13Locations

around the world

Evaluator FAQ.

Please be aware of possible email scams pretending to be BARE International. All evaluators for BARE International must be registered and would never receive prepayment for services. All payments are via PayPal, live check or direct deposit; cashier checks appearing to come from BARE are a sign of a scam. Further, all legitimate BARE International emails end with @www.bareinternational.com. We appreciate you alerting us to any possible scam so we can log all reports.

If you encounter a scammer impersonating a mystery shopping company, please help to stop them by reporting to the following agencies:

  • If you have received a check in the mail, report to the Post Office
  • For Internet & email scams, report to FBI
  • If you are contacted by Facebook, LinkedIn or other social media, report the scammer directly to the social media outlet so they will remove them.

These agencies have successfully caught and prosecuted scammers performing this scam before, so reporting them does help!

A mystery shopper, or mystery evaluator, is an independent contractor who gathers data to assist our clients with making important decisions to move their business. A typical project involves the evaluation of one of our client’s businesses through in-person visits, telephone calls, web-based inquiries, or other means by serving as a typical customer/guest. Typically, the evaluator provides his/her objective feedback about the service provided and overall customer experience. Information may be gathered around knowledge of products and services, the location’s overall cleanliness and condition and product availability. Each project is different because BARE International’s clients all have different needs, and BARE International designs unique programs to meet them. When given a specific project, the evaluator receives a briefing on that particular client’s goals and objectives, including any special requirements the client has communicated to us.

To become an evaluator, you must be 21 years of age or older in the United States, or 18 years of age or older outside of the United States. You must also have established yourself as independent contractor in order to be eligible to perform BARE International projects. To accomplish this, we first recommend that you obtain a tax ID number from the IRS. You may either create a business or simply use your own name. The process is simple, fast, and free. By establishing yourself as an independent contractor in this manner, you represent that you are working for yourself and therefore able to market your services to any other mystery shopping companies you desire.

Once you establish your independent business, register your services with BARE International’s website by signing up as an evaluator in order to receive notices about upcoming opportunities. To register with BARE, complete the online registration and agree to BARE’s working terms and conditions. You will be self-employed as an independent contractor thus, if you earn over $600 in one year, you will receive a 1099 at year end for filing of taxes.

USA– Fees for services performed and reimbursement for previously approved/included expenses, will be processed by our payment process provider, Tipalti by the 18th of the month following the month in which projects were properly completed and received according to project requirements. Only once you have an assignment due for payment, you will receive a invitation with a link to register and select your payment method with Tipalti.

We would like to remind you that Tipalti offers an electronic payment option available for the US that is free of cost and avoids all possibility of paper checks being lost in the mail. To enrol in electronic payments, please choose local ACH as your payment option. Your account information is highly secure and is used for no other reason than to make payment. Please ensure that you have completed your registration with Tipalti and remember to keep it updated in the event that any of the information changes. Please note that there are fees for rejected payments due to providing wrong banking details, as well as for stop-payments on checks. For a complete list of fees, please review our FAQ.

CANADA – Fees for services performed and reimbursement for previously approved/included expenses will be processed by our payment process provider, Tipalti, by the 18th of the month following the month in which projects were properly completed and received according to project requirements. Only once you have an assignment due for payment, you will receive a invitation with a link to register and select your payment method with Tipalti.

We would like to remind you that Tipalti offers an electronic payment option available for international payments, knows as echeck that is free of cost and avoids all possibility of paper checks being lost in the mail. To enrol in electronic payments, please choose international ACH as your payment option. Your account information is highly secure and is used for no other reason than to make payment. Please ensure that you have completed your registration with Tipalti and remember to keep it updated in the event that any of the information changes. Please note that there are fees for rejected payments due to providing wrong banking details, as well as for stop-payments on checks. For a complete list of fees, please review our FAQ.

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES – Fees for services performed and reimbursement for previously approved/included expenses will be processed by our payment process provider, Tipalti, by the 18th of the month following the month in which projects were properly completed and received according to project requirements. Only once you have an assignment due for payment, you will receive a invitation with a link to register and select your payment method with Tipalti.

