As I sit here at my computer at 3:43 a.m., having just finished up a Nautica report, I ask myself, "Why do I take shops where I absolutely HATE the report?" Of course, the answer is that it is because I have every sandal they sell in my size and color and every fleece pullover they sell in my size and color, along with PJs, some T-Shirts and a few other things and all they cost me was a long, ridiculous report. I even made a few dollars on most of them.

One of these days I'm going to learn to just do the easy ones and pay for stuff I like from my earnings . . . NOT!

I pretty much feel that way every time I complete a shop for A Closer Look or one for the Disney store.

I enjoy the reimbursements from A Closer Look because they're for restaurants that I usually don't go to. I enjoy the meal, and then spend 1-2 hours on the report.

The Disney store reports used to be quick and painless. Now I feel like I'm taking an English test when I'm asked over and over again the use various adjectives to describe how I felt entering the store, how I felt speaking with the "cast members", how I felt at the register, how I felt exiting the store, etc. My kids love the merchandise I buy there, but at times I question if it's worth the tedious report.

I did that Nautica one once and never again. I agree with you, do a few easy shops and pay for the stuff yourself.

Edited because I think the shop I was thinking of was an adidas store, not Nautica. That one was a PITA.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2014 04:26PM by MsJudi.

Phoebe70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I pretty much feel that way every time I complete
> a shop for A Closer Look or one for the Disney
> store.
>
> I enjoy the reimbursements from A Closer Look
> because they're for restaurants that I usually
> don't go to. I enjoy the meal, and then spend 1-2
> hours on the report.
>

I love doing A Closer Look assignments because of their simple, straight-forward layout and guidelines. Also can't neglect their generous reimbursement limits... And it gets even better when there are bonuses.

20 shops at 30 a shop with no narrative are much better
anyday of the week then a mainly reimbursement only
shop!

techman01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 20 shops at 30 a shop with no narrative are much
> better
> anyday of the week then a mainly reimbursement
> only
> shop!


If I don't have any dinner lined up that night and the offer is $80-100 reimbursement for a dinner for two, I'm taking it without hesitation. It's some work, sure; however, I wouldn't call it torture, as someone else described it....

Phoebe70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I pretty much feel that way every time I complete a shop..........for the Disney
> store. My kids love the merchandise I buy there, but at times I question if it's worth the tedious report.

Maybe you should ask the kids....would they rather have a happy, smiley mom...or......the merchandise.

(heart)

I'd rather have cash for working any day. And then if I want to spend it on a good time I"ll go and have a good time without worrying about work, memorizing descriptions, fishing for names, trying to stick to a scenario or any of the other stuff we have to do. Work is work and everything else is not. To me anyway.

CoffeeQueen... the great thing about good reimbursement shops is that it is not taxable income.

As an IC, we can get royally raked for taxes if we're not careful. Useful reimbursement shops are golden to keeping your taxable income low. My mindset is...Why NOT do it on your time, but on someone else's dime?

stilllearning Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Phoebe70 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I pretty much feel that way every time I
> complete a shop..........for the Disney
> > store. My kids love the merchandise I buy there,
> but at times I question if it's worth the tedious
> report.
>
> Maybe you should ask the kids....would they rather
> have a happy, smiley mom...or......the
> merchandise.
>
> (heart)

Do you have kids? i'm betting they'd rather have the merchandise. But I don't have kids.

In the beginning of my shopping career I was happy to just get re-imbursement on a lot of shops. However, pizza and fast food lose their appeal quickly and now I give most of the food away after tasting a little bit. I've done a couple of higher priced comp'd meals but I am so busy trying to track everything that I don't enjoy the meal and atmosphere. I am working harder at picking shops based more on fee paid or comps for groceries and necessary things. I will do the pizzas with a bonus and my co-workers and neighbors love me when I bring in lots of pizza.

stilllearning Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Phoebe70 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I pretty much feel that way every time I
> complete a shop..........for the Disney
> > store. My kids love the merchandise I buy there,
> but at times I question if it's worth the tedious
> report.
>
> Maybe you should ask the kids....would they rather
> have a happy, smiley mom...or......the
> merchandise.
>
> (heart)

They'd rather have the merchandise LOL.
It's not that they see me as unhappy. When we get home they play while I sit at the laptop and do the report.

I've gotten so I can enjoy the meal and experience at a higher end location. It just comes down to doing it over and over so that what you are looking for becomes second nature.

The only thing I hate is spending more than an hour doing the report immediately afterward!

Where I am closer look shops seem to have few takers they are always looking but never seem to add much. I can do more on a bar shop that pays me for sitting at the bar with a friend and come home work a hour and make 30.00.

I have not done a closer look one for well over a year, to me they are like the "bonus" shops of 3.00!

A Closer Look seems to be getting a lot less upscale clientele. In some cases the report is easier for the lower priced meal or what ever it is but there are sometimes where the reimbursement is not much and the report is still 2 hours. I did a promo the other day for them for a reimbursement of $25 with no fee. The report took me hours to do. I enjoyed the shop but I think I will concentrate on the $100 meals for the same report time in the future. I do like their fancy pizza place though. The reimbursement is small, the report is not bad and the pizza is fantastic.

