Rucker13 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> /rant
>
> How can a company that has paid on average $20 a
> shop for gas stations and home improvement stores
> drop commission down to $8? I do this to make
> money, not lose money and waste my time. I dare a
> newbie to take this route I do every two weeks for
> $8 a station.


Answer to question: Evidently there are people willing to do them for next to nothing.

I agree with the "not worth it" aspect of some of these $8 shops. I started to sign up for a picture audit at a gas station for what I thought was ok pay - $15 - but when I read through all of the things required, I quickly cancelled the application. Meh, I am not that desperate and my time is worth more.

I disregard $5 and $8 shops most of the time, unless they are for groceries (which include a reimbursement) because the amount of time spend to observe, then document and file the reports just blows the hourly return down to almost nothing.

It really just depends on the shop and if I would be going there anyway. I will NOT perform a storage mystery shop for $8. Nope. I am happy to allow someone else to deal with that. I wait, if it gets taken, fine. If the price goes up enough, then I will bite.

sheric01 Wrote:
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> I live in Houston where there are so many
> shoppers, especially in the part of the city that
> I live in. Fees are low as someone will take it.


Hi fellow Houstonian. I am also in Houston, well Kingwood actually, but do shops in the city as I work Downtown and you are right, they go pretty fast as the market is competitive and there are times when I simply refuse to take something but there is always someone else who is willing to take it. The ones that I find not many people do are the shared branching ones. I usually get those.

Most MSC's just want the cheapest evaluation they can get. We are expendable as long as shoppers are willing to work for nothing. I have stopped applying for shops that pay below the equivalent of minimum wage. It is just not worth for me to pay all my own automobile expense and earn almost nothing. MSC's apparently do not care for experienced shoppers. I have limited my mystery shopping to only a few MSC's that pay a fair shop fee. If we all did that, maybe the shop fees would go up to a reasonable rate.

$40 five guys????!!!!! Oh I am so asking that next time. I just did an audit that I kept countering the fee until I got what was the "max price" according to the scheduler. But that was the price they called begging me with the last time so I possibly believe her. I had originally asked double but when hours get cut for my husband's job then I am forced to go lower. I wasn't a bad fee don't get me wrong but it was a long pricing audit.

It's hard finding shops around here. I live on the outskirts of a semi big city but it seems like either I'm looking at the completely wrong companies or stores just aren't getting shopped. Then now and then a new shopper pops up takes all the $5 shops for a couple months where I barely get any work until they realize "hey I wait and the price goes up!".

My only other option is to drive to Atlanta, and that is NOT going to happen. So those of you out there shopping Atlanta don't worry I offer you no competition.

This company Sucks!! They look down on us as if we owe them something! If you don't have a degree in English they @#$%& all over you. I've spent many hours doing these shops only to get a 7 or 8 and a do the report over most of the time.

The last shop I did for them was a travesty, I spent hours trying to fulfill it and was not paid at the end!

Dear anyone who feels like a cheap @#$%&,

First, the monies we collect are not commissions. The MSC's charge the client a fee for the reports in an effort to MAKE MORE MONEY the schedulers are paid a portion of the fee to obtain an objective, thorough evaluation. (Percentage = commission) The schedulers have a timeline and a budget to get this report, this includes a spread of money. We shoppers supply an objective, detailed analysis for a charge to the scheduler/MSC/client. If the client knew our contact information they'd probably be contacting us directly for feedback... not a bad thing.

Second, know your worth. Don't accept low paying gigs. PERIOD! How many times does this have to come up on the forum? We supply a valuable service so get beyond the scheduler and think of the client. I know what my evaluations and audits are worth. Everything is a negotiable item -- fees, bonuses, time lines, and due dates. It's a business..... be a professional.

Signed,
NEVER felt like a @#$%& ..... not once!

I really wonder what any shopper is thinking when they refer friends and relatives to the companies they shop for themselves. Each shopper dilutes the "pool" and as the number of shoppers increase the demand for shops increases and the fees decrease. Why would a company hire me, the shopper who demands a higher fee instead of someone who demands a lower fee? The new shopper can make check marks in the right places too. The new shopper can follow the requirements (often) and even complete the shop on time (often). Maybe a few companies demand the characteristics and intellect of a rocket scientist, (sort of) but most do not. I don't refer new shoppers even when the company offers to put me into a contest or some other such incentive. Win a contest and lose a job.

Some one will always do it for less. Do what works for you.

Assuredd Wrote:
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> The fees drop as we continue to refer others into
> the business. The supply of shops is limited in
> most areas, and referrals only drive prices lower.
> I no longer refer anyone. I do this as a business
> too, and competition is tough. >>>>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can't tell you "how" many people I know that want me to give them MY Mystery Shopping Companies.

Yeah, right!

So.. I give them the "worst" ones that never pay...

I was asked to do a "combo" shop which involves a phone call and then a bank visit and I could get $12.50! I used to get $15 just for a brief bank visit and now it is double the work and less money. Very frustrating!

elizabethanne Wrote:
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> I was asked to do a "combo" shop which involves a
> phone call and then a bank visit and I could get
> $12.50! I used to get $15 just for a brief bank
> visit and now it is double the work and less
> money. Very frustrating!


