I would like to do them because there are only 20 items, but the description is VERY limited. I don't know if it is covert or just out in the open.... the price is right because I have a bunch around me that I can grab and run them through. But if it's seriously involved - then may not be worth the $$

I've done a few. A small list isn't too bad so long as there is company with you in the shop. I usually end up buying a small snack to to not look too sus.

I did one that was more than 20 items in a tiny store that didn't have most of the things. It is pretty easy and no reporting needed just the prices. I took photos of the shelves as it was easier then standing there for a long time went out to my car and entered them there -- and I bought my boyfriend his favorite candy bar as cover

@jazzzyjd wrote:

I did one that was more than 20 items in a tiny store that didn't have most of the things. It is pretty easy and no reporting needed just the prices. I took photos of the shelves as it was easier then standing there for a long time went out to my car and entered them there -- and I bought my boyfriend his favorite candy bar as cover

Thanks for the info. I just signed up for one of these because it's close by and I'll want to grab a drink anyway when I'm there. I had asked the MSC if they have any other guidelines as well, and since my shop is a few weeks away, there will be hopefully enough time to get some answers and maybe better guidelines.

So I did one of these shops today and was caught off guard by how they wanted a few prices for items that are behind the counter. The location was fairly small, so it didn't take long for one of the employees to figure out what I was doing and then ask me who I was working for. The guidelines didn't mention anything about this being covert or what to do if someone asked me what I was doing, so I went ahead and told him I was there to check on some prices. He did point out a few price tags for items behind the counter but otherwise left me alone as I finished my other work. I have one more of these scheduled at a different location and hope the MSC gets back to me with more guidelines. I figured in this case I had nothing to lose since I was already in the area and there was no purchase necessary. If I get the shop approved, then great. If not, then at least it gave me an idea of how these shops can work. But having the MSC call it "super easy" is a bit misleading either way.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2024 04:16AM by jp43209.

"Super easy."

Super easy to get outed and asked to leave the store and never return.

Not sure about the ones on I secret shop but on missions app there is an option for "behind the sales counter" and then you can skip

@jazzzyjd wrote:

Not sure about the ones on I secret shop but on missions app there is an option for "behind the sales counter" and then you can skip

I see that in the Missions app now, but they already figured me out before I even tried to price the tobacco products. But my shop was accepted at least. I figure since I'm not buying anything or reviewing the location itself that it's not as much of a big deal that they figured out what I was doing. Since I have a better idea of how this works, I'll probably take the advice of another post on here and quickly take pics and notes first next time. Then I can enter the actual data outside in my car before leaving. If the app asks for photos or any other info, I can just go back in and deal with the specific items from there. Talk about a learning experience!

@jp43209 wrote:

So I did one of these shops today and was caught off guard by how they wanted a few prices for items that are behind the counter. The location was fairly small, so it didn't take long for one of the employees to figure out what I was doing and then ask me who I was working for. The guidelines didn't mention anything about this being covert or what to do if someone asked me what I was doing, so I went ahead and told him I was there to check on some prices.

If it's the one on the Missions app, the guidelines state pretty clearly that it's covert. If approached, you can tell them you're gathering info for an app but should keep it vague.

As has been mentioned, items behind the counter can be marked "Behind the counter -- no assistance." These are usually tobacco products. As noted in the guidelines, some C-stores will post tobacco product prices on advertising signs on the door or windows, or on signs near the gas pumps. Many do not, however.

@KokoBWare wrote:

As has been mentioned, items behind the counter can be marked "Behind the counter -- no assistance." These are usually tobacco products. As noted in the guidelines, some C-stores will post tobacco product prices on advertising signs on the door or windows, or on signs near the gas pumps. Many do not, however.

The guidelines never mentioned anything about where tobacco prices are posted. The MSC in question must be having trouble with these shops since they are adding some nice bonuses and have sent out a few emails about them. The fun part is the video they refer us to shows an audit in a larger store. It's easier to blend in with the crowd there and add/remove items from your cart plus pretend you are researching products to purchase whereas you may be the only one in a convenience store that maybe just has a few aisles at most.

@drdoggie00 wrote:

"Super easy."

Super easy to get outed and asked to leave the store and never return.

I was outed, not asked to leave, but the MSC told me the client asked that I not do any more (which is fine with me). I just hope they can fix the guidelines so other shoppers don't get into the same sticky situation I did.

The e-mail I received said it was at Walmart. I emailed the scheduler and she responded they were convenience stores snapped up quickly.

@wrosie wrote:

The e-mail I received said it was at Walmart. I emailed the scheduler and she responded they were convenience stores snapped up quickly.

They sent out another email mentioning convenience stores around noon today. It still links to the Walmart video, though.

@jp43209 wrote:

@KokoBWare wrote:

As has been mentioned, items behind the counter can be marked "Behind the counter -- no assistance." These are usually tobacco products. As noted in the guidelines, some C-stores will post tobacco product prices on advertising signs on the door or windows, or on signs near the gas pumps. Many do not, however.

The guidelines never mentioned anything about where tobacco prices are posted.

From the guidelines:

➢ Tobacco/Vape item pricing can be found on the front door or window of most C-stores and/or behind the counter.
➢ Please make sure you check the door/window for cigarette/tobacco prices when you enter the store, but save collecting cigarette/tobacco or vape prices last (even if pricing is on the door/window).
➢ If you do not see the individual package price and can only get the multiple pack price in the register area, then please add that price as a “promo price” in the app.