Honestly, I'm just fed up with ACL. The tone of the emails from the editors has gotten ridiculous, especially with the $30 reimbursement carry out shops. Not worth the aggravation. Life's too short.

I will not work for ACL. The scheduler I seem to always get is not a nice person. I am an easy going person and work well with all of the schedulers I work with. The ACL scheduler, however, is not worth my time.

I too regret every A Closer Look shop that I take. I feel like the pizza one was easy the first 2 times, I think they updated it cuz the last time it sucked.

Depends on what you want. For some, cash is king. Others feel a reimbursement shop to be a discount at a location where they would spend their own dollar. ACL doesn't have shops in my area that pay a fee. They have lost clients here, that I did take as reimbursement only. And, they have a scheduler who I find to be unpleasant.

I have to say that their restaurant reports are a roadmap to successful reports that served as a training ground when I got started.

I have had nothing but thank you, good job, and we look forward to your next report from the editors at ACL.

I just had dinner earlier this week at a Jewish deli I already ate at plenty of times without them tempting me. It was the first time I ever ate there without ordering a corned beef sandwich from the lunch menu though.

After the report, I told myself I'd wait at least another month before I did a narrative heavy report for food reimbursement only.

Then they go and email me a request to go to lunch at a Caribbean themed restaurant. All I could think about is dipping coconut shimp in that sauce and how good the seafood chowder is....

I replied yes, and now I'm going there for lunch less than a week after my last dining assignment with them.

I try to tell myself that I'm saving on grocery costs.

In reality, the report takes over two times the amount of time at the table for me. When I C/P my last report into Word to check it, the word count for all sections came close to 1000 words.

They have some of my favorite places as clients, so it's very hard to say no.

sandyf Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A Closer Look seems to be getting a lot less
> upscale clientele. In some cases the report is
> easier for the lower priced meal or what ever it
> is but there are sometimes where the reimbursement
> is not much and the report is still 2 hours. I
> did a promo the other day for them for a
> reimbursement of $25 with no fee. The report took
> me hours to do. I enjoyed the shop but I think I
> will concentrate on the $100 meals for the same
> report time in the future. I do like their fancy
> pizza place though. The reimbursement is small,
> the report is not bad and the pizza is fantastic.


I feel the same way. If I'm going to spend 3 hours on a detailed report, my meal should cost over $150 and not $50. Just saying...

I thought the path the seeing the $150+ ACL dining was to give them great reports on the $50 lunch dining?

Even the Caribbean themed restaurant lunch was not listed on the job board and was email offer only.

Do the $150 dining assignments come as emails only to people that are in their solid shoppers list?

I've never seen any dining over $100 on the job board.

I got an email telling me that my photos of the food had "shadows" on them. I've looked at these photos over and over and over again, and I can't see one single shadow. I have no idea what they're talking about. The longer I shop, the less inclined I am to do these types of shops with reimbursement-only for mediocre food.

scanman1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have had nothing but thank you, good job, and we
> look forward to your next report from the editors
> at ACL.
>
> I just had dinner earlier this week at a Jewish
> deli I already ate at plenty of times without them
> tempting me. It was the first time I ever ate
> there without ordering a corned beef sandwich from
> the lunch menu though.
>
> After the report, I told myself I'd wait at least
> another month before I did a narrative heavy
> report for food reimbursement only.
>
> Then they go and email me a request to go to lunch
> at a Caribbean themed restaurant. All I could
> think about is dipping coconut shimp in that sauce
> and how good the seafood chowder is....
>
> I replied yes, and now I'm going there for lunch
> less than a week after my last dining assignment
> with them.
>
> I try to tell myself that I'm saving on grocery
> costs.
>
> In reality, the report takes over two times the
> amount of time at the table for me. When I C/P my
> last report into Word to check it, the word count
> for all sections came close to 1000 words.
>
> They have some of my favorite places as clients,
> so it's very hard to say no.

It's more than groceries you'll be saving on. That's the mindset I have when it comes to mystery shops lol.

For example, I haven't used my stove, kitchen sink or dishwasher in more than two months! The result? My utility costs have dropped significantly. Now to find a nice plastic sweat suit and warm socks to keep me warm during this winter....

scanman1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I thought the path the seeing the $150+ ACL dining
> was to give them great reports on the $50 lunch
> dining?
>
> Even the Caribbean themed restaurant lunch was not
> listed on the job board and was email offer only.
>
> Do the $150 dining assignments come as emails only
> to people that are in their solid shoppers list?
>
> I've never seen any dining over $100 on the job
> board.

It depends on your level. The Caribbean shop is on the board monthly, as well as an $80 lunch shop and the $150 dinner shop. Maybe you are not on the level to self assign these shops? There are also hotels, parking and senior shops.

Hear that OP. I just finished doing three LEGO reports. I finished them around 2AM, now I'm wired despite being utterly exhausted after doing shops for the first part of the day and scheduling the other half. That being said, I think too that it's all about one's outlook..

Me being tired, I looked at these reports and nearly said screw it. It was actually really easy and less daunting than I remembered from the last time I shopped LEGO. Glad I press on with it though.. the kids love LEGO and I'm too cheap now after doing MS and coupons to let these go!