FOR ALL PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS – As a courtesy, a notification of payment is sent to the email address on record in the Evaluator Profile. This notification lists the specific projects(s) included in the payment and the amount of fees and/or reimbursements paid. This notification should be checked carefully and any discrepancies reported as soon as possible. If you have any questions about payment for the individual projects listed, please contact your Project Manager. If you have any questions about the payment transaction itself, please contact the appropriate individual mentioned in the email.

For all payments, the deadline is 90 days from the date of issue (or date of expected receipt) to report any discrepancies. We regret we are unable to investigate payment issues that are more than 90 days old.

No. There are no fees to register with BARE as an independent contractor.

In fact, if you see offers from other organizations stating that there is a fee to sign up before you are able to get mystery shopping assignments, BEWARE. You and your insights are valuable and you should be compensated for providing them, not the other way around. This is not an accepted or standard practice for legitimate companies like BARE. We encourage you to sign up for and to work with companies that are part of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).

As soon as your registration is complete, you can log in to our online portal, APOLLO, to check the Job Board for any available projects. Be aware that projects usually have firm deadlines, so be sure to read all the details before applying or registering to do projects that interest you.

Be sure to keep your address, banking information (if receiving electronic payment) and contact information up-to-date in your shopper profile. Not doing so may cause delay in you receiving payment or prevent us from being able to contact you regarding shop report questions. DO NOT make updates to details such as birthdate and gender. This will deactivate your account.

Our clients represent a wide range of industries and locations with needs across the USA and globally. It is likely you will find opportunities near you. As an independent contractor, you control where and how often you complete assignments.

We process offers for projects on a daily basis. You should receive a confirmation via email within 48 hours or so if your bid was accepted. Check your email often! Additionally, check your MY APPS and Shopper Log to ensure you do not miss any interesting shops.

As an independent contractor, this is really up to you. We always communicate to you what our clients expect in terms of quality of reports and project timeliness. It is your responsibility to estimate workloads and assess the amount of work that is feasible for you to perform. Please remember that if your performance does not meet the client’s expectations for a particular project, they reserve the right to request another evaluator. This can affect your compensation, so only taking on projects with standards that you can reasonably perform is key.

Contact the Project Manager in charge of that project as soon as possible so that BARE can locate another evaluator to take your place.

How do I know who my project manager is?

The project manager’s name and contact details can be found on the email notification received when a shop has been assigned. The project manager is also located on the shopper briefings. Their contact details are important as you may need to reach out to them for clarification of expectations or to revise a shop date. These details are also found on the shop comments in the shop log and in the project briefing document attached to your assignment. Be aware that projects managers work Monday through Friday regular business hours eastern standard time.

What do I do to prepare for an evaluation?

You will receive an acceptance email once a shop has been assigned telling you the shop report is in your log. Log in to review the project briefing document and to take any client-requested quiz and to review the form. If required, enter a shop planning date. If you have any questions, or need further clarification, reach out right away to the project manager to get answers. Project managers will reply to you during regular business hours Monday through Friday, generally 8:00 am – 4:30 pm eastern standard time.

What do I do if I have a problem off hours, or on the weekend?

Read the Briefings in full and review the form itself as soon as you get an assignment, so you can contact the project manager with questions during business hours. If the unforeseen happens, however, during non-business hours, leave the project manager a voicemail or send an email to ensure they can address the situation right away. Do your best to make decisions that do not compromise your identity as a mystery shopper.

Who do I contact in off hours?

In the US, contact BARE’s corporate office at 1.800.296.6699.

Client projects are rated on a per project basis as it comes in, on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, against the expectations of the client. Items such as timeliness, completeness, accuracy of information, responsiveness, grammar, among other things determine which evaluators we can count on to deliver the best product based on the clients’ expectations. Evaluators who consistently produce high quality work are in the highest demand and may participate in projects more frequently than evaluators whose work receives average or below average ratings.

BARE pays out a wide range of fees for projects performed by evaluators. Fees vary per project depending on the scope, difficulty, and time commitment involved. Fees are communicated to the evaluator community via the job board before an evaluator offers to complete a project. Earnings are therefore under the control of the individual evaluator. Additionally, some projects allow for a purchase reimbursement. If this is the case, the maximum reimbursement amount allowable will be part of the job posting.

