What's Right?

HonnyBrown · ‎11-23-2013

I'm a mystery shopper in my spare time. The way it works is that you are assigned a shop, you follow a scenario, do your evaluation and submit your report. Most times, you make a purchase that you are reimbursed for. On top of that, you get a set fee and a bonus.

One of my shopping friends has a dilemna. She is a full time mystery shopper. For some of her shops, the reimbursement is under $2, but the cheapest thing in the store is well over $2.

She will purchase an item, submit the receipt with her report to prove that she was at the shop, then she will return the item for a full refund.

Some shoppers say she is double dipping. Others say she should never spend money for a shop without full reimbursement.

What are your thoughts?

Get your flu shot...because I didn't.

dooBdoo · ‎06-27-2010

@HonnyBrown, Does the secret-shopper company have any policies in place to address this?

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Well, she decided which shops she wanted to mystery shop for, so she must have known the terms.

I'd probably buy something that I could use and be happy that I was getting some of the money back. Plus you have the fees, outside the reimbursement.

IMO, she is double-dipping and it's morally shaky if she returns the items to get ALL her money back. I clearly don't think it's right. JMHO, FWIW

HonnyBrown · ‎11-23-2013

@dooBdoo wrote:

@HonnyBrown, Does the secret-shopper company have any policies in place to address this?

It depends on the mystery shopper's client. Some will specify "no returns" in their guidelines and others don't care. The shops she does are the ones that do not specify returns in their guidelines.

Get your flu shot...because I didn't.

millieshops · ‎03-09-2010

I'm not totally sure, but the company itself knows that $2 doesn't cover what the shop sells, so I wouldn't be worrying about my personal morality.

A job is a job and it shouldn't cost you more than you make to do the job. Even if her expense were tax deductible, that only works if she earna enough to make the decudction worthwhile which probably doesn't happen with that kind of compensation. And i's a deduction, not a credit which at least would negatre the cost/ A tax deduction doesn't do that.

HonnyBrown · ‎11-23-2013

@chickenbutt wrote:
Well, she decided which shops she wanted to mystery shop for, so she must have known the terms.

I'd probably buy something that I could use and be happy that I was getting some of the money back. Plus you have the fees, outside the reimbursement.

IMO, she is double-dipping and it's morally shaky if she returns the items to get ALL her money back. I clearly don't think it's right. JMHO, FWIW

Hi chickenb!

She's a full time shopper and she does back to back shops, or routes. She schedules shops in a 100 mile radius. She schedules lunch shops on her travel days. She knows the terms, scenarios and guidelines like the back of her hand. She has the whole thing down to a science.

Since she is a FT shopper, there isn't much that she needs or wants (she shops a lot of the same stores). From what she said, making an unecessary purchase eats up her shopper fee and she won't do that.

Get your flu shot...because I didn't.

NoelSeven · ‎03-09-2010

@HonnyBrown wrote:
@dooBdoo wrote:

@HonnyBrown, Does the secret-shopper company have any policies in place to address this?

It depends on the mystery shopper's client. Some will specify "no returns" in their guidelines and others don't care. The shops she does are the ones that do not specify returns in their guidelines.

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I guess if they don't say no returns she's not breaking any rules.

It seems they are taking advantage of her. All that time, effort and travel expense for $2 doesn't seem right.

A Thrill Of Hope The Weary World Rejoices

HonnyBrown · ‎11-23-2013

@millieshops wrote:
I'm not totally sure, but the company itself knows that $2 doesn't cover what the shop sells, so I wouldn't be worrying about my personal morality.

A job is a job and it shouldn't cost you more than you make to do the job. Even if her expense were tax deductible, that only works if she earna enough to make the decudction worthwhile which probably doesn't happen with that kind of compensation. And i's a deduction, not a credit which at least would negatre the cost/ A tax deduction doesn't do that.

hi mille! Those are some good points. I don't shop enough to file on my taxes, but I'm sure she does. And you're right: a job shouldn't cost more than you make.

Get your flu shot...because I didn't.

HonnyBrown · ‎11-23-2013

@NoelSeven wrote:

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I guess if they don't say no returns she's not breaking any rules.

It seems they are taking advantage of her. All that time, effort and travel expense for $2 doesn't seem right.

Noel, I had that thought as well. I thought that some of the shop locations were trying to get business.

Get your flu shot...because I didn't.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Ok, well, I guess maybe I'm being a little rigid. I just know that returns are about as bad as shoplifting, as far as the stores are concerned so it seemed like it was they who were being burned.

If she's not USING the products and is returning them in brand new (unopened if possible) condition, AND if it's not against the rules, I guess it's not that wrong.