Most providers specifically forbid sub-contracting your work assignment to another mystery shopper in your service agreement. This includes friends, family members, and even spouses. However, some mystery shoppers have found some wiggle room in this area, whether by a gray area in the assignment requirements or simply by necessity.
The Gray Area. Some assignments require that you bring along friends or family members on the assignment. This is most commonly found with restaurant assignments, but it can also be found with amusement park assignments, hotel assignments, and a variety of other assignments. Reading through the report questions on these assignments, you may find questions that ask you to rate the quality of service, the quality of food, and so forth, of all parties present. The gray area comes into play when you ask yourself if you should taste all of the dishes at the table, or simply go on the feedback of your guests as you question them about their food. Did your friends and family members find all of the rides at the amusement park to be in proper working order and the service of the staff to be friendly and courteous? There is simply no other way to know this information than to question your friends and family members specifically. And by doing this, are you relying on someone other than yourself to provide the information necessary to complete the report. Gray areas such as these are a source of concern for mystery shoppers. The only way to clearly know how your provider views this gray area is to ask him or her for their insight. When in doubt, it is always better to ask.
The Not-So-Gray Area. When mystery shoppers get into a bind, they may find themselves asking a spouse, or a close friend or other family member to help them out and complete the site visit for them without their presence or observations on-site. The vast majority of providers clearly forbid this. If it is determined that you have sub-contracted your assignment out to another party, you may forfeit your pay as well as your ability to complete future assignments for this provider. If you find yourself unable to complete an assignment for any reason, it is far better to let your scheduler know with as much up-front notice as possible and let your scheduler find a suitable replacement.
As mystery shoppers, we all know about the many things that can and do go wrong on mystery shopping assignments, as well as all of the details you must keep track of. Something as simple as forgetting a name or getting the time wrong can lead to big issues for you when you submit the report. Or you may be confronted by an angry store manager, interrogated by suspicious store staff or even other shoppers at the store, or any number of other things. As a trained mystery shopper, you know how to handle these situations far better than your unknowing friends and family members. You are much safer (and ethical) as a mystery shopper when you avoid the risk of sub-contracting and complete your own assignments.
Maven, How do yo find the the grave side shops
Cheryl
As a mystery shopper/auditer/tester/interviewer/mechandiser for more than a year now I felt it nessesary to write you and let you know that I find your articles very on point and helpful. Please keep up the good work. Thanks Scott
One time I had to call my scheduler to cancel at the last minute because of an urgent family problem. When I spoke with her she asked if I knew someone could do the job. I said my husband was willing to do it and she signed him up as a shopper on the spot, he still does shops for her.
A question that I have pondered is when there is a minimun 90 day period between shops that specifically ask you to bring family members and 3 family members are shoppers for that company, does rotating the family members violate the spirit if not the letter of ther rule.
Sometimes at restaurants they ask for both restrooms to be evaluate if a male and female are present. So my husband goes, but I have to ask him about various things specifically. He’ll tell me if the hand soap only has a little left, when a little left is okay, empty is bad. He’ll tell me that there was a piece of paper towel on the floor, so I have to ask him if it looked like the last customer could have left it or if it was a sign of the workers neglecting the bathroom. Not everyone will understand the standards, so make sure you ask questions specifically.
I whole heartedly agree with the ethics and dilemmas presented in this article. Aside from the points mentioned already, is the report and the style of the report. As a writer my style based on what is perceived through my own eyes and through my own mind. Relating what someone else observed would be a sheer impossibility, no matter how well they express themselves. It seems that it would be more like writing fiction.
I believe that it is the course of wisdom to consult with the scheduler.
I have done a number of shops that required me to bring along other people, and I can’t believe that the restaurants expect us to taste every other person’s food. If it is someone close, I might feel comfortable doing that, but not always.
On the topic of subcontracting, I don’t think it is wise or ethical. If you cannot perform the job on time for a good reason, talk to the scheduler. Most have some leeway with the timing of the jobs.
i feel that that the narrative part of the shop should be done by the shopper, for one they are not paying more money for the additional person that may travel with you on the shop and a lot of times you might run the risk of them invalidating the shop if someone goes along not authorized remember these shops work for the good of them (companies) at all times. Make no mistake in believing otherwise,Yes they may say that it’s alright to have your kids along or even take your spouse along that is more eyes in disguise so I realize that and keep it simple unless I just have to travel with more people than anticipated. I have had 1 shop invalidated because they caught me in a discrepancy when I had my grandson who was supposed to have been one age but was in fact older so I don’t go for the okey-doke because to much time and effort is put into a shop for me to lose on a technicality
PS I don’t do a lot of restaurant shops because the survey is usually too detailed all though they are fun and break the monotony,I stick to banks,retail and a fast food shop here and there. I make enough money but not enough to pay them for my meal I rather they pay me for doing it. I made my mind up a long time ago when I realized i didn’t have the money to be tied up as long as they tie your money up waiting to be paid, and yes it varies~I know that too!!
I don’t do a lot of restaurant shops because the survey is usually too detailed all though they are fun and break the monotony,I stick to banks,retail and a fast food shop here and there. I make enough money but not enough to pay them for my meal I rather they pay me for doing it. I made my mind up a long time ago when I realized i didn’t have the money to be tied up as long as they tie your money up waiting to be paid, and yes it varies~I know that too!!