adjusted the food so as not to expose the bite I had taken before remembering to photograph my food. Fortunately, only one bite!

Agree with above: notify, offer to reshop, go ahead and submit the report (not in that order, LOL ).

Edited to add: That's twice in 15 years.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2023 04:25PM by ceasesmith.
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May 11, 2023 05:42PM
I was at a fine dining place and they brought me the wrong appetizer but it had similar ingredients so I assumed I had misread the menu and started eating it. (having taken all the necessary pictures). The waiter noticed I was eating the wrong dish and corrected the mistake. Mentally I had taken the pictures for this course so we started eating this as well. Ended up ordering a second order at the bar after dinner...wasn't going to have a $200 + shop rejected and so I spent the extra money.
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May 11, 2023 06:57PM
I did it once with an appetizer. Took the photos of what was left, but lucky for me a nearby table ordered the same appy so I grabbed a picture while it sat on the server's tray right next to my table...phewie..It did look exactly the same as mine.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain
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May 11, 2023 07:08PM
haha that's great, talk about good timing on the other table having the same appetizer!
@MsJudi wrote:

I did it once with an appetizer. Took the photos of what was left, but lucky for me a nearby table ordered the same appy so I grabbed a picture while it sat on the server's tray right next to my table...phewie..It did look exactly the same as mine.
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May 11, 2023 07:11PM
I always take a picture of my food at eat-in restaurants, whether it is a mystery shop or not. It builds a routine and habit so that I am less likely to forget the pic on a real shop.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2023 08:37PM by AZwolfman.
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May 11, 2023 07:14PM
BOTH my guest and I put salad dressing on our salads before picturing them for a lobster shop. I submitted the report and explained what we did and emailed the scheduler for guidance. She couldn't guarantee that the company would pay for the report, but they did.
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May 11, 2023 08:42PM
Update: I hid my bites and submitted it. Scored 10/10 on the shop LOL

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2023 03:11AM by tcolwell.
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May 11, 2023 09:07PM
I once took a sip of a drink before I remembered to take a pic of it. Photo editing made the glass look full again, haha!
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May 12, 2023 02:07AM
@AZwolfman wrote:

I always take a picture of my food at eat-in restaurants, whether it is a mystery shop or not. I builds a routine and habit so that I am less likely to forget the pic on a real shop.

I'm going to start doing this from now on, as I forgot three photos on the last dine-in shop I did. It was the first such shop (not upscale, but not fast-casual, either) I'd done since before the pandemic. I've done several other dine-in shops since then, but the photo requirements weren't as extensive, and I didn't miss any.

This time I made up my "checklist" on my phone notes, but forgot to add the photos required. Duh. And I missed some. Had a major brain lapse. So from now on, I'm takin' pictures of everything I eat and drink at every meal I eat in a restaurant! At least until the habit is so ingrained in me that I can't forget!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
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May 12, 2023 01:03PM
I never take pictures of my food unless it is for a shop.
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May 12, 2023 01:08PM
I feel like its extremely unethical to take a picture and submit it if the food has been compromised in any way. I am unsure how this could effect the kitchen staff, etc.. I continually remind my guests and myself of this requirement. One technique that we have used for several years is that as soon as the food arrives, one of my children will say, "I need to go to the restroom," or my husband will look at me and say, "Oh, I need to wash my hands..." or something like that. This is a good reason for me to not start eating right away and I take all of the pictures while he (or they) are in the restroom. This has become habit on these type of shops. Otherwise, its sometimes awkward to just start taking pictures and not eating. This was especially true before the days of snapchat, etc..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2023 01:10PM by gigishopper.
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May 12, 2023 08:36PM
It is not at all uncommon for me to see other dining guests take pictures of their food while I am in a restaurant. Once, while on a dining shop in a buffet, I had to wait for a guest to finish taking pictures of the dessert display before I could take my shop photos.
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