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Trying to apply for shops...ugh!!

August 29, 2014 04:54AM
I am still new to MS (since July 15th) and I have already done 25 shops. None have been rejected and only two needed corrected. My issue is being accepted when I apply. I am constantly being bombarded with emails of shops I can accept and when I apply it goes to someone else. Even worse, I apply and for weeks the shop is still available. How can I apply if I am not even given a chance? And no, I am not applying to the fancy hotels! smiling smiley


Lisa

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**Throw me to the wolves and I'll come back leading the pack!**


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2014 09:36PM by Lisardh.
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August 29, 2014 05:06AM
Remove MSC name or client brand from your post.

Follow through with your shop applications by shooting an email saying "I've read the guidelines overview available, and am committed to performing this shop on X date. Please assign this shop to me. I won't let you down."

Plus, end of month shops, they're trying to meet deadlines, and most schedulers will give preference to a more experienced shopper then. They're more likely to give you a chance when there's still plenty of time left to schedule a reshop if you flake or your shop gets rejected. Sucks, but it's true.

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Plan the work. Work the plan.
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August 29, 2014 05:27AM
This is so NORMAL when you are a newbie. I remember getting passed over for the Candy Store 6 times. Once you prove yourself, and create a relationship with your schedulers, they call you smiling smiley
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August 29, 2014 06:26AM
Hang in, Lisa. If you're applying for a shop that's everyone's fav, you're going to be waiting for a long time. Pay your dues, bite the bullet and climb the ladder! It will happen!
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August 29, 2014 11:52AM
The others are correct when they say this is normal, especially for new shoppers. Schedulers value dependability perhaps over everything else and new shoppers have no track record of such. Therefore you (and all other great new shoppers) get lumped into the general category of new and mostly undependable shoppers.

You can do a few things. Look for self-assignable shops. Some companies allow this. Search for those on the forum. For those companies that you apply for shops with, build relationships with companies and schedulers. Do this by performing shops as scheduled and develop a positive contact history with schedulers to get you noticed in a good way. BBird's comment above is good. Also, you can ask legitimate questions of the schedulers. For example, I recently encountered an important inconsistency in a shop's instructions. An email to the scheduler asking for clarification shows you are detail orientated. Performing the shops well also helps. Lastly, you can research or ask about on the forum regarding the individual companies to see how they may differ from the norm. If you are waiting for weeks on an application, that has different meanings for different companies.

Have fun

Happily shopping Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut
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August 29, 2014 02:15PM
Also, apply for a few self assigned shops with a new to you company. Do well on those lowbie ones (even if it feels like the money is not enough). This shows your work ethic and gives them additional samplings of your writing. Some companies won't even show you the good shops until you have proven yourself.

Shopping across Indiana but mostly around Indianapolis.
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August 29, 2014 02:45PM
If you're not signed up with them yet, sign up with Market Force and Corporate Research. They are both pretty much 100% self-assign, easy shops for the most part, and good companies for newbies to start with. Both will require you to do the shops correctly -- they're not easy because they don't have standards, they're easy because the shops are simple and not that much to try to remember all at once.

Sign up for the Mystery shopper magazine. And read this back edition which has two articles about starting out: [www.mysteryshoppermagazine.com]

Time to build a bigger bridge.
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August 29, 2014 03:23PM
Lisa, I have shopped 2 years but only a few shops a month. It is hard to get shops at first because there's a lot of competition. The schedulers use the shoppers they know. Actually, that's smart for them to do but it makes it hard to get a start. Market Force is good for newbies. The reports are easy and you can self-assign.
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August 29, 2014 08:27PM
Most companies have at least one shop you can self-assign to "get your foot in the door" and establish a rating higher than the default. In fact of the companies which have the "apply for a shop" model, I have yet to see one offer shops exclusively using that model, at least one is a self-assign.
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August 29, 2014 10:35PM
Even experienced shoppers have to prove themselves at times. I have been MS'ing for just over three years. I consistently work with 30+ MSCs on a monthly or semi-monthly basis. I think I am registered with 100 companies give or take. I recently (meaning 2014) began working for ACL. I just completed my second shop for them. I got an e-mail that I have been bumped up to a S1. Apparently I was a S2 after doing my first assignment. I have no idea what their ratings mean but along with the bump in rating, I will now be able to see more variety and higher end shops.

So even experienced shoppers have to prove themselves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.”
~ Jimi Hendrix

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” ~ Mark Twain

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” ~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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