There is Kmart pricing audit shop in my area for $40. Thinking about picking it up... Any advice?

I like them, don't do that many because there is a bit of walking. Normally takes me 1.5 to 2 hours. I've had a couple of good employees with me and we make a list o the departments we reach as we leave the office. So I normally only have to make one trip around the store instead of walking back and forth. Makes life a bit easier.

No. The blue lights make me crazy!

At $40 I would do it. They take me about 1.5 hours to 2 hours.

I seek out and do these (and the smaller 50 item Sears stores) on a regular basis. I think Kmart management appreciates having someone come in who knows the drill and is ready to get the project done. I will confess, I do this in a Power Chair which is extra helpful as there is also an ADA audit to complete.

These projects are among the highest paying for this MSC and when they get to the $40 level, well worth the effort!

Personally, I won't do them until they reach $50. The first one was excrutiating but after that they get easy.

I wish we still had Kmarts in Houston, would love to do one.

Can anyone fill me in on this process? This looks like a daunting task and very time consuming for the pay. Is it really how this looks?

I have done them. Lot of work for little pay. And you are at the mercy of the manager. You are not their top priority in the store.

I agree with Canadamommy. They are quite a lot of work for little pay and you have to hope for a nice store manager.

I thought we weren't supposed to say the names of the companies?

I have done many of these audits. I won't do them until they are desperate enough to "bonus" them!

I have never run into any managers who weren't polite, helpful, and nice.



cease

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2013 12:36AM by ceasesmith.

The name of the company was not mentioned just the client. You can name one but not both.

ceasesmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I thought we weren't supposed to say the names of
> the companies?
>
> I have done many of these audits. I won't do them
> until they are desperate enough to "bonus" them!
>
> I have never run into any managers who weren't not
> polite, helpful, and nice.
>
>
>
> cease

OK, thanks -- total newbie!



cease

I did one for $30, WAY too much work! Wouldn't do another for less than $75.

Hello,
I did one of these audits last year and was excited about doing it. When I entered the store and asked for the manager, he was upset because he was going to go to lunch and wouldn't be back for two hours. The audits have strict time parameters so you can't do them after 4 pm. The manager asked me to come back at 5 and I said I could not do that so he was stuck helping me and I felt bad about him missing lunch. The audit itself took me over 3 hours and the manager was polite to me but I could tell that he was not happy about having to walk around the store for me while I notated price descrepencies. The report for the audit was a little time consuming, as well. The main thing that took so long was that you have to pick like 100 random items, record the 12 digit bar code number of each item and then have the manager scan the item with the price gun to make sure it matches. It was a good experience to try something new and do this audit, but personally, I don't know if I would do it again because when I considered the over 4 hours I put into the assignment. Also, I did not feel comfortable taking that much time out of the manager's day to help me with the project. I guess you would just have to decide if you were willing to devote that much time to the job. It's not hard at all, just time consuming. Hope this info helps. Thanks!
yellowsunshine Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can anyone fill me in on this process? This looks
> like a daunting task and very time consuming for
> the pay. Is it really how this looks?

I just did a Sears one and it was only $20 and I doubt I'd do it again. I apparently didn't think outside the box and it took almost 3 hours. On the log you are only supposed to write the product number if the pricing is correct but if it's wrong you fill in all the other stuff. I did write the price in the margin in pencil so I could check it and erase it, but I didn't think ahead that if the price was wrong I'd have to figure out which product I had written in the code for. So then the 7 wrong ones, although there is a very brief description, took me forever to figure out. Example, a fridge had been incorrectly priced. But there are like 30 fridges in the store so I had to look at the product number on the sign untill I found which one i had randomly chosen. Probably my fault for not thinking ahead but the log is designed to have NOTHING but the product number if it's correct. If it went higher than this maybe I'd bring two copies of the log and at least write down the product, then afterwards copy it to a blank one. I don't know.

I used to do them, but they closed both of the Kmarts I worked on. I wouldn't drive to the ones that were further away for the same price. The one I really miss is the Sears Appliance store which was only 1.5 miles from home and much easier, but they closed that too.

thankyou to everyone here for your comments and information. I have read between the lines correctly with this type of shop. I think I will steer clear of these for now. I'm still new at this and I appreciate your time to reply.
I love this fourm!
Success to you all.

