I have been trying to apply for A Closer Look, as a shopper but, I have not gotten accepted. Do they have age ranges they are looking for, or do they have a lot of shoppers, and are not looking for new shoppers?

What reason did they give you for your lack of acceptance? They are definitely looking or new shoppers. After providing your personal information, there is a requirement to submit a writing sample. Did you do that?

If so, when? What response did you receive?

I might have had to resubmit my writing sample, now that you have mentioned that. One company asked me to describe the food and service better, I will have to search my inbox. I get confused because I have been submitting so many applications. Another company did not hire me either. I forgot which one that was. Thanks for replying.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2015 04:59AM by breestjon.

ACL relies heavily on the writing sample and will expect a high level of proficiency and good details.

I can write at a college level, but I have to learn what descriptions the companies want. I have not done any eat in restaurants. Does anyone have an example of a restaurant review with not just the food, but the service? One application wanted me to describe rice and salad. I have had many waitress jobs, and served food. I have never had to write about it. Is there a thread in this forum about writing reviews about services? I have been doing banks, fast food, and convenience stores. I would appreciate any advice.

Your mindset should be to tell me about a restaurant visit so that I can sort of experience it with you. No opinions, just observations. Use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. Reread what you write to make sure it flows. Because they only need a paragraph or two, set the stage with the first paragraph and then focus more closely and descriptively in the second. An example, so don't quote me . . .

"We recently visited Barbie's Diner on a Friday night. The restaurant was ninety percent full, but the hostess seated us at a cozy table in the corner and told us our server would be with us in a moment. Nancy greeted us promptly, introducing herself and asking if she could start us off with something to drink, mentioning they had drafts, bottled beers, wines, iced tea and sodas. We placed our beverage orders and perused the menu while she went to bring them. When she returned with our beverages, Nancy asked if we were ready to order and we said we were. I asked about the Thermonuclear Burger and whether the spiciness was in the sauce only or in the toppings as well. Nancy told me that the heat was all in the sauce, so I ordered that with sauce on the side. She did not ask me about whether I wanted to substitute anything for the fries, which the menu indicated was a possibility. My companion ordered the Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich combo.

Ten minutes after our meals were ordered, Nancy brought them to the table and set them in front of the wrong diners. We quickly did a plate switch as Nancy asked if there was anything else we needed. She then left the table. The Tomato Soup was a bowl of creamy soup that was steamy hot. My companion indicated it had good flavor but that it also had a surprising amount of spicy heat to it. The grilled cheese sandwich was nicely toasted on white bread and had been cut on the diagonal. There were two colors of cheese oozing from the sandwich, the American white and the Colby Cheddar. The plate was served with a packet of saltines for the soup. My Thermonuclear Burger was served on a toasted sesame seed bun. It was served with the top ajar to show the lettuce, tomato, avocado and raw red onion. I tasted the sauce on the side and it was much too spicy for me, so I rather chose ketchup from the table for it and my fries. I had not been given a choice as to the degree of doneness on my burger and it was served medium well done. The patty generously covered the bun and was thick enough to be satisfying. The burger had good taste and textures. The plate was heaped with fries that were golden brown with a crisp exterior and a soft interior but were unseasoned. Overall the quality of the food was good and reasonably priced."

Note that everything in your narrative needs to be in past tense. There are no 'forward looking' or present tense statements.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2015 05:07PM by Flash.

Thanks, I have been using Grammarly, to catch errors. Maybe, I will look for a free creative writing course. The MSPA is going to offer the writing workshop included in the October shopper fest DVDs. They are $99 for members. Once, I get more shops, I can invest more into the business. Thanks Again!

Frankly there is very little 'creative' about most of the writing you will do as a shopper. It really is more formulaic and once you look at the questions being asked by a particular shop/MSC you will quickly see that it is generally the outline on which they want you to hang your narrative. The first paragraph above is pretty much a composite of some of the questions in several sections of a typical ACL restaurant shop while the second paragraph is a composite of some of the questions from two other sections of it. When I am doing an actual shop each section has its own narrative and the questions on which to hang it. For every 'no' question with them you need to have a comment in your narrative. The above 'sample' was just to give you the idea that you are expected to observe that which is compliant as well as that which is not.

Until you are accustomed to always writing in the past tense and simply 'telling the story' with detail but little embellishment, shop narratives feel awkward. That is why I always suggest that you have a piece you write up and save about a dining experience, "Why I would make a good shopper", "My best shopping experience", and "My worst shopping experience". These don't have to be real. Like the above example, these could be complete fabrications. Then when you go to register with a company, you have your written/proof read/read aloud for continuity/tweaked narrative ready to copy and paste into their registration form.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2015 08:19PM by Flash.

You just want to says what happened from the moment you stepped into the restaurant to the time that you left in plain and simple terms, for example, " I entered the restaurant and was greeted with a friendly, up beat greeting. She asked how many and I told her two. She asked me to follow her". Something like that but you don't have to be exact as far as conversations, just tell what happened, how it started, what happened in the middle and how it ended. You can describe the presentation of the food and the temperature, but not necessarily how great or how nasty the food may have been.
I am with a Closer Look and they are particular, but a good and worthwhile company. Use that same sample with each company you apply with and by the way, not all companies request a writing sample.

I did write another sample and sent it to A Closer Look. Then I got an email that I was accepted. So, it had to have been alright. I do have a couple written paragraphs with my worse and best retail experiences, in case I have to use one. The companies, I have been doing shops for have been giving me either an 8 or 10 rating. The 8's are mostly for phone shops. I have been keeping busy, I like the work. I had no idea you could make the kind of money some shops offer. So, I try to mix in some easier shops and a bank shop when I got out on a route. Next, is organizing my home office and I am going to look through the threads, or make a new one.

Sounds like you are off to a very good start. Enjoy!