Embarrassing Mystery Shopping Moments

I am certain that I'm not the only one who has an awkward/embarrassing moment on a mystery shop.... I'd love to hear if others have one or two to share?

About a year ago, I was doing a breakfast shop in a cafe/bakery and, as I sat down in the chair at my table, the chair broke with an audible "crack" and nearly sent me sprawling. Thankfully, I saved my coffee. Though everybody around me noticed, no employees did. I brought the chair to the attention of the manager, who responded, "That's the third one this week!"

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

Time to go on a diet...just sayin...

Several years ago I was doing a Neiman cosmetics shop and when i gave my name, the associate called out another first name...to my surprise, it was my ex's wife, who had an account there......awkward.

Live consciously....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2018 07:40PM by Irene_L.A..

I did a Blaze about 6-ish months ago. My pizza is done. The guy put it on the counter for me to grab. Somehow I fumbled it and dropped it back on his end. For Blaze you need to take a pic of the pizza before touching it. They had to make another one for me. I did not include that in the report since I knew I would stand out if I did and because it was my fault.

I was walking out of a bank and tripped on the carpet at the door. I fell and everyone came running. I was so embarrassed I have never gone back to that branch again.

I had a small digital audio recorder running in my pocket during a shop. In the middle of my interaction with the associate, the recorder malfunctioned and started loudly playing back our conversation from a few minutes earlier!

@mitchk wrote:

I had a small digital audio recorder running in my pocket during a shop. In the middle of my interaction with the associate, the recorder malfunctioned and started loudly playing back our conversation from a few minutes earlier!

OMG.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

Time to go on a diet...just sayin...

Irene, you might appreciate my chair experience. During my first visit at a location, I tested all chairs before sitting on one. I found only one of many that was damaged. It had a loose spring, or something, and the chair moved like a crazy cartoon eyeball. So, I sat on it. Gingerly. And gathered my descriptive data for a report.(I did not call it a crazy eyeball in the report. Perhaps I should have done that ) I assumed that someone would give a damn about damaged furniture and do something about the crazy eyeball, I mean damaged chair.

On my next visit, this chair or one like it was in the chair mix. I did not break the chair. I found the broken chair. But I think someone mistakenly assumed that the fat broad must have broken the chair because.. you know, that is what fat people do. They break furniture just by being near it!

Bach is not noise, Madam. (Robert, in Two's Company)

@shop-et-al..I was actually replying to MJF's post about breaking chairs (three I believe), however, you are now a member of his chair breaking club....just be careful of spllinters...

Live consciously....

I only broke one myself.....it was the third that week for the cafe.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

@MFJohnston wrote:

I only broke one myself.....it was the third that week for the cafe.

o.k. much better...

Live consciously....

@mitchk wrote:

I had a small digital audio recorder running in my pocket during a shop. In the middle of my interaction with the associate, the recorder malfunctioned and started loudly playing back our conversation from a few minutes earlier!

Same thing happened to me. Fortunately it was a loud restaurant. It took me a while to figure out that I was hearing my own voice! I was on my way to get a pic of their menuboard so I was not speaking to anyone at the time.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2018 07:09AM by sandyf.

This happened during an O'Charley's shop. My guest had just given blood plasma minutes before and took his bandage off before entering the building. You guessed it, he bled all over the lobby. I mean everywhere.

MSPA Gold Certified 2003

Oh and eyespy reminds me of a parking job which I did near my dental office knowing I would be gone for hours and there is no free parking around. I was getting a procedure and the dentist pierced the membrane which resulted in a gazillion shots of deadening agents and many stitches and cutting. The dentist said it might bleed and my face was really numb. I checked in the mirror before leaving and my face looked perfectly normal even when I spoke. I spoke with the agent at the booth as required by the parking job and then drove through to the exit 10 feet away. As I waited to exit I saw blood all over my shirt. I could not feel or taste the blood gushing out since my face was numb. I will never know if the bleeding started 10 seconds before when I was at the booth or just then but the parking attendant said nothing, not even a raised eyebrow.

OMG SandyF. WHAT DID YOU DO???????????

What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.

@sassymmmm wrote:

OMG SandyF. WHAT DID YOU DO???????????

I drove all the way home thru los angeles traffic with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding as many tissues as i could under my nose and changing them out at red lights. When the dentist said it might bleed I thought she meant a trickle for a few seconds. But this was a fountain.That was the longest 8 miles. I just have to assume it did not start until I left the booth as I think the attendant would have said something.

I was doing a carryout dinner shop. As I was waiting got my food, I decided that it would be easier to just snap a photo of the associate rather than put notes into my phone. Whoops... I forgot to turn off the flash and took a very obvious photo of the extremely attractive young male associate that was about 30 years younger than me! He looked at me with a big smile and said that I could have just asked if I had wanted a photo of him. So embarrassing!! I said that I had just gotten an iPhone and that I couldn't find the right button to send a text. I'm pretty sure that he just thought I was a weird cougar woman!!

@mitchk wrote:

I had a small digital audio recorder running in my pocket during a shop. In the middle of my interaction with the associate, the recorder malfunctioned and started loudly playing back our conversation from a few minutes earlier!

I had that happen once, then I started using a cell phone for the recordings with a headphone that had a microphone attached. Haven't had that problem since. I always take it out of my ear and leave it draped around my neck. On cell phone shops if asked it is my work phone and it has to be answered in three rings or I can get written up my boss' boss is so anal. If I claim a 53 cent candy bar I had better have a receipt. Or that's what I tell them if they ask. one time I asked for a receipt and the guy then added taxes to it. But that store has been torn down and rebuilt by a bigger convenience store chain. Maybe they made him an offer that he couldn't refuse.