I have done quite a few of these. I have never had it take 3 hours- and how would you sink 4 hours into it? The only way the report takes more than 10-12 minutes is if you have a lot of items ring up wrong. The most I've ever had is 4 items wrong. I dont do these all the time, but I do wait until they are about $35. Write quickly, try to do large chunks of category at a time. They DO get easier!

Jaosmom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have done quite a few of these. I have never had
> it take 3 hours- and how would you sink 4 hours
> into it? The only way the report takes more than
> 10-12 minutes is if you have a lot of items ring
> up wrong. The most I've ever had is 4 items wrong.
> I dont do these all the time, but I do wait until
> they are about $35. Write quickly, try to do large
> chunks of category at a time. They DO get easier!

$35? You are underpayed big time for this audit. $50 for the small stores and those that I know are well organized. 3 floors stores and those that are always messy pay more. I get such a headache afterwards. Also, different states have additional things that need to be audited to check compliance with state laws.

I would never take one for less than $50 nor would I take one at a larger store.

They've reduce the pay for these drastically I see. Now they are down to $10.00 for some areas. I think I'll let them sit awhile, even though I do like to do these pricing audits.

Don't feel sorry for the manager because of his lunch. He is paid to make sure his store is up to par. Our audit is to make sure he is in compliance. So if he misses lunch or you did not not call before you showed up ------>it is all on him.

Besides the manger is in a position where he can select any store associate to accompany us with the scanning gun or whatever.

Most S/K store audits is 100 items----->85 select or random merchandise and 15 ADA items. So technically one can pick their "random" items before arriving at the store. That makes the audits go smoother and shorter.

There's one around here for $20 Seems a lot of work though. I saw one in a bigger city near me for $50.

No one around here is doing them, so I'll wait I guess..

They're worth it if they are bonused, otherwise not. I made the same mistake on my first one and wrote down ALL the UPCs. Took 3 hours. Now I can do them in an hour and a half and I still get around $40-$48 because no other shoppers in this area will do them.

Their guidelines state that the audit has to begin within 15 or 20 minutes of you arriving and announcing. (Can't remember exactly.) Tough toodles if the manager was going to lunch. They know about these, and they know when they are due to have one.

The manager does not have to be the one to do it.....'A' manager or keyholder does.

They never take me more than an hour and 15 minutes to do for the full size stores, and they never take longer than 10 minutes to input. The small stores only take me about 30-40 minutes.

Don't go category by category...have your pages on a clipboard, know what you have to get before you go in, and flip from page to page as you walk through the store so that you don't backtrack over the same territory again.

I have done dozens of these, and I will continue. I enjoy working with the people, and it is really easy, almost mindless work.

KateH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jaosmom Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have done quite a few of these. I have never
> had
> > it take 3 hours- and how would you sink 4 hours
> > into it? The only way the report takes more
> than
> > 10-12 minutes is if you have a lot of items
> ring
> > up wrong. The most I've ever had is 4 items
> wrong.
> > I dont do these all the time, but I do wait
> until
> > they are about $35. Write quickly, try to do
> large
> > chunks of category at a time. They DO get
> easier!
>
> $35? You are underpayed big time for this audit.
> $50 for the small stores and those that I know are
> well organized. 3 floors stores and those that are
> always messy pay more. I get such a headache
> afterwards. Also, different states have additional
> things that need to be audited to check compliance
> with state laws.

Really? I dont feel underpaid. I have never seen a 3 floor Kmart- just where do you live? I combine this with a lunch shop next door, a breakfast shop in the same town, 2 cell phone shops, and a merchandsiing job, and I just made almost $200. With 10-12 minutes input after and 1.5 hours in store, that pays well enough for me.

As a customer I have had numerous bad experiences with both of these companies. No way will I participate in an audit for either.

> Really? I dont feel underpaid. I have never seen a
> 3 floor Kmart- just where do you live? I combine
> this with a lunch shop next door, a breakfast shop
> in the same town, 2 cell phone shops, and a
> merchandsiing job, and I just made almost $200.
> With 10-12 minutes input after and 1.5 hours in
> store, that pays well enough for me.


Shopping mama, 3 floor Sears not Kmart. But here in the northeast metropolitan areas it is $40+ per cell phone, and other $40 shops all in the same mall. The rates are not even for the last 3 days of the month.

Did my first one today. Took me 2 hours and ten minutes. It's time consuming, but the report took me 15 minutes to enter. I think I may do it again.....depends on what else I have planned. As a first timer, I think it just takes a little extra to get the hang of it.