USA– Fees for services performed and reimbursement for previously approved/included expenses, will be processed by our payment process provider, Tipalti by the 18th of the month following the month in which projects were properly completed and received according to project requirements. Only once you have an assignment due for payment, you will receive a invitation with a link to register and select your payment method with Tipalti.

We would like to remind you that Tipalti offers an electronic payment option available for the US that is free of cost and avoids all possibility of paper checks being lost in the mail. To enrol in electronic payments, please choose local ACH as your payment option. Your account information is highly secure and is used for no other reason than to make payment. Please ensure that you have completed your registration with Tipalti and remember to keep it updated in the event that any of the information changes. Please note that there are fees for rejected payments due to providing wrong banking details, as well as for stop-payments on checks. For a complete list of fees, please review our FAQ.

CANADA – Fees for services performed and reimbursement for previously approved/included expenses will be processed by our payment process provider, Tipalti, by the 18th of the month following the month in which projects were properly completed and received according to project requirements. Only once you have an assignment due for payment, you will receive a invitation with a link to register and select your payment method with Tipalti.

We would like to remind you that Tipalti offers an electronic payment option available for international payments, knows as echeck that is free of cost and avoids all possibility of paper checks being lost in the mail. To enrol in electronic payments, please choose international ACH as your payment option. Your account information is highly secure and is used for no other reason than to make payment. Please ensure that you have completed your registration with Tipalti and remember to keep it updated in the event that any of the information changes. Please note that there are fees for rejected payments due to providing wrong banking details, as well as for stop-payments on checks. For a complete list of fees, please review our FAQ.

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES – Fees for services performed and reimbursement for previously approved/included expenses will be processed by our payment process provider, Tipalti, by the 18th of the month following the month in which projects were properly completed and received according to project requirements. Only once you have an assignment due for payment, you will receive a invitation with a link to register and select your payment method with Tipalti.

FOR ALL PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS – As a courtesy, a notification of payment is sent to the email address on record in the Evaluator Profile. This notification lists the specific projects(s) included in the payment and the amount of fees and/or reimbursements paid. This notification should be checked carefully and any discrepancies reported as soon as possible. If you have any questions about payment for the individual projects listed, please contact your Project Manager. If you have any questions about the payment transaction itself, please contact the appropriate individual mentioned in the email.

For all payments, the deadline is 90 days from the date of issue (or date of expected receipt) to report any discrepancies. We regret we are unable to investigate payment issues that are more than 90 days old.

The “DO NOT EMAIL” e-mail:

Your email address “[email protected]” has been placed on our “DO NOT EMAIL” list because your email provider has repeatedly rejected our emails (or has sent us a demand to stop sending you emails). As a result, you are no longer receiving shop email offers.

What happened?

The Bulk Email Servers (BEMS) are for ALL SASSIE MSP’s. The individual MSP’s do not have their own dedicated email servers. This means that if a shopper ends up on the BEMS block list, it will affect ALL MSP’s. So if a shopper is already on that list when they sign up on your system, that red error will show up immediately.

Now we can remove shoppers from that list. However, they need to reach out to the email provider and fix the problem on that end first. If we simply remove them from the list, they will instantly end up back on it the moment we try to email them.

The easiest way to end up on that list is to mark a shop offer email as spam.

Again this could be for ANY SASSIE MSP. There are numerous other reasons though that can cause the email provider to notify us to stop sending to a specific email address. When they send us a notice to stop sending to a specific email address we are legally required to stop sending to that address. It is very much like an electronic “cease and desist”.

Why?

When an email provider instructs us to no longer send to a given address, unfortunately they don’t tell us why.

The likely culprit is that the shopper marked a SASSIE Shop offer email as spam, potentially from another provider. Since all of our emails go out from the same set of servers, and they all go out from sassieshop.com, if a shopper marks an email from ANY SASSIE MSP as spam, it will put them on the blacklist for ALL MSP’s that they are signed up with.

