HS Brands Movie shop help

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Hi, yes I had the actual ticket stub. I didn't realize it said "Cred" until I got back my evaluation. I didn't hear back so I called back and spoke with the account manager directly.She said there was no way the computer made a mistake and that they could not accept my report. She said they would look into the tapes, which I suggested, but I have no idea if they will really follow through. It's just sad since I have been a mystery shopper for them since 2002 and have done many of these movie theatre shops, as well as the oil change ones and all the ones they have trouble filling. Yet now it's my word against a machine. Who knows if the next mystery shopper will run into the same problem or if it was just a technical glitch on the day I did my shop. The money I lost is not really a big deal but I feel like my integrity has been challenged and I don't really trust HS Brands or Service Sleuths anymore.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2016 11:17PM by MomMalone.
@MomMalone wrote:

Hi, yes I had the actual ticket stub. I didn't realize it said "Cred" until I got back my evaluation. I didn't hear back so I called the account manager and spoke with her directly.She said there was no way the computer made a mistake and that they could not accept my report. She said they would look into the tapes, which I suggested, but I have no idea if they will really follow through. It's just sad since I have been a mystery shopper for them since 2002 and have done many of these movie theatre shops, as well as the oil change ones and all the ones they have trouble filling. Yet now it's my word against a machine. Who knows if the next mystery shopper will run into the same problem or if it was just a technical glitch on the day I did my shop. The money I lost is not really a big deal but I feel like my integrity has been challenged and I don't really trust HS Brands or Service Sleuths anymore.

Not the ticket stub. Many of those theaters in that chain actually give you a receipt as well listing the cash accepted, change given, etc.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2016 11:35PM by Tarantado.
No, they only gave me my ticket stub and did not give me a receipt. I don't want to give away the name of the theater chain but I've done this shop many times in the past and I've always just gotten a ticket stub (they don't even have an usher at this theater)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2016 11:07PM by MomMalone.
It's not hard to spend $40 at the movies. I took my mom to see a middling movie that neither of us liked. It was almost $20 for the tickets. The popcorn and large soda was close to $20 too, and I had to spring for Twizzlers. Should have waited to buy the DVD. winking smiley
@Tarantado wrote:

Rather than contact HS Brands, try contacting the KSS scheduler listed for the movie theater shops. It's one of those things that should have been stated upfront as unusual when you submitted your report. Hope the situation ends well for you!
Many outside scheduling companies barely respond to email questions before performing the shop so do you really think they would respond after the shop has been completed? A scheduler's job is to get the job scheduled and then they are pretty much done. Some of the better schedulers will respond to pre-shop questions or rescheduling requests.

Contacting HS Brands was the correct thing to do in this case because they are the MSC and it is their editors who edited and denied the report.
@Sybil2 wrote:

@Tarantado wrote:

Rather than contact HS Brands, try contacting the KSS scheduler listed for the movie theater shops. It's one of those things that should have been stated upfront as unusual when you submitted your report. Hope the situation ends well for you!
Many outside scheduling companies barely respond to email questions before performing the shop so do you really think they would respond after the shop has been completed? A scheduler's job is to get the job scheduled and then they are pretty much done. Some of the better schedulers will respond to pre-shop questions or rescheduling requests.

Contacting HS Brands was the correct thing to do in this case because they are the MSC and it is their editors who edited and denied the report.

Actually, yes. And speaking from experience...

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
I just did the movie theatre shop this past weekend and lost the ticket part of the stub. My shop was not accepted and I am re-doing it this weekend.
@Tarantado wrote:

Actually, yes. And speaking from experience...
You spent the time to include multiple quotes in your previous post but then your short answer tells us nothing. Please elaborate.
@Sybil2 wrote:

@Tarantado wrote:

Actually, yes. And speaking from experience...
You spent the time to include multiple quotes in your previous post but then your short answer tells us nothing. Please elaborate.

You asked a question if 3rd party schedulers would respond to shoppers after the shop's been completed and submitted. And I responded 'yes' and it was based on my experiences. What do you want.... Examples of when I had to contact the 3rd party scheduler after a shop's been submitted and completed?