Double the work and less money!.. Even cheap @#$%& won't fall for that!

If we don't take them, they will recruit new contractors. I see more competition around here all the time. It must be the recession driving people to scrape up whatever they can find.

I am learning things the hard way too...My last report it seemed like they wanted the eye color of every employee..lol I get it but some times these questions are crazy way TMI. but i love this so I am now just doing as they ask including counting the number of cars and people i see in the area. Any detail i can thing of so I wont get reports back and get a 6 rating. It was fair because I gave them and answer to a question, not a free flowing reply such as this. lol And I have never heard of routes til today when i saw a Cirtcuit route for 10 stops @ 150.00 but at least 2 were in BFE lol the wonderful world of shopping..thanks for giving us a place to vent. This is cool only like my 3rd day. I wish you luck, and Im sure you will find another "route" that pays higher! there is so much work out here it is honestly like we pimpin them! I can make hundreds a week at this! Wow.

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rucker13 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > /rant
> >
> > How can a company that has paid on average $20
> a
> > shop for gas stations and home improvement
> stores
> > drop commission down to $8? I do this to make
> > money, not lose money and waste my time. I dare
> a
> > newbie to take this route I do every two weeks
> for
> > $8 a station.
>
>
> Actually, @#$%& charge more like $100

OutRAYEjus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dear anyone who feels like a cheap @#$%&,
>
> First, the monies we collect are not commissions.
> The MSC's charge the client a fee for the reports
> in an effort to MAKE MORE MONEY the schedulers are
> paid a portion of the fee to obtain an objective,
> thorough evaluation. (Percentage = commission) The
> schedulers have a timeline and a budget to get
> this report, this includes a spread of money. We
> shoppers supply an objective, detailed analysis
> for a charge to the scheduler/MSC/client. If the
> client knew our contact information they'd
> probably be contacting us directly for feedback...
> not a bad thing.
>
> Second, know your worth. Don't accept low paying
> gigs. PERIOD! How many times does this have to
> come up on the forum? We supply a valuable service
> so get beyond the scheduler and think of the
> client. I know what my evaluations and audits are
> worth. Everything is a negotiable item -- fees,
> bonuses, time lines, and due dates. It's a
> business..... be a professional.
>
> Signed,
> NEVER felt like a @#$%& ..... not once!

I imagine that one of the problems with holding out for a larger fee, is that the company has a set budget. When we receive larger payments, it is paid out to cover the contracts that the mystery shopping company has with their clients. The MS is desperate to cover less evaluated sites, which are probably a major focus in the contract. I know this, because I have visited some of those "war zones" of gas stations and greasy fast food restaurants.

Our number one job is to ensure that company compliance is MET. We are important workers in society, because we help to keep stores and department stores and car washes clean and healthy and attractive.

I am totally in favor of higher pay for my services, but I am also totally in agreement of why we are needed workers. Just holding out for larger pay because we can, will only force the MS companies to recruit new workers, and eventually cause the MS companies to lose contracts. Those contracts when moved, usually have lowered fees for us independent contractors.

I wonder how many MS companies would incorporate some of you money grubbers back into their schedules if they knew your real working motives. Are you sure you are in the right business, after all?

When shops are first posted for a round, they are very cheap and then the prices go up the closer they get to a deadline. If you are at the beginning of a round for that set up jobs, they will be cheaper. The down side of waiting is that when they do go up they are jumped on pretty fast.

I have noticed that some gas ones have switched companies and the gas ones at the new company are going quite a bit higher.

With respect to Mary Smith's post, my opinion is that it's either a gag, a troll and/or MSC barf.

Bob, I think Mary Smith is a serious poster and shopper but I can't say I'm 100% in agreement with her post. However, she does make a valid point. I agree if we refuse to take a shop at a fee, the company will look for new shoppers who will work at the lower fee. That's their job as they see it. They're in business to make money. So am I, and although I'm not raking in big bucks, I do have to get an amount for a shop that lets me make money on it when I combine it with others for that day.

When I do a shop, I want to present a clear picture that allows the client to improve service and presentation, but I'm not in business to improve service and presentation. I'm in business to make money. I know that's really crass and I wish my motives were higher but they're not.

In addition to being in business to make money, I'm in business to be fair and act like a human when I deal with others. I want the picture I present to be thorough but I want to see with the eyes of a customer and not with the eyes of a critical and overbearing shopper. I've been running into some stories lately that I don't like about how cashiers at convenience stores have been rudely treated by auditors and I don't like that a bit. When I pull in at the house after a long day, I like to know I treated everyone well and fairly, that I did a good job, and that I made money for my efforts.

I don't like being called a money grubber because I'm in this to make money. I don't think anyone shops for kicks or emotional fulfillment. It's a job like any other job, and we do it for money.

