@Richard94611 wrote:

To do a shop paying $8 I would have to be passing the location on some other kind of business and it would have to be the simplest shop in the world. I Draw the line at $10, and usually don't take one that pays that little.

You don't take the $4 grocery shops with the $5 reimbursement?

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

I often see the same shops that someone took off the boards at $8 come back later, highly bonused. They obviously flaked having decided it was not worth it. So then I scoop them up with the bonus. They just did me a favor.

Now you got it! You can do $8 shops when they are bonused. Some desperate shoppers who go to college and senior citizens that run out of money before they run out of month will take the shops. The Senior Citizens will take the shop because they need "filler" in their life and crossword puzzles do not pay as well.

You are an independent contractor. Do not feel guilty leaving the "charity" shops to those who shop them. Unfortunately the Government has in the past tried to "protect" underpaid people. Common sense (you get what you pay for) and independent contractors who are desperate are difficult to legislate.

@Piled Hip Deep, PHD wrote:

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

I often see the same shops that someone took off the boards at $8 come back later, highly bonused. They obviously flaked having decided it was not worth it. So then I scoop them up with the bonus. They just did me a favor.

Now you got it! You can do $8 shops when they are bonused. Some desperate shoppers who go to college and senior citizens that run out of money before they run out of month will take the shops. The Senior Citizens will take the shop because they need "filler" in their life and crossword puzzles do not pay as well.

You are an independent contractor. Do not feel guilty leaving the "charity" shops to those who shop them. Unfortunately the Government has in the past tried to "protect" underpaid people. Common sense (you get what you pay for) and independent contractors who are desperate are difficult to legislate.

1. I will rely on you to clarify what is obvious for you but is not obvious for me. Is the scorn for the flake who has decided the $8 job was not worth it the same as that for the flake who forgot or was too drunk to work? Is this scorn the same as that for the shopper who is hospitalized or dead and would have done a shop instead of dying or having the stroke or being hit by a drunk driver? I am not acquainted with any desperate college students who shop. Those who shop have honored their contracts and have not told me this. I have yet to meet any "Senior Citizens who will take the shop because they need 'filler' in their life and crossword puzzles do not pay as well". To begin, do all citizens live one collective life which is now known as 'their life'? Regardless of how many lives the senior citizens have, it is true for all seniors who shop that If they are honoring their contracts, they will never tell us that they shop. It is not our business why any seniors, students, or other shoppers shop. And about these old people who might flake, where do these people live? Should we know this so that we can move to those places and scoop up their jobs when they die and flake and their former jobs become bonused?

(BTW, do you ever thank all of these flakes for their contributions to your inflated paychecks?)


2. I would like to follow up regarding your comment about Common Sense, in which you declare that "you get what you pay for". According to your post, you accept assignments based upon payment to you without consideration of merit, unique skill, talent, especial qualification, or other added value benefit to msc's and their clients. First, do I understand correctly that in your common sense remark 'you' refers to msc's and their clients? Second, is it fair to say that you provide the costliest service that you can to the msc and ultimately to the client and cannot ensure that the msc and client are getting the greatest return on their mystery shopping investment?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2015 01:58PM by Shop-et-al.

If an $8-10 shop works out to $24-$40 an hour for my time, and the mileage is already covered by another shop, hell yeah I am going to do it.

It is all relative.

I'll add that I do take low pay shops if the reports are easy and I'm going to be next door. I also make routes of grocery shops, you know, the ones that only pay 5 and reimburse 9. A day of shopping can get my weeks worth of groceries so I consider it just a part of helping out my household. I don't mind.

I have a new MS goal, which is to make $40 a day, which will add up to $1200 a month. So if I need that $5 shop to meet my quota I'm not going to feel a bit bad about taking it.

I enjoyed the theater shops. Free movies but the concession fee was never quite adequate. I haven't had any for quite some time now. My reports were always "good job" but never get the bid anymore. Too many shoppers?

ACL - love them and yes the report is time consuming. Still a good dinner/lunch out.

gas shops for $4 - no thank you. Costs that much to get there, pictures, soda that I don't drink. Don't ever see the $20 bonused ones anymore.

Everyone has to decide for themselves what works. Would luv a nice burger but the dang cholesterol put a halt to that.

Yes, I take these shops!
My area; shops are low paying and get grabbed fast. It's difficult to have a profitable day, that's why I'm building a reputation of willing to drive.

Last time I checked; I'm the only person who's in control of my paycheck as a mystery shopper. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, ParkCityBrian, perhaps you haven't considered doing a route. And I don't mean just a shopping route; a route where, on the way to my primary task such as the automobile repair shop, I can swing a 10 minute detour to pick up and extra 3, 5 or 8 bucks. Perhaps I can do the same on my way back home. VOILA ! it's all worthwhile. At least it paid for my gas to and from my personal errands. To each his own, my friend. Ignore them if you wish.

I get parkcitybrian's sentiment - gas, mileage, and printer ink costs add up, so any shop paying $8.00 or below is not attractive. The only way I would accept this shop fee is if the shop is on my way to the grocery/gym/chores, etc. I have a favorite burger shop that only pays $6.00 but reimburses for food & drinks...I'd take this coz that's how much I like their burger & fries, & especially if the shop's in the direction where I'm going. That's why I have to workout in the gym frequently, lol...

You can have the $8 shops.
My time is more valuable than that.

@roxy1 wrote:

I spent 95 minutes, including drive time and reporting, to do two $8 grocery store shops today. That's $16 plus $20 of groceries for less than two hours of work on a rainy morning with nothing else to do. Its ignorant to generalize and criticize $8 shops.
And for folks trying hard to make ends meet, $8 plus lunch PLUS a meal to take home is a nice shop. Everyone has different circumstances, so don't be so quick to make blanket judgements.

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2015 11:10PM by MDavisnowell.