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
all's well that ends well!
Heard back from HS Brands who talked to the client. Turns out I was given the wrong ticket stub (though I don't remember seeing any loose ticket stubs) and they will accept my shop after all. Very relieved and kudos to HS Brands for their follow-up!
Glad to hear, I love these shops, in my area the 3 theaters close to me fly off the boards!

When I go on my own dime I'm always cringing b/c tickets and concessions are now so expensive!!! I just went to see a 3D movie and with vouchers from Costco, I had to pay another $5 per person so $13 per ticket!
Most movies can be bought in advance. If my movie is for the 400pm showing and it is 200p. I take a picture of my ticket. Right then and there. I also check the ticket for everything that is supposed to be on it. Next at 330 I arrived at the concession or I wait to I am "inside" the ticket passer or get the concession upstairs.

After buying the concession(angry smiley the price) I either go to the restroom (with a plastic bag, already in handgrinning smiley) cover my popcorn and take a picture (two pictures). The bag can't be seen in the picture so I;m okay. Or when I get into the theatre I set the popcorn on the banister and take the picture. This all takes place before the movie even started. or I have started to eat the PC. or before the Usher has made there first round. I think the ticket stub with the movie ticket in place is the receipt. It also shows the loyalty points. You usually get a paper receipt at the concession stand.

@MomMalone---->glad you got paid. And to see you spoke nicely of the MSC and Clientsmiling smileysmiling smileysmiling smiley

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2016 02:12AM by sojo917.
@MomMalone wrote:

all's well that ends well!
Heard back from HS Brands who talked to the client. Turns out I was given the wrong ticket stub (though I don't remember seeing any loose ticket stubs) and they will accept my shop after all. Very relieved and kudos to HS Brands for their follow-up!

Good news, MomMalone!
Umm, last I checked they don't accept photos of the food anymore, only the receipt. Did they change it back?
The cashier gave you a ticket that someone decided to either exchange or get their money back. One of the questions is if you saw the ticket come directly out of the ticket machine. If you paid cash, then your ticket did not come directly out of the machine, because it said debit, and so if you reported that the ticket came directly out of the machine I think either way you're in a canoe without a paddle, maybe.. You paid cash so, maybe, maybe they kept the cash. I look at all of my receipts immediately, I don't leave the line until I've verified the time, the products I purchased, the amount, the date and the type of payment. I wasn't paid for one of my shops a long time ago because of a bunk receipt and learned my lesson that way.
To all you premature photographers of the tickets, I just noticed this statement on my 2017 guidelines. I don't recall seeing it in 2016.

"TICKET STUB PROCEDURE

Take the picture AFTER you give it to the usher. They need to have the opportunity to tear it or take their portion."

So you are NOT allowed to take the ticket photos right away. Someone mentioned taking ticket stub photos in the actual theater or lobby which is not advisable. Big Brother is watching. This client does review video. It has backed up my statements on two different occasions.
Good to know, though I never did that anyway. I always wait till I get home for that part.
I know the question is moot now, but if you are in that situation again, you can get a duplicate receipt from the cash register.

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

I know the question is moot now, but if you are in that situation again, you can get a duplicate receipt from the cash register.
You can't get a duplicate purchase receipt for the tickets. Where do you see in the guidelines or the report that it is okay to get a duplicate receipt for the concession purchase?
WOW. I've done hundreds of these shops, but my most recent was a first for me. At the Concessions, the associate asked if I had a rewards card. I responded NO and allowed him to tell me about it, then declined. Imagine my surprise when I photographed the receipt and saw that he had scanned his own rewards card! A theater employee could probably really rack up points by scanning their card any time a customer didn't use a card. It went into the report and I'm sure it will be easy for the client to identify whose rewards card was used. I'm not sure what the result to the employee will be.
@roflwofl, the employee should be and probably will be fired. It was a deliberate action not just a dumb mistake.
I guess you have to take a picture AFTER the ticket taker either rips your ticket in half or doesn't, and admits you. This is one of the ways the theatre could theoretically skim from the distributor--by selling the tickets and then not ripping them, which is what tallies the sales. Then they can pocket the difference.

