For those that have done gas station related shops for any or all of the following brands, which would you say is the most complicated and easiest?
+
+
BP
Chevron
Circle K
Citgo
ExxonMobil
Gulf
RacTrac
Shell
Sunoco

For me, by far the easiest are RacTrac as they require no photos.
RacTrac is a regional brand. Also, the msc that does them assigns
routes if you want one/reliable and pays promptly by dd. Good all around.


Most complex these days is probably ExxonMobil because of the double version of the shop, plus the msc that has them, while paying promptly, starts off the commissions low every month and there are not guaranteed routes. I haven't done shops for them in awhle.

If there is a brand I missed, it's because I haven't completed them, feel free to add it.

Thoughts from anyone?

-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2012 01:54PM by techman01.

I have only done BP, Shell, Sunoco, and Exxon.

Of those...I think BP is the toughest because of the form to be completed onsite. However, this audit was and is a wonderful tool for new shoppers. Many, many details.

The second worst would be Exxon, I just hate taking pics of all the pumps and that part of their evaluation report online.

Easiest for me, Sunoco. Undercover and quick.

I do Exxon/Mobil, Chevron/Texaco, Shell, and Valero/Shamrock.

I like the Exxon/Mobil best. Since I'm taking a closeup pic of each pump, I wait until I'm home to make my list of pumptoppers, ears, and flags. These are all readily apparent from the pics and I've made a little form I fill out on each shop as I run through the pics. Of course, if the station has 20 pumps it takes longer than a 4 pump station. Bitter with the better.

What I don't like about the Valero/Shamrock is that I have to cross the street/road/highway to get the three overall pics they want. Plus, these pics are from right corner, left corner, front so I have to get into three different locations to get them. Major pain.

Shells are more complex for me than the others. They take longer. I'm working on speeding up the Shells, but I seem to sink into a quagmire every time I do one.

From favorite to not so favorite, and from quick and easy to not so quick and not so easy, this is my order:

1. Exxon/Mobil
2. Chevron/Texaco
3. Valero/Shamrock
4. Shell

I've only done Chevron--everything else I've seen offered are audits/photo shops and I refuse to do those, having been burned by the experience several years ago.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2012 12:44AM by jude86.

I've done Shell, BP, Chevron/Texaco, and Conoco. None are terribly difficult but you do have to make sure you get extras of all the photos, especially if the shops are at any distance at all. If the shop was 30 miles away and you did it because you were out that way on other business, the last thing you want is an email saying they need ______photo done over within and you have 24 hours to make it so.

That being said, I think I prefer Conoco or I did based on the last time I did them a couple of years ago. I have only done the other 3 in the past year or so.

I picked up a Conoco/Phillips from a company that I've never seen them with around here. The form was 30 pages and extremely detailed. YIKES...boy was I glad the place was not a Conoco/Phillips when I got there and I only needed to get the 7 or so required photos. I would definitely not do one of those. Don't know much about them, since this was the only one I've ever seen, but just printing the audit form had me shaking.

With that being said, I find Exxon to be easiest and quickest....not the multi photo audit ones. Around here they still have the mystery shop ones. I only do those for Exxon. I also like the Sunoco shops and have been doing them since they were with the prior company. I used to do a boatload of Shells, but find I don't like them as much anymore. I get the "Oh, I really don't want to do this," feeling whenever I have to do one now. I love the folks at the stations I've done. They've been friendly and cooperative, but the requirements seem to increase with each wave and the report is quite detailed depending on the station...that is the key...depending on the station...some are a breeze. I used to do a lot of them on my way to the southern part of my state, but I'm afraid of missing something and I won't be able to get back there to complete it if necessary, so unless it's bonused a lot, I don't do that too often anymore.

I've also done fast photo and non-photo audits for BP and some other stations that don't pay much, but were easy, peasy.

The great thing about any gas station shop is that they repeat month after month. There's always the possibility of income being generated. They pay great and the reports are basically easy, IMHO. I'm comparing them to retail or dining which could pay less and require hours of reporting time. Plus, my tank has been getting filled at a great discount. I never purchase the small amount of required fuel. I need it anyway, so I usually get between $8-$10 at each station. In NJ Exxon does not require a gas purchase, so I don't need to get gas there...better yet at their prices!!!

I would like to find the companies that do the gas stations! I am still applying to various companies and not able yet to find NYC/Long Island shops. So many that I sign up for have no shops in a 50 mile radius.

I have one scheduler that keeps calling and wants me to shop for $10. I said no way. With the time involved with the travel, pictures and narratives, I ask for $70 a shop.

Ah yes, they're trying to clean up the March shops. I've asked for a mere $25 and no go. Geesh with the time, travel, gas, and requirements, that one should start at $25..LOL

I have done: ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Marathon, Valero/Shamrock, Gulf and Sunoco.

The one that I enjoy the most is actually Gulf, because there is zero required purchase and no mystery shop component. Walk in, present the letter of authorization and get to taking pictures. Unfortunately, there's only 1 station within 30 miles of me.