Mary Smith, why are you referring to shoppers as money grubbers? Do you do this for free? Sorry, but I have to ask.
When everything is said and done where I live, I don't make big bucks per hour at this and I work hard. I try to get all I can for the work I do and the companies are trying to get it done without bonuses. No hard feelings about the level of shop fees; I know I can take it or leave it and that's how this works. It's useless to criticize those who shop for less or more. I'm all for more but often I have to take less. Darn.

Re: Mary Smith, why are you referring to shoppers as money grubbers? Do you do this for free? Sorry, but I have to ask.,

For example, when we interview for a new job, our very real need for money is not taken into consideration until after it is determined if we are a good fit for the position. We don't break down and tell the interviewer that we just want a job to pay the bills and to eat. After we have the job, we are evaluated on our job performance.

Our job is to ensure compliance for clients of the MSCs. I am not a troll, and I meant what I posted.

Don't worry, I will be lurking and not typing (lol) my mind for awhile, and you can go back to grumbling about fees and costs and all you go through for the contracted work that you do for cash. I can see why you would feel like a cheap ______. xoxo

Mary Smith, are you making things up? I never said I felt like a cheap @#$%&; that's just the thread title put up by the original poster. Exactly why do you think I would feel like a cheap @#$%&? I'm here to tell you that I have never been cheap.

I have been one of the most outspoken posters on the practical issues connected with fees offered and fees accepted, but I don't grumble about fees because I am entirely in charge of what fees I find acceptable. I only take the fees I find acceptable and the fees I don't take are not my concern. The fees another shopper is willing to take are their business, not mine.

I not only feel like you called me a money grubber because I work for money, but now you have said you can see why I would feel like a cheap @#$%&. And you say I can go back to grumbling about all the contracted work I do for cash? What's that about? I've never been paid cash for any mystery shopping/auditing I've done.

Who are you working for that pays you cash? Or to be literate, for whom are you working that shows up at your door to pay you with cash? Or do they just tuck it into an envelope and send it through the mail? Do tell.

You didn't say whether you're working for free. If I get money and that makes me a cheap @#$%&, how cheap is someone who does it for free?

Mary Smith = troll. From one money grubber to another.

Actually using an employee being hired for a job is not relevant. I am a small business owner who values their time and skills and charges accordingly. That is just business. Holding out for higher fees is not something done because "I can" it is because I want to make a profit. Whether I am desperate for money or rolling in it is actually irrelevant. If I underbid and lose money on an assignment it is my responsibility. If a MSC underbids a contract and loses it is not my responsibility.

Occasionally we have been visited by people who like to think in terms of some altruistic value in what we do. I have never understood if they feel we should do this for free or just be satisfied if our most basic expenses, like gas, are covered. By that logic every health inspector, building inspector, fire fighter and police officer should be working for free because they are protecting the general public.

Obviously clients feel mystery shopping has value or they would not be willing to pay. MSCs certainly do not donate their time and expertise. There are a lot of worthwhile charitable organizations in my area if I choose to start donating my time. Meanwhile, I will not donate my time, energy or money to another profit generating business.

awel61 Wrote:
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> We have fast food shops that I think are reveal
> around here that just dropped to reimbursement
> only. They hit a pretty good price the last round
> and I almost took one but decided not too. Someone
> IS taking them I think because they are
> disappearing. They starting lower and taking a
> long time to go up with everything.

There are people who are unfortunate who go to college or are seniors. They have a lot of time on their hands and very little if any cash to buy food. I leave these shops for those who need them. HOWEVER shame on the people who take advantage of these desperate people! These shops will NEVER go up as long as there are hungy people.

There is a huge demand for cheap @#$%&!

"because the reason they are unemployed is that they didn't get past the 7th grade"

LOL! Your post made me LAUGH!

I have friends with MASTERS DEGREES who cannot write a 3-sentence paragraph that makes any sense at all.

And I see many, many posts on here that if I were editing, I'd send back for rewrites!

I try to make at least $100 for each day I go mystery shopping. Sometimes it takes one shop, sometimes it takes 3 or more. Somedays I do much better, $150 or even over $200.

But if you count the time it takes to set a route and deal with the scheduler, print out the paperwork, and input reports....it might take me 16 hours to make that $100 (especially if it's a brand-new
shop)...way, way below minimum wage!

cease

As a "newbie", while I do this to make money, I don't do this as my primary income, and I really only do the shops if they are in my immediate vicinity (I live in New York, so that means "can I reach it via public transport?". I imagine that a lot of the cheaper shops are for people like me, and that there are probably a lot more shoppers like me part of a "silent majority" who aren't quite as invested in this industry as I.

I don't accept any shop with less fee than I was paid (excluding bonus) the last time I did it. That is the the only way I would not feel cheap and uncomfortable about doing it. As a matter of fact, even
if they double the fee if I did not like doing the shop which I successfully completed, I won't accept take it again the next time. As MDavisnowell stated, we are free to take any shop we want to do.

In response to Lisa's post, six posts up...

THUNDERING APPLAUSE!!!!!!!!!

One financial institution which I have shopped for years recently switched MS companies, and the pay for a "new account" inquiry went from $18 to $12. I politely declined the invitation!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2014 11:20AM by DoogieZZ.