No reimbursement?!?!

How common is this? I seeing these quite often lately (however I have only been shopping for two months) but in the last week I have seen a large amount of Retail-Purchase with no reimbursement! To make matters worse, the fees are low and the retail stores are mid to higher end stores.

Lisa

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

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More About Reimbursements

Are they purchase/return? If not, find out if the item can be returned after the shop anyway.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

I've take on projects that do this all the time, whether it's retail or not.

The projects I take on that are a flat-rate fee for restaurants, usually cover the meal with some leftover $5-10 for me to pocket. One of the MSC's I shop for regularly pay a flat-rate fee, but in the end, I still pocket around $15 after paying for my meal. For retail shops that have no reimbursements and aren't a return shop, I usually return after I've been paid (usually before the 60-90 return period for the store), unless told specifically not to in their guidelines.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

I have been seeing it a bit more often as well.

For the higher-end ones, I have gotten into the habit of requesting bonuses on them. It requires an additional trip to the store, even if I'm not evaluating that additional trip.

For small flat-fee shops, remember to deduct the cost of the products/services purchased as a business expense. $20 flat fee haircut shops, for example. $20-$12 haircut (business expense) = $8 earned. (taxable income)

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Plan the work. Work the plan.

They are not purchase and return. I guess I should ask if I can return it. I have to look more into the deductions.

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

I recently did a boatload of gas station shops for $6 that required an unreimbursed shop purchase with Ritter & Associates. The first location had a $.05 gum and other than the rather embarrassing predicament of asking for a receipt before the reveal I thought....not so bad but then as I moved on to other locations I searched high and low and found the cheapest thing in most stores was $.69. In some I had to purchase items that were a full $1 so it does give me pause. Lately I have seen some of those same shops in out of the way places now paying as much as $15 which is a lot better but I will think twice if this project comes up for the same $6 rate given that just a small few independent stations even mess with $.05 or $.10 candy anymore.

Big Ed
Mystery shopping in the Great Smokey & Blue Ridge Mountain ranges of Southern Appalachia (GA, NC, SC, & TN)
BigEdBSA@gmail.com

Lisardh Wrote:
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> They are not purchase and return. I guess I should
> ask if I can return it. I have to look more into
> the deductions.

In my opinion, on the purchase/return shops, the good news is that you'll be reimbursed; the bad news is that you've had to waste additional time, when you could have been making money, returning the item

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

Good for Christmas gift shopping.

Lisardh Wrote:
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> How common is this? I seeing these quite often
> lately (however I have only been shopping for two
> months) but in the last week I have seen a large
> amount of Retail-Purchase with no reimbursement!
> To make matters worse, the fees are low and the
> retail stores are mid to higher end stores.
>
> Lisa

I think I know which shop you are referring...you used to have to get the 4 digit code off the clothes, fight the strong perfume and loud music, and now you have to purchase something that you won't be reimbursed for...is this the one you are talking about?

That is one!

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

Lisardh Wrote:
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> That is one!

I try not to spend more than $5 bucks. Get that perfume on the table, $5 bucks a bottle

They had a two for $6 panties and I took them so I did not have to return any. The last time I shopped there, I had to purchase an expensive dress and I had to return it. I considered that two shops, so in their survey, I told them I was not interested in doing the shops again at that rate. I have not accepted any. There are other more worthwhile projects as far as I am concerned.

They had a 2 for $15 tank top promotion a few months back that was great. I think they run it every year at the start of summer. There were a couple varieties to choose from, I got the all cottons. They are great for layering under clothing for video shops.

When their leggings go on clearance they are very cheap too. I buy them every year, shop or not, as they are only $2-$6 on clearance. I wear them under jeans for added warmth in the winter.

I take many retail shops because they lower my expenses.

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Plan the work. Work the plan.

Some of those stores sell socks.... good deal.

I find some of the independent schedulers great to work with and I find others that are unreasonable and want you to accept a shop for $10. It'll take 20 minutes to drive to the shop and 40 minutes to do the shop, and another twenty minutes to return home from the shop. Then the shop report is sometimes horrendously long but you go ahead and submit it. You FINALLY get something from the editor and he/she says you need to go back and give them more details and especially the WORD FOR WORD conversation you had with the associate from the time you started. This request from the editor comes four or five days after you submitted the shop and since then you have completed many more shops. Can they really expect you to remember the word for word encounter many days after you did it and also after you have done many other shops?Give me a break!