Other reasons can be things like their mailbox is full, or perhaps they haven’t logged in to check their mail in a very long time. Abandoned email addresses turn in “honeypots” for their spam blocking. When they have email addresses that have been abandoned, and reclaimed by them, any emails going to that address will get flagged as spam.

How to solve this?

Fortunately, the major email providers have started to provide instructions for their customers to attempt to address this on their own. Below is a list of all the major email providers and their instructions for their users to choose to unblock emails from certain domains.

We have a project planned to update our messaging accordingly on our side, but in the meantime please pass this information on to your shoppers reporting the issue.

Instructions for unblocking a sender:

Outlook/Hotmail/Microsoft

  1. Log in to the Outlook Web App
  2. Click the Settings cogwheel in the top right corner
  3. Type “blocked senders and domains” into the search field
  4. Open the “Blocked senders and domains” options
  5. Click the Trash icon next to the contact(s) you want to unblock
  6. Click Save

Gmail

  1. Log in to your inbox
  2. Click the Gear icon and choose the “See all settings” option
  3. Navigate to the “Filters and Blocked Addresses” tab
  4. You should see all addresses that are blocked
  5. Select the sender you want to unblock and click Unblock selected addresses

Yahoo Mail

  1. Log in to your Yahoo Mail account
  2. Click the Settings gear icon
  3. Click More Settings
  4. Click Security and Privacy in the left-hand column
  5. Under Blocked addresses, hover over the email address you want to unblock
  6. Click the Trash icon

AOL

  1. Click the Settings icon
  2. Click More Settings
  3. Click Security and Privacy
  4. Mouse over an email address, then click the Delete icon

Mail.com

  1. Click Settings
  2. Select “Blocklist”
  3. Enter the email address or domain you want to unblock
  4. Click Save

iCloud.com

  1. In the Mail app on your Mac, select a message from the sender you want to unblock
  2. Move the pointer next to their name in the message header, click the arrow, then select Unblock Contact
  3. You can also remove senders directly from the list of blocked senders
  4. Choose Mail > Settings
  5. click Junk Mail
  6. click Blocked

RESEARCH METRICS FAQ.

If you have an account on our Shopmetrics/Research Metrics site, you can treat the two profiles (Sassie and Shopmetrics/Research Metrics) on these different platforms as separate.

While some of your profile details have been automatically transferred, feel free to update any details on your new Shopmetrics/Research Metrics account. However, keep in mind that the more accurate data you provide, the more personalized shopping opportunities you’ll be able to see!

Please note that upon your first login to the Shopmetrics/Research Metrics app, you will need to Geoverify your location, which will be considered your home address. The shop offers you receive will be based on this location. It takes only a few seconds and just a click of a button! Once you do that, you will be able to view your job board.

We have just started the process of transferring evaluators, giving you a chance to familiarize yourself with the new system. However, opportunities will not be added for a few more weeks.

Make sure to opt into the opportunity emails to stay updated with the latest news!

We currently do not collect your payment information on your Shopmetrics/Research Metrics profile. All payments will be transferred to you based on the details you provided on your Sassie account.

If you want to be removed from one or both of these platforms, this can be done but must be started on the respective platform platform(s).

Your preference for receiving job offer texts on your phone can also be specified separately. You must opt in or out and provide a phone number that we can use for this purpose platforms.

You can download the Shopmetrics/Research Metrics app on your phone and manage all your reports from there. You can easily fill out reports, take photos during your visits, and upload them.

As an evaluator for other companies or different regions of BARE, you may have multiple Shopmetrics/Research Metrics accounts. In that case, you just need to add all your profiles to the app, allowing you to switch between them effortlessly.

While on Sassie, you can view all our opportunities in one place. Research Metrics/Shopmetrics, however, is organized using Regional Accounts, which means you will need to register regionally.

If you frequently travel to other countries, we recommend registering on all applicable sites and adding both accounts in the app as well. Please note that this is not currently possible on your end; you must reach out to your research manager and ask for assistance in adding your account to another region. Once that is done, you can include all your regions by entering the different URLs in the app.

250,000+Evaluations

completed worldwide each year

13Locations

around the world

165Countries

in the BARE network