Kona Kathie
If BIG BROTHER is in the restroom then someone ought to be concern about PRIVACY in the restroom. I will continue to take the picture before the Usher takes and tears the ticket, and after. Tickets can still be purchase in advance at the ticket window.smiling smiley

I take the picture at the theatre because when I am tossing waste I don't want to forget about the ticket being in my hand. Even if the 2017 guidelines says "take the picture after the Usher rips it," does not negate the taking of the before. It is just a matter of which picture they want for submission.

@roflwofl--------->Some companies have a generic reward cards for employee to use if a customer does not have a rewards card. While a reward card may have been scanned it did not have to be the personal card of the employee. Unless you ask the employee, if that was his personal card, they may have not done anything wrong. Most of those movie points aren't worth too much anyway--------->"upgrade from Sm to Medium popcorn for a $1; free sm pc; upgrade in drink or once in a blue moon "a free movie". The price of a movie and the price of concession, I would rather be preforming a SHOP.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2017 06:12AM by sojo917.
They only want the pic they are asking for, after the usher has torn the ticket and not before so it does negate the 'before' pic. I can't imagine a shop being approved otherwise. I'm wondering what company provides employees with loyalty cards to scan for everyone who doesn't have one because I've never heard of this. I'm up late so that may be skewing my reading of these replies. But, I try and grab these up when they hit my area. I love going to the movies and don't mind doing the few things they ask me to do for a free movie and some concession goodies; it's easier than it was when my kids were small and I had to do much more.
MSCs do not control or own the picture the Shopper takes. I most certainly can delete the before picture, after I am PAID. Because you never heard or saw it-------->"does not mean it is not so". Check some of your retail loyalty card procedures next time you use it. If you have more than one.

If you ever watch the employee at the concession stand, they scan a card, rather it be a loyalty card or employee ID card, to complete a transaction at the register because sometimes, one or more employees will be using the same register. @roflwofl--->posted it was a reward card of the employee but it could have been the cashier Employee ID card, This was the card that was issued by the theatre.

Payment on these Shops are approved based on what you submitted not what picture is on your camera. The before and after works for mesmiling smiley
@sojo917 wrote:

Payment on these Shops are approved based on what you submitted not what picture is on your camera. The before and after works for mesmiling smiley
But why make extra work for yourself? One of these days, you may be extremely tired or rushing through the report to meet the deadline and you mistakenly upload the "before" pic. Then you will be back here complaining that the MSC won't pay you for your "perfect" report. Just sayin'.
@sojo917 wrote:

If BIG BROTHER is in the restroom then someone ought to be concern about PRIVACY in the restroom.
Who said anything about Big Brother in the restroom? My post said: "Someone mentioned taking ticket stub photos in the actual theater or lobby which is not advisable. Big Brother is watching."

Toilet cams DO exist and in more places than you would like to know about. Toilet cams only want the "after" photos/videos also.
@Sybil2 wrote:

But why make extra work for yourself? One of these days, you may be extremely tired or rushing through the report to meet the deadline and you mistakenly upload the "before" pic. Then you will be back here complaining that the MSC won't pay you for your "perfect" report. Just sayin'.

The only complaints, that I can remember, making on this board was about GAH--------(which I later was paid forsmiling smiley) AND FRANCISE COMPLAINCE----->(which I and others were never paid for.sad smiley) Complaints from Shoppers about payments usually come from the shopper not following guidelines or not preforming the shop as required. Complaints do not come from shoppers who take an over abundance of pictures. I will complain about taking too many pictures, not about submitting the right one. I do not make more work for myself. I am allowed to take pictures I want to.
AND
@Sybil2 wrote:

.........................................................So you are NOT allowed to take the ticket photos right away. Someone mentioned taking ticket stub photos in the actual theater or lobby which is not advisable. Big Brother is watching. This client does review video. It has backed up my statements on two different occasions.

If one choses to take pictures in the restroom, so what if Bigbrother is watching.confused smiley Nothing is truly Not allowed. One needs to be cautious about when and where. If Big Brother wants to act on it, then he should. Toilet cams are not new. Where a Shopper takes a picture of their ticket for submittal is totally up to the Shopper not the MSC or Client. All Clients deserved to review videos, including toilet cams. smileys with beer
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