The Truth Behind Those Receipt Surveys:

The Truth Behind Those Receipt Surveys: What Retail Managers Really Went Through

Back when I was working in District 7 around 2017–2018, customer surveys were one of the biggest headaches in the store — not for customers, but for us managers. You know those little “Tell us how we did!” surveys printed at the bottom of every receipt? Most people tossed them in the trash without a second thought. But for us, those surveys controlled our entire day.

I’m not even sure if the company still does them. I haven’t worked there since 2019. But back then, my District Manager hated being at the bottom of any list, and he made sure we felt that pressure every single day.

Three Conference Calls a Day — All About Surveys

Every day started with a 7 a.m. conference call. Before we even had a chance to breathe, we were told what our survey score was from the night before. Then came the question we all dreaded:

“How many surveys are you going to get before lunch?”

You had to give him a number. Didn’t matter if it was realistic. Didn’t matter if the store was slow. You had to commit.

Then came the second call — right before lunch. If you didn’t hit the number you promised, or if your score dropped because of a few bad surveys, you weren’t going anywhere. Lunch break or not, you stayed until you “fixed it.”

And then the final call of the day — right before going home. Same deal. If you didn’t hit the number he wanted, you stayed. If that meant being there until 7 p.m., two hours past when you should’ve been home with your family, too bad. Salary meant they owned your time.

The Reality: You Either Cheated or You Never Went Home

Eventually, I hit the point where I realized something:

If I didn’t cheat, I’d be stuck in that store all night.

So I started doing what a lot of managers quietly did. I’d walk around outside and pick up receipts customers had thrown away. People leave them everywhere — carts, sidewalks, trash cans. I’d grab a few, walk over to the Arby’s in the parking lot, hop on their Wi‑Fi, and take the surveys myself.

Two or three a day. Just enough to hit the number and get out of the store before dark.

Was it right? No.

But was it the only way to survive? Absolutely.

The company would never tell you to cheat. But they created a system where cheating was the only way to avoid being punished. They knew exactly what they were doing.

More Stories Coming

And trust me — the survey nonsense was just the beginning.

Sometime this week, I’ll talk about the credit card applications we were forced to push. That was another circus all on its own.

If you find these stories interesting, please share the blog. And if you’ve got your own retail horror stories, send them to me — I’ll post them. The more we talk about what really goes on behind the scenes, the more people understand what retail workers deal with.

I was in District 7 during 2017–2018, and believe me, I’ve got plenty more stories to tell.

Check back soon.

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