The one I enjoy the least is BP. I hate having required fuel and inside purchases. I hate that the inside purchase cannot be made with a credit card. But most of all, I absolutely abhor those on-site forms and the fact that the MSC has to mail them out beforehand. I would guarantee you that I could probably snap photos of every pump a la ExxonMobil requirements quicker than I can shuffle through all those papers for BP.



In order of my scale of easiness:

1. Gulf
2. Valero/Shamrock
3. Sunoco
4. Marathon
5. ExxonMobil
6. Shell
7. BP

I've also done several of what I call convenience store mystery shops (Circle K, Road Ranger, United Dairy Farmers, etc.). I consider these a different category than "gas stations" as the bulk of shops I do at gas stations are photo audits.

Gas station shops are broken into four different categories making it pretty easy to mark them from easiest to hardest. I will only list the gas companies, I have personally shopped.

1. Straight mystery shop. No photos required--overt or covert. Most of these require an on-site purchase either at the pump or in-store or both. These are the easiest. Chevron/Texaco mystery shops and Chevron/Texaco competitor shops fall into this category.

2. Covert mystery shop. 1-4 photos required covertly taken. Most of these also require an on-site purchase at either the pump or inside the store, sometimes both. As a rule, these don't pay very well because of the MSC that does them. Kangaroo shops are the exception as they usually reimburse you for $9-10 worth of gas and whatever in-store promotion they are offering on coffee and pastries.

3. Mystery shop/audit. You must do a mystery shop and prepay for gas in the store and/or purchase an item inside the store for up to $1.00. Then you return to your vehicle, produce a letter, hand it to the attendant and begin the audit portion of the shop. You are required to take a minimum set of photos depending on the type of station and photos for each observed infraction. Shops that fall into this category are Shell, Valero and BP. All three shops pay around $10-11 for the audit and reimburse you for your in-store purchase up to $1.00 (BP/Valero) and your gasoline purchases (up to 2 gallons of gas at Shell or up to $4-$5 (BP)). Valero offers no gas reimbursement.

4. Straight audit. You walk into the store and present the clerk with a letter that introduces you as an auditor and begin taking pictures. A set number of required photos is required for each type of station depending on the various elements available and a photo for each observed infraction. Chevron and Texaco offer straight audits. Chevron and Texaco (C/T) have a different angle on these as the shops are broken into Day shops (6am-5pm) and Night shops (4pm-10pm) but they can only be done on weekdays.

That being said, I would have to rate the various gas shops according to ease and flexibility.

Easy - Difficult
C/T Mystery
C/T Competitor
Kangaroo
C/T Audits
BP
Shell
Valero

Flexible - Rigid
Shell
BP
Valero
Kangaroo
C/T Competitor
C/T Mystery
C/T Audits

Fairest/Cheapest
Shell ($10 + reimbursement for 2 gallons of gas)
BP ($11 + reimbursement for $4 gas and $1 in-store)
C/T Audit (14.50 - no reimbursements)
Kangaroo ($9-$10 gas and $4-$3 in-store purchase)
C/T & Competitor mystery shops ($6 fee, $5 gas purchase, $1 in-store purchase)
Valero ($10 + $1 purchase reimbursement)

One of the few saving graces about the C/T Audits and BP Mystery Shops/Audits is that the MSC mails out the paperwork to fill out for the shops. They used to mail out the cover letters, too, but have since stopped that practice. For all of the other shops, I use my own abbreviated/condensed one page form for the shops I do. I like that I can do Shells, BPs and Valeros any day of the week, meaning that I don't have to worry about big-city and/or rush hour traffic during my trips. C/T has the rigid requirement of only being able to do shops for a specific block of time (Days, Nights, 6-10am, 10am-2pm, 2-6pm, 6-10pm) and only on non-holiday weekdays.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2012 04:11AM by tanmanlovespool.

techman01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For those that have done gas station related shops
> for any or all of the following brands, which
> would you say is the most complicated and
> easiest?
> +
> +
> BP
> Chevron
> Circle K
> Citgo
> ExxonMobil
> Gulf
> RacTrac
> Shell
> Sunoco
>
> For me, by far the easiest are RacTrac as they
> require no photos.
> RacTrac is a regional brand. Also, the msc that
> does them assigns
> routes if you want one/reliable and pays promptly
> by dd. Good all around.
>
>
> Most complex these days is probably ExxonMobil
> because of the double version of the shop, plus
> the msc that has them, while paying promptly,
> starts off the commissions low every month and
> there are not guaranteed routes. I haven't done
> shops for them in awhle.
>
> If there is a brand I missed, it's because I
> haven't completed them, feel free to add it.
>
> Thoughts from anyone?
>
> -


Are RaceTracs still shopped? I used to do them for one of the larger companies as a route. At first they had me going in once a week and then decreased it to every two weeks and then not at all. I have not seen them available on the job boards either.

Racetracs are shopped in my area.

Who does the shops for BP, Chevron, Citgo, and Valero. I'm trying to do more in my area.

Sorry, we can't give you that information. Posting guidelines here and most independent contractor agreements prevent us from linking the client and the MSC.