Thank God I live and shop in single-party consent states. All my shops get audio recorded and I don't erase them until I'm paid.

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

Pop Wrote:
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> You FINALLY get something from the
> editor and he/she says you need to go back and
> give them more details and especially the WORD FOR
> WORD conversation you had with the associate from
> the time you started. This request from the editor
> comes four or five days after you submitted the
> shop and since then you have completed many more
> shops. Can they really expect you to remember the
> word for word encounter many days after you did it
> and also after you have done many other shops?Give
> me a break!

That is why you take notes immediately after you finish your shop. Go into a stall in a public restroom or go back to your car and fill out a hard copy of your report or write notes including quotes. Or text them to yourself or use an app like Evernote. And then hold on to everything for at least 90 days or longer. Even though an editor may be finished with your report, the client can still request more information. If you write a negative report, some employees will dispute it and you may be getting a phone call a month or two later.

I've learned to ask for receipts, always.

It's not the business of the employee to question me why I want a receipt. If they do. I tell them the truth. I own my own business and every receipt is important at the end of the year.

I'm sure one of my mantras comes from the John Wayne movie, "McLintock", is when in doubt it's always best to tell the truth.

As a former tax consultant, I saw all kinds of receipts for less than a buck. It's only off the wall because you think it is. Then again, I only did taxes for a couple of years. People owning their own businesses without a clue made me slightly nuts.

My favorite clients, really did bring stuff in shoe boxes by the month. Honestly, it was easier and definitely took less time to go through the shoe boxes than the client who tried to sort it on their own. You will get charged more, but good tax preparation people will help you to make sure you're more organized for next year.

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning; the devil shudders...And yells OH #%*+! SHE'S AWAKE!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2014 12:42AM by MA Smith.

I keep finding the $3 panties..

I bought a flannel shirt at a loud music, smelly perfume outlet for $5 and found they are selling for over $25-$40 on eBay. Returned and bought 15 more the next day. I have made over $250 already and have 6 more to sell. I take those shops whenever I can and love them. If I can't find something I want to sell, I return the purchase at my next visit to that mall. With that being said, I do love them more when I'm called to do them with a hefty bonus.

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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

I live in South Florida, and more than a couple of times when I do the "loud music, smelly perfume outlet" there are South Americans buying dozens if not hundreds of clothing items to bring back to Venzeula or Columbia or wherever. There are signs limiting purchases to 20 items per person.
Hey, think I should charge the tourists a fee to buy 20 items for them?

LOL, I was told the limit is 30 items. I have a feeling a lot of people buy on sale and resell.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

When an editor requests the word for word conversation I always ask for them to point out where that is listed in the shop instructions or in the report.

Although I have had an Editor ask for word for word and then ding me for poor grammar. At which point I offered the editor the recording, and explained yes there's poor grammar but you asked for word for word and thus I gave you word for word. The editor stopped dinging me for poor grammar after that in the "word for word section." how ever I also point out where in the guidelines does it say word for word.

As for the word for word on clothing shops I try to pick as many items as are allowed to be tried on (often 6 or 7) and then take notes in the dressing room, especially if the associate had a difficult to remember name.
I did a uniform shop and since I was the only customer in the store the overly helpful salesperson knocked 3 or 4 times before I handed her a bunch of hangers and asked if she could bring me the next size and then stayed in a while longer. I had my entire report written before I left (thank goodness for large purses) and she got glowing reviews for going above and beyond for a picky customer.

g1eagle Wrote:
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> Although I have had an Editor ask for word for
> word and then ding me for poor grammar. At which
> point I offered the editor the recording, and
> explained yes there's poor grammar but you asked
> for word for word and thus I gave you word for
> word. The editor stopped dinging me for poor
> grammar after that in the "word for word section."
> how ever I also point out where in the guidelines
> does it say word for word.

If you have to quote poor grammar, be sure you put (sic) after the quote. It's used to show that you know there's something wrong, but you're just quoting it exactly as it was. If the editor dings you for poor grammar after that, you'll have a right to feel really superior.

Nice tip. Thanks.

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