SteveSoCal Wrote:
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> cake... Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Well for me...that would require having any of
> > those places within reasonable distance of me.
>
>
> You'll have to pardon my ignorance of the F&B
> outlets of rural America.
>
> Not that I expect sympathy, but I sometimes have
> to sit in traffic and then wait 30-40 minutes just
> to get a seat at the vegan restaurant!
>
> When I was a scheduler, I used to have an upscale
> raw food restaurant in NYC that was shopped. The
> restaurant is still around but the owners dropped
> the program when the shoppers had trouble
> understanding the concept :^(


No worries, I was at first mystified at the ins and outs of big cities I was born and raised, and now live, in a smallish suburb. I'm lucky to live in a central part of my city, so I have my grocery stores, restaurants, movie theater, and shops within 10 minutes. Driving more than 20 minutes is generally reserved for special occasions.

I am definitely with the CIA. Mystery shopping is just my really brilliant cover.

-covert-

SAMMYSLY Wrote:
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> I swear some of the people on this forum think
> they are in the CIA!


I've been hoping to get in the CIA for years! Does anyone know who shops it?

See: [www.ciachef.edu]

Can't tell you the MSC for the CIA because of the ICA.

However, if you know the MSCs for the MI6 AND KGB, you probably know they do competitor shops for the CIA.

Holy cow, that's funny!

BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz Wrote:
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> Can't tell you the MSC for the CIA because of the
> ICA.
>
> However, if you know the MSCs for the MI6 AND KGB,
> you probably know they do competitor shops for the
> CIA.

At least once a year, I plan to spend a part of my day doing nothing but sitting at my computer and signing up with new companies. I make a pot of coffee and sit in my bathrobe for the majority of the day, checking Volition and any other site that offers free lists of MS companies. I also do job board searches on the MSPA website. I usually find several companies that I am not signed up with. I have been shopping since 2001, got my MSPA gold certification in 2003, and I am probably signed up with 200 different companies at this point. Sometimes you just have to take the hard road. Just about everyone who posts here did that and that's how they got where they are. It's really not that difficult, just time consuming.


cinemaphile Wrote:
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> Look, I know we are not allowed to post or tell
> anyone which companies shop which clients. But I
> am looking for a lot of places and have a way to
> do it within the rules, and maybe we can both
> benefit:
>
> Rather than improperly ask anyone to tell me who
> shops these clients, I instead want to list places
> I hope to shop, and if you know who does any of
> them, I ask you to just refer me to these
> companies (whether it's one where you give them my
> info, or one where you send me to their site and I
> just say who referred me). No one has revealed
> clients, you're just making a referral.
> Hopefully some of these places have referral
> bonuses that you can cash in on from me!
>
> I'm looking for any of these places: Chili's, Ruby
> Tuesday, Red Robin, Olive Garden, Outback,
> LoneStar Steakhouse, KFC, Long John Silvers, Taco
> Bell, Red Lobster, Old Chicago, Thunder Bay Grill,
> Famous Dave's, Pizza Hut, any movie theater shops
> (other than Marketforce/Certified)

cinemaphile - Regarding the Judgmental @#$%& Club.

Thank you for your congratulations but they are premature. There are many here who are fully qualified and my chances may be slim, but I plan to campaign hard and cut no slack. I am hoping you plan to make application to join the club. I would support your membership fully as I think you've got what it takes to be an outstanding member. Also, you already appreciate how snarky and condescending I can be, so maybe I would have an inside shot at getting your vote. One can only hope.

SAMMYSLY - Regarding the CIA.

This is the first mention I have noted that some of us think we are in the CIA. Do you think so? Or did you read that someone else thinks so? This is intriguing. Do you think our undercover work as mystery shoppers qualifies us for membership? I was not aware this might be possible. I thought we had to be hired and go through rigorous training, as per Jody whatshername's experience in The Silence of the Lambs. Or was Jody in the Secret Service? I remember something about long runs wearing those cute little running shorts and sweating up a storm. I'm 74 and I'm sure I can't run very far. I could wear the cute little shorts but it wouldn't be the same. Do you think they'll make an exception? Please get back to me with more information. Can't wait.

Holy cats that's funny! <3

BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can't tell you the MSC for the CIA because of the
> ICA.
>
> However, if you know the MSCs for the MI6 AND KGB,
> you probably know they do competitor shops for the
> CIA.

BusyBee - We should have a Poster's Hall of Fame, and this post should be No. 1. This clever, funny, and superior post is absolutely the best I've seen on the forum. Kudos.



BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can't tell you the MSC for the CIA because of the
> ICA.
>
> However, if you know the MSCs for the MI6 AND KGB,
> you probably know they do competitor shops for the
> CIA.