I have been doing some Shells, but most of the shop has to do with the "cattle ranch" store.
They don't pay much, but there are some so close to me that I may as well take a chance on the reimbursed lottery ticket. There is usually a Texor near me that gets bonused. Anyone ever do one of those? Supposedly, it's even easier than the one I do (same company).

I used to do Thornton's. I loved those! Are they still being done? The company that did them said they were put on hold for remodeling (most of the stores were only a few years old). That was about 7 years ago. Maybe they should cancel that countertop order.....

someone reimburses for lottery tickets? You don't get a receipt with a lottery ticket. All the shops I've ever done specifically said you couldn't buy a lottery ticket for the required purchase.

you would just upload the lottery ticket...it has the date and time that you purchased it on there...

That doesn't change that the instructions on some shops SPECIFICALLY don't allow lottery tickets as a purchase. If some do, that would be great. The sodas I usually buy on these generally have the ice all melted by the time I finish the audit portion of the shop. I'd much rather have the lottery ticket!

I'll have to look for shops that allow lottery tickets. I'm not often where I can buy them so I forget to get them.

itsasecret Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That doesn't change that the instructions on some
> shops SPECIFICALLY don't allow lottery tickets as
> a purchase. If some do, that would be great. The
> sodas I usually buy on these generally have the
> ice all melted by the time I finish the audit
> portion of the shop. I'd much rather have the
> lottery ticket!
>
> I'll have to look for shops that allow lottery
> tickets. I'm not often where I can buy them so I
> forget to get them.

Yep! A lottery ticket is REQUIRED. There is also a monthly promotional item that has to be purchased. The reimbursement is a flat rate. I usually go over a bit just to use it all. The fee is low unless bonused, but the stores are in my neighborhood and I pass by them all the time. The promo item can be a waste, but sometimes it's nice to have a candy bar in the cabinet. I'm banking on the lottery. When I win, I'm outta here, baby! LOL!

Several yrs. ago, I accepted 3 de-branding assignments, but decided the work:pay ratio wasn't agreeable to profit. Shortly thereafter, I tried the regular visits with BP, but they were far worse as I had to return to one and twice to the other. Finally, it was Sunoco, with a fee of $25, a small interior purchase and $4 in gas.; I only needed 1 pic of the property and, if necessary, any problems. Unfortunately, the MSC lost the contract and the new company wasn't interested in my money requirements.

I've been busy putting together out-of-town routes the last few days to complete a batch of gas station shops for different MSCs, and I got to wondering what is the lowest rate that my fellow forum shoppers will do these for.

What's your threshold? Do you base it per assignment, or per route? At what distance do you consider an assignment not worth accepting?

I haven't done many but I'm not inclined to look at one for less than $20.

@shopgal, it depends on the msc involved. Anything involved with the company stuck in the 1800's I won't do(the one that mailed forms), especially since another msc overlaps most of their same stores for the regional distributors to the stations, and the pay is much higher and much less work.

I used to be able to make decisions more easily as to whether certain gas station routes are worthwhile or not. But then, more used to be available, and more were available at decent fees.

I've got one route planned that will definitely pay off, but it will require a lot of work and time. But there's another that I'm going back and forth about. It's about 180 miles round trip, so fuel costs will eat up about a quarter of the total amount I will earn from fees.

Shopgal, sometimes I think we run the same roads. I'm seeing much less available, also. Are you sure you're not grabbing the shops around DFW and North Central Texas?

I'm not shopping as aggressively as I did in the past and I'm ramping up my rocking chair time. I'm going to have to get hungrier than I am right now to pick up some of the work out there at fees that aren't attractive. I don't think it's altogether the result of new shoppers, and I believe a big factor is that there are just fewer jobs in my area. I'm hoping the economy picks up sharply and some of these guys and gals get real jobs, but I'm not counting on improvement any time soon.

In the meantime, here's how I decide whether I want to make a route or not.

Q1: What's the alternative? Can I find other work that pays as well, or well enough?

Q2: Is there anything else I'd rather do for no money? Work around the house? Visit friends and family? Eat ice cream and drink Coca Cola?

Q3: Is there anything I want that I can buy with the money I make on this route?

Q4: Am I in the mood to get out of the house and mix it up, or do I want to turtle up for a few days?

Q5: Can I afford to pass up whatever I would earn because I don't think it's enough? Would that be smart?

All great questions, Mary. After some recent goings-on, I'm tempted to go for option 4 -"turtle up". See my thread on snafus.

I think I will stick with the upcoming route I already have planned. Then if all goes well, and these other assignments that I am on the fence about are still available, I will review your questions again.

Wahhh, Wahhh, Wahhh...noob alert, noob alert...danger, danger...
Sooooo Exxon only reimburses $1 for gas and $1 for inside purchase (in my area). How do you guys handle the required gas purchase? Putting even a gallon in, at $3.80 eats in to the little bit of pay.

just put a $1 of gas in...

techman01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
just put a $1 of gas in...


You jest...right? Right? See above 'noob alert'.