Shopper's Critique

I did three shops for this company. The first two went great, I got full stars and I was paid very fast. The third shop was no accepted because I did not give my email address to the cashier. It was a specialty clothing store, they had my name, address, credit card and phone numbers. I do not agree on giving my email address so that the retailer can then add me to the email list and bombard me with junk mail. I am not a regular customer. The editor called and said she does not know if the client will accept the shop without the email address. I explained that I could've lied and given a fake address. Is that what the client wants?
She did not even try. I even suspect the client accepted the shop and she pocketed the fee. But I was not paid for the shop.
Now, I am not getting any shops offers from them and I don't know if it is for this incident or they just don't have anything in my area.
Any opinions?

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More Discussions About Shoppers Critique International (All Companies)

I as well had a falling out with SC after working for them for awhile (serveral yrs.). I'm not sure what happened, but I just don't get jobs from them anymore. They lost the couple good restaurants they had, and their pay is low now, so, I've moved on. I am supprised at the lack of communication. I wish I knew what their problem was. They don't seem to treat their shoppers with any respect and feel they are superior and just do what they want. Many retail places do not ask for your email,(though they're supposed too), that's no fault of yours.

Live consciously....

Get an account at gmail that you only use specifically for items such as this. Memorize the email address and give out that one when you are asked in shops. This is a common occurrence, so doing this prevents you from invalidating a shop by not following the requirements, and keeps your regular email free from stuff you don't want. You never have to actually log in and read what is there, and no one is the wiser. :-)

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“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton

Great info. gonna do it.

Live consciously....

Great idea Dee. However, you should logon from time to time, because if you don't I think you get de activated.
I had to do an internet and phone shop for an insurance company, and now they keep calling and emailing forever and I can't get rid of them. Good grief, don;t they get the message?

We all abandon old email addresses as they begin to fill with spam. An old address is what I always give out. That account already receives close to 100 junk mails a day and I don't even bother to clear them out, they die a natural death after 30 days. I do use the address for outgoing email where I know there may be a return response because I have set the filters to send everything to spam except those specifically entitled. Thus when I go to the account there may or may not be new stuff in my in box.

I know lots of people who still have no emails. Would that disqualify my report if I were to say I have no email address? I don't have one that I give to spammers. lol I don't need coupons because the clients don't let me use them usually anyway.

I don't know anyone who doesn't have email access. In any case, the MS co. Knows that you do, so they could invalidate the report. I have many accounts and use one specifically for these kind of situations. You can just delete wily Billy as no important emails ever go to that address.

I've been registered with them for some time, but only just applied for a couple of jobs for the first time.

What's the deal with their notification? The shop I applied listed 4/1 as the beginning of the "shop by" window, which has obviously now passed. I know that's not unusual, but do they notify you if you've been accepted or not for the shop, or is this one of those MSCs that leave you hanging?

And, after applying, how long does it usually take them to assign? I think it's been at least four days since I submitted my application.

If I recall correctly, I did get notification. But I've only done one shop for them and it was years ago and so definitely bogus I moved on to other companies. There was an exact script to be memorized and recited at a shop that is done monthly. Visions of flashing neon lights shouting "SHOPPER!! SHOPPER!! SHOPPER!!"

You get notified when you are assigned.

In the past, some shops would get assigned quickly while the more choice ones would sit on the board till almost the end of the month. Not sure why they did that, but I always figured they could use those assignment to 'lure' shoppers into taking the crappy ones.

I don't work for them anymore because they take forever to schedule. They lost Benihana awhile ago, and not in love with their shops or the way they distribute them.

Live consciously....

SteveSoCal Wrote:
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> You get notified when you are assigned.

I guess I failed to post the other part of my query, whether notification comes if you are NOT assigned. I've discovered myself that the answer is no!

I have done a few shops for them. Certain shops can be self assigned; others you have to wait to be accepted for.

You know, this situation brings up an interesting question which is something I have been wondering lately.

Do you think that many companies use mystery shoppers simply as a marketing ploy - i.e. rope in new customers - the mystery shoppers!

Some shops have requirements that make me suspicious about this. For example, I have done shops for one company that shops Skechers shoes and one of their requirements is that you "name three things you learned about Skechers shoes". Okay, well, if the sales person TOLD me some things that I can report, sure. But what if they didn't? They want me to go out of my way to "learn" about the shoes? Why? So I'll become enamored with them and buy them? Or tell my friends about them?

At any rate, regarding the issue of having to give out email addresses, I agree with the others who recommended having a separate email for junk mail. I have one "commercial" email account that I use anytime a situation like this arises, and for any situation where I purchase something, or a company wants to put me on my email list. That way, I keep all the commercial and junk mail out of my regular email box and I don't mind giving this email address out.

You can get free email accounts from Yahoo or GMail.

I at times agree that we are used to recommend shops, buy on our own and benefit the store...giving our suggestions is part of it, this is not at all an "out of the question" statement. They use us whenever they can.

Live consciously....

SassyGirl Wrote:
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> You know, this situation brings up an interesting
> question which is something I have been wondering
> lately.
>
> Do you think that many companies use mystery
> shoppers simply as a marketing ploy - i.e. rope in
> new customers - the mystery shoppers!
>

This has crossed my mind more than once lately, too!

If you get a gmail or yahoo address, you can just delete it after a while.

I never get the shops I request, however they have called me and offered shops!
I was told they like to hand pick their shoppers sometimes.
They pay quickly, and I've never had a problem with contacting them about questions in my reports!
A+ in my book.

I think company's totally rope in mystery shoppers to be their customers! What better way to win me over to your product then to give it to me for free the first time. I'm hooked

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