Awww, thanks.

BusyBee, funny stuff.

Mary, I don't want to leave you out, cuz you make me laugh hard and often.

Steve, maybe we can be classmates. Going to the CIA has always been a dream of mine

Stevesocal, you sound sooooo California!

SteveSoCal, if you honestly believe that people in N.Y.C. are not capable of understanding the concept of an upscale raw food restaurant, then you leave me no choice but to nominate you for MDavisnowell's Judgemental @#$%& club!

peachgirl, I didn't read Steve's post that way. I think he was commenting specifically on the shoppers he scheduled or tried to schedule for that one raw food restaurant client, not commenting generally on people in NYC. I mean, come on, it boggles the mind to think NYC doesn't have people who are very knowledgeable about a raw food diet.

Busy is correct. The restaurant in question is still going strong and the NYC public in general loves it, but shoppers failed to see the point of it. They kept complaining about the food not being hot....

New Yorkers have great healthy food options. I just think many healthy eaters tend to shy away from mystery shopping because of the unhealthy food requirements when starting out.

My first year mystery shopping I gained a lot of weight. I didn't understand the negative health aspect of the required meals or know the industry well enough to make better decisions about the shops I took. It's taken me many years to modify my diet and types of mystery shops I take to maintain a somewhat healthy diet while working as a shopper.

My GF is vegan and we have performed hundreds of dining shops together. I was skeptical at first about finding enough restaurants that we could shop, but we have actually travelled throughout the US and Europe while shopping, and managed to get by. Vegas is probably the hardest city of all for healthy food, but it's still possible!

LisaSTL Wrote:
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> BusyBee, funny stuff.
>
> Mary, I don't want to leave you out, cuz you make
> me laugh hard and often.
>
> Steve, maybe we can be classmates. Going to the
> CIA has always been a dream of mine


For the past weeks I've been reading about CIA and James Bond stuff while in between MSC shopping and I never imagined I was in the midst of it. How snarky can you really get to qualify? Reading about the CIA association with the @#$%& Club, where do I get the form?

SteveSoCal, my bad!

Years!
peachgirl Wrote:
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> The problem here cinemaphile, is that most of us
> spend tons of time signing up with companies!
> It's hard work to find the shops that we covet the
> most, and most shoppers won't just give up the
> names of their favs!

peachgirl Wrote:
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> SteveSoCal, my bad!


Look at that! East cost and west coast getting along. :^)

Oh, and the first rule of @#$%& Club is; Don't talk about @#$%& Club! Shhh...

SteveSoCal Wrote:
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> Oh, and the first rule of @#$%& Club is; Don't
> talk about @#$%& Club! Shhh...

That's the JUDGMENTAL @#$%& Club, thank you very much!

The second rule of the Judgmental @#$%& Club is being judgmental, snarky and condescending.

=D

What would you know, newbie!

With all due respect, I would like to be referred to as judgmental BASTARD....;^)

I'd be happy with a casual dining!! All they have to shop here is FF! If I hear "do you want fries with that?" one more time..........

Jody Foster was jogging at the FBI training facility at Quantico, Virginia. It shares some facilities with Marine Base Quantico.

The FBI tends to get called in on most kidnapping cases because there is some sort of presumption that the case will inevitably cross jurisdictional boundries. Since, unlike Britain, we do not have a national police force, the FBI and the U. S. Marshal's Service tend to be called upon to fill a few specific gaps. At least that's what I was taught. YMMV

I though we were discussing the Culinary Institute of America...

How did the FBI get involved?

Your wish is my command. Can I just shorten it to JB?

You and I were talking about the Culinary Institute of America

SteveSoCal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What would you know, newbie!
>
> With all due respect, I would like to be referred
> to as judgmental BASTARD....;^)

Read FBI are sticklers for rules, unlike CIA who are mysterious, like mystery shopping and most often deny the existence of their 'assets.' I am done with the CIA book and starting off with Robin Cook. Food Poisoning, anyone?

Did I hear MUSTARD? Prefer it to ketchup but I think the latter is more judgmental as it can squirt anywhere, especially in front of your blouse. Mustard just flops there.

Slow day to be here.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2012 09:00PM by risinghorizon.

I love this entire thread <3

LOL! I think you two were the only ones talking about the Culinary Institute of America!

Yes. I'm loathe to admit this, but I usually get Steve's sense of humor

Isn't it great and amazing how some threads that start somewhat negative end up in plain old silliness?

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Isn't it great and amazing how some threads that
> start somewhat negative end up in plain old
> silliness?


Yeah, kinda strange how that happens ;^)

I appreciate the kindred comedic sprit, however.