Again, is this the one on the Missions app? Because this is in the guidelines, as is the fact that the audit is supposed to be covert.

@KokoBWare wrote:

From the guidelines:

➢ Tobacco/Vape item pricing can be found on the front door or window of most C-stores and/or behind the counter.
➢ Please make sure you check the door/window for cigarette/tobacco prices when you enter the store, but save collecting cigarette/tobacco or vape prices last (even if pricing is on the door/window).
➢ If you do not see the individual package price and can only get the multiple pack price in the register area, then please add that price as a “promo price” in the app.

Again, is this the one on the Missions app? Because this is in the guidelines, as is the fact that the audit is supposed to be covert.

Yes, I did mine with the Missions app. This wasn't in the guidelines I got, so I'm glad they are adding some further clarification for other shoppers. But it doesn't mention what to do if an employee starts asking you questions. Many convenience stores are quite small and it's harder to "browse" for an extended period of time when you are searching for various products and their prices. If they want to make this easier as well as more convincing for the store employees, they should have us make a small purchase as well and reimburse for that. "Quick and easy" is still quite misleading here from my own experience.

@jp43209 wrote:

@KokoBWare wrote:

From the guidelines:

➢ Tobacco/Vape item pricing can be found on the front door or window of most C-stores and/or behind the counter.
➢ Please make sure you check the door/window for cigarette/tobacco prices when you enter the store, but save collecting cigarette/tobacco or vape prices last (even if pricing is on the door/window).
➢ If you do not see the individual package price and can only get the multiple pack price in the register area, then please add that price as a “promo price” in the app.

Again, is this the one on the Missions app? Because this is in the guidelines, as is the fact that the audit is supposed to be covert.

Yes, I did mine with the Missions app. This wasn't in the guidelines I got, so I'm glad they are adding some further clarification for other shoppers. But it doesn't mention what to do if an employee starts asking you questions. Many convenience stores are quite small and it's harder to "browse" for an extended period of time when you are searching for various products and their prices. If they want to make this easier as well as more convincing for the store employees, they should have us make a small purchase as well and reimburse for that. "Quick and easy" is still quite misleading here from my own experience.

From the guidelines:

"This price check is covert, so be as discreet as possible while completing. Do not check in with management nor reveal yourself. See the linked information on the following page for instructions on how to respond if you are approached while in-store completing the audit."

Then:

"Just in case! For information on how
to handle in-store questions from staff
and what to do if you are approached
by a store employee: (CLICK HERE)!"

After you click on CLICK HERE:

"Questions You May Encounter and Answers to Help Navigate a Successful Price Audit!

Question: What are you doing here?
Answer: I am checking product information using an App called Missions.
Question: Who are you working for?
Answer: I am updating the product and price information for a shopping database. The updated information will
be used by consumers in shopping Apps such as Shopping Scout.
Question: What is Shopping Scout?
Answer: Shopping Scout is a new consumer App that helps shoppers find their favorite products in their local
stores. I’m using this Missions App to collect and correct product information in the database.
Question: Why did you choose this store specifically?
Answer: This store was on the list of available “Missions”.
Question: Is this a comp (competitive) shop? Will any of our competitors see this data?
Answer: The data is available to consumers using Shopping Scout and other shopping Apps.
Question: How long will you be here?
Answer: I should be done today/shortly. I just do this part-time and I’m going as fast as I can."



This was part of the instructions when I did my first one of these nine months ago, as were the instructions about how to handle tobacco pricing.

Does more than one MSC use the Missions app for pricing audits? I do them with the "naked" company and these instructions have always been there.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2024 03:33AM by KokoBWare.

Karen from the big company should chime in now. The email i got stated it was at Walmart. She said it wasn't and they flew off the board for convenience store shops.

For the record two different companies are offering these right now and so they may have different guidelines.

@drdoggie00 wrote:

"Super easy."

Super easy to get outed and asked to leave the store and never return.

I did many of these shops and I was only asked to leave twice, by the owners (2 places). When there is no owner there, the employees don't care & never said anything to me.

@jazzzyjd wrote:

For the record two different companies are offering these right now and so they may have different guidelines.

20 items can be done quickly if you prepare ahead of time before you go in.

Did one today because it was super bonuses for a big company i’ve done other work for. Some of the shelves did not have tags and I did not ask the worker the prices. After I was almost done she asked who I am there for taking all of the pics so I explained I am price checking. No feedback on how I did yet. It’s my first time in missions app but do a similar process to audit Carquest via I Secret Shop app for another company. Was worth the bonus.

@rargirl wrote:

Did one today because it was super bonuses for a big company i’ve done other work for. Some of the shelves did not have tags and I did not ask the worker the prices. After I was almost done she asked who I am there for taking all of the pics so I explained I am price checking. No feedback on how I did yet. It’s my first time in missions app but do a similar process to audit Carquest via I Secret Shop app for another company. Was worth the bonus.

There is an option to say there is no pricing, and on my own shop I would say around 1/3 of the items were like this without any issues from the app. I don't think the pics are necessary for all the items, but that should be in the guidelines if by "super easy" they just want us to enter prices unless the app otherwise asks for a pic. Since you were outed, your shop may be accepted but you may be asked not to do any more in the future. That happened on my end, and the MSC said the request was from the client and not something they had control over. But of course your experience may be different!

Correct, a wrong email went out and these are shops at convenience stores. The next day I sent a correct email out, but by then of course everyone was looking for the big box audits - next round that won't happen.