I threw away the receipt from a shop. Now we have these huge garbage bins for the whole block, so I was hanging head down in there, digging for my garbage bag from a few hours earlier. Yes, I found it.

@mitchk wrote:

I had a small digital audio recorder running in my pocket during a shop. In the middle of my interaction with the associate, the recorder malfunctioned and started loudly playing back our conversation from a few minutes earlier!

What did you do?

@Keppi wrote:

I threw away the receipt from a shop. Now we have these huge garbage bins for the whole block, so I was hanging head down in there, digging for my garbage bag from a few hours earlier. Yes, I found it.

That is why I take a pic of my receipt and email it to myself ASAP. Sometimes I will do it at the shop - in the restroom stall if need be. I could lose my Zillion $$$ phone but as long as I took the receipt pic and emailed it to myself - all is good! :-)

First, and it better be my last: i performed a super ez FF last Tues.. I went thru the DT and didn't get my meal... forgot till I drove out.. embarassingly, the cashier came out to give it to me....... red faced.

@amberngriffinco wrote:

First, and it better be my last: i performed a super ez FF last Tues.. I went thru the DT and didn't get my meal... forgot till I drove out.. embarassingly, the cashier came out to give it to me....... red faced.

Thanks for the early morning laugh!!!!

@SoCalDude wrote:

@Keppi wrote:

I threw away the receipt from a shop. Now we have these huge garbage bins for the whole block, so I was hanging head down in there, digging for my garbage bag from a few hours earlier. Yes, I found it.

That is why I take a pic of my receipt and email it to myself ASAP. Sometimes I will do it at the shop - in the restroom stall if need be. I could lose my Zillion $$$ phone but as long as I took the receipt pic and emailed it to myself - all is good! :-)

Yesterday I had my first loss of a receipt. I was doing a bunch of shops and somehow it got misplaced. It was for a grocery store that has a three day window so I figured I would have to go do the shop again today. I prayed that I would find the darn receipt somewhere, but it was no where to be found....until I opened the refrigerator and found it stuck to the juice carton I bought at said shop! I will NEVER misplace a receipt ever again!

And thank you for the early morning laugh

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

While doing my very first shoe shine shop at an airport, I was already nervous since I'd never had a shoe shine before, I'm making small talk with the employee. He asked the usual, where are you going? I said I was going to Seattle (I had already learned to check what flights are nearby) to watch my Brothers cat. Wouldn't you know he was from Seattle (I'm not)! Then a new round of questions, where does he live? My response, "Ummmmm, well he just moved there so I don't know really'. More questions follow, what does he do? I explained he managed a law firm. Yep, "really which one? my aunt is a legal secretary!" OMG!!! My response, "Oh it's a new one for him and I can't remember the name of the firm." Moving on, I had to ask a product question and since it was winter and I had leather boots on I asked how to take care of them if they got salt from snow and ice. He said, "You know they don't salt the roads in Seattle". Yikes. My response, "Oh well, I do go visit my Dad in CO" (where I know they do.)

I did a Starbucks shop where you pay with a certain credit card app. When I got paid for the shop, I went to apply the reimbursement to the card, and it was already zero. After digging into it, my default payment app (debit card) paid for the coffee. The credit card app never activated.

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

@pegleg2000 wrote:

I was walking out of a bank and tripped on the carpet at the door. I fell and everyone came running. I was so embarrassed I have never gone back to that branch again.

Gosh! I don't know why! For my medical records I have to keep a record of all my falls. So believe me when I say I fall on average once a month. I am already on par with that average this year. I have fallen every where, parking lots, cruise ships, porches, etc. I just crawl to the nearest stable place where I can get a grip and then I get up. Yes I crawl, it is easier for me to do it this way. I brush myself off , look around, and usually say with enthusiasm something like "Ah! I made it up again!" Hey, I might as well play it off, as long as I am not hurt.

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

@eveb wrote:

While doing my very first shoe shine shop at an airport, I was already nervous since I'd never had a shoe shine before, I'm making small talk with the employee. He asked the usual, where are you going? I said I was going to Seattle (I had already learned to check what flights are nearby) to watch my Brothers cat. Wouldn't you know he was from Seattle (I'm not)! Then a new round of questions, where does he live? My response, "Ummmmm, well he just moved there so I don't know really'. More questions follow, what does he do? I explained he managed a law firm. Yep, "really which one? my aunt is a legal secretary!" OMG!!! My response, "Oh it's a new one for him and I can't remember the name of the firm." Moving on, I had to ask a product question and since it was winter and I had leather boots on I asked how to take care of them if they got salt from snow and ice. He said, "You know they don't salt the roads in Seattle". Yikes. My response, "Oh well, I do go visit my Dad in CO" (where I know they do.)

That's why I ALAYS say I am going to KCMO/ Tulsa OK/ Nashville TN. I lived in each of these cities for years and can talk about them. If something has changed, I say "When did they do that? Um, I am so out of touch".

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

Unless you are "flying home," it shouldn't matter. Even if a family member lives in the city it could still be your first visit. And in all honesty, I have never known the name of the company where one brother works and am not entirely sure about the other brother's company because it has changed hands and names several times over the years.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2018 05:34PM by LisaSTL.

Before cell phones, I used to tuck a voice recorder into my bra. One of the first times I did it, I noticed that the rep I was speaking with kept looking at my shirt. After I left, I looked down to see what was so interesting. There, clear as day, was the glow of the red "on" light shining right on through! I made sure to flip it over thereafter.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Embarrassing Mystery Shopping Moments

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine